The Beach Speaks Paige Friend

Capturing the essence of the beach with my phone is one thing, but in a painting - in real-time - it is a whole other thing.  I’m in awe of anyone who can paint in the moment - no photograph- just sitting in nature with a canvas, painting the scene in quick brushstrokes. You have to stay in the present and pay attention. 


This painting practice is called plein air, a form of impressionism that my guest Annora does so well. At only 19, Annora is making herself known in our local artist scene at the beach where I live. You can see her sitting at the beach at sunrise with her canvas and palette, making quick brushstrokes across the canvas as the scene changes moment by moment.  You could say that the beach speaks to her in a language of shapes and colors - and energy - which she mentions often - and I think every beach lover can relate to that.


But this conversation isn’t just about painting beach scenes; it’s a lesson in not being afraid to “put yourself out there”—to overcome the fear of being judged. It's about recognizing your worth and the value of perseverance.


It’s beach-inspired wisdom from a Gen Z that I needed to hear.


Connect with Annora on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/artbyannora/



PODCAST LINKS:
Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=77845359 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://thebeachspeaks.com/ Listen on YouTube Follow on Apple and Spotify and share it with your friends! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeachspeaks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachSpeaks

I was a guest on an Instagram live with Amanda from Northern TIdes Studio and Wallace J. Nichols, author of Blue Mind - talking about water, the Blue Mind movement, and the healing properties of the ocean.
 Amanda asked how living at the beach has changed me. I don’t know why that question caught me off guard - it was a great question. I wasn’t really sure I had the answer - at least nothing I felt I could articulate at the moment.  
If I had the chance to answer the question again, I would say that although I have always felt a connection to the beach and the ocean - now that I live here - we’ve bonded - we’re in a relationship.    


In 2020 when the world took a collective pause, I had a lot of time to sit at the beach alone, to listen, and think about the podcast and how I wanted it to grow. 


I needed to connect with other beach lovers, and since no one was meeting in person, I went to the next best thing - Facebook.  I found the group “I Love the Beach” and posted a question: “What do you love most about the beach?” minutes later, a flood of responses appeared in the comments.


Most comments were about how peaceful, soothing, or healing it felt to be at the beach. And I certainly could relate to that.
But what stood out to me was that nearly everyone said something about the ocean - the water. 
I could definitely relate! That’s what I love most about the beach  -  the water  - - there’s a sense of comfort and belonging -  it feels like “home.”


I felt compelled to tell a story about this relationship with water, but honestly, I didn’t know what story to tell. I made a list: 


Learning to swim by jumping into the deep end of a pool
My first trip to the ocean
Growing up in a house across the street from the river
Sunday afternoon hikes in the woods along a stream
Swim Team . . .


I never really thought about its significance, but being a swim team member was a significant part of my formative years, and that’s when my relationship with water really began. 
Listen as I recall my childhood swim team experience: from making the big shift from being an “OK” sprinter to a long-distance “Champion" and how water saved me from drowning from the pressures of college life and beyond.


What influence has water had in your life? Has it made you happier? Healthier? More connected?


“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Be water, my friend.”
 ~ Bruce Lee



PODCAST LINKS:
Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=77845359 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://thebeachspeaks.com/ Listen on YouTube Follow on Apple and Spotify and share it with your friends! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeachspeaks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachSpeaks

When I started thinking seriously about moving from land-locked Orlando to the beach, the first three questions people would ask were, “What beach?” “Where will you live?” and “What will you do?” I would say, “I haven’t decided what beach yet, but I’m sure I’ll find one with a couple of palm trees where I can hang a hammock,  and, I don’t know, I’ll make jewelry out of sea shells, and sell it to the tourists. It was a silly answer, but in my mind, I was serious - if that were what I had to do to live at the beach - I would do it. 


Now, I live in a beach house (not a hammock), and instead of seashell jewelry, I’m making a beach podcast! I love hearing stories about how others have used their love for the beach to fuel their life’s passion - how they create that beach connection - that beach mindset - wherever they are. 



My guest today, Amanda Esposito, artist and creator of Northern Tides Studio, has a unique way of doing just that - taking her passion for the beach and the ocean to create jewelry that reminds you of how you feel at the beach and your connection to it - wherever you are. 



I have been following Amanda on Instagram, and when she posted about her latest creation, “Ocean Love,”  I had to get it! She mentioned that she was looking at places in Florida to sell her pieces, so we ended up on a Zoom call to talk about it, and as she started to tell me the story - I stopped her in mid-sentence and said, “Wait, I love this story - would you be willing to share iron on the podcast”? Of course, she said yes - sharing her love for the beach and what it means to her is what her art is all about.



This conversation means a lot to me. First, I met a new friend! Second, hearing Amanda’s story behind the making of her beautiful ocean love necklace makes me love mine even more! I initially bought it as a birthday present to myself. But when I think about it, it’s more than that - it’s a reminder of the days leading up to my birthday - beautiful beach love memories: the day I met my soulmate for the first time - on the beach, our beach wedding, and celebrating my birthday at the beach. 



