Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Listen now (57 min) | This week I am reposting my summer 2020 conversation with none binary trans skater Leo.The search for our authentic self is a lifelong process. And not always a successful one. It takes a huge amount of self honesty, and a willingness to embrace consistent and at times not always comfortable evolution.It’s something we all have to face, whether consciously or not.But imagine undergoing this entire process as a world-renowned skateboarder – while also trying to juggle both wider societal pressures, and those of a patriarchal industry who have tied your own career success to their own restrictive definitions of gender.This is exactly the position Leo Baker faced at the height of their success. And it is why there is so much more to Leo’s story than their admittedly generation-defining feats as a skater.Today, as they explained during our conversation, Leo is in a very different place, proud to be living authentically as the most high-profile nonbinary trans skater in the world.And yet, as Leo explained during our conversation, gaining the understanding and self-confidence required to finally present as their authentic self has been a long and involved process.It has involved learning to deal with the collateral damage and mental health issues that have accrued along the way and, ultimately, committing to a measured and long term approach to self-care.Leo’s story is one of the most important in modern skateboarding. I’m grateful they’ve trusted me to tell it in their own way, and in their own words. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

It’s the first leg of an impromptu south west omnibus as I catch up with my pal and Finisterre founder Tom Kay who is returning visit to the pod for the first time in six years!Tom was one of my first guests back in the early days of the show. Back then, we had a swim on Brighton beach and then recorded the episode on the pebbles over a pint or two. This time around, we had a great day, starting with a fun surf at Tom’s local Chapel Porth, before heading up to Finisterre HQ to sit down and record this conversation.I wanted to catch up with Tom on the occasion of Finisterre’s 20th year in business to find out how the business has grown, and how Tom himself views the last two decades, as well as his plans for the future. Back then, Tom began the brand in a flat above a shop in Saint Agnes, armed with nothing more than a big idea and a lot of passion. Today, Finisterre is one of British surfing’s true success stories, and in the six years since our first conversation, the brand has grown to the point that it has ten stores around the UK and well over 100 members of staff around the UK.It’s been quite a mission, with all the ups and downs that this type of founder-driven start up involves. What has he learned, as a founder and entrepreneur? What plans does he have for the brand’s future? What’s the idea behind initiatives such the new Finisterre Foundation, and Sea7? And what advice would Tom have if he was starting out again now?If you enjoyed my conversation with Nick Hounsfield, in which we cast a reflective eye over Nick’s mission to bring the Wave to life, then you’ll enjoy this one. I had a brilliant time down in Cornwall, and it was great to catch up with an old friend for the first time in years. Hope you enjoy our chat.If so - tell me in the Substack comments, or if you’re a paid Substack subscriber who has any feedback or questions about this week’s episode, hit me up directly in the subscriber chat thread. Looking forward to hearing what everybody thinks. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Milestone alert! 200 episodes!Yep, six years and countless HKC rants later, episode 200 is finally here. And I’ve decided to mark this landmark occasion with the usual double header. Next week, I’m releasing a special bonus episode 200 conversation with my old pal and most-capped Looking Sideways alumnus Ed Leigh for paid subscribers only.Today, for this instalment, I’ve invited surfer and Wave founder Nick Hounsfield onto the show for his second visit. Why? Because if you ask me, there’s an argument to be made that Nick Hounsfield has had more influence on British surf culture over the last decade than anybody else. Certainly, the Wave has changed the landscape of British surfing in ways we’re still getting our heads around.And then there’s Nick’s own story. When we recorded our first episode, back in September 2019, the pool itself was still dry and the place was a building site. Excitement crackled in the air, as Nick drew close to the end of a ten year mission to get the place built. That chat ended up being a classic ‘if you build it, they will come’ look at the struggle’s Nick had been through to get the thing over the line.Four and half years later, the picture, naturally, looks different. As Nick put it during our conversation, “I thought that was the end of the journey. I know realise it was actually the beginning”.And what a journey is has been, taking in Covid, the energy crisis, and the debilitating stroke Nick suffered in spring 2020. It’s this narrative that means, for me, the story of the Wave is inextricably linked to Nick himself, as a founder and entrepreneur. What has he learned? What’s the personal cost been? And has it been worth it?The resulting conversation is a truly fascinating insight into the personal cost of delivering such an all encompassing vision. It’s about what it takes to be a founder and visionary, and why hard, pragmatic decisions come with the territory.I got a lot out of it, and I’m stoked Nick trusted me to go there. Hope you enjoy our conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

