Lex Balladon | From wakeboarding to Wim Hof training

Lex Balladon is a professional wakeboarder from England who has spent the past 17yrs riding cable parks around the world; she has also been ranked in the top six female wake boarders in the UK for the duration of her competitive career. Lex shares her passion and is constantly striving to spread the word of wakeboarding to as many girls and women as possible at her  Wake Daze events. Lex is a mother of two adventurous boys and when she is not on the water can be found exploring woodlands with her family.

Find Lex on Instagram - @lexballadon

Lex’s website- https://lexballadon.com/

This series is sponsored by Island Feather, an amazing brand that creates high quality, multi-purpose, stylish sports and fitness wear and accessible events -  Island Feather's mission is to support you to live a healthy life, discover what makes you happy and create a community of support and care for one another . For me, having just become a mother their motto 'Find your freedom’ resonates  more than ever and I am stoked to have them as a sponsor!

You can find this episode on iTunes, Spotify and many other podcast platforms or click the link in my bio 💙

If you have any questions or would like to suggest a guest please get in touch! You can email India via indiapearsonclarke@gmail.com or send a message via Instagram  @india_outdoors / @finandflow / www.indiapearson.co.uk

~Music - Caleb Howard Almond / @oakandalmondcarpentry ~

You can find this episode on iTunes, Spotify and many other podcast platform

If you have any questions or would like to suggest a guest please get in touch! You can email India via indiapearsonclarke@gmail.com or send a message via Instagram @india_outdoors / @finandflow / www.indiapearson.co.uk

~Music - Caleb Howard Almond / @oakandalmondcarpentry

Transcript

India Pearson  0:01  
Hello, I'm India and welcome to the third series of start to ripple, the podcast that celebrates moving in nature. This series is sponsored by Island feather, an amazing brand that creates high quality Multi Purpose fitness, wear and events. Island feathers mission is to support you to live a healthy life. Discover what makes you happy and create a community of support and care for one another. For me, having just become a mom their motto find your freedom resonates more than ever, and I'm stoked to have them as a sponsor. Okay, it's time to introduce my guest. Lex Paladin is a professional wakeboarder from England who has spent the past 17 years writing cable parks around the world. She's also been ranked in the top six female wakeboarders in the UK for the duration of her competitive career. Lex is constantly striving to spread the word of wakeboarding to as many girls and women as possible her wake days events. Lex is also a mother to two adventurous boys. And when she's not on the water, she can be found exploring woodlands with her family. And welcome to start a rebel podcast.

Lex Balladon  1:18  
How you doing?

India Pearson  1:19  
Good, good, good. It's really awesome having you here. And yeah, I've been following your journey for a couple of years now since I guess since I first heard about Island feather I saw that you you were there stuff and and I then started following you and your journey and IT Pro wakeboarder and mom and just awesome outdoors enthusiast, so perfect person to have on the podcast today. And so could you start by telling us a little bit about your background? I sort of often say can you say were looking at it almost at looking at this as if Where did your repple start? Yeah. And so how did you end up where you are today?

Lex Balladon  2:03  
Oh, gosh, that is a loaded question.

India Pearson  2:06  
Like compress it a little bit. We've only got a minimal amount of time.

Lex Balladon  2:12  
I was born in England. We moved to America for a bit. Then we moved back to England and then I was brought up doing a lot of sports. My dad's very sporty, always bike riding and whatever. And they I'm from a golfing family. So I grew up playing golf and I played golf for a long time. So I was maybe 20 or something but I played counter golf and, and it was yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But then I was used to go on holidays, and they were always beach holidays or ski trips and I boogie board the whole time. I'd make myself physically sick, because I'd be in the water all day. Like

India Pearson  2:52  
too much. So just just Son himself. Yeah.

Lex Balladon  2:58  
And I always wanted to surf but I was not allowed I guess and and I did some courses at the lake near me like the wind surfing, sailing, kayaking, the summer camps and stuff. And then as soon as I was 16 I started working there. I was hooked on watersports, and it just grew from there. They built the cables ski. And I was like what is that? And I started working on reception there and started learning the ropes of Kneeboarding and then teaching like the lessons on Kneeboarding and, and then started whiteboarding to me forever to be like six weeks to stand up on a whiteboard. Like I could not get it. Honestly, it was.

