EP 13- Arrow Tip Tuesday: STOP, Collaborate, and Meditation

Arrow Tip: STOP, Collaborate, and Meditation

As athletes, our competitive drive often  trickles into other avenues of our lives. Like driving down avenues For me, whenever I used to go anywhere, I needed to get there pronto without any delays. I had zero patience for traffic and red lights were poison in my blood.

When I drive places. I always leave with just enough time to account for typical traffic, with a little buffer for unforeseen circumstances. It’s a habit, I’ve mentioned before in my blog post, The Day I Single Handedly Delayed my Flight to Australia.  I have this uncanny ability to arrive at places with seconds to spare. I’m not often late, but I show up just in the knick of time. On my journey to play overseas in Australia. I was in the wrong terminal, my flight was taking off in 30 minutes, and my savior Karina came to the rescue,  held my hand through airport security, as we weaved in and out of the crowd, and made it to fight by nothing short of a miracle.

I have that unique timeliness on a more low key level with driving.  I leave with just enough time to get me to my destination.

It’s mostly well worked for me time-wise, but sometimes it’s a recipe for emotional disaster.

For instance, I’ll be cruising to training and hit a red light. My mind reacts:

Squirrel poop! Squirrel poop? How on earth you think of squirrel poop, Kendall? On a serious note, where do squirrels poop? Why do we never see squirrel poop?

My sporadic, and intelligent inquiry, softens the blow of the first red light. But the second unanticipated red light… that’s when the internal sirens signal.  I get antsy.  As if there are literal fire ants crawling around and pinching the inside my gut.

Did I allow myself enough time to get there? Am I going to be late? Kendall you always do this, leave earlier next time!!

On green, I rev up my engine to make up a few seconds. But then I hit another red, and my face turns the shade of the light.

I hate being late. I care about peoples time. I want to show responsibility and respect others time and myself. Dang it Kendall!

Every time I hit a red light, or traffic, the ants inside of me make babies, intensifying the discomfort.

Of course, I somehow make it right on time, but with unnecessary uneasiness inside of me.

But, I’ve found a trick that have bug-sprayed the discomfort inside of me. And it’s not leaving earlier, because that would be too easy. Plus,I’m a rebel and like to live on the edge.

When we see red lights, we are conditioned to stop because we’re consciously aware that if we don’t stop, we risk harming others or ourselves, and potentially receive a ticket. We obey the red light because it’s easier than dealing with the consequences of running it.

But just as we train a dog to pee outside, I have retrained myself to view red lights to what I deem, the STOP, Collaborate and Meditation Method.

Instead of viewing red lights as the devil. I see them as resembling loving kindness, hearts, autumn leaves, Clifford the Big Red Dog, bell peppers…and all the other beautiful things in life that are red. Most importantly, I see it as an opportunity to take time for myself. Every time I hit a red light now, I connect to myself. I take a few deep breaths, and refocus my attention on the present and all the things I have to be grateful for.

It’s such a great tool for those who feel they are always going pedal to the metal in all areas of their life. Now, red lights are magic. You deserve time to yourself.

Arrow Tip: Whenever you hit a red light, think of all the things that are the color red that make you happy. Then take three deep breaths and thank the red light for allowing you to take time for yourself.

Then on green, rev up the engine to make up the time you lost. Just kidding, don’t do that. Or do. Baby steps.

Do have little patience for traffic? If so, how do you deal with it? Let me know in the comments.

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EP 12-Pogo Sticking is the Reason I'm a Professional Athlete

I was recently asked in an interview why I love soccer so much. I’ve thought about this a lot lately. I love the sport itself. The team camaraderie. The winning. The creativity and freedom of expression it allows. But one of the things that’s undoubtedly at the top of the list is the continuous, never-ending improvement that comes from dedicating myself to the sport.  No matter what level I am at, I always feel compelled to give more. I love testing myself to see just how far I can go, especially when times are tough.  I tried to pinpoint when I developed this passion for improving. It brought me back to one distinct moment during my elementary school days, with one of my most prized possessions: my pogo stick.  Growing up, every kid has their thing. Whether its playing with dolls, collecting rocks, or picking boogers, everyone has that one thing that makes them smile just at the thought of it. Mine was pogo sticking.  In today’s episode, find out why pogo sticking is the reason I’m a professional athlete. Full written article HERE. 

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EP 11- Arrow Tip Tuesday: Find Your Entourage

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Arrow Tip: Find your Entourage 

I’d be willing to bet you 20 chunky monkey Ben and Jerry’s ice cream pints that if I walk into a girl’s high school soccer team post-game dinner, 80% of the girls will be wearing sweat pants, a hoodie-likely grey-and some form of slip on sandals. And their hair would be pulled up in a messy bun. Or a pony tail.

I’ll double down and bet another 20 pints, that if I walked into a vinyasa yoga class, 90% of women would be wearing leggings and a tank top.

Neither of these are bad things. I am still a wearer of both wardrobes, but why is this so true?

I read this quote a few years ago that helps explain why we are so alike to our peers and friends:

“You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with most” -Jim Rohn

Growing up, I never gave much thought about the people I hung out with. If they liked to swing on the monkey bars and play foursquare with me at recess, then we were best friends. As I aged, I made friends mostly through athletics.

My whole life I have been fortunate to be surrounded by a supportive family, and teammate’s who have been equally driven to improve. They undoubtedly played a huge factor in getting me to where I am today. In soccer, every time I reached a higher level, I was surrounded by an even more determined group of girls whom would challenge me to grow my game.

This idea of being the average of the 5 people you hang out with most, may seem oversimplified, but think about the 5 people you hang out with the most.  Do you have similar values and habits as them? Do you wear similar clothes?

You are of course your own unique self, but research continually shows the immense affect people have on our way of thinking, our self-esteem and our decisions.

A lot of times, we are affected at a subconscious level and don’t even realize people’s influence.

Wearing the same clothes as your friend is a superficial example, but our thoughts and actions are also heavily influenced by others too. If you hang around people who are always putting other people down, eating burger king, and watching tv all day, you’ll likely, often subconsciously, pick up similar habits. Similarly, if you’re around people who are working hard, showing you love, and filling you up, you’ll be propelled to be the same.

That’s why it’s crucial to surround yourself with people who support you and believe in you. Find people who have dreams of your caliber or greater. People who are doing what you want to be doing. People who are highly motivated and determined to be their best selves. They may have a different aspirations than you, but when they share that same underlying passion and drive, you will feel it. And then you’ll vibe off of one another’s vibes.

You may realize that there’s certain people in your life who always bring you down. Whether they make you guilty for not hanging out with them or are need or maybe they just aren’t evolving at the same rate as you.

One of the most difficult things in life is the feeling of guilt that comes from letting these people go, or even just changing the dynamic of certain relationships. But if you know who you are, and want to become, and you know deep down it’s what you need to do, trust that feeling.

Be grateful for the purpose they served in your life, and move on with no regrets.

