Natasha Lovegrove - The Kind Store, Summer River Days, Unwinding and Plastic Pollution

03/07/21 • 39 min

The Joy of SUP - The Paddleboarding Sunshine Podcast

I am so thrilled to welcome Natasha Lovegrove onto The Joy of SUP Podcast. Natasha is the founder of The Kind Store and I discovered her on Instagram when I was looking for a great plastic free shampoo + conditioner. She recommended Kind 2 (which I now use) and I realised she was a paddleboarder! She is also a big fan of hugging trees which is something I love doing too!
Natasha discovered paddleboarding by chance in Slovakia in 2015. She has always loved board sports, including high adrenaline wakeboarding and snowboarding.
She thought SUP was just something she could do on holiday, but was reintroduced to the sport through her interest in plastic pollution and the work of Lizzie Carr and On Planet Patrol paddleboarding litter picks. She realised it was a wonderful way to marry her two interests - board sports and caring for the planet.
Based in Essex, Natasha created The Kind Store over 2 years ago as she struggled to find products that met all of her principles and thought there must be more people like her wanting to reduce their single use plastic consumption. She's been vegetarian, now vegan, for nearly seven years and this is what kick-started her journey into sustainability.
She also has a successful career as a Chartered Building Surveyor and runs The Kind Store at night. She and her husband married in summer 2020 in Cornwall.
Like many of us, SUP offers Natasha the chance to escape the demands of a busy working life and gives her a space, place and time to unwind and relax.
I am keen to show all the possibilities of SUP on the podcast and share the important role it can have on our physical and mental wellbeing. I think many of us will relate to Natasha's story.
Topics we also cover:

The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation requires an extra license in addition to the Waterways License available from British Canoeing. Always check the waterways to know where you are allowed.
Stopping to reflect and celebrate how far we have come either in business or our paddleboarding journey.
Natasha didn't grow up as a 'water baby' but found water sports a little later in life. We all find our way to SUP on different paths.

You can find Natasha on Instagram @thekindstoreuk + The Kind Store. Photo credit Natasha Lovegrove.

Thank you for listening! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it.
If you have any questions, please do get in touch on [email protected].
Instagram is @thejoyofsuppodcast_
Follow #thejoyofsuppodcast on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook TheJoyofSUPPodcast
Website www.jomoseley.com
It would be great if you could also rate and review us on Apple as it will help more people find our paddleboarding sunshine! Also subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Wishing you sunshine and joy, thank you for listening, Jo x
Please always put safety first and get the right advice for your training + body. Episode recorded December 2020 before Lockdown 3 in the UK.

The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation requires an extra license in addition to the Waterways License available from British Canoeing. Always check the waterways to know where you are allowed.
Stopping to reflect and celebrate how far we have come either in business or our paddleboarding journey.
Natasha didn't grow up as a 'water baby' but found water sports a little later in life. We all find our way to SUP on different paths.

You can find Natasha on Instagram @thekindstoreuk + The Kind Store. Photo credit Natasha Lovegrove.

Previous Episode

Rebecca Gillmore - RNLI Lifeguard SUP Safety, A Dip a Day, Going Viral + the Joy of an Incoming Tide

