“As the ocean has tides, we too have phases and stages. We have been conditioned to reject and fight the lows, but the highs wouldn’t exist without them. We can either resist the lows or practice acceptance towards them.

Meet Danni, a Surf Confidence Coach, Surf Coach, and Transpersonal Psychotherapist. She helps women surfers overcome barriers, build confidence, and find more joy in and out of the water. Through her surf confidence workshops, she helps with barriers, blockers, scary incident recovery and more!

“I discovered surfing slightly later in life, in my early 30s, at a surf and yoga retreat in Portugal, and was hooked immediately.
After years of being landlocked and unable to surf consistently, I moved to Bali for nine months to train as a yoga teacher and also progress my surfing.

When I returned to the UK, being landlocked just wasn’t an option for me anymore. My longing for the ocean and surfing, and the positive effects it had on my mental health, became my driving force.

A year later, I was lucky enough to fulfil this dream. I have now been living in Cornwall for almost four years, where I’ve since qualified and started working as a Psychotherapist and Surf Confidence Coach."

DANNI’S STORY TO TELL

“I often like to compare surfing to a relationship, it has lots of different stages which are not necessarily linear nor mutually exclusive. The stages I’ve identified (though I’m sure there are many more) include; include: the first date, the honeymoon phase where you’re completely obsessed and in love, the first fight or scary incident, the breakthroughs and breakdowns stage filled with turbulence, the ‘three-year itch’ where progress seems to plateau for ages, and eventually, a place of acceptance.

The message I would like to leave behind is to normalise these stages, especially the less pleasant ones. As the ocean has tides, we too have phases and stages, it’s perfectly natural. We have been conditioned to reject and fight the lows, but the highs wouldn’t exist without them. We can either resist the lows or practice acceptance towards them. This is a choice we can make that allows us to move through those stages more smoothly.

By practicing acceptance to simply what is, it can help breakdown any blockers and barriers that might be effecting our confidence and we can reconnect with joy and ease in surf and general life again.”

A PIVOTAL SPORTING MOMENT

“Simone Biles and her courage to show up so authentically and speak about her mental health when she withdrew from the Olympics in 2020 is the first sporting moment that comes to mind.

This was an incredibly vulnerable thing for her to do. It’s hard enough to open up about our emotions and difficult experiences within a therapy session or to a trusted friend or family member, so doing it publicly must have been absolutely terrifying.

I have so much respect and gratitude for her and her choice to speak up on this topic to help raise awareness and normalise us feeling our emotions. This was an incredibly courageous step towards making our world and the sporting industry become a better, kinder and more compassionate place.”

MENTAL HEALTH IN SPORT

“Mental health is far more accepted as a topic now than it was 10 or 20 years ago, which is a great step forward. AND there is still more we can do to raise awareness and provide support in this area.

Nearly everyone experiences mental health struggles at some point in their lives, so the more we normalise these conversations, the more support we can put in place. Mental illness is just as real and painful as physical illness—so let’s treat it that way. So often the fear of judgment can hold people from speaking up, and this can mean we suffer for much longer than we need to. But we can all help break this stigma by talking about our own emotions and mental health more openly, which in turn encourages others to do the same.

Simone Biles is an incredible role model with how she has spoken publicly about her own mental health. Lnother inspiring athlete is Laura Crane, a pro surfer from Croyde and the first British woman to surf Nazaré in Portugal (2024). She has shared openly about her journey with mental health and how surfing and exercise helped her recover from bulimia.

MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH

“To develop a healthy mindset and to be in the best place to perform and to be able to recover from set backs, you have to do the inner work. That means working with a therapist to address unresolved trauma, identify limiting beliefs, and break through mental blockers that may be holding you back.

Once you commit to this inner work, your mind becomes clearer, you feel more present, and you can enjoy the journey with greater ease. You'll perform better, handle setbacks more effectively, and navigate the emotional comedowns after competitions more smoothly.

Treat your mental health with the same importance as your physical health. As an athlete, you don’t wait for a serious injury before taking care of your body—you maintain it proactively. The same should apply to your mental health. When we wait until it's bad, it will take longer to recover.

Look after yourselves. Be kind to yourselves. And look out for each other, too. If you notice someone struggling, ask them if they’re okay. A small act of care and support can make a huge difference."

ADVICE FOR WOMEN WORKING IN SPORT

'We cannot shame ourselves into change, we can only love ourselves into evolution!'
- Dr. James Rouse

“I really think this is so relevant within the workplace as well. There has been some wonderful progress made to promote Psychological Safety at work —creating environments where employees feel safe to take risks, speak up, disagree openly, and voice concerns without fear of negative repercussions. There is still work to be done. More companies and industries need to make psychological safety an absolute priority.

I would like to encourage young women coming into these industries to look for companies that practice psychological safety and promote employee well-being. Don't be afraid to ask about this in your interview as well. If you do find yourself in an unhealthy working environment, you are absolutely entitled to speak up about your concerns.

Giving yourself permission to speak up and normalise being your authentic self in the workplace, where the focus is on leading with love and respect, not fear and shame, can help these industries and companies move closer to becoming psychologically safer and in turn way more enjoyable places to be!

It is OK to show up in your truth and to embrace your authentic self! Do not be shamed into staying quiet or trying to fit into a mould, you are good enough and you are more capable and powerful than you can ever imagine!”

DANNI UNWAY