Arrow Tip: Find Your Entourage

• Note the 5 people you surround yourself with most. Are these people who you are helping you grow? Are these people challenging you, raising your average, helping you become you want to become? If yes, heck ya!!! If not, who are people you look up to? Who do you know or want to befriend that will help you become a better athlete and person? If you have to, weasel your way into that friend group

As I learned in Girl Scouts back in the day, “Make new friends and keep the old, some are silver and the other gold.”

Is it Girl Scout cookie season yet?

Below is a great in-depth article about this topic. It provides an excellent hand-on exercise to help you discover the type of person you want to be and the people you can surround yourself with to help assist this process.

http://personalexcellence.co/blog/average-of-5-people/

EP 10-Professional Soccer Player Emily Menges: on her secret to getting fit, the value of reading, and imaginary friends

Professional soccer player Emily Menges had an adventurous childhood growing up with three brothers in Garden City, New York. She attended Georgetown University. While there, she earned the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was a Mac Herman Trophy semi- finalist (equivalent to the Heisman) in 2012 and 2013. After college, she was drafted to the Portland Thorns. In 2016 she earned the Team MVP and the was voted Player of the year by the fans.

Because of her stellar season, she recently received a call-up to camp with the full US national team.

Emily has a wild imagination. This made for an entertaining conversation. We covered a wide array of topics, some of which people may think we are a bit crazy, rest assured, this is an accurate statement.

In the first portion of the interview, Emily talks about what it’s like juggling another  job while playing professionally, her obsession with books, the novel she has been writing since high school, and the characters in the book, of which have been living in her head since she was a child.

In the second portion of the interview, we dive into soccer: how Emily’s hate towards track motivates her during fitness, what it was like getting voted Player of the Year by  Thorns fans, why Christine Sinclair and her slurp mustard before games, and how she logs the more miles in a game than anyone else on the team, even though she’s a center back.

Show Notes:

:51  Who is Emily Menges?
2:56  Welcome Emily!
3:25   What is Emily’s favorite candy?
5:22   Emily’s off the field job
6:02  How does Emily juggle two jobs?
7:23  Emily’s unique dual personality
8:57  Is Emily an introvert or extrovert?
9:50  Emily’s brothers
12:35  Is Emily ever in a bad mood?
13:13  What is Emily’s favorite book?
16:32  Kendall’s top 10 books for female athletes  
19:40  Why doesn’t Emily want to grow up?
21:25  What is Emily writing today ?
32:13  Why does Emily log the highest mileage on the field?
33:48  Track nightmares
39:40  Emily player of the year 2016
40:18  Favorite Thorn moment
41:12  What is Emily’s one belief people think is crazy?
45:50  What non-athlete does Emily look up to?
46:25  What does Emily wish her 18 year old self knew back then?
48:12  Emily’s mental and body pregame prep
49:39  Emily’s favorite coffee
49:58  game day routine
50:24  Why do Emily and Sinc slurp mustard?
51:38  Emily’s favorite failure
53:26  How does Emily hope to be remembered?
54:22  Emily’s one simple tip for female athletes

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EP 09- The Day I Snuck out of the Hospital to see Chelsea Handler at the Sydney Opera House

When I was playing overseas in Sydney, Australia, I was hospitalized with appendicitis. While at the hospital, I had a very serious dilemma. My friends and I had purchased tickets to see Chelsea Handler perform at the Sydney Opera House and my doctor’s told me I couldn’t attend for liability reasons. Ultimately, I ended up heeding the advise of my 90 year-old hospital bed roommate, The Legendary Lilypad.

FULL written article with images:   The Day I Snuck out of the Hospital to see Chelsea Handler at the Sydney Opera House

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08-Arrow Tip Tuesday: Plan Tomorrow Tonight

Arrow Tip: Plan Tomorrow Tonight 

Do you ever have those days when you are driving home after an exhausting day,  your workout kicked your butt, and you’ve been running a million miles per hour from one thing to the next? And all you can think about is how you are excited to get in bed and pass out.

Maybe like 7 nights a week?

That happens to me often, but it was an even more common occurrence in college.  I would get home,  brush my teeth, slip on my glow-in-the-dark retainers, snuggle into my covers, shut my eyes with giddiness so stoked to dream about puppies and scoring goals and chipotle, and then, all of a sudden, a little thought would pop into my head about tomorrow….

“I have to train. Then I have study. And go to the grocery store. I want to make almond milk. But  I have to Youtube how to make almond milk, because last time I attempted to do it myself, it tasted like soggy, nutty socks. And then I need to go to my physical therapy appointment, and call my grandma. I want to see my dog. I haven’t seen Jake in forever. I miss him. I bet he misses me.  But will I have time see him before I coach? And I have that family dinner. Ahh and I still haven’t sent my 10 month over-due birthday thank you letters…”

That one thought would lead to a cascade of other thoughts, and the realization that my day tomorrow is going to be even busier than today. And from that point, I would activate high-alert mode, feel very overwhelmed, rendering it nearly impossible to fall asleep   But, I found a super simple action that I’ve been using for years now that dramatically reduce this stress.

Before hitting the hay,  I take 5-10 minutes to plan out my day in detail,  hour by hour.

I Schedule my obligations first (i.e work, assignments, training, appointments…). I like to prioritize 3 things to get done after that.

I often find that if I plan strategically, and specifically by the hour, that there is time in the day to get a lot more done than I think. There are days when I don’t have time to search “how to make almond milk”, but with this knowledge, I can reschedule it for another day, and not stress about it at night.

This scheduling may sound rigid, but I believe it’s the opposite. When you schedule your day, you have a clear set of intentions for the day, you know what you need to do, and  it free up a ton of mental space so you can be fully present when throughout your day’s workout and other activities.

A lot times if we don’t have a schedule, we are constantly responding to everyone else needs, and disregarding our own. When you decide what you are going to do, that gives you back control.

A big benefit of scheduling the night before is that once you fall asleep, all night long your subconscious mind works on how to make these intentions happen. It pulls up past memories and comes up with creative possibilities to help prime your brain to get your intentions done for that next day.

Planning my days has been a real savior. It allows me to live each day with presence and reduces unnecessary nighttime mind-wandering. Now, when I climb into bed, I confidently whisper to myself “Night, night Kendall, sleep tight, don’t let the stress bugs bite.”

Have you tried planning your night before? Did you find it beneficial?

Let me know in the comments!

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EP 07: Michelle Betos: Professional Goalkeeper-on obsession w/ improvement

Professional goalkeeper Michelle Betos (@MichelleBetos) knows a thing or two about being the underdog. She has played behind two of the arguably best goalkeepers in the world, in Hope Solo and Nadine Angerer.  In 2015, Michelle earned the NWSL 2015 goalkeeper of the year. She has played overseas in Australia, Denmark, Cyprus, and is now playing in Norway.

