I JUST BLOODY LOVE BEING IN THE WATER
Which is why my conversation with this week’s podcast guest @abbycornwall was so special. She’s the co-author of new book Do Blue with @wavemakernick - founder of @thewave .
Abby has been there every step of the way in the journey of The Wave coming to life, and her own relationship with water has also developed over that time.
“There’s no going back to feeling how I did about water before, it’s such a huge part of what I do...it’s opened my eyes to how much that reciprocal relationship we have with water impacts planetary health”
Abby has been witness to teams of people coming to The Wave and accessing water in new ways; she’s spoken to numerous people for the book to understand their relationship with bodies of water, and the conclusions in the book are really clear: we are happiest when we are near, on, or in water (even listening to it as it turns out).
But not everyone has that access. And The Wave traditionally isn’t something that everyone could afford. So they developed a programme ‘Waves of Change’ to give access more diverse audiences. Which is just a brilliant thing.
Have a listen to find out more about the impact side of Abby’s work, link in the profile x
#surfing #wavepark #thewave #impact #surfingwomen
THIS WEEK’S PODCAST IS LIVE!
We chatted to @abbycornwall Head of Impact and Communications for @thewave and co-author of Do Blue with @wavemakernick founder of The Wave: a book which explores people’s relationship with water and why it’s so important to our wellbeing.
Abby has been instrumental since the inception of The Wave (and before when it was just an idea) and has also helped pace the way for more women to surf through programmes like The Sister Sessions and the impact programmes run by the organisation.
We cover:
🌊 Abby’s journey with The Wave
🌊 Do Blue and the @thedolectures
🌊 Abby’s love of wild swimming
🌊 Her midlife journey
🌊 Swimming and navigating grief
The book is a lovely account of many people’s relationship with water, and as someone who would prefer to be in, on or near water at all times it’s one I really identified with. I hope you enjoy this one, links in the profile, on stories or search board women on your podcast platform of choice x
#wildswimming #seaswimming #dolectures #podcast #podcastersofinstagram
We are coming to Cornwall...!
Super excited to announce that we will be running an event in Abby’s home county in May. The wonderful @falmouthbookseller is hosting an evening with us to mark the publication of Do Blue. We will be chatting with fellow Cornish Do Books author - the brilliant Gail Muller (@thegailmuller ) - about all things ‘blue’ and why being in or near water is so profoundly good for us. Limited numbers so do book to avoid disappointment.
Where: Above the Bookshop, Falmouth, TR11 3EG
When: Doors Open at 6:00PM - starts at 6:30PM
Cost:
£5 - includes a drink
£15 - includes a drink and a copy of Do Blue (RRP £11.99)
Event Details in bio…
@thewave has to be one of the biggest stories in surfing, but we don’t always hear about all of the voices behind the scenes that made this pipe dream a reality - Abby @abbycornwall is one of those voices.
Abby is now Head of Impact and Communications, but she worked alongside @wavemakernick from the start to develop the concept, build the story for investment and make it a success.
One of these successes has been the Sister Sessions they run for women, holding space for women to embrace the sport and build community.
Abby is next weeks podcast guest and it’s a good one! Make sure you sign up to the substack or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so you don’t miss it x
#surfing #surfinglife #surfingwomen #podcast #thewave
Grateful 🙏🏼
For everyone who came,
everyone who wanted to be there.
Our book,
It’s our manifesto.
A thanks to water and everything it brings…
We have taken a vision, and DONE something about it with people who care.
Come find out more at our events and bring a curious mind….
Amazing to have our launch event @thewave which means so much to us both 💙
Amazing photos from @tomgphoto who has captured every moment of The Wave adventure from the start xxx
Today’s the day.
After months (years, really) of conversations, questions and shared experiences…
Do Blue: Water, waves and wellbeing is officially out in the world!
This book was never just ours. It’s been shaped by so many voices - people who’ve found calm in cold water, courage in waves, connection by rivers, and community in places they never expected.
What we’ve learned along the way is simple. Being near, in, on or under water can change how we feel - sometimes in the smallest ways, sometimes in life-shifting ones. And we can all tap into this, wherever we live.
