Soul Flow: Fostering confidence in and out of the Moana
Jaya Reardon and Isla Kolien of Soul Flow kōrero with AWSA
Article by Daisy Thomas
Jaya Reardon and Isla Kolien have been working with wāhine and kōtiro of Te Wai Pounamu to create a safe and holistic surf community that fosters confidence in and out of the moana via their surf programme Soul Flow. I caught up with these driven wāhine to learn more about the kaupapa on offer.
Kia ora kōrua, thank you for taking the time to speak with AWSA about your project. First up, who is Soul Flow and what is the kaupapa?
Jaya - I'm a 21-year-old local Dunedin girl. I learned to surf when I was really young and got really into it when I was about 11. My whole life, I have been around the ocean and love to share my passion for the ocean with others.
Isla - I’m 22 and grew up in Ōtautahi. I moved to Ōtepoti to finish my studies, and ended up finding it difficult to leave. I’ve always lived next to the ocean and began consistently surfing 4 years ago, then got the bug. My passion lies in food and sharing my love for holistic health.
Soul Flow is a community-based initiative that has been held in Ōtepoti, New Zealand, over the past five months. Designed specifically for young wāhine (women). Soul Flow serves as a welcoming space where they can connect with like-minded others, have fun and gain skills to feel more confident in and out of the water.
Wāhine getting ready for the surf as part of Soul Flow.
The mentorship programme is inclusive of all surfing abilities and levels. A typical Soul Flow session includes an opening activity: A fun, engaging activity to kick off the session followed by a group surf session where participants enjoy a collective surfing experience. We then share a kai consisting of tea, coffee, and healthy homemade kai which is all provided. Once we are nourished we enjoy a yoga session which is 30 minutes of yoga led by Isla, focusing on stretching post-surf muscles, relaxing the mind, and promoting self-connection. To conclude the morning we offer a session where a guest speaker shares knowledge, stories, and advice on a specific topic.
Soul Flow offers a holistic approach to wellness, combining physical activity with community building and personal growth.
Where are you based and where is Soul Flow run out of?
Wave check at Saint Claire, Otepoti (Dunedin)
Soul Flow is based in Saint Clair, Otepoti (Dunedin) Aotearoa. We have had monthly sessions over the past five months, run out of the South Coast Boardriders Club. We were blown away by the feedback we received from this trial run and feel motivated to continue offering Soul Flow sessions on both a national and global scale.
I sampled some of your, rather delicious, kai post surf one weekend…who makes the kai?
Isla is the chef behind all the food at Soul Flow. All the recipes are handcrafted with love and created to feed the body and soul — all dietary requirements considered :)
Where did the inspiration come from to weave manaakitaka through your sessions with kai?
We both love how kai acts as a catalyst for connection and conversation. We wanted to ensure that everyone had a happy belly after a long surf and felt a sense of community through sharing kai made with love. Having the opportunity to create recipes and share nourishing kai with all the girls has been one of the highlights of Soul Flow.
Often wāhine face barriers to pursuing creative or entrepreneurial projects, what challenges did you face getting this programme running?
Honestly, it can be really scary putting yourself out there, especially within a tight knit surf community where there is usually a disproportionate number of wāhine in the line-up. We were really nervous before our first session, but over the sessions we gained more confidence and it started to feel really natural. We had no choice but to put others' opinions aside and believe in what we set out to do.
We definitely faced a few hurdles to get to where we are today, such as working out all the logistics of running an event such as health and safety, consent forms etc. Pushing through and working around the small setbacks of starting something new made the sessions even more rewarding.
Mīharo! What (or who) helped you to overcome these barriers and pursue your project regardless?
Our friends were incredibly supportive of our idea. Their encouragement and positive feedback really gave us the confidence to keep going. Just having people believe in us made such a difference.
Cat has been such a key part of making Soul Flow happen. Cat helped us apply for funding which made taking our ideas off the page and into real life possible. We are so grateful for all the help Cat has given us over the months.
Cat is certainly one of your biggest supporters! Tell us a bit about your relationship and how you work together.
Cat has been an amazing support and like our own mentor in a lot of ways! She has helped us with a lot of technical things we would have never thought about considering. Catherine has such a calming presence and she has an abundance of time for others, which is really inspiring.
Are you seeing kōtiro and wāhine attending these sessions more than once? If so, are you seeing a difference in their confidence in and out of the moana?
Yes, we’ve had multiple kōtiro attend several of our sessions! It’s been so special building relationships with all the wāhine. Seeing them out in the lineup outside of Soul Flow has been awesome. Just recognizing familiar faces, even if it’s just sharing a smile, makes the environment feel so much warmer and more welcoming.
I’ve definitely seen these young girls grow in confidence, both in and out of the water. They’re chatting with people they’ve never met before, and fully sending it on waves!
Kia pai tō mahi e hoa mā, have you got any last words or stories you would like to share?
Creating Soul Flow has truly been the most incredible learning experience. It’s been a journey of growth, not just for the programme, but for each of us involved. Through starting this, we’ve met some amazing wāhine who have inspired us in ways we didn’t expect.
We’re so excited to continue building Soul Flow and watching our community grow. It’s been such a rewarding experience, and we can’t wait to keep connecting with more people, sharing our passion, and empowering each other. This is just the beginning, and we’re so grateful for everyone who’s been a part of it.
Photos provided by Soul Flow, video by @west.photography__
