BY JESSICA LI
Natalie has lived a colorful life - from living on a sailboat for 11 years to splitting her time between San Diego and Peru, she is on a voyage of her own.
Natalie Small has always had a deep connection to the water. Growing up in North Carolina, she spent countless hours on sandy beaches and bougie boarded her way through childhood summers. This love for the water followed her as she lived and sailed on a 28ft boat in San Diego, which she now calls home.
After settling down in San Diego, Natalie pursued her passion for helping others by becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Through her unique and holistic approach to therapy and connection to the ocean, Natalie founded a femme-focused, nonprofit organization called the Groundswell Community Project with the goal to provide a safe and empowering space for diverse communities of women to gather and reclaim their healing, strength, and sense of belonging through the ocean.
“ Surfing has gifted me everything in my life...love, career, healing and home”
—Natalie Small, LMFT
Not only is Natalie a longtime ocean enthusiast, she is also a rad surfer and surf coach for woman-owned surf camp, Surf with Amigas. Natalie's first introduction to surfing came courtesy of her high school water polo friends, who brought her to a wild shore break near Ventura beach. Without any instructions, they handed her a tiny, potato chip thin, surfboard and let her dive right in. Safe to say, while that experience might have been quite traumatic, it was also life changing.
Surfing not only fostered her connection with nature but also redirected the course of her entire life, from influencing where she lives, her professional path, and her personal connections. Most notably, through surfing and hosting surf therapy sessions, Natalie has found the bridge between science and spirituality, and hopes to continue to spread the healing power of the ocean with others.
Photo credit Native Like Wonder & Nathan Weyland
If you’re interested in learning more about surf therapy, check out Groundswell Community Project (San Diego based) and Ride the Tide (NYC based) for upcoming events and ways to get involved!
Go check out Natalie @nataliesmall_lmft @captsmall @groundswellcommunityproject !
