93 Kassia Meador
Kassia Meador pic: @ez.rivero
Are you stuck in your surf journey—pushing harder, yet not progressing? What if the secret lies in slowing down?
In this episode, pro surfer Kassia Meador reveals how surfers at all levels can accelerate their growth by integrating surf etiquette, body awareness, and holistic healing practices like sound therapy and craniosacral work—insights especially vital for anyone recovering from injury or burnout.
Discover how to progress faster through surf retreats in Morocco and Indonesia designed for deep connection and rapid improvement
Learn why sound medicine and neurofeedback are becoming essential tools for surf recovery and performance
Gain rare pro-level tips on lineup etiquette that can instantly transform your sessions and confidence
Hit play now to learn how to elevate your surf practice, heal deeply, and reconnect with the ocean—mindfully and powerfully.
(use discount 'surfmasterylove' at checkout for 25% off)
Retreats: https://www.saltysensations.com/ & https://kassiasurf.com/pages/retreats
Course: (use discount code 'Welcome10' for 10% off) Definitive Guide to Longboarding 3.0
Kassia's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kassiasurf/?hl=en
Surf Mastery website: https://surfmastery.com/
Key Points
Kassia Myador emphasizes the importance of high-level surf coaching and creating a supportive environment for learning in her retreats.
Kassia discusses the value of learning surf etiquette and developing a rapport with the ocean to improve lineup awareness and safety.
Kassia highlights the common mistake of new surfers getting too comfortable and not pushing beyond their comfort zones to continue improving.
Kassia describes her journey with head trauma, including multiple concussions, and the alternative therapies she pursued for recovery, such as neurofeedback and craniosacral therapy.
Kassia discusses the use of sound and vibrational medicine, including sound baths and gongs, for healing and supporting the nervous system.
Kassia talks about her plans to take a group to Indonesia for surfing retreats, highlighting the variety of waves and the fun, perfect conditions during the shoulder season.
Kassia advises beginner surfers to have fun, not be too hard on themselves, and use the ocean as a mirror to reflect on their life and personal growth.
Outline
Surfing Retreats and Salty Sensations
Kassia has been running retreats for about seven years, both internationally and locally in Southern California.
Kassia started Salty Sensations with Leah Dawson and Michaela Smith during the pandemic as a way for people to connect safely through surfing and camping.
Salty Sensations began as local, long weekend retreats and expanded internationally two years ago.
Kassia collaborates with local communities and hosts retreats in various locations, including Ireland and Morocco.
The retreats offer high-level surf coaching in a supportive environment, focusing on community and learning.
Participants often return to multiple retreats, showing progress in their surfing and community connections.
Surfing Ethics and Etiquette
Kassia emphasizes the importance of learning surfing ethics and etiquette from experienced surfers.
The retreats aim to improve lineup etiquette and awareness, contributing to better surfing communities.
Kassia compares learning to surf to getting a driver's license, highlighting the dangers of inexperienced surfers.
Kassia notes the frustration new surfers face when they don't progress as quickly as they expect.
Kassia's Surfing Journey
Kassia started surfing in 1990, learning the ocean through junior lifeguards before surfing with her dad and his friends.
Kassia's first surfing experience was at Leo Carrillo, with her first green wave caught at La Conchita.
Kassia spent an entire summer camping and surfing at Leo Carrillo, learning the ocean extensively.
Joel Tudor advised Kassia not to only surf perfect waves, encouraging her to adapt to different conditions.
Kassia moved to Oceanside at 20 to surf more beach breaks, which she believes improved her overall surfing.
Kassia prefers surfing lefts on a shortboard and rights on a longboard, particularly for nose riding.
Common Mistakes in Surfing
Kassia identifies getting too comfortable and not pushing oneself as a common mistake among new surfers.
Plateauing in surfing can lead to boredom and frustration, affecting one's attitude in the water.
Kassia advises against complacency, encouraging surfers to seek new challenges and experiences.
Kassia believes that the ocean reflects personal issues, such as control, and can be a tool for personal growth.
Kassia's Relationship with Surfing
Kassia describes a renewed excitement and love for surfing, comparing it to her early days.
Kassia took a seven-year break from surfing due to injuries and concussions, during which she focused on her business and healing.
Kassia credits polarity therapy and craniosacral therapy for helping her recover from concussions.
Kassia has experienced a full recovery and feels better than ever, attributing it to various therapies and lifestyle changes.
Kassia emphasizes the importance of health and well-being, advocating for alternative therapies and low-inflammatory diets.
Sound Therapy and Vibrational Medicine
Kassia is passionate about sound and vibrational medicine, using tools like sound bowls, gongs, and tuning forks.
Kassia incorporates sound therapy into her retreats to support participants' nervous systems and overall well-being.
Kassia and Michael discuss the neurological benefits of sound therapy, comparing it to other body work therapies.
Kassia highlights the importance of finding what works for individual bodies and systems, whether it's chiropractic, acupuncture, or sound therapy.
Kassia mentions her favorite surfboards, a nine-foot five-inch longboard shaped by Dane and a six-foot eight-inch twin pin by Alex Lopez.
Favorite Surfing Locations and Experiences
Kassia's dream surfing location is Indonesia, particularly the Mentawai Islands, for their variety of waves.
Kassia plans to take groups to Indonesia during the shoulder season for fun, perfect waves.
Kassia uses sound bowls and other instruments in her retreats to support participants' experiences and healing.
Advice for Beginner Surfers
Kassia advises beginner surfers to have fun and not be too hard on themselves, emphasizing the importance of enjoying the process.
Kassia suggests that the ocean reflects personal issues and can be a mirror for growth and learning.
Kassia encourages surfers to use moments of tension and frustration as opportunities for learning and progress.
Transcription
Michael Frampton
Welcome back to the Surf Mastery Podcast. Today's guest is Kassia Meador. Kassia embodies the ethos of this show, which is education and inspiration to improve the lives of surfers both in and out of the water. And that is exactly what Kassia is doing. Kassia spent some years on the World Surf League Longboard Tour and was ranked second in the world in 2011. She has her own brand. She has surfing courses online. She's running retreats. We discuss all of that in today's episode, and of course, links below to all of that stuff in the show notes. Stay tuned till the end for some discount codes as well.
