1. Bio

Skateboarder, creator, CEO and co-founder of Grlswirl, a women’s skate collective based in Venice CA that today is a global community of women and non-binary people, united by the desire to build authentic relationships and make a positive impact on the community, through a shared passion for skateboarding. Originally from Cornwall in New York, she has a background as a professional dancer, but she has travelled a lot and experimented with different roles throughout her life, working in fashion, music, technology, cinema and agriculture. Today she defines herself as a passionate surfer, skateboarder (surf skate), community leader and dog lover. In addition to the Grlswirl project, she manages a skateboarding start-up, the social strategies for several brands and is a photographer for many brands that are inspired by the Southern California mood.

2. The power of a dream

For a long time I thought my dream was to be a professional dancer. And I was one, for decades I danced for hours and hours every day. But that was the idea I had of myself, it wasn’t really me and the dream, the power of the dream, is that inexplicable feeling that allowed me to understand the difference between the idea I had of happiness and feeling really happy. I think we should learn to never stop asking ourselves, “Do I love what I’m doing? Does it really make me happy?” and not be afraid if the answer is no. If the answer is no, we must keep pace with the opportunities that life offers us. Because it does, and every experience teaches us, at least, to know what we don’t want. I have experienced many different jobs, I have always thrown myself into them body and soul, but at some point the doubt, the feeling of not being in the right place, came bubbling back up to the surface. So I changed. Each of these experiences prepared me to recognise, in the end, the difference between committing heavily to something that seems interesting to us and loving a project, a job passionately. The power of a dream helps us to do this, to seek – also for our human and professional fulfilment – great love, without settling for less or convincing ourselves we have found it before we have.

3. My journey into real beauty

Keep your head looking forward, tilt your weight forward, and everything will be fine. Transfer the energy you need from your body to the board and move with the flow. Skateboarding is a perfect metaphor for life. So many people think they can’t learn, they’re afraid they won’t make it. But that’s just a misperception we have in our heads: we shouldn’t be afraid of failure, fear kills our potential. The first time, jumping onto the skateboard is jumping right into your fear: do you understand what magnificent potential is unleashed? First you see that you can be in control of what you were afraid of and then you feel that you can even have fun and use it as a boost. This is the greatest beauty I am lucky enough to see bloom every day, thanks to the work we do with Grlswirl. Women supporting women, women finding their freedom, finding a balance point or discovering, for the very first time, just how cathartic it is to break out of a pattern. It was neither easy nor straightforward to reach the awareness that led me to found Grlswirl, but I distinctly remember the precise moment when something snapped in my brain and I went from feeling really fragile and weak, to suddenly feeling powerful and free. That was the moment when I experienced the beauty in its purest form and I created Grlswirl to share this and help as many girls as possible feel safe, free and full of potential.

4. What I learned and won’t let go

I think it’s important to develop the awareness that we don’t need to know now what we’re going to do for the rest of our lives. It is more important to learn to feel what makes us feel good today and leave the doors open to new opportunities. Try, experiment and, why not, change. Changing paths and beliefs is not failing, it is courageously opening ourselves up in search of authentic happiness. Living day by day nourishes the soul. We need to learn to bravely say what we really want, to remain humble, but at the same time claim the right to say our piece. It is not important to be perfect, but we must have self-esteem: as women, we are often taught to hide, to adapt. But if you don’t clearly say what you want, you’ll never get it, and you’ll only have yourself to blame. For this reason, it is essential to find situations in which respect for the diversity and potential of each person is protected and valued. Very often, men are sincerely ignorant about the difficulties faced by women and what it means to be a woman in our society. What do I dream of for all women? For us to stand united, create opportunities and the power to change, working together instead of against each other. We know how to do it and we are very good at it. Insisting on claiming otherwise is just another way to try to control ourselves.