It is her attention to detail, obsession with improvement, and falling in love with process that causes her  to consistently reach new levels in her game.  In our conversation we talk about how soccer was not Michelle’s favorite sport as a kid, why she spent an entire day flushing her ankle in the toilet, her in-depth visualization techniques, her mom’s game day routine, and of course her diving header goal  that earned her a spot on ESPN Sports Center top 10 plays.

Show Notes:

:50  Who is Michelle Betos?
3:39   Welcome Michelle!
3:49  Why is her foot taped?
7:30  Why Michelle flushed her foot in the toilet for an entire day
8:52  What small details does Michelle do to excel?
10:53  Was soccer Michelle’s main sport as a youth?
11:45   When did Michelle focus only on soccer?
13:47  Michelle’s plump childhood, READ FULL ARTICLE HERE 
14:12  What was her driving force to go on a Paleo diet?
17:04  Was there one instance that forced Betos into focusing on small details?
23:05  What % of playing soccer is mental?
25:07  What does visualization practice entail?
27:05   What is Michelle’s morning routine?
32:10  Michelle’s ESPN worthy goal Watch VIDEO HERE
34:17   What is Michelle’s career highlight?
38:23  What is biggest misconception about Michelle?
39::19  What is one of Beto’s crazy beliefs?
40:23  Who is a Michelle’s non-athlete idol?
41:12  Favorite thing about being a professional athlete
42:04  Michelle’s game day routine
42:48  How is game day video different from practice day video?
43:38  Why does Michelle play soccer
44:06  Is pregame practice day different than game day?
45:00  What does a practice focus look like?
45:48 Sue Beto’s pregame routine
46.35  What does Michelle want to tell her 18 year old self?
47:20  What is Michelle’s favorite failure?
50:58  What simple tip can female athlete’s implement?
53:13  Michelle’s Arrow Tip for female athletes

Michelle’s favorite foam roller-water bottle:  Mobot

For More on Michelle:

Goalkeeper Michelle Betos’ Diving Header Goal was No Fluke

Michelle Betos’ Super-sized Childhood Leads to Super-sized Success

Twitter: @MichelleBetos

Instagram: @MichelleBetos

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EP 06-The Day I Single Handedly Delayed My Flight to Australia

Am I the only one who feels like the airport causes you to be 8 times more emotional than in any other setting?  For instance, when something goes wrong at the grocery store, we are able to compose ourselves, but if that same thing happens at the airport, one of two things occur: we either burst into tears or rip somebodies head off in frustration.

Ya traveling can be stressful, but I feel like there’s gotta be something in the air that causes these emotional allergies.

On that note, I had a wildly eventful travel day, when I was heading over to Australia to play my first professional season overseas. My first leg to LA went smooth as butter, but when I was about to board my second flight, I realized I was in the wrong terminal with 15 minutes until departure.

I surprisingly didn’t cry. Instead, I turned straight beast mode, with unreal determination to make my flight. It was by far the most thrilling and sweaty, airport experience of my life.

As with all my challenges, I learned a lot, met an angel whom I am still indebted to, and it made for a great story.

Full written article: The Day I Single Handedly Delayed My Flight to Australia 

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Ep 05-Arrow Tip Tuesday:Take An Inner Bath

Welcome to the Arrow Tip Tuesday series! Every Tuesday, I provide a simple, actionable tip that you can apply to enhance your athletic endeavors and life.

Today’s Arrow Tip: Bathe Your Insides 

Have you ever stood next to someone at the gym who sprayed copious amounts of cologne or perfume on their body in an attempt to mask their odor? It’s not a pleasant sensory experience. To avoid being THAT person, most of us have developed a habit of showering. We understand that properly washing our bodies is a necessary component to our hygiene. Yet, we give so much attention to our extremities when in actuality our insides are the real MVP’s.

Properly functioning internal organs, muscles, bones, and cells are what allow us to perform every single one of our daily actions. When we sleep, our body enters metabolic maintenance mode and moves waste out of our system. Upon waking, this junk is still floating around in our system. We are also dehydrated. When we are lacking high quality hydration, our circulation starts to thin out and our blood gets congested leading to headaches and low energy.

 Drinking water right when we wake up flushes out those toxins and allow us to regain hydration. It’s such a simple way to kickstart your day and will leave you feeling revitalized and ready to Arrow Live it up.

Arrow Tip: Before hitting the hay, set a tall glass of water (24-32  ounces is clutch) near your bed. If you’re feeling fancy, spice it up with some lemon or fresh mint leaves. Then sip on that upon awaking.  Shawn Stevenson, from The Model Health Show Podcast (great podcast if you’re into health and fitness) calls this habit taking an “inner bath.”

Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

p.s  although I believe inner baths are superior to external cleansing, I (and your peers) still recommend showering every once in a while. But if you chose not to, that’s totally cool too. No judgements here. You do you.

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Ep 04: Tobin Heath: World Champion, 2x Olympic gold medalist-on crushing days and living authentically

U.S women’s national team member Tobin Heath (@TobinHeath) aka “The Nutmeg Queen” of the soccer world, is a 3x NCAA champion at North Carolina, a two-time olympic gold medalist, a World Cup champion, 2016 US soccer women player of the year winner, one of two women with 5 star skills on the EA Sports FIFA ’16 video game w/ 5 star skills….the list goes on.
She is an absolute baller and feels most at home on the pitch.
In this conversation, we cover many things, including:

-if her family share’s her laid-backness
-her thoughts while destroying an opponent down the flank
-living to crush each day
-if she gets nervous (spoiler alert: she doesn’t)
-the power of playing with intention
-staying true to herself, despite critics
-life after soccer
-her favorite failure
and heaps more.

Show Notes

1:01      Welcome Tobin Heath!

2:25      www.arrowliving.com

2:58     Does it bother Tobin when her hair is always in her face?

3:59     Did Tobin come from a laid back family?

5:23    Was Tobin born soccer obsessed?

6:44     Tobin’s most influential people in her youth.

7:30     At what age did Tobin want to make the National team?

10:15    When was her 1st National Team call up? 

11:00    Does Tobin get nervous? 

11:51    How does Tobin deal with off-field pressure?

12:38    What is going through Tobin’s mind when she destroy an opponent down the flank? 

14:19    Are skills innate or learned? 

16:26    What does it means to “feel” the ball and importance of intentions

18:05    Is Tobin intentional outside of soccer?

18:53    Where is home?

20:52    What’s left for Tobin to win?

22:23    Anson Dorrance quote

23:06    Tobin’s “here and now” mentality

24:39    Morning routine

25:34    Favorite coffee shop in Portland:  Coffeehouse Northwest

26:08    Free time activities

27:27    Favorite books

28:03    Tobin’s greatest accomplishment in soccer 

34:29    Does Tobin ever go against her instincts?

35:53    Tobin’s life-purpose 

38:40    Favorite failure  

40:20    Tobin’s one simple tip for female athletes

41:32     Where can you find Tobin Heath?

