My encounter with the ancient ritual of Ayahuasca ceremony.

Originally published in Santa Cruz Waves Magazine.

Help, I say silently. Or maybe out loud. It’s hard to know for certain. And though I am in the middle of an ayahuasca ceremony, it’s hard to know exactly where I am—not only in relation to the door, but also to my body. I’ve lost track of it, and I’m terrified it might urinate or vomit or do something equally horrifying all over the floor of the temple and the 20 other participants inside of it. I’m on the verge of a full-blown panic attack when several pairs of hands lift me up and carry me outside.

Originally published in Santa Cruz Waves Magazine.

Julie Cox glides smoothly down the rocky staircase at Steamer Lane. It’s May 27, 2017, and she’s about to compete in the Santa Cruz Longboard Union Memorial Day Invitational for Pedro Point Surf Club. A purple longboard is tucked under her arm, a single fin from the Jule Collection, the line of jewel-inspired surfboards she launched in 2005. In addition to a successful career as a professional surfer, Cox has an impressive track record as an entrepreneur: her most recent endeavor is Traveler Surf & Swim Club, which offers a warm haven from the cold waters of Pacifica.

These California athletes have put adventure at the center of their lives

Originally published in Adventure Sports Journal

What is a wild woman? Wild is defined as “living in a state of nature” and “not subject to restraint or regulation.” And a wild woman is what I aspired to be when I set off from Santa Cruz to surf Central America during the summer of 2015, just as eager to break the prescribed boundaries of being a thirty-something woman as I was to immerse myself in the raw and rugged landscape of the Pacific Coast. Though I traveled solo, I wasn’t alone. Increasingly, more and more women are putting adventure at the center of their lives.

Engineering Creativity from Flash to Finish

Originally published in Santa Cruz Waves Magazine.

Out in front of his house on the Eastside of Santa Cruz, Bryan Garrison wraps up a game of frisbee with his kids, 12-year-old Kirra and 10-year-old Kadin, and heads into his backyard. Piles of shells, jars full of sea glass, and art projects in various stages of construction are strewn across the deck. A tree house that Garrison built winds around an old tree, with a rock-climbing wall tacked onto the partition in front.

Originally published in Santa Cruz Waves Magazine.