It's crazy, like the heat starts and I just click into this like mode where I'm just like,

I'm winning.

But at the same time, you are this, you know, North Shore kid who just wants to have fun

and pal around with his guys. Competition for me has always been about, can I like let go to let myself be able to surf in these moments?

You were like so young when you sprung onto the scene

and kind of this hometown hero and with a young mind,

like that has to, you know, kind of weigh heavily on you.

I lost so much. I lost every event, first heat,

and I was not doing good at all. I kind of went on these couple of just free surf trips at one point and we were filming a bunch and I just remember having so much fun. Everything started clicking for me. I can have fun like that in competition too. Knowing a direction you want to go, having that goal set, but then just enjoying the process to that. That's the direction I want to go, and I'm going to start here, and then I'm just going to

take it step by step. Being okay, whether you fail or maybe you end up doing something completely

different, but just having a direction and a starting point and taking a step to do it.

Yeah, he's here.

John John Florence, the three-time surfing world champion,

the two-time Olympian,

and the guy with two-times the John in his name, that guy.

So you got that coming up.

All right, anything going on with you guys? Are you okay? Are you good? That is my

Mark Merritt impression. Mad respect for the OG of podcasting. Anyway, what can I tell you? I guess I can tell

you that I'm trying to remain calm and grounded in our increasingly insane world.

As some of you guys know, I'm into week five of my recovery from spinal fusion surgery,

entering week six, I think, by the time you hear this, it's moving forward.

It's a little rocky on the mental health front.

...