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Ep 03 To everyone 25 and older, grow up, give up on your dreams

Have you ever experienced a quarter-life crisis? When nothing seems to be going as anticipated? You question what am I doing on this earth? Should I give up and flee to Costa Rica and live on the beach and listen to John Mayer and drink piña coladas the rest of my life?

Ya, me too.

The bigger our dreams, the more they get called into question, and cause us to experience self-doubt. Society is always going to be influencing us to stray from our vision.

I wrote this piece as a reminder to stay true to who I am and keep doing me. CLICK HERE for full article with images.

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Ep 02 Arrow Tip Tuesday: Take A Cold Shower

Welcome to the Arrow Tip Tuesday series! Every Tuesday, I will provide a simple, actionable tip that you can apply to enhance your athletic endeavors and life.

Today’s Arrow Tip: take a cold shower.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!  Whenever I get out of a cold shower, I imagine myself as Donkey Kong beating his chest after he just rescued Peach from the castle.

I didn’t always feel that way. After a rainy training session,  few things compare to a steaming hot shower. When I first heard about the idea of cold showers, my initial thought was why would anyone voluntarily submit themselves to such torture?

Then I researched the topic and was surprised by all of the scientifically backed benefits.

Cold showers are proven to:

-strengthen immunity

-improve blood circulation

-increase metabolism

-improve lymphatic movement

-detoxify your body

-deepen  breathing

-aid with sleep

-regulate body temperature

-alleviate depression

(Here’s an article I enjoyed “Benefits of Cold Showers http://www.menprovement.com/benefits-of-cold-showers/ )

I decided to give it a go. On my first attempt,  I turned the nozzle all the way to the left. I brushed my hands against the water and muttered an explicit. You psycho sun of a gun.

These thoughts were the exact reason I knew I needed to follow through with the shower. I had to conquer my mind. I shut off the negative thoughts, counted to three, and jumped under the shower head.

Holyyyyyy Coldolyyy!  My heart rate doubled and I felt like my inhalation was being strangled. After getting over the initial shock factor, I concentrated on the white fog of my exhalation. Once I regained normal breathing, I began yelling out affirmation to myself.

“Let’s go Kendall, you are unstoppable. You overcome any challenge that comes your way. AHHH!!!!!”

After washing all the shampoo and conditioner out of my hair (a lot harder when your hair is borderline icicle status) I shut off the shower and felt invigorated. Empowered.  Like I’d been defibrillated back into a super-hero physical and mental version of myself.

Cold showers are a staple in my life now any time I need an instant shot of adrenaline or pick-me-up. Regardless of how tired I feel entering the shower, I exit feeling unstoppable. It reaffirms that circumstances are never as bad as you anticipate they are going to be.

Try it one time and imagine yourself as Kevin Garnett, shouting Anything is possibleeeeee!!!

I guarantee you when you exit, a part of you will start to believe it.

Arrow Tip: 

Take a cold shower.

There’s two different approaches you can take

1) Slow and steady wins the race: gradually turn the nozzle colder throughout your shower

2) Showtime: don’t mess around, turn the shower as cold as it goes, and do the dang thing.

p.s. An added bonus of cold showers is that it helps reduce energy expenditure, which means less CO2 and greenhouse gases, aka your playing a part in lessening global warming Also, you’re going to save money on your electricity bill. Sounds like a win to me

p.p.s I aint no doctor! if you have weak heart or health issue consult a physician before trying.

Have you tried taking a cold shower? Did your hair almost fall off? Let me know how it went in the comments below!

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01-What is Arrow Living?

What the heck does “Arrow Living” mean? What can I expect on ArrowLiving.com and The Arrow Living Female Athlete Podcast? Who is Kendall Johnson?

All very valid questions. Listen to find out.

If you’ve still got questions or comments or recommendations or just want to say whatuppp, drop me a line here

Share the love

If you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

1. Click HERE

2. Click “view in itunes”

3. Click the “ratings and reviews” tab

4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

Resources

Click HERE to become a part of Friday Feelz

Click HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.

Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content

Arrow Liver: Professional Soccer Player and Pro Skills Soccer Founder Keelin Winters

Every team has that one player. The player who does the “dirty work,” and fulfills his or her role to a T.  They forgo unnecessary fancy business, and instead focus on the fundamentals. They often fly under the radar in games, but to the team, they are the irreplaceable piece to the group’s cohesion and overall success.

Meet Keelin Winters, THAT player for the Seattle Reign. She plays defensive midfield behind two of the most dominate midfielders in women’s soccer, in Kim Little and Jess Fishlock.

Kim and Jess “wow” crowds with their crafty moves and flashy runs, while Keelin calmly orchestrates behind them executing crisp passes and dominating every battle.

It takes a certain player to assume this position. One who is self-assured and unconcerned with recognition.

When you come from a family of eight, as did Keelin, you learn early on the necessity of being a team player-especially so when your father is a former NBA coach, and all six siblings played competitive sports.

From a young age, Keelin fulfilled her role, even if it wasn’t glamorous and went unnoticed.

When you watch these kind of players perform on a daily basis, you realize their invaluable consistent and clean qualities. Hence, why Keelin wore the captain’s armband for the top-ranked University of Portland, the 2008 U-20 U.S National team World Cup champions, and is the current captain for the Seattle Reign.

In her stint with the Wanderers, Keelin has been called upon to play a more attacking role. Last year, she was the team’s leading goal scorer, and this season, has spurred much of the team’s offense.

Keelin founded soccer training organizations Pro-Skills Soccer, is set to join the Reign for her fourth consecutive year, and has aspirations of fire fighting in the near future.

It doesn’t matter where Keelin plays or what she does, she’s simply a competitor who wants to win for her team.

Keelin is an Arrow Liver.

Name: Keelin Winters

Age: 27

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Occupation: professional soccer player, founder of Pro Skills Soccer (http://pro-skillssoccer.com/)

Years at profession: 23 (5 professionally)

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

I set my alarm for 5:45 because I had to train a girl early. My first thought was where is the snooze. I snoozed my phone. But I don’t normally.

What is your morning routine?

I have a very particular order, especially here in Australia because I’m living in a camper van. I wake up, put the hot water on to boil,  brush my teeth, then I have coffee. I always make the coffee. Paige [her wife]  just enjoys it. ThenI have my breakfast. Nine times out of ten it’ll be oatmeal, but I do all the works.  You have to dress it up. I add butter, cinnamon, banana. Half milk, half water. And some form of nut on top-like cashew or something. I cook it stove top. You have to cook it stove top.

What did you love most about where you grew up?

We moved around every 2-3 years on average because of my dad’s job [NBA coach and recruiter]. As far as Denver goes, I’d definitely have to say the sunshine. We get over 300 days of sunshine. I took that for granted because I thought everywhere was like that, but then I moved to the Northwest

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Because we moved around so much when I was growing up, I was constantly the new kid. My mom would always tell us “to make a friend, you have to be a friend.” I don’t think she thought it was a powerful thing. At the time, we all kind of rolled our eyes, but it struck a chord for me.

