#801 Flowing with Laird Hamilton
Shannon’s first guest on this season of the Bruce Lee Podcast is Laird Hamilton, the legendary big wave surfer, innovator and entrepreneur.
Get to Know
Laird
Laird Hamilton is best known as an American big-wave surfer and pioneer in the world of action water sports. A renowned innovator and guiding genius of crossover board sports including tow-in-surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and hydrofoil boarding, Laird is the essential Water Man, continuously pushing the limits and expanding all possibilities. Which is why I wanted to talk to him. Laird epitomizes the ideals of growth, curiosity, practice and creativity as a human being, and his relationship with water is intense and intimate. Dedicated to health, mastery and wellbeing, Laird shares his thoughts on his journey. He is a multilayered and complex thinker and experiencer and I was thrilled to speak with him and to share our conversation with you. Please read his bio for the bountiful ways he has expressed himself, used his talents, cultivated his gifts and supported others in this lifetime – it is impressive. (Reminds me a lot of my father…).
In addition to his affinity for the water, Laird is labeled as an inventor, author, stunt man, model, producer, TV host, fitness and nutrition expert, husband, father, and adrenaline junkie. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, Laird is unique in the way that he balances flexibility and strength. A renowned innovator and guiding genius of crossover board sports including tow-in-surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and hydrofoil boarding, Laird is the essential Water Man, continuously pushing the limits and expanding all possibilities.
Over the last decade, Laird has transcended from surfing to becoming an international fitness icon and nutrition expert. As co-founder and Chief Innovator of Laird Superfood, he has been able to take his nutrition expertise and create delicious, plant-based better for you food products that are accessible to all. Many of today’s top professional athletes and celebrities look to Laird for training guidance, including instruction in his unique underwater resistance workouts. Partnering with his wife, professional volleyball player and TV personality, Gabrielle Reece, Laird created Extreme Performance Training (XPT). XPT is a unique and powerful fitness training and lifestyle program featuring their unique water workouts, performance breathing, recovery methods, high-intensity and endurance training for people of all fitness levels and backgrounds.
In addition to the hands-on fitness teachings Laird offers, he released his first book in 2008, Force of Nature: Mind, Body, Soul, and, Of Course, Surfing (Rodale Books), which has become the go-to manual for those seeking inspiration for leading a healthy lifestyle; the book hit the New York Times Bestseller list within two weeks of publication.
In 2017 he released his 2nd book Fuel Up, his first-ever cookbook. Laird opens his kitchen and shares his healthy and exotic recipes garnered from a lifetime of far-out travels.
From the Wild Coast of South Africa to the Gold Coast of Australia, Laird's novel takes on food and life is synthesized in a cookbook unlike any other that invites readers to master both themselves and the world, through the art of fueling up.
Life Rider: Heart, Body, Soul, and Life Beyond the Ocean was released in 2019. Based on extensive interviews and conversations between Laird and his coauthor, Julian Borra, with additional insights from Laird’s wife, pro-volleyball player Gabby Reece, Liferider takes on human resilience, relationships, business, technology, risk-taking, and the importance of respecting the natural world, all through the lens of Laird’s extraordinary life both in and beyond the ocean. Laird was also a contributing editor for Men’s Journal, where he writes about his own fitness, health, and nutrition philosophies.
The entertainment industry has also called on Laird, appearing in a number of feature films and surfing documentaries including Radical Attitude (1992), Wake Up Call (1996), Step into Liquid, (2003) and Riding Giants (2004) where he also served as executive producer. He also performed as a stunt man and surfer in The Descendants (2014), Water World (1995), Die Another Day (2002) and Point Break (2015). In addition to his film work, Laird has appeared on numerous television shows such as Oprah’s Master Class, Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes, Chelsea Handler, Conan O’Brien, Steven Colbert and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
When Laird is not busy surfing the biggest waves in the world, inventing new water toys and appearing in Hollywood features, Laird is a philanthropist. He has always had a great passion for helping others live a happy, healthy life, as exhibited through his work with non-profit organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, Race Across America, Pipeline for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis, Rain Catcher, Muscular Dystrophy and City of Hope.
As for his personal life, Laird, his wife Gabrielle Reece and their daughters split time living in residences in Hawaii and Malibu, California, chasing waves, staying in top shape and continuing everyday adventures.
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