In this episode I talk with Renee Taylor, a speech-language therapist and freedive instructor who founded Salt Aotearoa in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

Renee shares her personal journey to experiencing freediving as rongoā Māori and its role as a healing practice; with the ocean supporting a deep level of mind, body and spiritual well-being. If you’re stressed and burnt out, keep listening!

We chat about the kaupapa of Salt Aotearoa and creating a safe space for wāhine to transform their lives by learning to freedive, spearfish, and collect kaimoana.Today we’ll find out just how easy it is to get into freediving, and how good it is for us.

And you’ll hear Renee’s beautiful baby during this episode, who wanted a wee chat too!

Join a freediving or spearfishing course with Salt Aotearoa and experience more life underwater.

Connect with Renee on Instagram @saltaotearoa

Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal

Website: Saltwater Journal

EPISODE NOTES | Renee Taylor

01:00 Family and motherhood

2:06 Speech therapy and the toll of death in daily life

04:06 Unsafe cultural spaces and journey into freediving

05:50 Being wāhine in the freediving world

11:26 Joy of the beginner experience

14:09 Being underwater: scuba and freediving

14:43 Benefits of freediving 

16:21 Supporting reconnection 

20:20 Dangers of freediving

23:50 Collecting kai 

25:12 Addiction of spearfishing

26:00 Shore diving

27:30 CPR

33:00 How to get involved

35:10 Freediving and pregnancy

Te Reo Māori 

Aotearoa - New Zealand

Hauora - health

Kai - food

Kaimoana - seafood

Kaupapa - purpose

Kōrero - conversation

Moana - sea, ocean

Māoritanga - Māori way of life

Taiao - natural world

Wānanga - meeting to share learning and knowledge

Wāhine - women

Whānau - family