Who is your definition of successful? 

I don’t have one person in mind, but I have a basic outline. I think someone who genuinely loves their job and is surrounded by love-whether that’s family or friends.

Why do you do what you do?

Growing up, it was because I just loved soccer, But over the years it’s came to a point where I just really love to compete and be active. I think I’ve always known that I’d never be able to tolerate a desk job. So soccer at the moment has been my answer to not being stuck in an office.

Is this where you thought you’d end up?

Yes and no. Yes in terms of the fact that I knew I wanted to play soccer abroad and Australia was always of interest to me. No because there are dreams that are still unfilled in this point of my life that I thought I would have achieved by now.

How are you different than the average?

I speak my mind. I think the average human, or at least the average American does not. I’m blunt, sometimes to a fault, a lot like my mom. She has no filter whatsoever. I think I’m like her in that sense.

How do you spend your free time?

Definitely being active. Whether it’s going to the gym or out on a hike or here playing in the ocean. Recently, because I don’t have as much work, I’ve been reading a lot.

What’s been your biggest setback?  

Not making the national team and losing in the NWSL Championship final two years in a row.

What is your most rewarding accomplishment? 

Winning the 2008 Under-20 World Cup is definitely up there.

Other than that, I’d say coming out of rock bottom in 2012. I almost retired because I was overtrained. It made me fall out of love with soccer.  Every time I’d go out and play my body would hurt. I was injured, wasn’t playing well, and then I got cut from the national team. Everything went downhill.

But then enter… dunn dunn dunn dunn…Lara Harvey….comes to save the day. I started playing for her. I look back on that 2013 NWSL season and I still wasn’t playing that well because I was trying toclaw my way back from the bottom. It took me a whole 18 months to come back, but I made it. I saw the light.

What do you wish you knew as a kid? 

It would be to just appreciate my parents more and not be such an angsty teenager. I often took my anger out on my parents. I also wish I knew to enjoy my parent’s “youth.” People think of children as being youthful because often time parents are “old” in comparison to their children, but they are still so young.

What’s your dream meal and where would you eat this meal? 

It would be a Thanksgiving-esque meal. Your oven baked, roasted delicious turkey meat. I love the cranberry, I love the mashed taters, I love the sweet potatoes. I love all of Thanksgiving. It’s like all the best things in life. The dessert would definitely have to be my mother-in-law’s caramel cheesecake bars. They’re amazing. It really wouldn’t matter where I ate it, as long as I was surrounded by my loved ones, obviously, it’s Thanksgiving.

Who are three people you’d ask to dine with you?

I’d want every loved person in my life.

If you could trade lives with one person for an entire day who would it be?

I’d like to travel back in time to the 60’s and 70’s and live in that era with hippies. I don’t have one person in mind, I just think it would be so amazing because that was our parent’s generation. My mom and dad , and Paige’a parents were huge hippies. Paige’s mom and dad talk about going to Jimi Hendrix concerts in Seattle. That would be awesome.

If you could only keep five possessions what would they be? 

A good book, a good pair of running shoes.  You know what, I love mountain biking so much, a mountain bike. A good pillow-oh yeah that’s clutch, I love a good pillow. And probably a waterproof down jacket. Because there’s nothing worse than being wet and cold.

What skill would you like to learned and why? 

Recently, this has been on my mind. I really want to take an orienteering class of some sort. I hate being lost and not knowing where I am on a map. There’s been numerous times where I’m lost and I’d like to be able to look at the ridge line or the sun or the stars, and be like okay I know where I am. That would definitely be a skill that I want soon. Being lost gives me extreme anxiety.

What is your favorite mobile app? 

Currently it’s definitely WhatsApp or any similar texting application. I’m currently abroad and like to talk to my family and friends.

For more on Keelin: The Competitive Love Story of The Mashed Potato Mastermind (Keelin Winters) 

The Day I Snuck out of the Hospital to see Chelsea Handler at the Sydney Opera House

My mom told me that I wasn’t allowed to write about my visit to the hospital this past week. She said all my prior posts have been about some sort of over-exaggerated “trauma” and my next post needs to be more upbeat. At the time, I agreed because she is right. I do enjoy writing about my misadventures more than all the sugar plum, fairy dust and rainbow type stuff that happens in my life. My missed flight, blender explosion, stomach bug, lost sweatshirt… all unfortunate circumstances. But I’d like to clarify that I most definitely don’t think I live a sad, depressing life. My life is freaking phenomenal. I’m living in Australia, getting paid to do what I love, all the while exploring a beautiful country. I could write about the serene Gerringong beach I recently frequented, or eating the best sashimi my tongue has every tasted at the Sydney Fish Market, or going on the open bar cruise with my friends as the sun set over the harbor. But, that’s not very nice of me to rub all of that in, nor is it very entertaining. And that’s why, I’m sorry mom, but I’ve got to tell the story about my hospital visit.

I’m going to spare the boring details, but for the past three weeks I hadn’t been feeling too well. Stomach pains, fever, night sweats and such. I saw a doctor, drew some blood, peed some samples, took some pills, but nothing seemed to help much. Right before my housemates and I were about to head to the airport for our 4.5 hour plane ride to Perth, my doctor called and strongly encouraged me to get an ultrasound right away. I heeded her advice and the results revealed I had some unwanted business going on with my appendix. My doctor told me to go straight from the imaging center to the hospital.

Little did I know, my trip to Perth would be replaced with an all-inclusive 8 day, 7 night stay at the lovely, luxurious Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Talk about a 5 star name for a place, and boy did they live up to their name. We’re talking complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner, a reclining bed, high water pressure showers, and being waited on hand and foot at the push of a button.

I have to admit though, my stay didn’t start off on the best foot. There was a lot of waiting around. I’d like to consider myself a relatively patient patient, but when I’m not properly nourished, its another story. Immediately upon my arrival, I was told not to eat or drink anything. Had I gotten a fair warning of this trip, I would have prepared myself one last feast, and at the very least brushed my hair and put on some socks.

After about 6 hours and 30 minutes of waiting in the lobby, 9 hours 28 minutes of fasting (not that I was counting), a courteous man, I liked to think of him as the bell hopper, informed me that my room was ready. He insisted I sit in his wheel chair. I complied, and he escorted me to my suite where I was greeted by three other ladies who had already begun their holiday. We all shared one spacious room, but had curtains that, when closed, created our own private dwelling. At first, I was a bit uneasy and skeptical about my new roomies because we didn’t speak a single word to each other that night. But the next morning, the sun shone, we opened our curtains, and all of a sudden it was social hour.