“Give people a personal relationship with nature and they’re not going to commodify it. There is something more sacred out there, and that is nature. But we’re killing it because we don’t have a relationship with it.”Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism.This week’s guest is Nick Hayes, an illustrator, graphic novelist, political cartoonist, and author of The Book of Trespass. He’s also an activist who uses art and creativity as a tool to try and change the world.There’s a grand tradition of this in English art, and I think you can draw a direct link between Nick’s work and those other peculiarly English artists who combine art and protest to reclaim the way we see our history, ask us to reconsider how we use our land, and above all ask an increasingly important question: who is this place for?Historically, I’m thinking of people like Hogarth, Cobbett, Hazlitt, Blake and (a tad obviously perhaps) Orwell. These days, I would include people such as Ben Wheatley, Ben Myers and Mark Jenkin; as well as Nick’s great hero Roger Deakin, all of whom explore these themes through their work; and in different ways nod to the occasionally unsettling strain of anarchical, magick-with-a-K weirdness that is a recurring motif in this lineage.In the homogenised monoculture live in today, such a take can be jarring and discomfiting. But if you ask me, we need these perspectives more than ever. Because these are fundamental questions, particularly when it comes to land use, ownership, and the dark history that led us to this point, themes which are the main preoccupations of Nick’s work.Through campaigns such as the Right to Roam and Esme Boggart, Nick is challenging the monolithic conventions that shape our lives, and inviting us to ask these wider questions for ourselves.He is also, as I suspected he might be, a brilliant conversationalist, with a wide palette of cultural and historical touchpoint, and an ability to communicate his ideas with wit and clarity.Looking forward to hearing what everybody thought of my conversation with Nick and the wider right to roam conversation - leave me a comment, or if you’re a paid subscriber who has any feedback or questions about this week’s episode hit me up directly in the chat thread. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Looking Sideways is proudly ad-free and reader and listener supported. Massive thanks to all my paid subscribers, who help keep the podcast and newsletter free for everybody. To consider supporting what I do with a free or paid subscription, click belowEpisode 199! How on earth did that happen?I’ve had a couple of admin and R&R focussed weeks since I released the Festive Special, but now I’m back and raring to go with a lovely, timely chat with photographer, musician and snowboarder Nathan Gallagher.Nath’s a very old friend I first met in the mid-90s, when we were young snowboarding idiots looking for a way into the industry. We’ve been friends ever since and I’ve watched with real pride and interest over the intervening years as he’s created a really unique and commercially successful creative career for himself.And, as you’ll hear, Nathan has a lot of really original and interesting things to say about art, creativity, the voices in our heads that dictate the paths we follow, and our wider search for validation.I must be honest: this conversation came at a good time for me personally. Firstly, there was the chat itself, an intensely pleasureble exchange that reminded me that, for me, the conversation has always been the ultimate reward when it comes to Looking Sideways.But I also needed to hear Nathan’s canny, empathetic message about the importance of remembering why we do creative work, and how, in today’s digital landscape judging anything on the numbers (especially your self-esteem) is a modern fool’s errand. Like anybody, I’m not immune to falling prey to such corrosive reflections, so I found Nath’s expert, passionate analysis of the dynamics at play here very fascinating and, personally, much needed.I hope you get as much our of our conversation as I did. If so - tell me in the comments, or if you’re a paid subscriber who has any feedback or questions about this week’s episode hit me up directly in the chat thread: www.lookingsideways.substack.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

A special Housekeeping Corner bonus episode about why I am shifting the entire podcast and newsletter over to Substack and introducing a partial paywall. Find out more: www.lookingsideways.substack.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

How does it feel to go into space? What does it make you feel about the future of our planet, and your own place in the universe? What are the moral implications of space travel? And just how do you take a picture of Pipeline from the International Space Station as it flies overhead at 17,000 mph?All questions that I discussed with this week’s guest Christina Koch, a surfer and – yes – astronaut who spent 328 days in space aboard the International Space Station, setting a new record for the longest spaceflight completed by a woman in the process. She also spent her downtime photographing the planet’s best surf locations, posting them on her hugely popular Instagram feed and outing herself as a serial surf geek in the process.Christina’s story is as inspirational and fascinating as any I’ve featured on the Looking Sideways podcast. It’s a lesson in focus and determination, and a tale of a life embellished with profound experiences that have seen her spend seasons at the South Pole and literally live among the stars.This breadth of experience has also given Christina a unique perspective on the biggest philosophical questions of all, whether it’s our place in the universe, the huge challenges we face on earth right now or the best way of handling individual experiences of stress and adversity.All topics, as you’ll know if you’re a regular listener, that are right up my boulevard, and the resulting exchange is one of my favourite ever Looking Sideways conversations, which is why I am resharing it today. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Festive Special!Mince pies. Carols. Mistletoe. The John Lewis ad. Festive tunes on endless repeat. Yep, Christmas is a time of tradition. And in Looking Sideways land, that means it’s time for the annual Tim and Gendle Christmas Special, our very own addition to the Christmas canon.Although…this year, we approached things a little differently. Of course, we sat down and chatted for a couple of hours, discussed how 2022 was for us, our hopes for 2023, and answered the many listener questions we received on Instagram. Gendle even did a special quiz, which worked out a treat.But this year I’ve also got some specially-recorded guest appearances from a few truly notable friends of the pod, including Ed Leigh, Selema, Ben Powell, Chas Smith, Demi Taylor, Lesley McKenna, Christian Stevenson, Owen Tozer and even real live astronaut Christina Koch.So for now, wherever you’re listening to this - I imagine it’s either in the car on the way to someone’s gaff, or while peeling the sprouts - I urge you to don a silly Santa hat, grab an eggnog and kickback while us three absolute idiots wax festively for the next couple of hours.It’s been another great Looking Sideways year, and this episode was the perfect way to cap it off. Hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording it. Merry Christmas! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