This book is a collection of those moments and a call to find a connection with water - for your own health, and the health of the planet.
We’re so grateful to everyone who shared their stories, their inspiration and their advice… and to all of you who’ve supported this journey.
Here’s to water, in all its forms.
Happy publication day to @wavemakernick and @abbycornwall — #DoBlue: Water, waves and wellbeing is officially out today!! 📚🌊💫
From early chats @thedolectures (last pic) to both coming up with the exact same title, working out how to distill such a vast topic into 20k words and bringing in other inspiring voices, Do Blue is finally out in the world! Hats off to Abby and Nick for doing such an incredible job and making the book interesting, insightful, moving and entertaining.
As Abby says, ‘It’s our love letter to water: how it heals, inspires and connects us — wherever we live and however water confident we are. It brings together the science of blue health, practical tips on how we can all tap into it, and tells incredible tales of those whose lives have been transformed by it.’
Proud and excited to have this one as part of the collection and can’t wait to hear what you all think! We’ve got a small run of events next week (head to Events in bio) where Nick and Abby will be talking more about the book so hope to see some of you there! 📚🥂
Do/ Blue: Water, waves and wellbeing is available now in bookshops and on our website. Thanks as ever to Wilf our designer, Fiona @smithandbaxter and @jamesvictore for the cover artwork and @jonathancherry for pebble pic. Swipe along for a look inside! 💙🩵💙
Do/ Blue 💙 Great to see Nick @wavemakernick splashed across the pages of yesterday’s @thetimes !
Here and in the book Nick and co-author @abbycornwall share deeply personal and inspiring stories around ‘blue health’, the idea that being in, on or near water is beneficial to wellbeing. As @damianwhitworth_times writes ‘the book draws on research into the benefits of being by water, including how it activates our parasympathetic nervous systems (the rest and digest part of the nervous system) whether we are walking alongside a river or kayaking on a lake, snorkeling in the sea or just looking at it.’
Do Blue: Water, waves and wellbeing by Nick Hounsfield & Abby Richardson is available now from all bookshops ahead of publication on 16th April. Thanks to Fiona @smithandbaxter for helping with press coverage! 📚🌊💫
#bluehealth #bluetherapy #doblue #dobooks
Blue Threads - the heart of Do Blue.
Do Blue isn’t just our story. We wanted to tell the tales of lives transformed by water - and those who are making waves of change in blue spaces. These Blue Threads run through every chapter, connecting cold water dippers, surf therapy champions, riverside anglers, environmental campaigners and wave-riders of all kinds.
To all the brilliant people who shared their stories with us: thank you. You’ve helped make this book not just a guide, but a celebration of community, courage and connection.
Each story is a reminder that water heals in deeply personal ways, that blue spaces belong to us all and that we must protect what we love.
We’ve tagged many of these incredible humans - please do follow and meet the people behind the pages.
📘 Do Blue is out 16 April
🛒 Pre-order now (bio and stories)
#DoBlue #BlueHealth #BlueThreads #WaterHeals @charlotte.gail.banfield
Reflecting on this time last week - the most love-filled day. @pollybrocton and Zak your beautiful wedding was the perfect reminder of what it’s all about, and the things that matter most.
I read this wonderful extract from The God of Small Things By Arundhati Roy, in the ceremony - and felt it deserved a place on the grid too.
“It is in the small things that love reveals itself.
Not in grand gestures or soaring words,
but in the way your voice softens when you say my name.
In the way we share silence, without needing to fill it.
In the glance across a crowded room,
the hand reaching out in the dark,
the laughter that bubbles up over nothing at all.
Love is not always fireworks - it is often the steady glow.
The rhythm of footsteps falling in time,
the daily choosing of one another,
the building of a world from small moments, patiently stacked.
These are the quiet miracles.
This is how love lasts.”
Summer road trip part 1 - Alpine Adventures.
The van made it to the mountains! Three days of hiking, biking, lake swims, waterfalls, wild blueberry picking, chairlift nerves and a lot of cheese. Bliss.
Next stop Provence.
#alps #vanlife #summeradventure