Directly across from me lay Irene, the nighttime whimperer. Bless her spirit and her shoulder pain, but it was quite difficult to sleep with her wet-lonely-stray puppy-like moans. To my diagonal was Simone, the sincere sweetheart who kindly advised me to ask the nurses to substitute my meals for salads if I wanted a healthier option. And then to my left, there was the stone-cold legend Lillian, aka Lilypad. I have to confess, I was a bit intimidated by Lilypad at first. Lilypad was a soon-to-be 91 year-old woman who simply had her shit together. If she wanted some apple juice, she’d tell the nurses. If she had to poop, she’d tell the nurses. If she needed some more pain meds, she’d tell the nurses. The woman knew what she wanted and I admired that. When we got to talking, I realized Lilypad was as kind, bright, and humorous as they come. She told me the story of how she ended up in here. She had just finished with her physical therapy appointment, and went outside for her driver to pick her up. When the driver arrived, he (like he always does) opened the door for her. Lilypad placed her hand on the window to help her balance, and without noticing the driver rolled up the window and crushed her index finger. Apparently blood squirted everywhere and her finger was hanging on by a thread. The driver turned blue. Lilypad quickly gained control of the situation and yelled at her driver “don’t pass out yet, you have to drive me to the hospital!”

Fortunately, Lilypad was able to get her finger reattached, and a few days later she was back at it strolling around the room with her walker.

One night, Lilypad rolled her way over to Irene and my bed with a precarious look on her face. Before I could ask what was up, she exclaimed “there’s a strange man in my bed!” Now, Lilypad does have her life all figured out, but she had told me the story about her decapitated finger three separate times, so I thought she was losing her mind a bit. But shame on me for thinking such a thought. I look over and see that there was indeed an old ball-capped man snuggled underneath Lilypad’s covers. My roomies and I started dying laughing (clarification: not dying, just laughing). David, as we shortly after found out, had mistaken Lilypad’s bed for his own. The nurses helped guide him back to his own bed. I joked with Lilypad that she should have let him stay the night. She was repulsed, and stated “oh no no no, he is definitely not my type.” I’m telling you, this lady knows what she does and doesn’t like. Respect.

Lilypad, my other roomies, and I had a quiet next couple of days as our nurses catered to our specific needs. As you can imagine, my mother was a bit concerned with my situation and called in every few seconds wanting to ask the doctor’s questions about every possible thing she had googled about the appendix. My questions for the doctors were more urgent. When would I be able to stop fasting and finally get to stuff my face with a high quality meal? Once I had that question answered, I moved on to an even more important one. Chelsea Handler was performing at the Syndey Opera House on Thursday night and some of my teammates and I had purchased tickets for the show a long time ago. Every time my team of doctor’s entered my curtained room to give me an update I reminded them about this event, and in my most polite voice I asked if I could be released to go to this event. On each occasion, the doctors told me that it shouldn’t be a problem.

When the day finally arrived, I reminded my nurse about my plans. She said she wasn’t informed about this departure and had to check with the doctors. She came back a few moments later and told me that the Big Dogs (the ones above my doctors) wouldn’t let me go for liability reasons. I threw myself a 5 minute internal pity party, but then did some logical thinking that went as follows:

Lillypad is a grizzled veteran. She told me herself that she has always been a hard-nosed woman and knows what she wants. She’s gained priceless experiences through this philosophy and is extremely satisfied with her life. I want to be like Lilypad. If I want to be like Lilypad, I need to heed her advice and do what I want. Furthermore, I highly respect my nurses and doctors, but I also highly respect Lilypad, my plans, and Chelsea Handler. I am in the hospital to get better. They say laughter is the best medicine. Chelsea Handler will provide an abundance of laughter. Thus, if I go see Chelsea Handler my body will receive an abundance of medicine and I will be more like Lilypad. Therefore, it is in my best interest to go to Chelsea Handler.

So it was settled. I was breaking out of that joint that night. For the sake of anonymity, I’m going to change my accomplice’s name to Shmeelin Shwinters. I informed Shmeelin Shwinters of my plan and told her to meet me in the lobby at 6:15 on the dot. I gathered a few necessities and then shut my curtains, signifying it was go time. If I ran into a nurse I would tell them I was going downstairs to see my friends (wink wink) and hang out at the hospital cafe (wink wink), and that I wouldn’t be long (wink wink). I was able to slide out of the place and into the elevator unnoticed. Shmeelin and I escaped out the back door, headed to the train station, and into the Sydney Opera House.

The escape was well worth it. The show was hilarious, I felt better with every laugh and felt as though I had a dose of Lilypad’s badassness running through my veins. When I got back to my pad the nurse was a bit worried and upset I was gone for so long, but I was able to smooth talk her and patch things over. I received my nightly dose of IV antibiotics and then conked out. The next day I was cleared to go home. The goodbyes to my roomies were bittersweet, but I knew the timing was right.

This hospital trip appears to be a bit bigger of a blip than all my prior mishappenings, but I believe it’s all a matter of perspective. Weird stuff happens in life. Your finger could get smashed in a window any second. But if I learned anything from Lilypad during my stay, it’s that you just have to roll with the punches. The more experiences you gain in life, the more you grow as a person. Lilypad knows what she wants in life. She knows the kind of juice she wants, she knows the kinds of men she will allow to sleep in her bed, and she knows that sometimes you have to live on the edge and break out of the hospital to go see Chelsea Handler. May the lessons of the legendary Lilypad be of guidance to us all.

Arrow Liver: World Cup Bronze Medalist-Jodie Taylor

Liverpool born Jodie Taylor has been around the block a time or two. And by the block, I mean the world. At 29 years of age, Jodie has played in Melbourne, Sydney, Ottawa, Birmingham City, Gothenburg, Corvallis, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Portland. Regardless of the jersey she donned, Jodie’s proven to be a true goalscorer.  Despite her consistent performances for whatever team she played for, the English national team overlooked her. Jodie dreamed of making the full team ever since she was a child, and despite not getting the call up, she was determined to receive an opportunity. She diverted her focus to showing up for her current team. With each season, Jodie learned and further fine-tuned her game. With a year leading up to the World Cup, Jodie got the call-up.  She was ready. When given her chance, Jodie did what she’s known to do; she scored goals. Her subsequent performances earned her a spot on the final World Cup roster. Jodie was ecstatic, having waited for this opportunity for over a decade. But just 6 weeks before the tournament Jodie suffered a ligament tear in her knee requiring surgery. With just over a month until the tournament, Jodie focused all of her attention on rehabbing. Despite not being physically 100% when the tournament started, Jodie capitalized on the opportunity she was given.

In the quarter-final against Canada, Jodie earned a start, and in typical Jodie fashion, she came up huge, perfectly tucking away a self-created break-away, giving England a 1-0 lead. The team then went on to win the third-place match, their best-ever women’s World Cup finish.

Jodie’s bronze medal serves as a reminder of her persistent, unrelenting pursuit to achieve her dreams, but her impact goes beyond the medal. England’s performance sparked an interest in woman’s football in their country unlike ever before. Jodie’s imprint in the soccer world has garnered a higher level of respect for woman’s football in England and will undoubtedly inspire young girls to follow in her footsteps.  Jodie is an Arrow Liver.

