Is she encouraging other women and girls to partake?  I then started to notice that women and girls in the most unlikely places were starting to surf or be the first to pursue an ocean loving sport -- in Bangladesh, in China and even amongst the war zone of the Gaza strip.  I was intrigued. I was ever curious about the stories of these girls and how they were managing to break so many barriers to pursue this sport.  My desire to want to meet and connect with them led me to start Brown Girl Surf , named so in honor of Polynesia's first female surfers. Brown Girl Surf is a journey to share the stories and projects of trailblazing female surfers around the world.  It is also a platform for me to speak up about larger environmental issues like plastics pollution and issues like self-image and identity. The goal of Brown Girl Surf is to elevate the significance of these women and girls, to connect and support them through a global network and to use their stories to inspire and empower a culture of trailblazing females to live in possibility of their dreams. You`ve been a busy woman throughout your life -- from National Karate champ to social entrepreneur to non-profit-empire-builder. How did you come across surfing and what impact has it had on your life? Growing up 5 minutes from the beach, I had always wanted to surf, but girls just didn't really do that.  Nobody in my