Kassia Meador
Local honey gives you like allergen protection, so doing that and then just surfing as much as possible.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, did you surf today?
Kassia Meador
No, I haven't surfed the last two days. I've been stuck a little bit, stuck to my computer just catching up on things because I was gone for so long. Yeah, but I surfed Monday. Tuesday was really good.
Michael Frampton
Okay, where have you been? Traveling?
Kassia Meador
I've been, yeah. I was in France, and then from France, I went to Ireland, and then from Ireland, Morocco. So I was gone for two months, and then I came home and did a little retreat down south. And then I have another one in two weeks. So I've pretty much been gone and really only have this week and next week home to get caught up before I'm gone again. So it's been full on.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Did you have a retreat in Ireland as well? Is that why you were there?
Kassia Meador
I did, yeah. I did a retreat there with our Salty Sensations crew that I started with my friend Leah Dawson and Mikayla Smith. And then we team up with this awesome local Irish woman. She has a whole thing called Rebel Surf. So they're doing a lot for the Irish community and getting women in the water. Eastgate Britton came and read an excerpt from her book. And our friend Candice O'Donnell—long time, I think she was like British champ for a while, but she's a longboarder, friends with Leah and I, we've known her for a long time. I used to ride for Roxy with her as well. And so she came and helped us out. And we had a group of about—gosh, it was a co-ed retreat, and we had, I think like 10 guests, and it was fantastic.
Michael Frampton
When did that start and what was the impetus to start hosting these retreats?
Kassia Meador
You know, we started doing retreats—gosh, I want to say I've been doing retreats now for about seven years or more internationally. And then Leah and I started Salty Sensations actually during the middle of the pandemic. When nobody was really traveling, a lot of people were doing stuff just at home, you know, and wanting to connect. And kind of like camping was really one of the only ways that we could get together, and people could get together safely. So we started taking people surfing and camping here in Southern California. It was like an easy kind of long weekend during the middle of the week. So Mikayla Smith started coming down there with us, and then Andy Nieblas and, you know, some other awesome surfers. And we started these surfing and camping retreats that were like three days, kind of short little windows. And then last year—or two years ago now—we started taking them internationally. So that's cool. And we've been going to like kind of places more so off the beaten path with Salty Sensations. And then again, I do retreats and host retreats globally with other people. So, Morocco was more of like a Kassia surf retreat that I did with another friend who's a yogi, and Mikayla came with me to co-host that one. And then Morocco, like we worked with this awesome place and a friend of mine called Hamid. He has the O Surf Retreat, like Surf Club or whatever—Surf Club, I think is exactly what it's called. And he's awesome. He was my first guide in Morocco when I went there 15 years ago. But then Ireland was like Salty Sensation. So there's like a lot of different things happening. And then when we came back, the one that we have in two weeks is a Salty Sensations one. So there's kind of like multiple different things happening. Yeah, definitely.
Michael Frampton
All the time. So you're seeing quite a demand for these types of retreats?
Kassia Meador
I mean, I think what we offer is really unique in that a lot of people don't—you know, have gotten more so into surfing over the last five to 10 years, especially a lot of women coming into surfing. Maybe they surfed as a kid and they're getting back into it now. Or maybe they just found different time to get into surfing and they want to learn, they want to get better. And this is a way for people to learn in community, learn in different ways, and have a good time doing it. So it's awesome. It's awesome to witness people and their journeys. You know, now we've seen some people for a couple years in a row. People come back to multiple retreats. And so we're able to really witness their progress and then their progress with community and meeting up. And a lot of these people connect all over the world. And so then they become surf buddies, and they're able to bring it back to their community. And it's helping to grow. And I love it. And it's like—when do people have real access to learn from professional surfers? You know, a lot of people doing retreats and stuff out there are just kind of novice surfers themselves. And nothing bad about that. It's just what we're offering is really kind of high-level surf coaching in a really supportive environment. So it's a lot of fun.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, my previous guest said a piece of his advice was, “Don't watch people,” simply because most people don't surf that well. They don't approach the lineup very well. So his advice was don't watch them. Just choose one good person and watch that person. So, you see, you're kind of almost doing that on steroids a little bit. And do you think it's almost a step forward, creating a little community vibe like that where you're camping and surfing? It's kind of like a step back in time in some sort of way. It's like, this is how surfing used to be. We're going to kind of ignore the crowd, and we're going to keep sort of—but this is—because I can't imagine that these sort of camps would have worked 20 years ago. Because that was what surfing was anyway.
Kassia Meador
That's exactly it. And I love that you bring it up because I think like we're kind of like—we're around the same age, like I'm 41, you know, so I've been surfing for like almost 30 years. And when we grew up surfing, it was a lot smaller groups of people were surfing. Everybody kind of knew each other, and we would be camping and surfing and just hanging out together, surfing together, vibing out. Yeah. And I think just with how much time we've all spent in the water—between Mikayla, myself, Leah, and Andy, for instance—you know, between the Salty Sensations crew, there's like over 100 years of combined experience that we've had in the water, really, if you think about it that way. But this is our lives. This is what we do. And so we're able to create a really genuine and authentic atmosphere for people to learn in the ways that we learned. And I think that that's what's unique about our offering and what we're bringing out there, you know. And it's so fun. And the people that come are just so stoked. And again, it's just so awesome to be able to share, because that's a lot of the thing that has fueled us to want to offer these camps and retreats and what got me to offer my online course with The Inertia. But there's a lot of people that go do a surf camp or do a surf retreat in a way that they're not learning from people who have been surfing a long time like all of us. And they think, you know, they don't really understand the etiquette. And maybe they're putting themselves or somebody else in harm's way because they don't really understand the cadence of a lineup. They don't really have that etiquette background. Nobody's told them. It was just like, “Every wave’s your wave.” When really, as you and I know, surfing isn't about riding waves as much as it is about having a rapport with the ocean and connecting with community and all the other elements that go into what surfing is. And so I think that that's really what we're trying to share and teach. And hopefully by doing it this way, we're going to make the lineups a lot better for everybody because they're learning good ethics, they're learning good awareness, they're learning good lineup etiquette in the water, and they're able to bring that back to their communities as well.
