A little (ok a lot!) about me - Camilla, your SUP & Soul host
I discovered my love of adventure and nature from a young age. With a Norwegian mother, most of my family in Norway and having lived there as a child - the Norwegian outdoorsy spirit is very much in my blood - aka friluftliv across Scandinavia. Our holidays were (and still are!) spent in the mountains exploring the forest trails on foot, by ski or snowboard and by bike and playing in and on the fjords and lakes around western and southern Norway.
Back in the Day!
Yup - this is me in the 80s wearing my Norwegian national costume, waving my flag and standing outside the palace in Oslo with my big bruv. My time living in Oslo were some of the best years of my life.
Before and after university, I worked in the French Alps and the Mediterranean feeding my lust for adrenaline and living life to the full - skiing and windsurfing every chance I had.
In my mid 20s I was under the illusion I had to grow up and find a proper job. So I did. I moved to London, then Brighton and spent the next many years climbing the corporate ladder and being a good girl. I did what I thought was expected of me, what my conditioning had taught me. Even though it went against my very being.
Redundancy - Opportunity to Take Stock
It wasn’t until I took redundancy in 2018, now in my late 30s, that I stopped to question the decisions that led me to this place. Was I really on my true life path or had I lost my way somehow? Did I really want to keep stumbling along a career path I wasn’t sure I was aligned with anymore or wake up and create a new set of rules.
Hell no! I had a choice. Update my view of the world, get out there and start creating the life I want. I leaned into the unknown, pushed waaay past my comfort zone and followed my heart. In November 2018, I took a little gamble and ventured off to Portugal to turn my hobby into my work - I trained to be a stand up paddle board instructor with the Academy of Surfing Instructors (ASI).
I joined 7 others from all over Europe and Israel too. We spent the next week being put through our paces with outdoor first aid, water safety training and then assessments for both our Level 1 (enclosed waters) & Level 2 (coastal waters) SUP instructor qualifications. It was a decision that changed the course of my life.
Since then I’ve immersed myself in the stand up paddling and water sports world - building my experience, confidence and knowledge. And eventually - my business plan.
Launching SUP & Soul - Round 1
I’ve met, been coached and mentored by and collaborated with some awesome and inspiring people across the water, life coaching and small business communities. I could never have done this without them - they hold a special place in my heart and I’ll be forever grateful for their generosity, kindness and encouragement.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, learned some valuable lessons and pushed past some harrowing episodes of imposter syndrome to get SUP & Soul off the ground.
The initial vision was to create retreats that combine paddle boarding adventures with life coaching in stunning parts of the world. My goal was (and still is!) to empower women to create the life they want - with a little help from mother nature, new friends and the SUP & Soul team.
Up until March 2020, everything was going to plan. With the help of my tribe, I set up the business, sourced stunning places for the retreats in Norway, England and Greece and created a powerful itinerary that combined life coaching with paddle boarding, yoga, meditation, breathwork and cold water therapy.
We were officially all set to launch. And then, Covid happened.
Quick Pivot or Crumble!
There isn’t a single person in this world that hasn’t felt the impact of the pandemic. It’s been one of the most bizarre, scary and heartbreaking experiences the world has seen since WW2.
Like so many businesses, SUP & Soul had to either pivot or die. Choosing to pivot, I set about adjusting the vision to factor in the pandemic. I wanted to see how my skills might help people with the fallout from the virus.
So I refocused on what I love best - straight up paddle boarding. I swapped my car for a van, invested the last of my pennies in a fleet of boards and set out to teach people in my area how to paddle. The rest, is history!
Do What You Love - Round 2
Since that fateful virus infested summer (summer of 2020 I mean) I’ve taught over 1000 people to paddle through SUP & Soul. I’ve hosted nearly 20 Water & Wellness Days - bringing circles of cautious but curious mini adventure seeking women together in nature to literally dip their toe in the water and unlock their inner wild selves through the SUPer power that is paddle boarding.
I have hosted several paddle and beach clean ups, nature connection days that don’t involve paddle boarding or water in general, taken a group of women to Norway for my first SUP & Soul Norway Experience.
Re-launching in Somerset - Round 3
In winter 2023 my husband and moved from our home in Sussex to Somerset and ever since I’ve been immersing myself deeper in the spiritual world that is the West Country. It’s ritual and ceremony, Shamanism and sound bath galore over here. I love it! Oh and also starting a new job with Green & Healthy Frome but that’s another story.
I now offer mobile paddle boarding lessons across Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Devon. I have two Norway Experiences coming up in June 2024 and intend on launching a series of events from Spring to Autumn 2024. Watch this space - better yet, sign up to the newsletter to stay connected!