India Pearson  3:36  
It's hard. I've tried a couple of times. Yeah,

Lex Balladon  3:43  
sort of full size cable. Now you've got like the little straight line. Yeah, it's a bit of an easier thing to learn. All right. Did you go on the Strip?

India Pearson  3:52  
Yeah, I started on the straight and then. And then I've just I've only ever done Kneeboarding on the full round cables. I've never progressed further than that. Because so many faceplant. i Oh, like and your arms. Oh my gosh. I still in my head. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it it's, it's addictive, but I'm not really sure why.

Lex Balladon  4:18  
I don't know. That was one thing. Yeah. So then I started getting to grips with that. And I started teaching the wakeboarding. And I started operating the cable. So I did six summer seasons throughout sort of, from when I was 16. Till I guess when I finished uni, and it kind of stuck. I don't know why I snowboard a lot. I worked at the snow dome so I can get free snowboarding and anything to get the sport available to me. I did. I had to do like some coaching on a weekend to get free wakeboarding. I would do it

India Pearson  4:52  
because it's expensive. It's an expensive sport. Yeah. And it really

Lex Balladon  4:57  
is like I did. I did a year of abroad at uni I did a year in California. And so the first thing I did was join their woods ski wakeboard team, but you had to it was like the only club that you had to pay to be a member of. So I had to get a job. While I was studying out there, I got a job at the gym to fund my wakeboarding kind of thing. So, I just I don't know I did anything that I could do a board because my family we're not in sports sports, so it was not I guess I wasn't pushed into it. I was pushed down the golf.

India Pearson  5:26  
Yeah. Yeah. So So what was it then what was it about? whiteboarding that helped you you know, obviously you had this, this connection to wanting to be around watersports, but why wakeboarding specifically? That's tricky question.

Lex Balladon  5:43  
I. I love the water. I know that and I started sky ski from the age of nine. But I started snowboarding because I was like, it just looks so much cooler. Yeah, it does.

India Pearson  5:53  
Oh, I know. And if you tell a snowboarder that you're scared, it's like the most embarrassing thing ever. I'm a skier. I've tried snowboarding. I'm rubbish at it. I'm always like, I'm a skier.

But it's hard to go from skiing. Snowboarding is really hard, like really hard. Yeah, I appreciate that.

Lex Balladon  6:10  
I get it. I like only did it when I started working at the snow dome. So I kind of gave up skiing for Lent. Like I was a physical. I was like, I need to do this. I'm gonna learn to snowboard and I wouldn't let myself ski until I got up to the same standard snowboarding kind of thing. So But wait, I guess wait wings. I love the water. And it was available to me where I live. And I thought obviously I thought I hadn't served them. But I thought surfing was the coolest thing ever. But wakeboarding. I'm landlocked. So wakeboarding was my option. Mm hmm.

India Pearson  6:38  
Yeah, it was your connection to get to the water? If Yeah, if you're not in the ocean, then it makes sense. Because you use a lake and you had access to that, then? Yeah.

Lex Balladon  6:51  
There and anything. Whenever I had an issue, I would just go and tear around the cable and especially like, an after work session or, or something, if you were coming up a certain direction on the Lake of the backstraight, the sun would set. And so you'd get this the water would be golden red, as you were coming up in the water was really flat that time a night and it was just it. You know, when you catch the sunset at the beach? I mean, yeah, by the coast, you know? Yeah, it's a magical moment. Right. And it was, it was my way of getting that.

India Pearson  7:21  
Yeah, yeah. I totally get that you were seeking that. And on that lakes by you could it happened? So obviously you you got more and more into it. And then you started competing? And how did that change? Obviously, your kind of association with the sport because you were saying that you connected to it because you wanted to water and you know that you're saying sunset was beautiful. You just have this time to just clear your head. And then the competition side comes into play. And that's like a whole nother element. So yeah, can you tell us a bit a little bit about that?

