Melanie Bernhard is a writer by trade and a journalist along with her husband. But she is also a passionate surfer. In her entire life course, surfing has always been there and she made sure it always will. As a surfer, Melanie is knowledgeable and has personally experienced mishaps in her surfing career. Hence, her idea of a unique and helpful book for surfers was born.

In this conversation, Melanie shares the contents of her book. She also gives some advice for surfers and mentions some of the dangers one might meet in the ocean. This guide is simply what every surfer must read. As a writer, Melanie also shares valuable wisdom and tips on how to write a quality and marketable book in no time. She also gives a strong message to the women of the world regarding motherhood and career. Surfing is more than a hobby or a sport. It is a way of life. Circumstances may change but love is eternal. Melanie’s message is: “Never, ever give up your passion.”

Episode Highlights:

• 03:12 Daily Surf- Beauty and Dangers
• 06:21 The Surf Trip Survival Guide
• 12:56 A Surfer’s Greatest Risk
• 18:34 How to Write With Quality in No Time
• 23:25 How to Write A Sellable Book
• 28:54 Catch The Green Wave
• 32:15 Approaching Motherhood
• 34:48 Career Advice For Mothers

Today I'm really excited to introduce you to Melanie Bernhard. Melanie is from Germany and she's a journalist and a writer by trade. She joined me today to talk about her book, The Surf Trip Survival Guide that she wrote with her husband. It's a terrific compilation of tips for surfers to actually stay alive or out of harm during surf trip and it's riddled with fun and not so fun, real-life stories of how a surf trip could go potentially wrong, and how to fix things up.

“I… couldn't imagine a life without surfing anymore.” -Melanie Bernhard

Anyway, Melanie is originally a journalist from one of the biggest surfing magazines in Germany and is now established in Capbreton, where she's living the dream as a freelance journalist and writer. In this conversation, we go through what the book is all about, how she managed to get it off the ground, her lifestyle in France and her passion for surfing, writing, and bretzels. Anyway, when I got in touch with Melanie, it was on a feed on the women who serve Facebook group where people were exchanging about how to surf when you're pregnant. In fact, Melanie surfed until her seventh month and I was curious also to find out how she did it and why she stopped. In fact, you'll be surprised by her answer. Anyway, Melanie has got some great advice for young mothers who want to keep the Stoke alive after the baby is born.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Take care, have fun, and enjoy the waves.

Ciao,

Imi

Connect with Melanie:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram

Resources Links:

Books

• The Surf Trip Survival Guide: Better be Ready When Sh*t Goes Down by Melanie and Stephan Bernhard

Quotes:

• 22:14 “I never thought about giving up because we always knew it's a good idea.” -Melanie Bernhard
• 24:04 “You just have to stick to your dream. And when you're really convinced,... you will succeed.”-Melanie Bernhard
• 30:03 “I… couldn't imagine a life without surfing anymore.” -Melanie Bernhard
• 35:35 “...just go with your feeling.” -Melanie Bernhard
• 36:18 “It's sometimes hard as a woman and a mother and a surfer to still follow your passion, but I think it's important to not lose that passion.” -Melanie Bernhard

SHARE THE LOVE: SUPPORT THE OCEANRIDERS PODCAST

The Oceanriders Podcast is a passion project and, if you like it, you can support it in a number of ways:

Number one: Share your love for this podcast on iTunes by giving it a few stars, or a review. Better still, subscribe. Anything in this direction increases my ranking and lets more people hear about my fascinating guests and how they are busting the surfing stereotype

Number 2: Comment, and join the conversation on social media. You will find links to my social media accounts on theoceanriderspodcast.com

Alternatively, you can connect with me on:

• Instagram: @theoceanriderspodcast
• Facebook: @theoceanriderspodcast 
• Twitter: @ImiPodcast

Number 3: Join me for an episode or sponsor my podcast! Just send an email to hello@theoceanriderspodcast.com with a quick bio and I’ll take care of the rest.