Michael Frampton
You know, that's a good point. There's so many people jumping into surfing nowadays, and it's so accessible. You know, the wetsuits and surfboards are so good. And there are so many companies making them at such an affordable price. It's so accessible to everyone now. And it's—gosh, a surfboard, I mean, as you know, a surfboard is a very dangerous thing. And you wouldn't just go and give someone a car without putting them through a course and making sure they had their license. Yeah, and I think it breeds a lot of new surfers' frustration too.
Kassia Meador
Love that. Yeah, I love that kind of analogy. And it's so very true. So very true.
Michael Frampton
Their perception of surfing is like, “I just buy a soft top and a cheap wetsuit and I go surfing,” and... well, it’s not quite that simple. And then they wonder why, you know, three months later they still can't ride unbroken waves and why people are yelling at them. So... you know, things like this, I’m glad that they're growing and people are doing it because it will—you’re right—it will. Every time a bunch of people in a community take your course, then they bring that vibe to the whole lineup where they surf. And hopefully when their friend decides to, “Hey, can you show me how to surf?” they pass that on.
So that's awesome.
Kassia Meador
That's cool. And it's fun too. You know, it's like getting to share what we know after all this time. I'm like, gosh, I wish somebody told me half the stuff that we're sharing with other people. It would have just like, you know, expedited my learning curve in an exceptional way. And so it's really cool to be able to share that with—I mean, I guess I started surfing in 1997 or 1998.
Michael Frampton
What was your learning curve like? When did you start surfing?
Kassia Meador
I did junior lifeguards. I learned the ocean. My parents were like, “Okay, learn the ocean.” And my dad was a surfer. So he's like, “I'm not going to teach you. I want you to learn about the ocean, learn about the currents, learn the language, and then you can come surfing with me.” So yeah, that was the way.
And then I just went surfing with my dad and his friends and I was just out in the water. And then I started going to Malibu and surfing with all those people and actually watching.
That said, I did have good access. I learned a lot from watching, though I had great people to watch. I had guys like Joel Tudor and Josh Farberow and people like Brittany Leonard and Matt Howard and, you know, Dane Peterson and some of the best surfers—Ashley Lloyd—that I got to watch and witness. And really helped to inform my surfing. But I was watching some of the best loggers around doing what they do.
So it was Jimmy Gamboa, you know, that whole crew. That whole generation of surfers. So for me, watching was a big part of it. And then adapting what I was witnessing to my own kind of style. And obviously not wanting to look like a kook, because I just got made fun of if I did. And that was just how it was when we were kids and everybody was just heckling each other. It was a simpler...
Michael Frampton
Time. So what beach did it start? When was your first surfing experience? What beach?
Kassia Meador
I mean, Leo Carrillo—the back beach, North Beach. Leo Carrillo is where I first was doing junior lifeguards. I think I caught my first green wave at a place called La Conchita, which is really not a surfing spot at all actually. It’s just like a beach break on the inside of Rincon. But I grew up in the valley. I was a valley kid, so I never lived by the beach.
So I was never, I guess, like local to anywhere. I just kind of like—we just had to drive everywhere. But one of the closest beaches to me—I lived on the other side of the canyon—was like Leo Carrillo, Malibu. And then the other way was like C Street, Ventura, Rincon, that kind of vibe, you know.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. I see you’ve done quite a bit of camping at Leo Carrillo as well.
Kassia Meador
I camped at Leo Carrillo an entire summer, the first summer I learned how to surf. So we did junior lifeguards all day. Julie Cox, who owns a couple cool surf stores now called Traveler Surf Club and Outpost, she was my junior lifeguard instructor and she worked at the camp store.
So she had like a whole campsite the entire summer. And so she was older than me. So she had a car, which meant I had a ride to the beach. And, you know, her, myself, and a bunch of our friends—we just spent an entire summer literally camping and surfing and running and swimming and like learning the ocean.
Michael Frampton
Wow. So it’s kind of come full circle.
Kassia Meador
Totally. It’s absolutely come full circle. And I think that’s the thing, is like connecting with nature.
You know, that’s the thing about surfing—like not having any walls around us, like being outside all the time. And that’s something that’s really special, I think, about California and really what we like to bring to people with Salty Sensations specifically, is having that access to be fully immersed in nature for an extended amount of time.
Michael Frampton
Well, do you remember earlier on in your surfing journey—what was the best surfing advice you had?
Kassia Meador
Gosh, I mean, when I was younger, Joel Tudor probably gave me some really good advice, which was like interesting advice. And he probably wouldn’t remember it, but he was just like, “You know, don’t get Point Break Syndrome.”
Like, you surf Malibu all the time—don’t just only surf a perfect wave. Because it’s not going to teach you that much about surfing, really, because you’re just surfing—it's like you kind of set up a nose ride, set up a nose ride. You’re not turning, you’re not being more dynamic, you’re not witnessing a lot of variables coming in.
And, you know, like surfing beach breaks and stuff like that—you’re seeing all these different variables and you have to adapt and you have to choose the right one.
And at a place like Malibu—that’s literally like nature’s machine of perfection—and Leo Carrillo and a lot of the waves I was surfing, Rincon—they’re so perfect that you become lazy.
And so I remember when he first said that to me, I was like, “What? Point Break Syndrome? I’m like, what are you talking about? This is a perfect wave.”
And then I would spend some time going and trying to surf Sano and trying to surf other places. And even my first time to Costa Rica I realized—even though I’m goofy foot—I never really went left.
And that was awkward to me. And you’d think on my forehand I would be more vibing, but really, just because I never really did it surfing in, you know, where I grew up. It was just weird.
So I think that helped me the most.
And I started riding for Donald Takayama, and when I was 20 years old I moved down to Oceanside and started surfing a lot of beach breaks. And I think that really helped my surfing in general. And then just traveling and surfing as many waves as possible.