Name: Jodie Taylor

Age:  29

Hometown: Liverpool, England

Profession:  Professional soccer

Years playing:  14 (7 professionally)

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

Food

What is your morning routine?

It depends if I’m training or have the morning off. If I’m training I usually have eggs and a slice of toast or fruit. If I want to go on a run, I’ll wake up and have a quick shake, then after my workout I’ll come home and have a really nice breakfast.

If I’m not training, I have more time and will make toast with an avocado and poached eggs or pancakes. Then I’ll go out for a coffee and chill.

What did you love most about where you grew up?

The football culture. Being surrounded by football.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Be true to yourself

Who is your definition of successful? 

Nadine. I can sit in a room with her and talk for hours. At the end of it you realize how big she is, but you don’t even notice. She is so successful,  but so down to earth. It’s pretty awesome.

Why do you do what you do?

Because I love it. I’m passionate and motivated. I feel fortunate that my job is something I am so passionate about. it’s given me so many opportunities as well

Is this where you thought you’d end up?

Actually yes it is. Playing professionally around the world.

How are you different than the average?

Probably having the drive to be better and succeed. I’m never really content or satisfied with where I’m at. If I have a good season, I say alright how can I get better and elevate my game.  I always want to push myself more.

How do you spend your free time?

Drinking coffee. I am such a foodie. I always want to scope out new food shops and coffee places. I also plan and organize a lot. I enjoy knowing my route and being organized. It helps me take my mind off of stressful things. 

What has been your biggest challenge? How have you managed this challenge? 

Not getting called into the national team for a long time. I wasn’t given the chance until Mark Sampson became the new coach, but it worked out well. I got to play in America, Australia, and Sweden. In a sense, I’m glad I didn’t get called up until I was older. I’ve grown so much not just as a person but also as player. So when I did get a chance, I was ready. It’s a proud moment to say I never gave up.

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Playing in the World Cup and making history with the England National Team. Part of that includes not giving up on my dream and staying committed and determined!

What do you wish you knew as a kid? 

To not let others opinions affect me. People will always have opinions. Whatever decision you make, you’re always going to be upsetting someone, so you might as well do what will make you happy. Also, to use both feet!

What’s your dream meal? 

Because I haven’t had it in a while, a Melbourne breakfast. I’d want a poached egg, avocado on a nice sough dough or potato hash. Or eggs benedict with the sauce on the side. And a good coffee. I especially love Melbourne coffee!

Who are three people you’d ask to dine with you?

My grandma aka Nanny Hedgehog,  my granddad,  aka Grandad Taylor, and my auntie aka Shirley. They all passed away when I was younger and I haven’t seen in a long time. It would be nice to spend time with them.

What is the weirdest scar you have and how did you get it?

When I was a kid, my mom would always put our crisp and biscuits up high in the cupboard. One time, I climbed up to get them and was swinging on the cupboards, and the whole thing collapsed on me. It resulted in me breaking my nose and I have a scar because of it.

If you could trade lives with one person for an entire day who would it be?

The president of the United States.  Then I’d actually really know what goes on in the world. I think we are so sheltered from the truth!

If you could only keep five possessions what would they be? 

My passport, phone, photos, my world cup bronze medal, and money so I could buy everything else.

What skill would you like to learn and why? 

Mastering a coffee. Actually I would also like to be able to sing.  There’s enough good coffee places around. But being a phenomenal singer, or just being able to sing at all would be an amazing skill.

What is your favorite mobile app? 

Whatsapp, it allows me to call and text internationally for free. Also maps. I would be lost without it

Arrow Liver: Professional Photographer (for Portland Thorns FC, Timbers FC, Trailblazers) Craig Mitchelldyer

Anyone who attends a game at Providence Park knows the atmosphere is unlike any other venue in the nation. And those who haven’t been to a game? Take a look at Craig Mitchelldyer’s photographs, and you’ll feel the energy too.

Seven years ago, Portland Thorns FC and Timbers FC photographer Craig, didn’t bat an eye at the sport. He didn’t understand it. Craig grew up a baseball guy. He played throughout high school, until he discovered he was better at making his friends looks good through the lens, than playing himself.

In 2004, Craig became the photographer for the Triple A Portland Beavers baseball team at PGE Park [now known as Providence Park]. When the Timbers joined Major League Soccer, the organization hired him full time.

The more Craig immersed himself in training and games, the more he learned about the tactics of the game, and his appreciation for the sport grew stronger. Now, soccer is his favorite sport.

Watching the game through a camera lens offers a much different perspective than sitting in the stands. Craig often zooms in on the player with the ball while simultaneously anticipating where the play will go next.

He’s shot enough games to know how to strategically position himself based on on the team’s line-up, style of play, and individual player’s tendencies. If Timbers Diego Valeri scores a goal, he is headed towards the stands to blow his wife and kids a kiss. Thorns Mana Shim, she’s running straight into a teammates arms for a hug.

But sometimes, no amount of preparation can prepare Craig for the unpredictability of the game. Sometimes it’s pure chaos. And that’s what he loves about it.

Craig also shoots for the Trail Blazers, Hillsboro Hops, Oregon Ducks and Beavers football, but he believes the atmosphere at Providence Park is something extra special.

Living in Milwaukie, Oregon, snapping professional sports shots at field level, and plenty of time to adventure with his family….Craig couldn’t picture his life any other way.

Pun intended.

Craig is an Arrow Liver.

(all photographs provided by Craig)

Name: Craig Mitchelldyer

Age: 35

Hometown: Portland, Oregon

Occupation:  Photographer (craigmitchelldyer.com)

Years at profession:  17

Where were you raised?

Portland. I went to Milwaukie High School.  I still live in Milwaukie. My studio’s in Milwaukie. I met my wife in Milwaukie. We keep it tight.

So let me guess, you’re going to stay in Milwaukie? 

Ya, we aren’t going anywhere.

Have you always been interested in photography? How did you get into photography initially? 

Yes. In high school. I played baseball mainly, I wasn’t the best athlete, but I was really good at making my friends looks good who were athletes.

I worked for the newspaper in high school. It’s funny because I always wanted to do photography, but then I took a photography class in college, and I was like this sucks. I failed the class. So I went and did computer science instead.  I liked those classes, but I didn’t want to make a job out of it.  I’ve always liked photography, I just didn’t like the formal education.

What didn’t you like about the photography education?

I like learning by doing and not by books.

I worked for the Pamplin Media Group newspapers from 2001-2005. The Portland Tribune, Beaverton Valley Times, Clackamas Review…all of the suburban community newspapers. I shot a lot of sports, youth sports mainly, general news, and features. They just kind of threw stuff at me and I had to figure it out. So that’s where I learned a lot.

What kind of pictures do you shoot now? 