Lex Balladon  7:57  
I don't even know how I started competing. I honestly can't remember the first competition that I did. But I liked I guess I don't know, I competed. I played a lot of the cross, like, again, counted across and then county golf and then snowboarding I competed a little bit with that. And then I don't know, I just I don't like say I'm very competitive. But I guess I kind of am I wouldn't put myself as the person at all, because I just like knowing. I like knowing my ability. And I know where I like to rank against others within the sport, and I know where to push myself. And I've only ever won once. So I losing Todd. Winning is way easier. And so I don't really know why I keep doing it. But it's I don't know, I used to go out with the boys because there were no girls competing. i Yeah. It was just a bit of a crazy time to enter that side of it in on the cable side of

India Pearson  8:52  
wakeboarding. Right. Yeah, I guess you know, it was you love something so much. And I guess it just takes it up to that next level, doesn't it? You know, you're there anyway. And you're watching these competitions. You're working there and you just get you just get involved. Yeah, and obviously, you've turned it into a career as well.

Lex Balladon  9:12  
Yes, I competed for a long time now. And I guess I wanted to get sponsored. That was my thing. I was like, I want to be sponsored. wakeboarder so that happened. Oh my god, I can't even tell you maybe 2007 Something like that. I don't know. Long time ago. Yeah, yeah.

India Pearson  9:30  
Yeah. And then you and you can continue to be a sponsored whiteboard ever since. Yeah. Yes. Amazing. Like, you know, that's actually amazing. And does that. Does that change? Kind of how much you have to train if you are sponsor? So how does that change your relationship to

Lex Balladon  9:48  
sport? It's more. Sometimes you won't necessarily want to go and wakeboard. But Obviously you, you always go and you always have the best time ever. So regardless, but you when you don't want to go, sometimes you're like, I need to go and I need to go and get content. I need to go because I haven't really posted for a while or that for site, the side of the I'm on now like whereas because I don't really compete anymore. So salts and stuff. It's more the ambassador side of it, I guess really? Yeah, it's fulfilling that role.

India Pearson  10:26  
But I guess that has two sides to it, because we're obviously going to talk about this a bit more in a bit, but you're a mum. So getting out and doing stuff yourself. isn't as easy. And I have I'm a DVD man for nine weeks now. But I've learned that that is it's almost impossible sometimes. But if you've got that at the back of your head going, Okay, I need to get this content, I need to although you're going to get the content, at least it gets you out. And whiteboarding. Because otherwise, you could easily go. Okay, no, I'm not important. I'm going to put that stuff to the side. I'm not going to do it this weekend. I'm not gonna do it next weekend. And it just you just could easily lose. You know, the chance to to go out on the water.

Lex Balladon  11:18  
Yeah. So I think I might have worded it wrongly sorry. It's not that I might not want to go out is the is knowing that I need to document it.

India Pearson  11:28  
Yeah, yeah. No, I totally get. Yeah, no, I do see what you mean. Yeah,

Lex Balladon  11:33  
it is. I need to make sure that I got stories. I need to make sure that someone with a camera like it's, it's not a I'm just gonna go rip it off and have a best like, yeah, be aware of what am I in the current kit? Like, does everything look good? Like,

India Pearson  11:47  
yeah, it's just busy. Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, you're not. You're not just free wheeling it quite as much just grabbing your board and jumping on. Yeah, you got to make sure it's like a little bit more polished budget.

Lex Balladon  11:59  
That is always a fight. You always have better. You're like, you can never go on the water. And even if you've got a rubbish time, you'll always come back. Happy that you went

India Pearson  12:08  
out, right? Oh, yeah. Every time and I'm like I'm realising that at the moment I'm managing. I'm lucky I live two minutes walk from either the canal or the sea. So if the seas too rough, I can go paddleboarding down the canal. And I, which means I can get up for literally 15 minutes sometimes, and I get back again. And even though it's sometimes like the most pointless, like if someone were to watch me, they'd be like, Why have you got your kit? Popped up your board just for that amount of time. But I come back, I just feel revived. It changes your day. Right? It totally changes your day. Yeah. And that's nothing. I tried to make sure I do it in the morning as well. Because then then you're set up for the rest of the day. The day? Yeah. 100%. And so obviously, you are a mom of two boys. How do you How do your kids

Lex Balladon  13:00  
six and nine, six and nine.