And that’s something that we bring into our retreats.
You know, it’s like—it’s pretty easy to surf a perfect wave.
Yeah, it is.
Easy to surf a difficult wave that’s variable? Not as much, you know.
I think it depends.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, do you still prefer your backhand?
Kassia Meador
Like, truly? I mean, I love perfect waves. I mean, who isn’t a sucker for a perfect wave?
You know, absolutely.
But because I have proximity to so many rights, you know, more so in my backyard or where I live, I really love going left just because it still feels different to me. It still feels a little more far-reached and far.
And I think on like a shortboard and a small board, I prefer going left.
And on a longboard, I—you know, if it’s a perfect longboard wave, like I love going right.
I think I surf better on a longboard, especially nose riding going right.
And I have some work to do, definitely, going left.
Michael Frampton
Interesting. So, what’s the worst surfing advice you ever had?
Kassia Meador
Ash, I don’t know. You know, it’s like—I think like surfing and the ocean specifically just teaches you stuff.
You know, I guess one of the worst surfing advices I had was like an old boyfriend of mine that told me I should go to college and not just follow my dream of surfing.
That was probably the worst surfing advice ever. I remember being like, “College? Like what?”
And he’s like, “It’s a pipe dream,” you know, blah.
I’m like, “I don’t even know what my dream is, but I know my nightmare would be to go to college.”
Like, you know, just the bill alone—especially in the U.S.—it’s different, I think, maybe over in New Zealand and other places. But like, I don’t want to go to college.
You know? And I went to Australia, and I bought a car, and I kind of lived in it for a while after graduating high school and just cruised up and down the coast. And really, my surfing journey took off.
Thankfully, I did not listen to him.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I think... thank you.
Yeah. What’s the biggest mistake that you see that newbies to surfing make?
Kassia Meador
You know, I think some of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen—just in life—some of our retreat guests, I think more so, is getting too comfortable with what they know and not wanting to push themselves.
It’s like people in general getting too comfortable.
Like maybe that’s a thing for humanity.
You know, one of the worst mistakes we can do is get comfortable.
Like, how awesome it is when we meet our growing edges and see ourselves moving through it, you know?
So I think as beginning surfers, you know, they get kind of comfortable maybe in one place, surfing one wave or—you know, and there’s something helpful with that because it helps you get to a comfort level that makes it enjoyable.
That said, if you’re not surpassing that comfort level, you’re never going to—you plateau.
And then often people come to us and they’ve plateaued, but they’re comfortable where they are. And then they’re like, “This is uncomfortable because it’s new and different.” And like, “Maybe I like perfect waves,” or “I like this.”
And that’s always something for us.
Because it’s like, people will be like, “I feel like I’m going backwards.”
And it’s like, no—you’re just learning new things.
Like, it’s supposed to be uncomfortable.
And then we always get a message—like, they go home and they ride their comfortable wave on whatever. And they’re like—that’s when they really see the progress that they’ve made. You know, when they might come back a year later and really go.
So maybe a human condition thing—to like, you know, if we’re ever too comfortable, like, what are we missing?
Where’s the growing potential that we’re missing?
You know, so yeah, I think that’s something.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I guess if you get to it as a surfer—if you get to a certain level where you are comfortable and you don't push yourself beyond that—I'm wondering what the downsides are to that. What did you do?
Kassia Meador
Yeah, plateauing really. Just not getting any better, which is cool. You can go have fun, but then like, does it get boring after a...
Michael Frampton
Point? Well, that’s what I think it would be. It was sort of—and you may not be aware of it—but I think that’s when some cynicism comes. And frustration might sort of leak into your surfing.
Kassia Meador
One hundred percent.
You know, if you’re only going and surfing the same wave all the time—it would, absolutely.
I mean, when I chose to move down to Oceanside in my early 20s, people were like, “Why are you moving down south? Like, you live by a perfect wave.”
And I'm like, gosh, if I just stayed in Malibu and never left—I mean, I never lived in Malibu. I always grew up in the Valley. So I never actually lived in Malibu.
But if that was like the wave that I was only surfing and all those rights, like I might’ve gotten bored and complacent.
Like, complacency just seems like a trap.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, no, I think that. I think you see that a lot.
You see someone riding the same board, surfing the same wave, waiting for the set waves, and they're just a bit grumpy with it all.
And they're the people that are most likely to snap and complain about how surfing used to be.
But you see people out there who are always trying different—it might even just be—just try a different surfboard.
You know, you don’t have to go and try and attempt any sort of new moves or anything.
It’s just sort of, I think you need challenges in some ways. Like, surfing somewhere else or surfing a different type of board doesn’t have to be associated to your performance per se.
Kassia Meador
Totally. I can totally see that happening for people. And that’s such a bummer, right?
Like, it’s kind of like—gosh, I mean, the world is so beautiful and life is so beautiful that if people are just bummed out in the water, I really feel like—without getting too kind of far out and esoteric—but like, I really feel that water is such a conductor. It’s a conduit.
And so whatever’s happening—and you know, when those grumpy people are out there—and it’s a bummer because they’re grumpy and they’re kind of like stinking up the lineup with their grumpy vibes, you know?
And then when somebody is like having a good one and everybody’s like hooting for each other, it’s like the best lineup to be in. Everybody surfing the best, feeling the best. And that’s contagious.
So like, what are we bringing to our lineups? And how is that affecting everybody else out there? Because it really does.
And I’m not saying it’s about being happy all the time, because a lot of people have a lot of struggles—especially right now with everything going on in the world.
That being said, if the ocean is that place that you go to do your cleansing work and you go to do the things that bring you joy so that you can kind of let go of some of the stresses of life, then if you’re met with joy and happiness and fun, you’re going to be able to bring that back to life on land—which is, you know, it’s like crossing T’s and dotting I’s and all the other things that we have to deal with, like paying taxes and all that stuff that’s not always that fun.
So it’s like—it really should be that place, you know? And I really hope that it is for people.
And anybody listening to this, I hope that—you know, it’s like—you can think about that.
Like, what are you bringing into the water?
