Mermaid Mode

Nathalie Lambrecht is one of the most exciting kitesurfers in the world right now — a professional Big Air athlete, North and Mystic team rider, GKA competitor, and reigning Red Bull King of the Air Women's Devision champion. She grew up in El Gouna, Egypt, started kitesurfing at eleven after her babysitter came home glowing from a lesson, studied in Stockholm from fourteen to nineteen, and ha...

Emely is a kitesurfing and yoga instructor who runs camps in Akayaka, Turkey — a place she fell in love with on a visit nearly seven years ago and never left. Recorded beach-side at Sydvestpynten, one of Copenhagen's most popular kite spots, this episode covers a huge range of ground: starting kitesurfing in Denmark in early 2000s, competing in the Danish Freestyle Tour, why fewer girls are en...

Lena is an artist, surf coach, certified surf therapy facilitator, and the founder of Cold Water Sirens - a community built around cold water surfing on the North Sea coast of Denmark. What started as a question: "why is there nowhere for women who don't fit the standard surf school mould to go?" became a community, a coaching practice, a film, and a philosophy about what the ocean can actually do...

Maria grew up water skiing in Gambia at age seven. By the time she moved back to Sweden, there was nowhere nearby to ride. So eventually, she built her own. Episode 6 of Mermaid Mode is the first recorded on location — at Flip & Fun Wake Park in Sweden, currently a building site an hour and a half from Copenhagen, and soon to be Scandinavia's biggest cable park. Maria and her partner Henni...

In this episode we sit down with Ola, a Polish-born kitesurf instructor, jewellery maker, and founder of Ocean Pilgrims. Eight years ago Ola came to Tarifa, fell in love, and never left. Today she runs a kite school with her partner, makes one-of-a-kind necklaces from reclaimed vintage beads, and is launching her first women's kite retreat — a mindful, no-pressure space for female water lovers...

In this episode, Sasha sits down with Nathalie — owner of Big Blue Boards, social media marketer, kitesurfing instructor, and organiser of women's kite camps across Egypt, Tarifa, Sardinia, Brazil and beyond. Nathalie's story is one of those "kitesurfing changed my life" ones that you can't help but love. A single trip to Egypt in 2011, a frustrating first lesson, and a decis...

In this episode, Sasha sits down with Su Kay — kite designer, Big Air record breaker, and co-owner of Lacuna Kites based in South Africa. Su has been in the kitesurfing world for over two decades, starting out in New Zealand sweeping the floor of a kite board workshop, and working her way through brands like Cabrinha, Airush, and eventually Lacuna, where she now leads kite design. They cover a lot...

In this episode, Sasha sits down with Athea — a kite instructor, content creator, and self-described "wannabe pro" based on the coast of Australia. In less than four years, Athea went from her first terrifying tandem ride on the open ocean to becoming a certified instructor and building a genuinely helpful online following with her breakdown-style kite tutorials. They talk about how to o...

In the very first episode of Mermaid Mode, we sit down with Kaya — 3x Danish champion, Junior World Champion, and GKA top-5 ranked freestyle kitesurfer. Despite her impressive résumé, Kaya is refreshingly grounded: she doesn't consider competing her whole identity, is studying further while traveling the world, and is laser-focused on pushing her riding to the next level. We dive into Kaya&#39...

In this first episode, I introduce Mermaid Mode — a podcast about women and water. This is a space for women who feel called to the ocean, lakes, rivers, and cold plunges. Women who compete in watersports, build careers in the water industry, write about water, research it, teach it, protect it — or simply return to it again and again because it makes them feel alive. In this episode, I share why...