Rad Livin’: Meet Hayley Shaw-McGuinness

(Photos by Stella Crick)

Hayley is one of a kind.

She’s that person that you see and can’t help but smile because her love for life is undeniably infectious. As an author, world triathlete and co-creator of Shesurfs, she inspires women to be healthy, fit and shine like stars.

Meet Hayley Shaw-McGuinness…

Where are you in the world?

I live in the Northern Beaches in Sydney.

How do you follow your bliss all year round?

I think bliss is something that lives in your heart. For me bliss is simple, bliss is that feeling of watching a sunrise, a hug from your best friend, a hot coffee…Life is full of bliss I think you just need to make sure you see it and be thankful for those blissful moments.

When did the inspiration for Shesurfs first come about? 

Shesurfs started when my friend Mikala and I realized we had a passion for sharing the beautiful surfing life that we had with other like minded girls.

If fear ever shows up in your life, how do you move passed it?

Haha I try not to let it catch me.  If I feel a little bit of fear I reason with myself and if that doesn’t work I just do whatever it is that I am scared about pretending to be brave.

Why do you love what you do?

Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that I am always happy (well 98% of the time) It isn’t always easy but it decision I have made and it works. That in turn helps me love everything that I do. Even the things I am not that excited about. When I was little I loved a movie called Pollyanna and in this movie she (Polly) plays this game called “The Glad Game” where when even when faced with something she isn’t happy about she searches for something that she is “glad about” (even in a not so brilliant situation) Eg she isn’t glad about going to Church but she is glad that she doesn’t have to go again for another 6 days!

I think if you have love in your heart it will always show in what you do, how you treat people and how you live your life!

What’s one of the biggest risks you’ve taken, and how did it feel to go for it?

Risk…Hummm this is a hard one. I take risks all the time but i guess I don’t really see them as risks. Even though this may sound lame I have a bit of a You Only Live Once so if I do something a little crazy I think it’s all part of my life journey. Its fun to live like this, as adventures are always just around the corner!

Tell us a time when something totally synchronistic happened…

How I stumbled across surfing as a sport would have to be a easy one to explain.  It was quiet late in life and I was super lucky to have a lovely friend of mine Helene who owned the surf school in Coffs Harbour. She invited me with her one morning. The morning I happened to go was the most beautiful sunrise and a pod of dolphins joined us in the water. It was the most perfect introduction and I was instantly in love!  I am also eternally grateful to Helene for passing on the surfing gift to me!

What advice could you give to someone who knows what they love to do, but haven’t gone for it?

Run run run towards your dreams, do what makes you happy! Life is short and it is so important to fill it with all the things that make your heart warm and make you smile the second you wake up every day.  Spread those wings and do whatever it takes to achieve all you want and more in life!

Follow her journey on Instagram and soak up the adventurous positivity over at Shesurfs – connecting surfer girls from around the world.