If you’re grumpy out in the water, how are you on land? And how is that affecting other people?
And who knows what kind of day somebody’s been having?
Michael Frampton
Yeah, but that’s—I think, I mean, maybe that is the challenge for those sorts of people: to leave that stuff in the car park and immerse yourself in surfing and remember what surfing is.
And that might be someone’s challenge.
And that might be how they progress their surfing—is just to have a better relationship with surfing. Simple as that.
Kassia Meador
I love that. I love that as a challenge.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. How would you describe your current relationship to surfing?
Kassia Meador
I love surfing so much. I mean, I'm more excited about surfing than I think I ever have been, except for when I was first getting it. I'm just excited right now about surfing, and I froth out just as much as I was when I was a little kid. And it’s kind of come full circle in that way. I think everything has different cycles of evolution. And I'm definitely on an upturn, like a remembering cycle again, right now.
You know, having the access to surfing all over the world since I was younger was amazing. And then surfing professionally—at some point there was a point where I got a little disenchanted with the surf industry and the whole surf world, and just all this other stuff that didn't feel like it was aligned with the purity of why I got into it in the first place.
So I think for the most part, leaving my big sponsors, leaving the surfing world, starting my own business—kind of dealing with all that with my wetsuits and everything—was a lot of hard work. And then I had a bunch of injuries. So I spent probably a good seven years not in the water much.
Like, multiple concussions from surfing accidents—people, you know, dropping in and kicking their boards at me or my own board—or a couple car accidents, dislocated shoulders, injuries in different ways that literally really kept me out of the water, I would say for the most part of seven years.
And it was really in 2019 into 2020 that I started feeling better again. I did a lot of work. I went back to school, and I learned craniosacral and polarity therapy because it helped me the most with my concussions. I was really focused on my business. I wasn't surfing a lot. And I was like, wow, my joy is missing.
And then I started feeling good enough—towards the end of 2019 and early into 2020—and I really started surfing a lot more. And that's when I really started teaching more surfing. And I did the online course. And then I was starting to feel myself again, and then teaching helped me fall in love again with different aspects of surfing.
And then I kind of had this break from surfing that really helped me to feel grateful for my body, grateful for feeling strong again, grateful for all these things.
So then it reignited this new love with surfing in a different way. And that's where I am currently. And I'm just so frothy. I'm so pumped.
My friend Leah and her boyfriend Alex call me “Queen Froth” because I'm so stoked to get in the water. I'm waking up at five in the morning, driving down to Huntington Beach to go surf because it's going to be good and offshore. And I'll get two hours in. I'll be back at work by like 9:10 in the morning, and I'm pumped.
So it's really cool to be, you know, 41 and having surfed since I was 14, 15 years old, and I'm falling in love with it again. And I'm in this new phase of it that I'm just so pumped.
Michael Frampton
Cool. What did you say? Pol... olatherapy?
Kassia Meador
Polarity. It's like an energy medicine. It kind of works with Reiki or craniosacral osteopathy. Depending on where you live, you may have a different kind of relation to it.
So it's kind of like that work. And it really helped me with a lot of my head trauma that I experienced through surfing.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, and I've had concussions before—a horrible experience, yeah.
Kassia Meador
Yeah, and they add up. So I had so many consecutively in a row for so many years, and violent car accidents, and just crazy stuff that happened.
But it brought me to different ways of taking care of myself. So that opened up a whole new world. And, gosh, I didn't really know where it was going to go. I was like, maybe my best times of surfing are in the past. And I'm actually just having my best times of surfing I've ever had now, which is so cool.
Michael Frampton
So do you think you've made a full recovery since your most recent concussion?
Kassia Meador
Yeah, for sure. Full recovery—and better than I ever was. I did neurofeedback. I've done a lot of other stuff for my brain—hyperbaric chamber work.
But it took me a long road to find all that stuff, because it’s not just like... If you go to a neurologist, they’re like, “Have some pills and go to speech therapy. You have a stutter.”
I mean, I had a stutter. I couldn’t be outside. Still, at night, driving can affect me a little bit. That’s not super easy all the time. But only if I’m really tired.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Yeah, no—the mainstream medical system, they don’t understand concussion that well. You kind of got to—like you said—you got to step out.
I did neurofeedback and changed my diet, and I did some vestibular and ocular rehab—vision and balance rehab. And that’s what sort of helped me with my concussions.
Yeah. So—and chiropractic and stuff too.
Kassia Meador
Totally. And that’s so cool that you searched that out and then you feel those results, right?
Like, neurofeedback is amazing. And just the best. All of that is so fantastic—having access to it. But you do really have to find it. And it definitely costs time, energy, and money.
Michael Frampton
It does. But if you want to get back in the water, then—well, you know, concussion affects every part of your life.
So you kind of—totally—do or die sometimes.
Kassia Meador
That's it. And it’s really—it's like, what are we investing in?
Our health and well-being is the most that we can and have the opportunity and really should be investing in.
So that’s awesome that you’re feeling better. So you’re back 100% yourself then?
Michael Frampton
Yeah, my concussion wasn’t too bad. I was sort of out for a week and was nauseous for a while and, you know, sensitivity to bright light and stuff, and low mood.
And, you know, I’ve of course read a lot—really bad in the surfing world. You know, the big wave surfers—they deal with heavy concussions.
Yeah. And I know... That’s gnarly.
Yeah. But yeah, no, it’s all good now. I still have to keep up. I feel I have to keep up with some of the vision vestibular training though.
Like if I don’t do it, I tend to feel my balance and vision sort of fades. So it’s something I’m always sort of doing—making sure my eyes are working together well and getting enough sleep as well is huge. Just having a good...
Yeah, we’re not in our 20s anymore, so things... That’s it. Mishaps affect you so much more. And a late night wipes you out for a few days nowadays, whereas you could just charge through it when you’re...
Kassia Meador
Well, totally. Yeah. Sleep is huge and paramount. And low inflammatory diets too—like that’s helped me a lot. I don’t know, because you said you changed your diet as well.
That was one of the biggest things where I noticed the first effect—just changing that.
