Riding the Waves of Passion and Profession

An unforeseen journey through discovery, loss, and rediscovery

In almost four decades of my professional life, I have heard all the cliches and sayings about the business world. Some cliches become such because they are true. Others miss the mark. One, in particular, I thought I had achieved, but came out the other side with a different perspective.

We’ve all been told, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Or maybe, “Follow your passion; the money will follow you.” There are countless variations on this theme.  Throughout my career, I let this idea guide my professional choices, and tried to make  my job my passion.  The reality was that I was passionate about my work, but it was never my burning passion.    Four years ago, I took a passion that I had discovered and made it my job and I can now say I’m not 100% sure this cliche is the best advice, at least for me.

I discovered surfing shortly after I turned 41. As a kid from Oklahoma, this was never on my radar as a passion, hobby, or sport—it found me. Living in Manhattan Beach, California, the surf lifestyle was everywhere: shops, clothing, the beach, everything. You could not escape it. My family gave me a wetsuit as a birthday gift that year; little did I know that it would introduce me to a hidden passion that would overwhelm me. 

A 4:30 am wake-up call is way too early for any normal human, but for me, it quickly became a new normal. I was checking the waves, tides, and winds, wanting to start each day with a surf no matter what.  Going surfing each day ignited a devotion that became a daily ritual.   As this new passion(some might call it obsession) grew, I traveled to places I had never heard of before: Namotu, Fiji; Nosara, Costa Rica; Leemore, CA; and others. I was experiencing new cultures and new waves to surf, and it all made for an addicting adrenaline rush.  Pre-wetsuit, I never understood this lifestyle or culture; how many surfers do you know from Oklahoma, like zero???  It was a brand new world to me.  And it’s NOT what I thought. 

The drive these surfers have to find waves has become an overplayed stereotype.  In movies, TV shows, and on social media, you’ll find men and women doing all sorts of things - nomadically moving around, living out of a van, all in the search of the next wave.   At least that’s what Hollywood wants you to think.  Sure, I found some fantastic characters on my surfing journey.  Surf friends whose real names I don’t know, but I know them as Hair Farmer, Ry Dogg, Bolts, The Brown Blurr, and others - they became my tribe.  To my delight, I found far more people aligned around important cultural and environmental values, galvanizing us all with a throughline of the sport of surfing.  A love for the ocean, a deep connection and respect for specific surf breaks, the local and native communities where we surf, a healthy lifestyle, and a love of oneself were deep-seeded values for many in the surf community, no matter how far-flung the locale. As I became aware of the spiritual nature of surfing, I was struck by how many people I met focused on their personal growth.  I became consumed by all of it, which partially unlocked my spiritual journey.  (I’ll write more on that later) 

Surfing was all-consuming. In the lineup, other surfers would call me a “GROM” or (a young surfer who loved being out there). I mean,  I was 42, not exactly what I’d call young, but it worked. One thing was sure—I wanted to do more and lean into this new world I had discovered. The early stages of blending my business brain and my new surf obsession started small when I had opportunities to invest in surf-related companies.  Becoming a business partner was fun and educational. It allowed me to leverage my ‘landlocked’ brain with my newfound passion while still maintaining my anonymity to a large degree.  These ventures opened my mind to thinking and believing there might be a way to marry this newfound passion with my profession.  

Through a series of cosmic coincidences, I was connected to the professional organization that is the World Surf League.  The WSL has been around since 1976 and is the entity that crowns Surfing World Champions. Most people have heard of Kelly Slater and his 11 World Titles—the WSL is the organization that sets up the surf season and competitions, including the finals for the World Championship, and crowns the World Champion each year.  This connection blossomed into an opportunity to do something I have never done:  make my true passion my job!  I pivoted my career running the Oprah Winfrey Network, a cable network and television studio into a bold new world where I would truly be turning my new passion into a job. I could make this leap and do as the cliche said!  When I made the pivot, I remember people saying, “You’ve done it!  You’ve married your passion with your profession!”  The accolades were correct -  I had done it.  It was a euphoric feeling, frankly not planned nor expected, but all felt divine and karmic simultaneously.    

Friends, co-workers, surf press, other media, and the local community were baffled about how and why I made this pivot.  I had never surfed until I was 41 years old, I grew up in a landlocked state; I never imagined this or anything remotely close in my career.  I even made the cover of our local magazine, “Southbay.”  It was unbelievable, very satisfying, and so much fun.

