EP30 – Computer Scientist Turned World Champion Windsurfer – Sarah Hauser

Life Done Differently

For this episode, I got the chance to talk to professional athlete Sarah Hauser.

Sarah is the Guinness World Record holder for the Largest Wave Windsurfed, 3x overall winner of the International Windsurfing Tour, 2x Winner of windsurfing's most prestigious contest the Aloha Classic.

She is also a computer scientist by training, a fitness coach, a wife and a philanthropist.

In other words, she is a total bad-ass and I’m super stoked she made time in her busy schedule to have a chat with me.

Sarah says she knew she wanted to be a professional windsurfer since the second she surfer her first wave. But pressure from society and her parent led to her resisting that dream for many years and become a computer scientist instead.

But ultimately, the inner athlete won – and as so often, the good stuff happened after a door Sarah thought she wanted to go through closed right in front of her.

She moved to Hawaii and has been pursuing her windsurfing dreams ever since.

We talk about what it takes to become a professional athlete in a sport that doesn’t offer a lot of official development programmes, nor big payouts. Sarah shares how she succeeded, how she managed the stress of trying to make a living through side-gigs while training, trying to find sponsors and being involved with charity projects and how she tries to find work-life balance.

We also talk about how hypnosis has helped Sarah develop mental strengths, what motivates her to continue to push her body and what it’s like to surf these massive waves.

For all that plus thoughts on the gender gap in sports, tips for how to pursue a career as an athlete and much more, check out my chat with Sarah.

Learn more and connect with Sarah:

• Watch the documentary Girl on Wave: www.girlonwave.com

• Sarah’s website: www.hauserlifestyle.com

• Instagram: @hauserlifestyle

Photo: Fish Bowl Diaries