We made it!!! Final episode of Season 1 of the WeAreFoiling Podcast and I couldn't be more stoked to have Nick Leason of Lift Foils close out this year. Efoil pioneer, surf foil madman, crazy creative engineer and the dude who enabled some of the biggest wave riders on the planet with slick, dynamic foils for every boardsports discipline. Nick is straight up a rock star in the boardsports space, starting Lift in 2010 and becoming the leading Efoil manufacturer in the word and developing hydrofoils for kitefoiling, surf foiling and now all the disciplines of downwind voyaging, pump foiling and beyond.

He's a quiet guy and has arranged his life in Pureto Rico around developing and producing just the right sensation under a rider's feet for wave riding on hydrofoils. What a vibe: lunch brake tow-in sessions using an Efoil to whip in a buddy followed by some gentle tuning of a foil by hand under a palm tree. Rinse and repeat! Nick has taken all the risk in new foiling watersports and he has reeped some of the rewards, too.

It hasn't been all easy ocean gliding. Nick has had a target on his back as he went from one of two or three foil manuacturers in the world to one of 40. As the OG in the space, he's had to dodge criticism and avoid chasing trends he didn't start, keeping Lift on the leading but stable edge  of sport and manufacturing progression.

Nick gives us the origin story of Lift which parallels the development of foiling in watersports since the early 2000s and also his personal path with all it's challenges of self doubt, grit and finally a few epiphanies!

Since we spoke, Lift released the Florence Collection of foils, the first ever partnership in foiling with a celebrity, current and three-time World Surf League Champion John John Florence! Who else but Nick Leason and Lift could score such a coup for marketing while also connecting the massive world of professional surfing with foiling along with John's brother Nathan, a crazy popular surfing YouTuber.

We close out Season 1 after covering some major topics and events on the show including the America's Cup, world foiling records, milestones in transportation and jamming with the sickest riders and minds in watersports and more.

Nick is an elusive fella and we were sooooo stoked to get time with him just like all our amazing guests for Season 1 of the WeAreFoiling Podcast. Thank you so much for supporting our new dive into the podcasting universe. In Season 2, we will jam with a whole new group of killer foiling peeps from the worlds of sport, industry, design and sustainability.

For now, I know you'll love all the pathways and even rabbit holes I go down with Nick in this episode. Let's go!