India Pearson  13:04  
So how did you find being pregnant? Did you and wakeboarding did you train? Did you? Did you or did you like take a break? Did you continue? What what? I'm intrigued because obviously I just come off the back of being pregnant and I found it hard. I've designed and I love it that much. Because I hate not being physical. But there are these women out there and you see them they're like surfing at like eight months pregnant. You're like, Oh my god. So yeah,

Lex Balladon  13:35  
I wait boarded up to five months with both of them. I think wow. I couldn't get in a wetsuit that and, and I was only doing laps, like right, hitting any toys. Doing any air tricks like nothing. I was literally just carving around on my board. So it was really for me. It's got you know, it's very contained and controlled. But then when Yeah, when you stop it sucks because like, like you're a sporty person I was supposed to person like I don't like it's like the I felt it was like being injured. Like I wasn't it.

India Pearson  14:12  
I totally appreciate that.

Lex Balladon  14:14  
Wine. Like you can't eat cheese. You can't do anything. Yeah, the sport is taken away.

India Pearson  14:21  
Yeah. So I struggled with things like not being able to pick up my board. And like walk it to the beach. Because obviously he has to be so careful. And it's like a really delicate time but I just like when I as soon as like, maybe three weeks after had Milou I was like I'm gonna get on board as it Barney. I'm going to pump up both of our boards and he was like what it was like, he's like, You hate pumping up boards. I was like, No, but I can do it. I could do it. I need to do. Exactly. Absolutely. Absolutely. And how did you sort of

Lex Balladon  14:57  
feel about your body changing I hated it. Yeah. hated it. Like I very, like I've grown up in the same kind of size. I've always been active physical. So I've always been in shape. My body's always done what I wanted to do, but I had knee surgery when I was 19. And I hated that because I was like, my body's failed me. That's and, you know if I know it wasn't that, but I, like I just didn't like it. I don't like being able, able bodied person. And I like that. I didn't like that with the pregnancy.

India Pearson  15:34  
But did it give you a whole new appreciation for how your body moves?

Lex Balladon  15:40  
I don't know. I just want to get back. If that makes sense, right? Yeah, like I was like, right. The six weeks is done after you know, the postnatal. And I started I was just walking. I was walking with the buggy. And then started again with yoga. Joined a buggy boot camp and got moving I think I had a lot of used PT afterwards as well. I definitely after my second one because I was in a choir. A rock like a got postnatal depression, I guess really? But yeah, we've I couldn't move my body I didn't I in so I paid someone to come to my house and be like, going, literally like the most make me accountable for this. Looking back on the exercise. Basic stuff ever, but I couldn't do it. So luckily, I wasn't Oh, I could pay someone to come in and do it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And then I was like, I just want to be stronger. I don't think age is an issue. I think it's in your brain. And you can your body will do what you want it to do.

India Pearson  16:47  
Yeah, no, I totally get that. And, you know, I being a yoga teacher, I have sort of certain poses that I've put in my classes always as like filler poses. I guess that I think, oh, yeah, we'll just stick those in. And they're easy ones, they will just pad it out the class of that. And then and now those poses. I'm like, at the moment. Oh, my goodness, I need my cat and cow pose. Like I need Child's Pose. Like all these simple ones that I kind of just took for granted before. They are going to my body right now.

Lex Balladon  17:19  
Getting the breathing and like just

India Pearson  17:21  
ever. Yeah, it's it's amazing. It is. Yeah, it is amazing. So did you. So how quickly then did you return to feeling like you're back on your board again?

Lex Balladon  17:34  
Oh, God, I was quicker the first time around. I can't remember. Yeah, like I mean, I had the six week check. And I was on my board.

India Pearson  17:45  
Yeah, right. Like yeah, okay, let's go.

Lex Balladon  17:48  
issues. I had a lot of fun. The first one I had. And the second one actually had a lot of physio on pelvic floor and stuff. I kind of alone. I was supposed to have an operation. I was like, No, and I did every bit of work I could possibly do to like avoid it. And by ourselves, that was fine. So but it so I don't know, I just did everything I could to get back to you can't get back to pre baby. I don't think no body changes but as close to it or as much. I don't know better.

India Pearson  18:19  
Yeah, just a different version. Yeah. version of you. Yeah. And I guess all straightaway, as soon as I get back on it, I was on it. And I bet that moment just felt amazing.

