LISTEN: Mike Guest & Nick Pumphrey Discussing ‘Dawn Days’ On The Inspired Surfers Project, Presented By Jimmy’s

We’re pleased to announce that the Inspired Surfers Podcast presented By Jimmy’s is back for a second season, with episode one launching today. 

Over the coming months, Jim will once again sit down with a variety of guests who’ve drawn on their love of surfing and the outdoors to make transformative changes in their own lives and the lives of others, with a focus on mental health, inclusivity and environmental activism. 

For the first episode, Jimmy is in conversation with master lensmen Nick Pumphrey and Mike Guest, hosting a wide-ranging discussion centred around their Dawn Days project. 

The pair first met in a beach car park in South West France back in 2019 and despite hailing from distant corners of the British Isles, have kept in touch ever since. Last April, while discussing the difficulties of their new locked-down realities via phone, Nick shared the seed of idea he’d been thinking about. 

In each morning before the dawn, he’d head down to his local beach in West Cornwall, swim out with his camera and spending a few hours capturing the patterns of light and water that danced in front of his lens. Then he’d return home in time for breakfast, to share the fruits on Instagram. Mike loved the idea and decided to join in from his home in Aberdeen and from there, the Dawn Days Of May was born. 

Photos: @nickpumphreyphoto

What began with just the two of them has since evolved into a global community of photographers, videographers, sound-recordists, swimmers and artists and sparked wide-reaching conversations on mental health and human connection with the natural world. 

In this conversation, they begin with a discussion on their backgrounds in surf and mountain sports, before diving into some of the topics that have arisen from the Dawn Days journey, including Mike’s decision to seek therapy and how the projects evolution has moulded their experiences over the last year. 

Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe now to ensure you never miss an episode:

Episode Summary:

• An introduction to Nick Pumphrey, covering his childhood in St Ives and the last two decades spent living on the road.
• A quick 90s bodyboard nerd out 
• An introduction to Mike Guest currently hauled up on the edge of a sea loch on Scotland’s west coast. 
• His introduction to surfing and surf photography through the Cold Water Classic events in Thurso. 
• A look into his skiing background and how he used lessons from the mountains to adapt to the ocean environments. 
• Examining the different flow states brought on by surfing and skiing and the sense of perspective each offers. 
• The story of how Mike and Nick met in South West France. 
• The inception of Dawn Days.
• The inspiration drawn from books on mindfulness and the desire to rail against lazy starts. 
• Mike’s tipping point.
• The importance of committing to an action, even if it’s uncomfortable.
• Mike’s decision to seek therapy.
• The books on mindfulness that resonated with Nick.
• The importance of having a wide-ranging toolkit when it comes to mental wellbeing.
• The evolving nature of Dawn Days; from a personal quest to a community activity. 
• The powerful forces of Dawn Days on sleep 
• Facing the challenges of expectation and ego that have arisen from the project. 
• Rethinking and reshaping the project into the future to keep it creative and authentic. 
• Exploring new ways of presenting the images, to see the creative journey through from start to finish. 
• The idea for the Dawn Days book and what comes next. 

If you enjoyed this episode you can find more conversations on our Wavelength Community Radio channel.

Get your caffeine fix here

#KYCU