This week’s episode is a double header with my friends Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson, two absolute stalwarts of the UK surf community who for the last three years have been working hard on their investigative film The Big Sea.And it really is an extraordinary piece of work - an investigation into surfing’s ‘dirty little secret’, as they put it: the industry’s relationship with neoprene. Neoprene is the market name for chloroprene. Chloroprene is produced by a company called Denka in a factory in St.John, Louisiana, which emits levels of chloroprene that the EPA has found to be carcinogenic, and so deadly to the local community that the area has become known as ‘Cancer Alley’.The Big Sea is many things: a shocking environmental documentary; a cold-eyed juxtaposition of surfing’s public image with this shabby truth; an investigation into the socio-economic factors that have led to this situation; and an exploration of the hidden hypocrisies that prop up our lives in the west, with surfing’s relationship with neoprene one metaphor for this wider unspoken reality.Know somebody who would enjoy this post?And it is also an exploration of activism in its many forms, from the dogged fight for justice headed up by local St John Parish campaigners such as protagonist Robert Taylor, to Chris and Lewis’s own independent efforts to bring this story to light over many years in the face of industry indifference and suspicion. As such The Big Sea has the power to reframe the conversation about surfing environmentalism and drive real tangible change in a way that will benefit real people in real communities. No wonder Surfers Against Sewage co-founder Chris Hines calls it ‘probably the most focused 50 minutes of environmental and social campaigning by surfers ever.’As you can tell, I was blown away by the film, and especially the way Lewis and Chris have marshalled these disparate threads into an elegant, impactful 50 minute film. As soon as I saw it I decided to chat to them for this episode of Type 2. We talked about the entire thing - how they heard of the story, the three-year mission to bring it to life, what the entire saga says about surfing and our relationship to environmental issues, and what change they hope to inspire. You can also find out how you can help the duo finish the film, and bring it to the wider audience is so richly deserves. Hope you enjoy this episode.New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.Enjoyed this episode? Got a view on the issues raised? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

“Death isn't scary to me. Dying isn’t scary to me. I’ve seen it, and I’ve been close to it.”When my friend at Whitelines magazine asked me to chat to snowboarder Kimmy Fasani about her cancer diagnosis for this year’s annual, we decided to join forces on a print/audio double-header. The print version of our conversation was released last week, followed by the full audio version of our conversation on the podcast. The result was a hugely affecting conversation that moved me greatly. As I wrote in my introduction to the Whitelines story:“Death, serious illness, grief. These milestones are or will be a part of all of our lives.Yet as a society, we are strangely reluctant to deal with them or even consider them until they’re in our immediate future.So when we see somebody we care about confront these hidden commonplaces, and address these taboos openly, it has real impact. And when that person has a high profile in their field, and chooses to share their experiences in a vulnerable, confrontational, yet generous way, it can change the way we all think about and see them”.“How else to explain the awe-inspiring power of the way Kimmy Fasani has chosen to tell her story through the prism of snowboarding?As a rider, Kimmy has always been held in great affection by the snowboarding community. She is also somebody that has long been aware of how her profile gives her the ability to ‘shift the needle and change the conversation’, as she puts it.Following the birth of her first son Koa, she did just that by challenging the perception of what it means to be a mother and a professional snowboarder.Now, thanks to the wisdom and grace she has shown in sharing her experience of being diagnosed with and treated for stage 3 breast cancer, she is doing so again - by openly exploring the biggest, scariest themes of all.Over the last decade, Kimmy and her family have dealt with a series of escalating crises that culminated in her diagnosis with stage 3 breast cancer at the end of 2021.By choosing to share their experiences with her trademark combination of grace, beauty and great generosity of spirit, Kimmy is once again changing the collective snowboarding conversation in the most powerful way of all”.Know somebody who would enjoy this episode? I’m so grateful to Kimmy for the generosity and trust she showed during our conversation. Big thanks to Owen for the Zoom portraits, too. Enjoyed this episode? Have thoughts on the issues raised? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe