The Board List: Finding Your Time
Do some of us have more time for fun, or are we better at prioritising?
We are smack bang in the middle of work/life jenga as school holiday’s hit, the sun is out and we feel the pressure to enjoy it at all costs, and the message of ‘but they only have 18 summers, 18…don’t miss it’ rattles round our brains.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am here for taking time off. I am here for going on holiday as often as you possibly can, and ideally making it extended travel time. I get the theory of spending time with your kids while they actually want to spend time with you. I am here for all of it.
Except.
We are one week in and I am EXHAUSTED. We are trying to take a chunk of time off in August (which we are privileged to even have the flexibility to consider, we forget in these ‘just 18 summers’ messages that most of us don’t have any flex over the summer & we’re just struggling to get by). Which means July is heads down making money (we both work for ourselves), the kids are in clubs, and we are feeling the pressure to make all of the surrounding time fantastic, joyful. What summer holidays should be.
The kids are knackered too. And so they are just that bit more whiney. They aren’t necessarily happy recipients of all of the planned fun. They of course want to do the opposite of what we want, most of the time.
And lost in the middle of all of this is time for ourselves. Or, it can be. I am walking a multi-tasking tight-rope of trying to prioritise little chunks of time for me. A cheeky sea swim after club drop off. A walk before I start work. An early slot at the skate park. Because I can truly only stay sane if my cup is semi-full.
Sometimes I feel like an anomaly, as I see so many peers not prioritising themselves in this way. Maybe I’m a narcissist, considering my own needs before those of my kids, but I don’t see it as that way. Because I know I am a better mother, friend, partner, colleague if I am experiencing happiness in the pockets of my life where I need to.
How are you prioritising yourself this week? Count this as your Monday permission to do so.
Good luck to all the parents out there. And to those of you who aren’t parents, good luck with all of those scooter kids suddenly coming your way in the skate park x
Caroline
Board Women Founder x
Don’t be Board
The Shark Whisperer on Netflix
This documentary is mind blowing. I’m not going to be taking up the opportunity to stroke the nose of tiger sharks and great whites any time soon, but I highly recommend you check out the woman who does. Must watch.
For some skateboarding inspo from the 70’s
For those of us who look better at board sports in our heads than reality
I liked this little clip from @thesaltysouls
Feeling the mental load? Check this out
Cat of @notsosmugnow fame wrote the Mental Load List 2 years ago, it went viral, and now her book on the same topic has been released. One to queue up, I’ve just downloaded this & will report back.
If you’re in need of a getaway: be an Unyoked tester
I stayed in an unyoked cabin recently in Wales, and it was bliss. Beautifully kitted out cabin space, stunning views, and totally switched off from screens. If you feel like you could be up to the task of testing out more of their spots, this is for you.
Weligama Surf Schools Removed from Beaches
We are looking at spending a few months in Sri Lanka early next year, and therefore the recent news about the surf schools being cleared from the beaches in Weligama have been really sad to see. The government have stated it’s because these schools are set up illegally, but much of the community depends on their existence. Super sad to see.
Get on Board
Get your miniramp skills down
The guys from Board AF in Littlehampton are ace, and this is a brilliant breakdown of your basic mini ramp skills to work on.
Queer Skate Brighton x BHSA x Route One Pop Up
Queer Skate Brighton are back after their stint of travel, and hosting a free day in Brighton with lessons, an open session, skate jam and a pop up skate park. Get yourself along!
Save the Waves Film Festival
Check out the world’s only international surf and environmental film festival in August in North Devon’s World Surfing Reserve. Sponsored by Dry Robe, so you can borrow some warmth if you need it!
Prepping your September Surf Trips? Check out Sisters of Stoke latest trip
The Board Crew
I met Luviama at one of our snowboarding events, via Sarah at Yellow Hat Skateboards. She’s super lovely and skateboarding in particular is clearly something she lives for. Let’s get right on with finding out why.
When and how did you get into board sports?
I started skateboarding in my late 30s, just before Covid in 2019. I found a skateboard in a charity shop in North London for £5, and that was my first ever board. I remember watching X Games with my father when I was younger, so I guess that was my influence—but there wasn’t much of a skate scene in my hometown in Romania at the time.
My first push on a board was actually on my flatmate’s penny board in my early 30s. I didn’t skate again after that, but the itch was still there—just dormant. So grabbing that complete from the charity shop felt like a now-or-never moment. I also learned to snowboard as a teenager, but that was just an occasional winter thing—whereas skateboarding slowly became part of my life, with an ever-growing desire for more. Now I just want to skate for as long as I possibly can.
What do you love about skateboarding?
What I love most is the feeling of achievement—when you try for what feels like forever to land a trick, and then you get it… it’s just sweet and addictive for me. I also love the chill days when I skate with no goal in mind. They feel creative and flowing. It’s not always about progress—I get lost in pushing around and exploring new parts of the skatepark, doing tricks I already know. It’s almost meditative for me. I drop into the present moment and forget about what was, or the question of what will be. And of course, the community and the friends I’ve made since have deeply strengthened my connection to it—and my love for it.
Describe how it feels when you’re on a board
How I feel on the board is a big spectrum of emotions, I can say. It just feels right—whether I have a great session or not. I feel pure joy, I feel present, and I feel like I have no age—I’m just playing and pushing my boundaries, with no outside expectations. Of course, there are struggle days when I don’t feel confident, or when I skate after a long day at work—especially now in my 40s. But the end result is always a better mood and a feeling of being just a little bit more alive. I guess I just love being on the board—it makes me feel genuinely happy.
What would you say to anyone considering trying it?
I’d say: definitely try it. You might just get the bug—or you might think it’s not for you. And even that feeling might only be for the moment—you could come back to it later, or never again. Both are fine.
What I’d really like to add is that the skateboarding community is way more supportive, non-judgmental, and welcoming than I expected when I first started. It’s more than just skating. At the beginning, going to the skatepark can feel intimidating—like it did for me—but most skateboarders truly appreciate the hard work that goes into it.
They’ll celebrate your wins and encourage you to keep grinding after you fall. Because ultimately, we all go through the same process: falling and getting back up until we claim our win.
Thanks for reading! Until next week! Caroline x