EP 199: Kai Lenny - Life of Kai Season 4, Helmets saving his life, the Importance of mental health, His most bizarre concussion, the Pioneers that paved the way, the Next generation pushing the needle, Fatherhood, and the Confidence of champions
Description
8x World SUP Champion, inspired windsurfer, kitesurfer, foiler, big wave surfer, waterman, and Red Bull athlete, Kai Lenny, joins us on the pod. After at least a 16 hour flight with his two-year-old twin toddlers, and a pit stop in LA to accept the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award on behalf of the Maui community at the ESPYs, Kai joins the Lineup with Dave to discuss season 4 of his biopic with Red Bull, Life of Kai. He explains his strongest gut feeling he’s ever had to wear a helmet at Pipe, the very same helmet that ended up saving his life earlier this year. Kai dives deeper into his injuries, the importance of taking tabs on your mental health, and one of the most bizarre micro concussions he’s ever experienced after a wipeout at Jaws in 2018. He and Dave muse over the big wave pioneers, like Shane Dorian, Ian Walsh, and Laird Hamilton, and how their contributions to the sport helped pave the road for the next generation to become even better than their predecessors. He also talks about how being a father makes him more calculated about when he decides to paddle out into big waves, the importance of confidence, and how that is the true talent of every champion in every sport. He reflects back on how exciting it was to be on the ground at Trestles for the WSL Finals in 2023, watching the best surfers in the world compete for the Title, and how stoked he is on the next generation of young girls, like Erin Brooks, Sierra Kerr, Molly Picklum and Caity Simmers charging waves of consequence. Kai argues that best big wave surfers in the world are often great small waves surfers and proposes that Jaws be included as a floating event on the CT before he closes the pod by answering listener questions and the Lightning Round.
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