And, you know, I hope whoever’s listening to this can pass it on if they know somebody who’s struggling.
Because it’s a hard thing. If somebody breaks their arm, you can see it. You’re like, “That person has a broken arm.”
But with head trauma, you don’t really know what’s happening in there for somebody else.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Yeah, it’s like—I think just the whole world itself. And 20 years ago, when we were in our 20s, the world was sort of less toxic in a way.
So even though... 40 years ago, when we were little and growing up, the world was far less toxic.
So we could have sort of developed and adapted to that sort of environment.
And now we find ourselves a bit older, and we’re in a far more toxic environment—just the quality of the air alone.
Whereas if you were born only 15–20 years ago, you kind of grew up in a more toxic environment, and that’s all you know, and your body adapted to that as well.
I think it’s tenfold for us older folk. We’ve got to double down on that stuff a lot.
Kassia Meador
Totally. And too, having to do our own research. But it seems that more and more people have more access to things. And there’s more ways to find out about what’s happening out there and what tools are available for all of us to work with.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Yeah, if anyone out there is suffering with concussion or knows anyone, look into those alternative therapies—especially vestibular and ocular.
So vision and balance rehab—those are big, because those are the first things to go, and they affect your mood a lot as well.
That sort of stuff, and then sleep and low inflammatory diets.
And like you said, you can just go online and learn so much about it nowadays.
Kassia Meador
Totally. It’s cool that you did neurofeedback too. I felt like that, with hyperbaric chamber stuff, helped me like crazy.
It was so amazing witnessing the change in how I was sleeping as well.
Because that’s the thing—if you don’t have deep Delta brainwave states, which usually you don’t when you’re in fight-or-flight and stress patterns...
So just being able to get back into deep Delta states alone gave my brain time to recover.
So I’m sure you had similar things happen. It’s wild because one thing affects another, and then the whole system is kind of just barely hanging on.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. And I know in my research before this, I noticed you’re into sound baths.
Kassia Meador
Totally. Yeah. I love sound and vibrational medicine.
I think that was probably the first tool that I was having access to that was helping me in a lot of ways that I didn’t even really understand.
But it would put me into Theta, which is a relaxed and healing state.
So I didn’t really know what was happening with it.
That said, obviously, knowing a lot more about it now and working with it for a time, there was obviously a reason I was drawn to it—because I was feeling supported receiving and giving Sangha.
So I love that work. I think it’s so fantastic.
Have you received one?
Michael Frampton
Yes.
Yeah. Gosh, I remember I was living in New York and I went to somewhere in Queens. We had this old abandoned warehouse. There were 50 of us, did this ayahuasca ceremony. And sort of about three in the morning, when everyone starts to come out of that plant medicine journey, someone starts playing this giant crystal bowl. And it just felt like the whole room was wavering and warping with this crystal bowl. And I just felt these waves go through me.
And that was my first experience of a sound bath. And actually, someone in Malibu—whose name I can't remember—he had a whole room full of crystal bowls, and that was an incredible experience.
And I remember when COVID hit—it was actually not long after, I was probably still healing from my concussion—I bought a really big PA system. And I had to sit in front of a really loud speaker with my bass guitar and just find the frequency that felt right.
It wasn't necessarily the sound of the music; it was the feeling. Because when you have a big sound system or a big bass amp or guitar amp, you really get to feel the music.
And then you search around on the guitar or the bass. And sometimes, I think unconsciously we're searching for the right frequency.
Of course, we might articulate it as, “I really like that note” or “that melody,” but really I think it's often that feeling that the body craves—of the right frequency going through us.
And I think that's part of the reason why people brave live events. Like, there's something that—you can sit down with a pair of headphones and enjoy a certain type of music—but when you go to a live concert and stand up front, you can feel the music.
And that's just a completely different experience. And you can stay up till two in the morning and have four hours of sleep and wake up feeling fine because you've just been bathed in the right frequencies for two hours before that.
So, you know, I'm a big—I'm a huge believer in sound therapy and all that sort of stuff. And gosh, isn't this what a wave is anyway?
Isn't it some sort of communication from a storm miles away?
Kassia Meador
That's it. You know, we're all riding different sound waves, right?
And I think that's why, as surfers too, so many surfers I know are so drawn to music in different ways—whether it's playing guitar or drums or ambient kind of music.
Whatever it is, that vibration just feels so much like home. So much like surfing—really surfing sound waves, surfing ocean waves. It's all the same kind of wave energy.
Michael Frampton
Really? Yeah. Cool.
And there's a guy on Instagram I follow—Robert Edward Grant. I don’t know if you’ve come across him yet, but he spent a lot of time in ancient Egypt.
And they say that the pyramids and a lot of the other structures are giant sound healing devices. I love it.
Kassia Meador
Yeah, I love it. Robert—what’s his name? I’m going to check him out.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, Robert Edward Grant. Interesting fellow.
Yeah, because the Nile actually used to run through that part of ancient Egypt.
So a lot of the structures actually used to have water running down the sides, and that would vibrate and create a sound bath.
And he had the opportunity to go into the main pyramid—which I forget its name now—into the King’s Chamber of the main pyramid and lie on top of the table.
And he just started chanting. And he said once he got the right frequency, he felt the whole room of the King’s Chamber vibrating together and making his whole body vibrate.
And he had an out-of-body experience. And so it’s all about sound and frequency.
Kassia Meador
It really is.
I literally was having this exact conversation with a good friend of mine last night—who’s a musician—who just got back from Egypt and had the exact same experience.
Toning into the rocks, toning into the statues, toning into it all, and receiving these beautiful downloads of information and actually witnessing everything kind of morphing and changing in the space based on the feedback of sound.
Michael Frampton
And it actually makes a lot of sense neurologically.
Because if you think of all the modalities for body healing—you’ve got chiropractic or massage therapy, Reiki, acupuncture—all those bodywork therapies.
All they’re actually doing, from a neurological and technical perspective, is giving your brain more awareness of your body.
And then once your brain is aware of your entire body or a certain part of your body that’s been injured, it then has the ability to heal.