Until it wasn’t.  

I was at the league for over four years, and those years were filled with so many ups and downs as a sport and company.  (Navigating COVID is just one example.)  It was hard work, enriching on many levels, but also very taxing personally.  On a health front, I had a stroke, heart surgery, and some other health scares - honestly, I don’t believe work caused them, but the stress didn’t help, for sure.  Concurrently, I was going through a challenging family separation, and my life was turned upside down, which still remains a source of pain.  As an escape, I would grab my board, get a surf, and attempt to unplug, but even the most straightforward attempts didn’t help.  

Through it all, something was happening inside me. There was an eroding and flattening of my love for surfing. It wasn’t sudden; bits and pieces of joy chipped away here and there until the love was broken and the passion was gone.  I would think back to those early moments of feeling that this job would be so great for me; and that being on the ‘inside of surfing’ and getting deeper into this world I loved would unlock more ways to deepen my passion and engage my business brain.  I was wrong again. 

The reality is that when my passion became my job, those lines became blurred.  What once was a sanctuary, where anonymity was nearly assured with many of us wearing identical black wetsuits on our boards,  not caring at all what anyone did outside of the ocean, suddenly became a place I didn’t want to be. People constantly approached me, wanting to talk about surfing and the WSL and give their unsolicited opinions of the sport or the company (good and bad).   I would always take the time to talk with them and listen, thank them for the conversation, and try to be as present and thoughtful as possible.  To be honest, there were many times that it felt good; my ego loved it, and even when the conversations got heated, I still loved the debate.  So, on the one hand, I was feeling good on the ego level; on the other, my love for surfing and passion were eroding - catching fewer and fewer waves.  

The erosion continued. 

It became so bad that I couldn’t get away from the professional part of the sport and just get a surf in.  My love for surfing was gone almost as fast as it came to me.  Missing this fire led me to find another sport for an escape - tennis.  I love it - it’s fun, I’m terrible, and it's a good workout.  However, it has never given me what surfing has - no fire, no burning passion, no strong devotion. I became bitter and angry at these lost moments - my spirit and love for surfing were broken.  

Let’s be clear: I’m not a good surfer, by ANY measure, but I’ll never forget what my friend Laird Hamilton told me when I was starting.  He asked me if I could tell who the best surfer in the lineup was.  I threw many answers at him: the surfer taking the biggest turn, catching the biggest air, the best barrel ride.  With each answer, he said no.  Then, he looked at me and said, “It’s the surfer having the most fun.”  That statement embodies many lessons about the purity of what surfing was and is to millions of others and me.  I used to have fun and get up at 4:30 and get to the water at first light, but no longer. What was clear to me was that I was not having fun surfing anymore.  The passion was gone.  I couldn’t find it anywhere. It was gone as fast as it overcame me.  And then, in late June of 2023, I was no longer working - passion and profession both gone.  

Then, over the Fourth of July weekend, I grabbed a board and just went for a surf.  The waves were small but uncrowded.  I’ll tell you right now, it might have been my best surf in four years—small waves, sunshine, and peace.  I sat beyond where the waves were breaking, looking at the horizon, remembering why I fell in love with this sport.  I wept, waves of sadness that I lost this connection, but also tears of immediate gratitude as I rediscovered a feeling of peace and comfort I hadn’t had before I went to work at the league.  

Since that day, I have found my way back to the ocean nearly every morning, not pressured by a 4:30 am alarm.  I grab whatever the ocean dictates to ride my wave—not a care in the world when I paddle out.  And sometimes, it’s flat as a lake, so I just go for a swim. My friends have all said they haven’t seen me this happy in the ocean in years, and this translates to my happiness on land, as well.   

Having a passion for your profession is critical—it builds a commitment that drives one to higher levels of success. I have always found excitement and commitment from working at different radio stations, the Oprah Winfrey Network, Harpo to XM Satellite Radio, and many other jobs.  However, with my surfing experience, I have learned a key difference: I was passionate about all those other jobs, but they were NOT my passion. It might seem like I’m parsing words, but it's a huge difference.  I have learned this lesson the hard way, and I believe understanding that distinction is essential.  

Exploring your passion and profession is noble and grand and might be perfect for you.  Protecting my passion will be paramount as I embark on new journeys building my companies.  Undoubtedly, I will find many things (maybe too many things) to become passionate about.  That is the exciting part of the journey, but I plan to always protect my passion. 

 I’m hoping you do as well.