Lex Balladon  18:29  
I think I fell off the dock

India Pearson  18:33  
or you forgot back in the water or

Lex Balladon  18:35  
on the water. I did a big cough and I literally just nailed it into the water.

India Pearson  18:42  
Ah, that's never a day your boys wakeboard.

Lex Balladon  18:49  
Ish. They, I take them and give them the chance and they want to play on an Aqua Park instead. So okay, yeah, random moment. That's

India Pearson  18:57  
more fun. They can

Lex Balladon  18:58  
do it. And I'm like, if you go Wait, what do you do on the park? But can I show them like, yeah, they want to do that's great. And if they don't fair enough, yeah, I'd like them to. Yeah, but

India Pearson  19:11  
I guess you know, it's one of those things, isn't it? You want your kids to kind of do what you love as well, because you want to enjoy it together. Yeah. But you know, is that yeah, don't be like the pushy parent like you must do this. Be you I know that you share some of your like outdoor adventures with your family online. So how important is it to take your take your kids outside?

Lex Balladon  19:33  
So important? Yeah, since they were born, we've been outside every day, every day and especially once the second one was born, because you can't you can't really I didn't really carry the first child. I didn't even like having a bunny by these the buggy. I don't know why. I just didn't want I don't know. But the second one I strapped to my back and away we went because I had a two year out the run ragged and we just we were in the woods, we still go to the woods all the time then mining trees, we take stuff to build things with we build forts we, you know, with full sand in the woods. And it's it's a it's just a moment of peace in the woods bring me this similar feeling that I would get standing there the ocean like it's not the same

India Pearson  20:30  
Yeah, I get that it's the air is different isn't it?

Lex Balladon  20:35  
Yes seen it's quiet the tree. I love like again like I love snowboarding and I love the like the beach so I can be happy in either there's no one there's no one ever in the woods apart from an COVID and it was

India Pearson  20:51  
everyone was like, everyone do it. I still think right, what are you doing?

Lex Balladon  21:00  
But it's quite done now which is good. So yeah, that's um, yes, super important because that boys they run ragged they,

India Pearson  21:08  
they need to let up steam. I she'd had someone say to me the other day, they put a six year old. And he said to me, guy called Pete said, you know, the best thing to do is just after school, just get them outside. Because otherwise, if they stay outside, they're active and they're learning and they're, you know, there's so much good in that. But as soon as you get them inside, that's it. There's technology around outside, they can't get their hands on it and they're not distracted by technology. So off school, it gets sent outside for as long as we can is you know, I think that is such an amazing piece of advice because it totally makes sense. Just just just keep going up doors until it gets dark and and yeah,

Lex Balladon  21:49  
gold dust. Yeah. They come in the TV's on. And that's it. Yeah, up until you call them for dinner kind of thing. But if you go to the park or just in the garden foursome in the garden, yeah, one so much happier.

India Pearson  22:02  
It makes such a difference. So yeah, I mean, it's so super clear that nature has played a huge influence in that your well being. And I know that wild swimming is something that's kind of recently been a recently I've I've followed your journey for wild swimming because I think it was overlooked down like there was a pond or lake or something near you that you were attempting to go in. And it was it was like, oh my god that is freezing. And he was so kind of not up for it. But yeah, but then and then now you're like, raving about it? Yeah. I

Lex Balladon  22:35  
don't know why. My friend and I started last January. I don't know why we started in January. I don't know. That's a crazy time. I followed Wim Hof for a long time. Okay. I've known of him for years. He's been around. Yeah, yeah, the Iceman and so, but he's really obviously, come come alive in the last years. And I got his book last Christmas. And it was a obviously the breathing techniques. I still need to practice those. But the thing was, like start with a cold shower. So I after I have my normal shower, I turn it's cold. And I've done that every day since reading.

India Pearson  23:22  
I don't do you have it cold?

Lex Balladon  23:23  
Obviously, it started be like maybe five seconds. And if I can be bothered to stand on for two minutes, I'll do that. Like it's just yeah, I go. I go until it feels comfortable to stand under it. And I don't want to turn the shower that makes sense. Like is that

India Pearson  23:39  
basically your body's gone numb.

Lex Balladon  23:45  
So it's, it's so when you really like want to turn it off, that's your fight or flight stages of your body's reaction and to when the code becomes beneficial. So when it's stopping your stress levels and everything, I'd need to reread it.

