This week, I got to sit down and chat with Al Mennie to talk about his latest book Overcome or Succumb, a book all about facing fear, anxiety and panic, in a goal to conquer life.
Anxiety and Fear affect millions of people to varying degrees across the world and appear to be a growing issue despite lots of research and resources available in how to handle them. Al believes his experience surfing some of the biggest waves on the planet has lead him to understand anxiety, fear and panic and allowed him to handle lots of everyday situations with a similar approach.
Disclaimer: in this episode, Al shares some of his experience big wave surfing. By all means, do not try to do what Al does without the proper training, research and team. As Al would put it : “before practicing skills, be sure your equipment is well maintained and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training and comfort level.”
Back to my guest, Al Mennie.
Al, is a true big wave legend, he’s an expert in fear management. He’s been at it for years. He is one of the rare surfers who was out on the lineup the same day that Garret McNamara set his 100ft world record in Nazaré. In fact, his name is in the Nazaré hall of fame!
I pick Al’s brains about what it’s like to surf Nazaré, and his answer gave me shivers.
“You think you’re a big wave surfer until you go to Nazare. It is a different league (…) Not word of a lie, it’s terrifying” — Al Mennie
We talk about how to manage fear and Al shares his knowledge of how he apprehends surfing deathly waves such as Nazare and Mavericks.
But beyond these physical and mental achievements that have placed Al in the elite club of big waveriders , Al is a true multipotenalite. He has written 5 books (and is about to publish his 6th), he is a model, he’s an actor in a number of TV series, he’s a stuntman, a motivational speaker, a martial arts teacher and runs a property development business!
In our conversation we get to know Al a bit better. We talk about his latest book Overcome or Succumb, which is a gripping tale of how he prepares for big wave surfing, and how he manages to face fear in the most terrifying situations. Al also explains the positive effects of dealing with fear and how it has opened up countless opportunities.
We also take a while talking about Al’s different skills that he’s been flexing over the years which enable him to continue to live the dream of surfing and training for massive waves, and craft a balanced lifestyle.
“Flex all your skills, because (…), if you don’t develop every one of your skills throughout your entire life, then you run the risk of being vulnerable at some point. In various years some things take a downturn. So you need to have other things in life, other strings to your bow, to be able to make sure that you have the flexibility, the time and the money to survive those downturns to still go surfing every day.” — Al Mennie
There’s a lot of wisdom to be taken from this episode.
I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you Al for being such a delightful guest!
Until next week, take care, have fun and enjoy the waves.
Ciao
Imi
To get hold of the Al’s book, Overcome or Succomb, connect to Al’s website where you will also find all Al’s achievements, videos, martial arts training courses and much more
You can follow Al on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Al_Mennie
The Oceanriders Podcast is a weekly podcast and I would be so thrilled if you could give it a few stars and a review on Apple Podcasts (Click here to connect to the Apple Podcast page). If you would like to share your story, you can connect with me at hello@theoceanriderspodcast.com or via my Instagram account @theoceanriderspodcast.
This episode can be played and replayed on most of the podcast apps such as Stitcher, Spotify, Iheartradio, Overcast, Deezer and Apple Podcasts.
I’ve created a Facebook group so if you fancy joining the conversation after the episode, you’re welcome to: you can find the group on Facebook at The Oceanriders Community. I have also started posting some job offers that would be perfect for surfers there. You never know, maybe you’ll find your dream job? The Oceanriders Podcast is also a twitter account and a Facebook page, so you should be able to connect with me somehow! Use my link tree to pave your way to your preferred social platform. The address is www.linktr.ee/theoceanriderspodcast.
In a week, “Winter is Coming” and I thought today would be pretty appropriate to take you to the cold waters of the North East of England. Today’s conversation is with Simon Day, the co-founder of a burgeoning surf brand in the UK called Fitzroy.
Today my guest is Simon Short, also known as The Average Surfer. Simon is from England but he lives in sunny California. He is a writer. He has been a regular contributor to The Inertia, one of the coolest surfing magazines on the planet.
In 2016, he attracted a lot of attention when he published an inspiring article about Surfing, Depression and the Need for Identity. The success of this intimate and moving story inspired him to continue writing.
Confuscius once said, “Find a job that makes you happy and you’ll never work a day in your life again” and Aviv is one of those people. Aviv is a video storyteller and he has acquired recognition from the movies he has produced with his drones. In this episode we discuss what career choices have lead Aviv to video storytelling, what it takes to run your own company and of course, surfing!
Aviv is from Israel and shares some cool information about the waves of Israel, so if you’re planning a trip there, you may want to pack a board…
But if there is anything to take from the episode, it’s the fact that you have to keep on learning, trying, and sometimes fail to find your passion. All experience (good or bad) is worth it.
