Surfing & Stress Part II + Go Full Sloth Mode Fialka at "Private Beach" staring down the line of two perfect baby rights! Real talk this week: my HRV scores continue tanking. We're talking a drop from the 80s down to the 40s thanks to some intense family stuff that I won't get into here (let's just say I needed a little space from my Trump supporting father). My nervous system is basically screaming at me through the data. But here's what's fascinating: I'm still having some of the best surf...
9 days ago • 7 min read
Surfing & Stress + Pop Up Masterclass Live from Costa Rica!!! Hard to believe it’s only been one full week since the semester ended. The Whoop results of my May don’t lie — I have been stressed out: It’s been a very yellow month. One full sleep at Rancho Diandrew? I’m back to green. I think that’s a sign for everyone to go on a trip to a relaxing tropical climate. But don’t stress out about how you’re going to make it happen! I know, easier said than done, like so much else in life. I was...
16 days ago • 10 min read
End of Semester Thoughts, How to Hit the Lip Backside, Tofu Saag Hello! The semester is over! Wow that was intense. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I wasn’t totally prepared for how much work it really ended up being. Three classes. Tuesdays and Thursdays. 75 minutes apiece. SUNY Suffolk Grant Campus in Brentwood, NY. That’s a 70 minute morning commute both from Manhattan and Rockaway Beach and a 90 minute commute back to either location, for a grand total of 320 minutes (5.3...
23 days ago • 11 min read
Habit: The Antidote to Anxiety + Taking Surf Coaching to the Next Level Hello! This week we're starting with a very fresh What Surfing Really Looks Like from my fog session in Rockaway Beach yesterday, May 15th. I tried to make a little something for everyone in this video. If you are a beginner, look for pop ups, paddling, and eyes down the line. If you are an intermediate or advanced intermediate look for how to get suuuuupper small, duckdiving from the sand assist, and end section closer....
about 1 month ago • 20 min read
WSL’s Big Changes, Women’s Heat Review, Essay On Anxiety Pt 2 As promised, here’s an analysis of women’s heat from the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro. The event should finish up tonight, so be sure to clear your schedule, make some popcorn (without oil or butter, but with double nutritional yeast), and tune in. It is absolutely wild that the exact day I published the last zine the WSL came out with sweeping changes for their 2026 tour, many of which are in line with my critique of the current system...
about 1 month ago • 21 min read
WSL Waiting Periods, Explained + Kierkegaard & Heidegger On Anxiety and Despair Pt 1 Just a perfect wave for you to mindsurf. Barbados 2025. Salve amici! First off, big thanks to Katie Treuer for reaching out in response to the last zine. She told me that she liked the contest analysis, and asked whether I might do the same for a women’s heat and a longboarding event. She then inquired in a parenthetical remark: “Not sure if longboarding gets the same exposure on TV? I suspect short boarding...
about 1 month ago • 28 min read
Personal Reset Results + W.S.R.L.L. Surf Contests + Bonus Pics The reset is complete. It was an incredible experience. I detail some of the highlights in the video. It’s just a talking head video, so if you want more detailed images see below. I have long believed that I should probably figure out how to enter the podcasting space. From what I see, however, all the podcasters are now filming their pods and posting them to YouTube. So videos like this one are an attempt to do something of that...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
The Benefits of Resetting Dear Friend, Today is Good Friday or “the Friday before Easter.” Here in the northern hemisphere we’re transitioning from spring to summer. It’s also my and Sophia’s 12th year anniversary. While it’s hard to pinpoint the very exact day we started dating in the beginning of 2013, by Easter it was clear that we were a “thing”. After we had gone on a couple of dates, Sophia said that I wasn’t allowed to call or text her for ten days. This was ten days before Easter, and...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
How to Return To Training, Foot Placement, More Slow Down Finally on the mend. Surfed fun waves in Lido Beach with Krishna, Rob, and Carlos (Arnaiz) last Sunday. I did two one hour sessions. At the end of both of them I could feel my lungs burning a bit. I wasn’t tired within either session. But also the waves were small and weak and I was riding alternately Krishna’s 6’10” Pearson Arrow and the CSC 7’0” Mick Fanning, both of which are pretty high volume for me. It was my first session back...
2 months ago • 15 min read