It’s when we have a lack of awareness of a certain part of our body that the brain doesn’t go and heal it—because it’s not aware of where it is.
So things like acupuncture and chiropractor and massage and Reiki—they all just bring more awareness to that part of the body.
And the same is true with sound frequency—especially if you mess around with different sounds—you feel the sounds vibrate in different parts of your body.
And that’s essentially just showing your brain and making your body more alive.
So it’s kind of all about awareness. Because the body and the brain have the ability to heal, but only if we’re aware of what’s going on.
So yeah, all those bodywork and sound therapy modalities are about creating more awareness.
And, of course, injuries and trauma—they take the awareness away.
Kassia Meador
Yeah, like shutting down or disassociating from our body or having different systems not neurologically firing together and wiring together in that way.
And especially if people have spinal injuries—the whole ANS system shuts down often if there’s spinal injury.
So the motor neurons can’t fire and a lot of other things aren’t lining up.
So awareness is key. And keeping that awareness and those channels open and fluid are so essential to our health and well-being on multiple layers and levels for sure.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, and not all modalities work for everyone too. Because you hear some people say, “Chiropractic? It’s just a bunch of quacks.”
Well, no—it just doesn’t work for you. Like, go and find your—maybe acupuncture works for you or whatever.
Kassia Meador
Totally. It’s so important.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. I’ve tried everything. And for me, it was only some things that worked.
So I stick with those.
Kassia Meador
That’s exactly it. I mean, that’s how I got into osteopathy or craniosacral medicine, as well as acupuncture—I really love.
And all that kind of work was really something that helped me.
So it’s so important to honor what works for you, because all of our systems are so varied and different.
Just like we all like different boards and different fins and different waves and different vibes, you know?
It’s like we all like different music a little bit. It’s like—we’ve got to see what resonates with our system and our body, and then lean into that.
Michael Frampton
What’s your favorite surfboard?
If you could have one surfboard for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Kassia Meador
Jeez, that’s a really hard one. It’s a really hard one just because I like riding big boards and small boards.
So it’s like...
I mean, if I was—it’s hard to choose one board. Just because I feel like if it was a smaller board and it was small, I’d be lacking. And if it was a big board and it was big, I’d be lacking.
I’m like, gosh—it’s so hard.
So, you know, I have this really beautiful 9’5”, kind of piggy shape that my friend Dane shaped me. And it’s my favorite longboard.
It works so good. It’s so smooth off the tail. It nose rides so good. It just is real hippie and has a lot of belly, and it’s just really nice and I love it so much.
And that would be my longboard.
And then, kind of small board-wise—really, my friend Alex Lopez—he’s been shaping these really fun twin pins, and they’re just so nice.
I have like a 6’8” right now that I love. And I think that would be my kind of small board because it can really hold in more solid surf.
And then if it was small, I’d be on my longboard anyway.
But even then, it’s super fun in smaller, punchy waves as well.
That said, it could hold when it’s quite a bit bigger.
So those would be my two—take-them-everywhere-with-you boards.
Michael Frampton
Yep. Cool.
And where would you—if you could just have one place to surf, where would that be?
Kassia Meador
Gosh. You know, I mean, honestly—out in Indonesia, in the Mentawais.
That whole area is so incredible.
Because there’s lefts, there’s rights, there’s kind of mushier log waves, there’s faster, freight-training style waves.
It’s perfection in every direction.
And that would be it.
If I could just float around there and live there for the rest of my life—why not?
Gosh, it’s beautiful.
Michael Frampton
Plans to take a group there?
Kassia Meador
Yes, definitely.
I took a small group there last year in the shoulder season, and I’m taking another group there this year during the shoulder season.
We have two little back-to-backs.
I have a friend over there with an awesome resort that we work with.
It’s super small, and they’re such lovely people. I’m super grateful. I love it over there.
And shoulder season’s great. You know, it’s not when people are chasing the big stuff.
It’s just fun, perfect waves, and everybody has a really good time.
And there are so many different waves and variety that everybody can find their flow.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Do you have your own sound bowl at home or do you go somewhere and experience that?
Kassia Meador
Yeah, I have a lot of sound bowls. I have a giant gong—you can see it behind me.
Yeah, I work a lot with sound. So I carry them often because I bring my sound equipment with me everywhere I go when I do retreats and stuff.
So I have a bunch of bowls. I work a lot with tuning forks, flutes, drums, rattles.
Mostly gongs like that.
When I can and I’m at home—obviously they’re quite large, so I can’t really take them that many places.
That said, I have kind of my travel kit and my home kit, and I do a lot of sound work both locally as well as internationally.
Michael Frampton
Cool. Awesome. I see you've gone—you've actually started. Are you specifically treating people, or is it for the retreats or...?
Kassia Meador
Like, I was doing one-on-one sessions before I started doing the retreats. So it's been about, like—gosh—like 11 going on 12 years since I've been working with sound and vibrational medicine.
And so I started with a couple of different teachers and, you know, learned on my own for a long time. And we had a whole performance art group back in the day that we would travel, and we even made records with art galleries and stuff.
And at the time, we didn't really—we didn’t call them sound baths—we called them like "abductions," to be honest.
And we just felt like everybody was getting abducted by this sound, really, and taken to a different place.
And we didn't really understand it.
So we started kind of playing with it more and just adapting.
And then we all started noticing the healing effects it was having on us individually, and the people around us that we were bringing it to, you know.
So me and one of the other guys kind of got more interested—there were seven of us at the time—we all got more interested in the healing elements of sound.
So we started jamming together, and both of us kind of studied more with different sound practitioners since.
And, yeah, we’ve kind of been on our journey.
So it's fun, and it's something that I think is a really important element to what we bring in the retreats.
And it's a way to support people's nervous systems and whole body.
It’s like you're having that real physical experience in the water that can be emotional and energetic.
And then, when we get back to land, having these grounding sound journeys is really helpful for people to be able to process and land what we're doing in the water, as well as their own kind of stuff that's coming up for their life.
So it's super fun.
Michael Frampton
It makes me wonder—okay, so a sound bowl. Let's take a sound bowl, for example.
You can see it, you can hear it, and you can feel it. Do you get the same experience in the ocean?
Like, can you hear or feel waves as well as see them?
Kassia Meador
I don't feel that I can hear them. If I really check into hearing them, like—I'm like, "Can I hear waves?" I can, certain times.
Like, if a wave gets really hollow or that sound inside a tube—that's a sonic experience.
You know, definitely, it's an auditory experience.
That said, I can feel the waves coming.
And I can definitely feel—like, I guess I would have a kinesthetic awareness for the ocean waves.
Not only just riding them, but feeling them or feeling when it's going to be good, feeling when a set's coming—all those kind of things.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, because when you're out surfing and you're surfing—you're just sitting there, everyone's waiting for a set, and then all of a sudden someone moves.
“Why are they paddling over there? I can't see anything on the horizon.”
And then, 20 seconds later, you see something pop, and then everyone else moves.
But that guy's already in position.
I was like, “What did he see?”
Well, maybe he—she—felt it.
Kassia Meador
Felt it. Totally.
And you just know.
You know those people that have been out there forever—they know. They can smell it.
Somebody the other day in the water was like, “You know,” he's like, “I can smell the sets coming.”
And I was like, “You can smell it? That's cool.”
And he's like, “Yeah, my wife says that I can only smell sets.”
Like, if she's like, “What?”—puts on her new perfume—I can't smell that, but I can smell a set.
And sure enough, we paddled out and there was a set.
And he's like, “Go.”
I'm like, “All right.” That was fun.
Michael Frampton
That's funny.
Kassia Meador
Yeah, that's cool though, thinking about hearing it.
I mean, depending on how you feel things—different people have different ways of experiencing.
Michael Frampton
For sure.
I want to ask you one more question and then we'll—it's coming up to the hour now.
If there was one piece of advice that you could give to beginners—beginner surfers—what would that be?
Kassia Meador
Gosh, have fun and don't be so hard on yourself.
Really.
You know, it's like I can witness people getting so frustrated with themselves and so frustrated in the water.
It's like—just enjoy the ride and enjoy the whole process, right?
It's so important to enjoy every piece of it.
It's not just about getting better. It's about the experience of it all.
And, you know, so it's bigger than just one piece of advice.
But I feel that the ocean is like a mirror.
So it reflects for us whatever's coming up, right?
So if somebody has issues with control, right—that’s going to come up for them.
You're not in control in the ocean.
Maybe that's why you're called to it.
So if you can really feel into—how is this a reflection of my life and some of the things that I have an opportunity to work on—how can I see them work both ways?
And how can I mirror on land what is being mirrored for me in the water and vice versa?
And move through it.
Michael Frampton
How do you balance that with—'cause I'm sure there was a part of your life where you sort of...
I mean, to get better, you kind of—you have to, on some level—take it seriously, right? To improve an aspect of your technique or...
Kassia Meador
Totally.
I mean, we're constantly getting better, right?
Like, we've been surfing for so long—it's like nobody has ever arrived.
You know, whether it's your first time in the water or you're Kelly Slater—you're falling.
Everybody. The ocean's always in charge, you know?
So I think just allowing yourself to be humbled time and time again by this giant force of nature—literally, water—and pushing yourself into it, and not getting frustrated at yourself.
And yeah, you might have moments and days, and just going back to remembering—it’s about the fun.
And sometimes it's fun to just let go completely and be totally shaken around and feel alive.
That said, you know, the next time is not going to be like that.
So I feel like those points of tension in our surfing or in our day-to-day life are the biggest opportunities to learn.
So if we can not be stuck, if we can not waste energy on being hard on ourselves, if we can actually use it as fuel to move through it—the breakdown to breakthrough—then we can actually progress a lot faster by having that humility and kind of leaning into it rather than being like, “No.”
Michael Frampton
Cool.
Well, Kassia, thank you so much for your time.
The Surf Mastery Podcast is all about inspiration and education, and I think you embody both of those things.
Obviously, listeners can Google you and watch a bunch of footage of you surfing on YouTube.
And for inspiration and education, you've got your course on The Inertia, which I'll put links to in the show notes.
And of course, you've got the wetsuits at kassiasurf.com. Is that correct?
Kassia Meador
Yeah, kassiasurf.com, exactly.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, sorry Kassia, I didn’t get the pronunciation right.
Salty Sensations.
Kassia Meador
Yeah, Salty Sensations is something that my friend Leah, myself, Mikayla, and now Andy are all working on.
And that’s a lot of fun.
That said, I always post stuff on my own personal website for that whenever we have those retreats happening.
So people can find that info anywhere.
And maybe I can make a cool little discount code for you if anybody wants to use the bundle for The Inertia course, or if anybody wants to try out any of our wetsuits.
I’ll create something super sweet and special for your listeners.
So I don’t know if that’s...
Michael Frampton
Helpful. Definitely.
Let me know what that is and I’ll put it in the post-production, etc.
But I haven’t missed anything—are those your main three avenues?
Kassia Meador
Yeah.
Check us out either on Instagram, online, or—you know—come check us out in person.
It's always more fun to get together.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Awesome.
Yeah, I’ll put links to all that stuff in the show notes.
Again, thank you so much for your time.
Kassia Meador
Awesome. You’re epic, Michael. Thanks so much for having me, and have a beautiful day.
Michael Frampton
Get 25% off at kassiasurf.com—use the code SURFMASTERYLOVE.
And for a 10% discount off Kassia’s surfing e-course, use the code WELCOME10.
Those discount codes are listed in the show notes along with the relevant website.
Thank you for tuning in, and until next time—keep surfing.
For the passionate surfer—whether you're a weekend warrior, a surf dad, or an older surfer—this podcast is all about better surfing and deeper stoke. With expert surf coaching, surf training, and surfing tips, we’ll help you catch more waves, refine your paddling technique, and perfect your pop up on a surfboard. From surf workouts to handling wipeouts, chasing bigger waves, and mastering surf technique, we’re here to make sure you not only improve but truly enjoy surfing more—so you can get more out of every session and become a wiser surfer. Go from Beginner or intermediate Surfer to advanced.