India Pearson  24:02  
Yeah, it makes sense. Yeah.

Lex Balladon  24:05  
So when I when it stops being I want to get out is that's when I like okay, cool. Now I can get out. But then that's how the cold water dipping because as much but it was a river we go to the

India Pearson  24:17  
river, right? Hey, oh my gosh, no. So we were wetsuits to swim. Yeah, okay. Yeah, well, a sweat. We

Lex Balladon  24:24  
spent like half an hour so we swim up the river and back. And then amazing. When we finished, I'll take my wetsuit off, and then I'll go and dip. Like, I just haven't had it. I feel like I haven't had enough light because we're in winter wetsuits, like,

India Pearson  24:37  
yeah, yeah, yeah, you could Well, if you've been moving enough, you know, it suddenly it's like a sauna in there, isn't it? You know, into it. So it's lovely.

Lex Balladon  24:49  
Yeah, wouldn't survive something that far without a wetsuit. But people do though. And I'm like, How are you doing this if you're a God, like

India Pearson  24:57  
Yeah, and you know what the So the people that I'm seeing on my local beach that do it in January, are like 60 year old women. That is the majority of you. I'm seeing in just skins and oh, wow, like, I don't know what it is. I don't if you like turned 60 And suddenly, you don't feel the cold anymore.

Lex Balladon  25:19  
You'll see them there. And there are 100 does that?

India Pearson  25:23  
Yeah, I think it does. It's meant to keep you young isn't it's meant to be amazing to your circulation. And so And do you feel better for it?

Lex Balladon  25:31  
100%. You do? Like, because I did. Previous to this, the cold water thing? I did two years of yoga every day, like Oh, get up every morning. So I did it to see how long I could go. I don't know I did it for I was like well done a year. And then I went for two years. And then I started working out in the morning and using yoga as my cooldown. Do it. But it's not as I don't wake up and like, I don't know, it's not as army I guess.

India Pearson  25:57  
Yeah. So it's sort of I know, I mean, when you sort of wake up yoga, it's very intuitive. It's very organic. You just kind of seeing what feels good in your body and what doesn't and what you need to spend a bit more time in. Rather than doing a full blown workout. Yes, it's yeah, it's a different kind of connecting to your body.

Lex Balladon  26:16  
Exactly. So like I did, I started the yoga every morning because I was just at a point where I was just stressed. You know, it just getting the kids out the house in the morning is the hardest part of the day. Realising everybody to get out is always stressful. And I just started the Oh, because I don't know. The only way I think to fix this is by doing this and reading and, you know, just 10 minute YouTubes yoga, morning, morning yoga. And then I got the cold showers going and I kind of didn't need the yoga as much as well as I was working out and using the yoga. Just anything to help keep you on the straight and narrow.

India Pearson  27:01  
Yeah, no, and I guess it's giving you you time. And it's it's connecting mind and body together. And it's giving you time to reflect and yeah, there's there's so much in that and obviously being able to do something like that in the comfort of your own. You know home is is doable you obviously I'm sure you'd love to have a lake in the back garden and just jump on your whiteboard and just go around recessions and done but it's just not it's just I do

Lex Balladon  27:35  
like to close now anyway, the ones there anyway, so yeah,

India Pearson  27:40  
I was gonna say lucky I've got paddleboarding here. But you know you seeing in Cornwall and people who like live next door to the waves like because that's the only reason I'm so get so obsessed with paddle boarding is because we can't surface I'm like, Well, I've got to got to be obsessed with paddleboarding because I can't surf. But when you see people just jumping in before work, and they know they're changing into their like suits, or whatever. afterwards. You're like, oh my god, that would be because that I think, because I know you serve as well. And for me like that is an amazing time for mindfulness because you can't think about anything else.

Lex Balladon  28:18  
But the surf. Yeah. It's surf as well.

India Pearson  28:22  
Yeah, yeah. And something badly. Very badly. But yeah, I love it. And it's just, I think that's what it is. It's about doing something that just disconnects you from, from the madness of the world that we live in right now.

Lex Balladon  28:39  
I guess. Yes. Yeah. So things. I've never learned so much about myself as when I'm surfing. Wow, that's quite a statement. Yeah. Like, it's TGG everything. Yeah. I've every emotion under the sun rhythm surfing. Yeah, fried. I've thrown overboard like I've been angry. Mad. Happy. elated. Yeah. Every emotion surfing brings up so I know it's the hardest sport I've ever heard

India Pearson  29:10  
is it is but it's the same thing as the wait, when is addictive. You keep going back and it's that feeling of you didn't catch a wave. But there'll be another one. There'll be another one. And then when you do catch that wave, like oh my god, that was the best feeling in the world. I got to go and find another one again. And yeah, it's literally like it's not only just only hypothermia, that will get me back back and get me out.

Lex Balladon  29:36  
It's such a good sport, though. Like, yeah, thing that I just don't live locally to any surf but

India Pearson  29:43  
maybe you go you go down to the coast. Is that on holiday? Right?

Lex Balladon  29:46  
Yeah, like we usually do. Two weeks in Portugal. Definitely once a year. We used it twice before the kids started school in Portugal here so but now it's usually two weeks but In MMA in April, it will be three years since we've been. Oh my goodness. So we haven't been ours years. Yeah. Yeah. summer trip Southern 19. So yeah, yeah. So we go this

India Pearson  30:13  
summer. I'm trying to go

Lex Balladon  30:15  
Easter, but we'll see. We'll see. It's just I can't be bothered to travel with

India Pearson  30:21  
restrictions. No, it's not IDs and

Lex Balladon  30:23  
like, yeah. Are we going 72 hours before? Are

India Pearson  30:26  
we going? Yeah,

Lex Balladon  30:27  
I'll be bothered. Like, I just rather know. We can go. We can go back.

India Pearson  30:31  
Yeah, exactly. And, you know, como is there, even though it's maybe not quite as exotic as as Portugal. Yeah, exactly. And that's kind of that's what that's all that all that matters. So. So how often there now are you getting out wakeboarding? If you go go back to where we started? How How often do you managing to to get out nowadays? And what's a realistic kind of VA?

Lex Balladon  30:56  
In norm normally?

India Pearson  30:58  
Once a week? Once a week? Once a week? Yeah. Yeah. And if you don't manage to get out once a week, how does it make you feel?

Lex Balladon  31:07  
It depends. We've done a song. If we've been to the coast instead, yeah. Oh, if we spent an entire weekend, maybe camping and hiking, then that's cool, too. But yeah, I need to wakeboard once a week really? Yeah. And I haven't wait for ages because the lakes sort of close this time of year and I have to, there are some open but the drive and with family life, it's a bit that I'd be gone for like, the best part of that I'd be gone for like six hours. is a bit harder with kids.

India Pearson  31:41  
Yeah, but it's about I guess we I guess you you've acknowledged that. That is your passion. And that is what you love. But there was other things as well swimming, hiking, your yoga, whatever it is, that you can utilise and do to keep your to keep you feeling like you. Yeah. Which is just the most simple and important thing. But it's, it's it's so important to recognise that. Yes, you know, and know that you knew that and make time for it. And it's amazing that you that you do you put that very much, you know, very top of your list, because it's only going to benefit your family, isn't it? The overall? Yeah.

Lex Balladon  32:25  
Was it happy wife happy life?

India Pearson  32:27  
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And that other person isn't happy mom, happy baby. You know, it does make it makes sense, doesn't it? Yeah, you've got to

Lex Balladon  32:36  
do some coaching. They're called White days. So I've a vocal coach as well. But I lots of mums have started to come on live events. And they get they be new mums as well. And they might be beginners or they might have weight boarded. And they're trying like trying to get back into wakeboarding after their kids and, and it's really quite safe. Takes about half the clientele actually and like to see them. Yeah, they come in and they're like

India Pearson  33:02  
they need it. Yeah. So they just sort of seen it online and gone. I really want to give it a go. I'm just gonna come along. Yeah,

Lex Balladon  33:12  
I'd say 50. Beginners, yeah, maybe. And then 50% of customers. So those cool, but a lot of them are parents and they're like, I've got a day away from my kids. And I can go wakeboarding and have to think about anything else. Because we do yoga in the morning and then wakeboard recap, we do two sets of wakeboarding and stuff and, like, it's so nice to give them something that's I did not their normal life.

India Pearson  33:39  
Yeah, exactly. And, and feel empowered by something like that, you know, and connected as well. And that's, that's where I want to join. I want to come. That sounds great. But yeah, I mean, I last year, I ran a she paddles event, which was a paddle. Same idea, I guess, but just to get women into paddleboarding. And kayaking, actually, and it was, you know, beginners, and it was just have a go, don't worry, you're in a safe environment. I think that's what people like the women liked about it. Actually. They were in a safe environment with other women who were also beginners and they've seen this stuff. And I thought I always wanted to try it. But I'm not sure. And then suddenly, there being an event that was just for them made them think, okay, yeah, I can do this. And I was a bit sceptical about starting it during this event. I was like, I don't know who will get it sold out in like, a day. I was so shocked. And he had people and go cake in the morning and come back and doing some yoga. And it was, oh, it was so cool. And but yeah, I think it is if you see other like minded people doing it, it gives you that confidence, doesn't it?

Lex Balladon  34:49  
Yes. And it's amazing. Isn't it? Amazing? See how stoked everyone is? Yeah, everyone like have you had a good time? And everyone's like, yeah,

India Pearson  34:56  
yeah, they're like buzzing and they've made friends from it and you No, no, I'm sure that you've probably You said earlier that sort of knew the only girl doing doing it, you know, so you would have had to probably like, be like, right. Alright, I'm taking a lot of confidence to get out there in the first place. So no, yeah, yeah. But you know, you're setting it up and hopefully opening up more opportunity for for women and moms and, you know, to do these kinds of sports that maybe in the media aren't represented enough. Yeah, I'd say, yes. That's the thing I see. So, yeah, so the question I always like to end on is, looking back at the ripples you've made in your life, what is the biggest lessons you've learned to keeping your mind and body healthy? Is this the big question?

Lex Balladon  35:55  
So I'm trying to think of a simple answer. It's listen to your body. Give it what it needs. Listen to your mind, and give it what it needs. Don't care what other people think? And be as weird as you can.

India Pearson  36:14  
I love that. Yes. Just be weird. I, you know what? I think if you're if someone calls you weird, I think it's like the biggest compliment ever. Yes, that means you're just doing your thing.

Lex Balladon  36:26  
Yeah. I don't know. Just try to silence anything else around you and do what you need to do.

India Pearson  36:31  
Yeah. Because it's so easy, isn't it to to feel like what you want to do doesn't fit into a box? Yes. And actually is, is there's probably something they want to do what you're wanting to do as well. It's just you haven't seen it yet. So yeah. And you know, it's awesome. Seeing what you you're doing, you know, getting out there and obviously inspiring so many other women as well to do that, too. So yeah, keep keep going. Keep doing that. And yeah, it's been amazing chatting to you today is if anyone's interested in following you on your journey, or doing these events, then where can they find you? Insert my handle is x at lex valladon. Same on Facebook. Website is Lex othered on.com. Or on the coaching side is weekdays.com or app weekdays on socials. So, yeah. Whether it's your coaching or Well, yeah, awesome. And you've got events planned for the summer. They are coming. is exciting. Isn't it, though, that you can start planning for summer now is like, okay, there's a few daffodils coming out. All right, that means we can start thinking about summer days and that's my no so

Lex Balladon  37:49  
it was crazy for me.

India Pearson  37:50  
I'm like, Oh, yeah. I know that because I teach sup yoga, and I only can teach it in the summer. And I look forward to it so much. And then I get to like September and I'm like, I'm kind of ready to hibernate a bit. And not for it not to be sunny anyway,

Lex Balladon  38:08  
I've exhausted I don't even keep the socials going on. Wait days through the winter because I'm like

India Pearson  38:14  
I just need I just need it right yeah, I totally get that I totally get I thank you so much for chatting chatting to me today. Lex be awesome. And yeah, I can't can't wait to see what you're going to get to in the summer because it'd be awesome.

Lex Balladon  38:29  
Thank you. So Bobby,

India Pearson  38:31  
thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Star Report podcast. If you liked what you heard, then please do write a review. It helps other like minded souls find this podcast too. If you want to get in touch and the best way to speak to me is probably via Instagram. And my handle is at with underscore India. Alright, take care and speak to you soon.