🌊 Paddleboarding & Professional Growth: Lessons from the Water

Many years ago, I picked up my first paddleboard and fell in love. It was one of those perfect vacation moments: a sun-drenched day, vibrant blue water, and just enough breeze to keep things interesting.  That first time on the board, I felt simultaneously challenged and peaceful.  I was hooked.

Since then, I've paddled countless miles on oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds.  If it's legal to float on it, chances are I've taken a board down it.  And while every location brings its own beauty, it also brings its own lessons. Over the years, I've discovered that paddleboarding has taught me more than just how to balance on water.  It's taught me about business, leadership, growth, and coaching.

To become skilled at paddleboarding, you need four things: balance, strength, patience, and focus. The water changes constantly, tides shift, waves roll in, winds kick up, and you learn quickly that resisting it is futile. Success lies in working with it, not against it. It's the same in sales, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

When I coach new clients, whether they're launching a business, shifting careers, or developing their sales strategy, I often see parallels to that “first time on the board” moment.  Some people get it right away.  Others look like baby deer trying to walk for the first time, wobbly, uncertain, full of nervous energy.  And that's okay. It's part of the process.

Start with the essentials.  On the water, you don't need a fancy kit to be successful. You need four things:

• A solid board: your foundation (my new favorite is the Bote inflatable).

• A paddle set to the right height: your method of navigation.

• Water for hydration: your sustenance.

• A life vest (I prefer the waist-belt style): your safety net.

  
  

In business and sales, the same principle applies. You don't need every tool in the tech stack or a fully built funnel to get started. You need your core components:

• Your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) – Who are you trying to reach?

• Your Elevator Pitch – What makes you different and valuable?

• Your Authentic Voice – How are you showing up?

• Your Support System – Mentors, coaches, or a network that helps you stay afloat when things get choppy.

  
  

Without clarity on these basics, adding more tools won't help. It's like buying a high-end carbon paddle when you don't yet know how to hold your balance on the board.

One of the greatest joys I've had is teaching others how to paddleboard. I've coached men, women, and kids—each with a different learning curve, pace, and style. Some took off instantly. Others were hesitant, struggling to trust their bodies or the board beneath them.

I see the same thing when I'm working with clients. The first thing I ask them is to define their ICP and elevator pitch. If they stumble, we pause. We don't push ahead until they can stand confidently on their foundation.

Sometimes we start slow, sitting on the board before standing. Sometimes we go straight into the current. Either way, we focus on fundamentals before finesse.

The water is always changing. And so are we.

Just as no two bodies of water are alike, no two business journeys are alike either. The trick isn't to master a single condition; it's to become adaptable, resilient, and open to learning.

Because in both paddleboarding and business, you never really arrive. You just keep paddling. Sometimes into calm waters, sometimes against the current, but always moving forward.