Waves to Wisdom Interview: Maureen McNamara

To listen to the interview, scroll to the Player at the bottom of the page. Learn more about coaching with Maia"You're always evolving but at some point you have to discover your true essence, who you are. I’m Maureen and I'm a surfer and that's who I have always been.And for most of us as older transitioners, who’ve been through what we've been through, we don't want to see younger kids struggle the way we did. We want to allow the younger trans population to experience themselves early. But for most of us older transitioners, it’s, you reach a point where it's transition or die."~ Maureen McNamara UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("script-190635")); UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("script-203629"));Show Notes Maureen McNamara’s article about being a trans surfer in The Inertia Maureen McNamara’s Instagram One of Maureen’s surf style heroes: Leah Dawson The first mainstream surf documentary: The Endless Summer A brief article in The Inertia putting The Endless Summer in historical context Britannica entry on Tiresias Resources for transgender youth Resources for parents of transgender children Find an LGBT supportive therapist UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("script-201822"));A Few of Maureen's Photos UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("script-515653")); UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("script-855399"));Interview Transcript INTRODUCTION My name is Maia Dery. The Waves to Wisdom interviews are the result of an exploration into a world I discovered when I learned to surf at mid-life. Some of these conversations aren’t necessarily with people who we would instantly recognize as leaders but they are all leading us in a direction I instinctively followed and have benefitted tremendously in the process. Some of them don’t have huge audiences, but they are living very large lives. To me, these people all seem to have wisdom practices centered in their relationship to the more-than-human world, to what we usually think of as “nature.” Surfing proved first revelatory, then revolutionary in my life. I thought I was creative, thought I knew and loved water, thought I took care of my body. But when I entered the world of surfing and waves, when I started to ritualistically return to a literal edge, I realized my vision for my life had been hampered by some artificial barriers. Slowly, with each wave and wipeout, those barriers in my brain, heart, and body began to dissolve. I began to wonder, what if we all had a nature based practice that cracked us open? Made us more creative? Allowed us to reliably let go with the abandon of play? Of unbridled joy? What if we all practiced vulnerability, risk and failure on a daily basis and they were fun? Wouldn’t it make our lives better? Wouldn’t it lead us to the places it feels like, in this moment of planetary peril, we need to go? Whether you find full bodied and big hearted connection through waves or walking or digging in the dirt, I hope you find these conversations useful in your own journey of re-inhabiting your life with renewed joy, deep engagement, and increasing wisdom. Maureen McNamara: You’re always evolving but at some point you have to discover your true essence, who you are. I’m Maureen and I’m a surfer and that’s who I have always been. And for most of us as older transitioners, who’ve been through what we’ve been through, we don’t want to see younger kids struggle the way we did.