Katie McConnell: Paddling Into Death-Defying Waves

Welcome to the Party

Treat Media

Sports

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What do you do when the thing you love could literally kill you? This week, Julie and Abby welcome Katie McConnell, one of the top big wave surfers on the planet, an athlete who paddles (or gets towed) into towering walls of water where timing, calm, and judgment are the difference between getting out… or not. Katie explains what a “big wave” really is, the physics and chaos behind places like Nazaré, and why chasing swells is part science, part instinct, and part spiritual relationship with the sea. Then the conversation turns to a different kind of fight: Katie’s mission to change the system for women in big wave surfing, from uneven invites and costly last-minute travel windows to building a future where women aren’t “included” as an afterthought, but centered in the story. Extreme sport. Ocean obsession. Equality push. Puny humans, giant waves. Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube — ⁠@welcometothepartyshow⁠ Instagram — ⁠@welcometothepartyshow⁠ TikTok — ⁠@welcometothepartyshow⁠ Email — partypeoplequestions@gmail.com Keep the Party Going: Follow Katie: https://www.instagram.com/keiti_mar/ Learn more about Katie: https://www.surfwithkatie.com/ Watch 100ft Wave Documentary Series: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/100-foot-wave/34e489ad-2eca-4078-adb6-6d2b521b407e Follow more big wave surfing, follow:@bigwavechallenge @thebigwavealliance @womensbigwavecollective Thank you to our sponsors: -Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC -Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ at onepeloton.com https://www.onepeloton.com/ -Shop deals and member-exclusive savings at https://www.shipt.com/ -Get 20% off your first order at https://vuoriclothing.com/pages/pod_f -Get your business data all in one place using Intuit Quickbooks. Visit https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ to learn more. -Get 20% off your order at http://cozyearth.com/em-cgi/btag/ with code WTTP. 00:00 — Begin 00:38 — Welcome + Julie & Abby Talk Surf Experiences 12:24 — Katie McConnell Intro 14:06 — How Katie Got Into Surfing 17:00 — What Counts as a “Big Wave” + Paddle vs Tow 20:18 — Biggest Waves Katie’s Surfed 20:50 — Why Nazaré Creates Monsters 23:09 — What It Feels Like to Ride One 24:26 — Fear + Risk Management 27:20 — The Fight for Women’s Equality in Big Wave Surfing 32:16 — Making a Living + Sponsorship Reality 33:15 — How the Party People Can Help 36:52 — Closing Thanks + Future of Women’s Big Wave Surfing 39:05 — Post-Interview Debrief: “How Do They Live Like This?”

Transcript

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0:00.0	There's definitely this like feeling of like, okay, man versus nature, we're going out to conquer a big wave.
0:06.8	There are more women now than ever before. They are hard charging, expertly skilled.
0:13.2	I paddle on a surfboard a lot and every once in a while I get to stand up. And I fall a lot.
0:19.9	Surfing is a young person's sport.
0:22.7	That's for sure.
0:23.5	As you get into your 50s, the pop is not so popping.
0:27.7	Attention.
0:30.3	The party is about to commence.
0:34.3	Oh, welcome to the party
0:39.8	What's up party people?
0:44.8	I'm Julie Fowdy.
0:46.1	I'm Abby Wombach.
0:47.3	Hi, Jules.
0:48.1	Hi, Amps.
0:49.4	How are you?
0:50.8	I'm really good.
0:52.0	You know, it's so interesting because I'm like
0:54.1	doing more things outside of the
0:57.1	house. Good. That's always good. Yeah, no it like, it takes more effort. I'm feeling more filled up by it.
1:04.6	Good. Are you surfing? Because we have a big surfer on. Is that part of your outdoor exercises?
1:13.2	I cannot tell you how excited I am to talk to Katie.
1:20.7	Yeah. Yeah, because you're like a legit surfer. I mean, I just dabble in it a little bit and wear my flannel so I look like it.
	...

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