I am thrilled to welcome Rebecca Gillmore to The Joy of SUP Podcast. You might know her as Rebekah Mermaid on Instagram where she shares her watery adventures and commitment to the oceans. I have had so many people ask me to interview Rebecca for the podcast so let me introduce her!
Rebecca is a marine conservationist and all round water woman who spends a lot of time immersed in the sea. She is a stand up paddleboarder, surfer, open water swimmer and PADI scuba diver. She loves the sea deeply + is passionately committed to protecting it.
She works for many charities in different roles. She is:
a) a marine mammal medic for British Divers Marine Life Rescue
b) a Regional Rep for Surfers Against Sewage
c) a senior Lifeguard for RNLI
d) an active member of 'Friends of Hilbre' doing seal surveys in her local nature reserve
Rebecca is also an ambassador for:
a) Sealion Paddleboards
b) Ocean Mimic swimsuits
In 2020 she did a dip a day raising money for British Divers Marine Life Rescue - yes, a dip each day 365 days of the year in all weathers!
Based on the Wirral, Rebecca shares her love for the area and how grateful she is to be so close to the water.
We talk about:
a) being a RNLI Lifeguard and water safety when we are paddling
b) surfing in Bali, collecting plastic pollution and her video going viral
c) paddleboarding around the Wirral
d) her dip a day for BDMLR
e) body confidence, appreciating our bodies and encouraging each other to believe in ourselves
f) changing the narrative around watersports and the way women and men are differently portrayed in the media
g) the reality of SUP in the North - all the layers!
h) the benefits of a great dry bag
i) plastic free snacks with homemade flapjack
Rebecca's advice for beginners to paddleboarding is to book yourself onto paddleboarding lessons and for those local to the North West recommends Jayne Rigby of Liverpool SUP Co who teaches in the Albert Docks in Liverpool. Jayne has also been on the podcast and you can find her episode here or just look for episode no 6 in Apple, Spotify or Stitcher to hear Jayne's story.
Here's how to find Rebecca:
Instagram: @rebekah_mermaid
I'll be sharing a photograph of Rebecca on her RNLI jet ski. The photo is credited to David Edwards of Image 61. Thank you David for allowing us to use the great photo.
Thank you for listening! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it.
If you have any questions, please do get in touch on [email protected].
Instagram is @thejoyofsuppodcast_
Follow #thejoyofsuppodcast on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook TheJoyofSUPPodcast
Website www.jomoseley.com
It would be fantastic if you could also rate and review us on Apple as it will help more people find our paddleboarding sunshine! You can also subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Wishing you sunshine and joy, thank you for listening, Jo x
Please always put safety first and get the right advice for your training + body. Episode recorded December 2020 before Lockdown 3 in the UK.

Next Episode

Fiona Quinn - SUP + LEJOG Triathlon, Crossing the Irish Sea, Ignore the Fear Book + Dolphins

I am thrilled to welcome Fiona Quinn to The Joy of SUP Podcast. Having read her book Ignore The Fear and met her at the Wildbase film evening, I was so excited to finally speak to her about her world record triathlon and the lessons she could share.
Fiona is a keynote speaker, endurance adventurer and entrepreneur.

She became the first woman to complete a length of Britain triathlon in 2018 when she stand up paddleboarded from Lands End to John O'Groats, having already walked and cycled the route.

Taking on her fear of the sea, as well as the demanding logistics of sourcing a boat, crew and funding, she showed what you can achieve when you dare to start before you’re ready and rethink what’s possible.
She faced her fear and lost sight of shore to become the first woman to SUP across the Irish Sea. At the same time she became the first person to SUP the length of Britain on an inflatable board, picking up a hat-trick of world records during this expedition.
When not adventuring Fiona runs Adventure Book Club, sharing stories of adventure and helping others to get outside, as well as running the Action Collective, a 3 month coaching programme for entrepreneurs.
In this episode Fiona talks about:

Making sure your adventures speak to what you want + are right for you and not what it looks like to others!
Being vulnerable enough to ask everyone for help
Keeping things simple and borrowing kit
Really pushing herself to the limit
Serendipitous moments of joy with dolphins
Managing an adventure so you can work around your fears
The Corryvreckan Whirlpool
Inspiration from Sean Conway and Anna McNuff

You can find Fiona here:
Instagram: @fionalquinn
Facebook: Fiona L Quinn
Twitter: Fiona L Quinn
Website: Fiona Quinn
Buy Ignore the Fear.
Fiona was sponsored by and used a Red Paddle Co inflatable paddleboard.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as I did recording it. Having read Fiona's book and followed her online, you'll hear I did get a little star struck!
If you have any questions, please do get in touch on [email protected].
Instagram is @thejoyofsuppodcast_
Follow #thejoyofsuppodcast on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook TheJoyofSUPPodcast
Website www.jomoseley.com
It would be fantastic if you could also rate and review us on Apple as it will help more people find our paddleboarding sunshine!
Wishing you sunshine and joy, thank you for listening, Jo x
Please always put safety first and get the right advice for your adventures. training + body. Episode recorded December 2020.