I’m curious: what do you do to capture your special beach moments?
Message me on Instagram or Facebook, or record a voicemail and let me know!

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Follow Amanda on Instagram: Northern Tides Studio to see her ocean-inspired jewelry designs and behind-the-scenes footage of her studio and her brand! Shop Northern Tides Studio here: https://northerntidesstudio.com/

PODCAST LINKS:
Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=77845359 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://thebeachspeaks.com/ Listen on YouTube Follow on Apple and Spotify and share it with your friends! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeachspeaks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachSpeaks

It’s February, so in the spirit of this Month of Love, I asked my soulmate, Ernie, to join me on the podcast because it’s a very special month for us.

Although I’ve talked about how we met and our journey to living out our vision here at the beach on the podcast before, I thought it would be the perfect time for Ernie to share some of his own beach stories and reminisce about our beach adventures together.  
We talk about growing up in Tampa and always being in the water, camping, and “spring hopping,” You’ll hear Ernie’s stories about a wild encounter he had on an Island beach in Florida and a rare sighting he had off an aircraft carrierWe talk about beach adventures we have had together and where we would like to go next. I ask if he has ever considered moving away from the beach. You’ll have to wait until the end to hear his answer!

Links to podcasts mentioned in this episode:
Finding My Voice: How the Beach Led Me to Podcasting
 Lost and Found at the Beach: Connected to My iPhone
Meet Your Soulmate, Quit Your 9 to 5, and Move to the Beach! My Story



PODCAST LINKS:
Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=77845359 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://thebeachspeaks.com/ Listen on YouTube Follow on Apple and Spotify and share it with your friends! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeachspeaks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachSpeaks

I love quotes, especially the ones that when I hear them, I think, " Oooh, I can relate to that - or that is so inspiring! I need to write that one down before I forget it! " I’ll rush to scribble it in a journal or notebook - it’s like I’m attaching a sticky note to my brain - you know, a reminder, to go back to it later. And let me tell you - there are a LOT of sticky notes in there. 


However, there’s one quote - it’s actually a question - that when I first heard it, I could “feel” the words, the ideas they invoked, tumbling around my head with an enthusiastic energy that flowed from my brain, through my heart, and then - settled in an anxious knot in my gut, just waiting for the answer.  


The quote is the last line from Mary Oliver’s poem The Summer Day: 


“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”  


Whether you want to spend your wild and precious life traveling around the world or live out your dream right where you are, my guest today, Alise Saunders, a digital nomad, coach, and freedom seeker, is here to be our trusted friend and travel guide - from her house on the beach - in Greece!

Grab your copy of The Beach Speaks e-book:  The Beach Speaks - Are You Listening?

Episode with Elise: A Travel Blogger's Tale of an Untamed Soul
About My Guest:
Alise Saunders is a digital nomad, traveling the world, with her husband Gregg and two cats. The media has called her a "thought leader" in the digital nomad space, Alise brings her decades of life skills and business coaching to help people finally have the life of travel they’ve been dreaming about. She helps freedom-seekers create a new business or identify a remote job, and dive deep within to free themselves of the disempowering thoughts keeping them small in their own life through personalized coaching program and other services. 


Visit her website: Tales from an Untamed Soul - Creating a Life Wild and Free to check out all the different ways Elise can help free you to live your one Wild and precious life!



PODCAST LINKS:
Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=77845359 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://thebeachspeaks.com/ Listen on YouTube Follow on Apple and Spotify and share it with your friends! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeachspeaks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachSpeaks

Imagine, you’re about to do what might be the craziest thing you’ve ever done. 
And you’re thinking this could be crazy good or crazy stupid.


Then the “what ifs” start to creep into your consciousness: “What if something goes wrong?” “What if I’m not good enough?” “What if it turns out to be nothing but a waste of time and money?”


That’s how I felt three years ago, staring bleary-eyed at my computer monitor, my hand nervously resting on the mouse, guiding a bold black arrow across the screen, stopping to hover over a bright green button that says “publish.”
I spent at least 100 hours working on this podcast and my brain ached.  My heart was pounding. This might be the craziest thing I’ve ever done. Just a simple click of a button and I’ll be taking a deep dive into the vast ocean of podcasts. 

Will I sink - or swim? 


It’s a new year, and I’ve been thinking a lot about this podcast and how it came to be - how what seemed like a crazy thing to do at the time turned out to be something more than just recording my voice and sending it out into the ether. It’s actually helped shape how I use my voice.
More than that, it’s helped me trust my voice. To trust what I have to say is something you want to hear.


The beach is speaking.  I’m so grateful you’re listening, 


PODCAST LINKS:
Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=77845359 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://thebeachspeaks.com/ Listen on YouTube Follow on Apple and Spotify and share it with your friends! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeachspeaks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachSpeaks