Episode #387: Fighting Fear with Big Wave Surfer, Mark Mathews

Mark Mathews is a professional big wave surfer who has made a living surfing waves up to 50 feet big.

He is a Red Bull athlete, has won three Oakley Big Wave Awards, and has featured in several documentaries, including Fighting Fear, alongside UFC fighter Richie Vaculik, and the forthcoming On The Other Side of Fear.

While surfing in Tasmania, fifteen feet in front of a cliff in cold, shark infested waters, Mark hit a reef and instantly blacked out. Neck braced and hospital-ridden, he didn’t know if he could ever surf again.

We unpacked a whole lot in this 80 minute conversation, including:

1. Mark’s childhood in the Sydney beachside suburb of Maroubra
2. What makes a big wave surfer
3. Near death experiences
4. Recovering from a life and career-threatening injury
5. Cultivating discipline and resilience in the surf and in life

You can also check out the video version of this podcast, complete with surf footage Mark and I refer to, at the new Future Squared YouTube channel.

With that, I bring you the one and only, Mark Mathews.

Topics Discussed:

1. Childhood
2. Where the motivation to surf big waves came from
3. Affiliation with the Bra Boys
4. What it’s like to ride and wipe out on a big wave
5. Becoming a professional surfer
6. Near death experiences
7. The psychology of flow
8. Goal-setting and feedback loops
9. Getting back on the board after a near death experience
10. Cultivating mental resilience
11. Suffering a life and career threatening injury
12. Mental and physical rehabilitation, and what Mark learned during this time
13. An attitude of gratitude
14. The Other Side Of Fear documentary
15. Surfing at Jaws, Cyclops, and Shipstern’s Bluff

Show Notes:

IG: @markmathewssurf

W: www.markmathews.com

LI: www.linkedin.com/in/mathewsmark

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Listen to Future Squared on Apple Podcasts  goo.gl/sMnEa0

Also available on: Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher and Soundcloud

Twitter: www.twitter.com/steveglaveski

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Future Squared: www.futuresquared.xyz

Steve Glaveski: www.steveglaveski.com

Medium: www.medium.com/@steveglaveski

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NEW Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/futuresquared/

Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/2N77FLx

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