I shoot a lot of corporate portraits. A magazine will call me up and say, hey we need a shot of this guy for this story. A lot of wire service things, like Blazer games for the Associated Press and USA Today. I’ll shoot general news things, but mainly environmental portraits and sports. I also do a lot of wedding stuff. I just shot Sarah’s [the Thorns and Timbers assistant GM] wedding, it was beautiful.

I also shoot everything for the Hillsboro Hops. I got the Timbers job, because when the triple A Beavers played at the stadium, I shot all of that stuff for them too. I didn’t know anything about soccer until I started shooting for the Timbers.

What sports teams do you cover?

Timbers, Thorns, T2, Hops, Blazers, Ducks, and Beavers mainly.

Are you a Duck or a Beavers fan? 

Duck fan.

Are you told not to interact with players when you take pictures?

I’m not told not to interact, but I know you guys have your job and I have my job, it’s not like we need to be mingling all the time. Darlington [Nagbe], I shoot all kinds of stuff with him. I hid in the bushes when he proposed to his wife. I have a relationship with a lot of people on both teams. Mana [Shim] and I have done bike rides and things like that, so it’s not a frowned upon thing. It helps I think to have a good relationship with you guys, trust between a subject and the photographer makes for better photos.

Whenever I go to Blazer games, I see the camera guys get clocked while trying to capture pictures, has this ever happened to you? 

Not to me, but people sitting next to me. One guy not that long ago at a Blazers game had to get stitches. He got crashed on and his camera went into his face. The team doctors took him to the back and stitched him up. I’m a big guy though, so when people fall on me, it probably hurts them more than it hurts me.

What’s it like watching a soccer game from your perspective?

It’s a lot different than watching it from the stands and I didn’t really realize it until I went to watch the World Cup in Vancouver.  I was sitting up high with my wife and kids and it was the first time I ever sat in the stands and watched a soccer game. It was weird because I could see everything developing a lot more. When I am at field level and looking at the game through the lens, I am staring at whoever has the ball. I’ll see people who are making runs out of the corner of my eye. For example, if someone is coming up on the side, I’m shooting them, but then I have one eye in the middle of the field because I know that the ball is probably going to be crossed in.

I’ll watch the highlights after a game and it looks nothing like it did from my camera. I’ll take a picture of a goal celebration, and I might take like 30 shots. I’m taking all these pictures, so it almost feels like slow motion, but in reality it’s only like a 2 second long thing.

So you have to have very good vision? 

Ya, but it also really helps to know the team. For example with the Timbers, I know Alvas Powell is probably not going to take a shot when he’s dribbling the ball up the side, and I also know when he crosses it, it’s probably going to be crossed to [Fanendo] Adi.

So how do you learn player’s tendencies? Do you study the players? 

I’m not watching film or anything like that, but just by being at all the games and training, and seeing it all the time.

The Thorns for example, are two very different teams when the national team players are gone. The way you guys play is very different, the style, the people taking the shots, it’s different. So you pick up on tendencies.

How does that affect the way you take pictures?

It doesn’t affect the way I shoot, it just affects where I might stand. Here’s an example: my favorite pictures are goal celebrations, those are the best pictures, right? So, some people always celebrate the same direction. Sometimes it’s chaotic so you can never guess where they are going to go. But some people always go to the right. For the Timbers, when Diego [Valeri] scores he always runs one way because he’s blowing kisses to his wife and kid. Adi always tends to run towards the bench.

What about tendencies for the Thorns? 

Nadia [Nadim] (Arrow Liver: Nadia Nadim) is great because she goes crazy, which I like. Mana [Shim] (Arrow Liver: Mana Shim) always goes and runs into peoples arms, which I like. Allie [Long] (Arrow Liver:Allie Long) always spins and goes backwards and puts her finger in the air. I can kind of predict it, but it depends.  If it’s off a corner kick, they are probably going to run where the corner kick came from. Most of the time people run towards whoever assisted on the goal. If it’s a huge goal….I try to predict it, but I never can, it’s chaos, and that’s what I like about it.

Do you have a favorite moment while photographing? 

Probably the Timbers Championship last year, at the end of it. That was awesome. I don’t know, I can’t describe it. At one point, I was running around taking pictures. Everyone was all elated, and I just kind of stopped, looked around, and took it all in. I just had this moment.

Do you have a favorite picture you’ve taken? 

That’s really hard. A lot of my favorite pictures are Riveters and Army shots. The Providence Park atmosphere is so unique to anywhere else and any sport. It’s hard to pick a single picture. Right now, I’m going through and picking my favorite 100 pictures for the Timbers, maybe I can have an answer for that after I look through all of those.

What’s the most gratifying part about your profession? 

I think it’s when people say that they had an emotional attachment to the picture. Like weddings for example, I like people to be able to look at a picture and say “okay, I remember what I was feeling in that moment.” A picture that can really tell the story, you can look at it and know what’s going on without having to read a caption. Anything that shows emotion. Emotion is my favorite thing to capture. So tell all your people to run towards me when they score haha!

When I get on the field for the first time, before I run, I’m going to look where you are, and as I’m getting subbed on I’ll smile at you. 

Nice. With something like your case, when you’ve been out for a long time and come back, it’s a big deal, so I try to shoot something that is completely different. From behind with the scoreboard in the background or something like that.  I have a cool picture of Diego [Valeri] when he got subbed back in after his injury. I shot this wide picture that has the whole stadium and then him and the referee standing next to each other. 

Do you get mad when athletes or fans use your photos without asking?

It’s fine I really don’t care. You wouldn’t be the first person and you wouldn’t be the last. When I submit my pictures, I kind of know that people are going to use them. And sometimes its kind of cool because the fans make tifos out of my pictures or cool banners. So it doesn’t bother me.

Is there any other sport or event you would want to capture? 

You know, I don’t know. When I was younger I thought the Olympics would be cool, but now that I’m older that doesn’t sound fun anymore. I think traveling with the president or on a presidential campaign would be fun. Soccer is definitely my favorite thing to shoot, so hopefully I can do that for a long time.

And you just recently discovered your love for soccer? 

Ya it’s weird, I have always been a baseball guy. When I first started working at the stadium, I was shooting baseball all the time, and then I would shoot 4 or 5 Timbers games a year and that was it, so I didn’t know much about soccer. I thought soccer was boring, like a typical American right? But then when the Timbers went MLS they hired me to be the photographer so I was around soccer all the time with games and training and around the team all of the time. Once I figured out tactics it made the game a lot more fun.

So soccer is your favorite sport now?

Ya. Definitely.

Love that.

And my kids are super into it. They both play and watch all the games. Saturday morning they sit and watch Premier League games. So I watch a lot of soccer. My son is a huge Barcelona fan so we watch all their games too. It’s funny because my kids don’t come to a lot of Timbers games, but they come to all the Thorns games.

Trust me, they watch all Timbers game, they just don’t come to all of them…

I don’t think you guys realize just how much [the Thorns] playing in front of that many people empowers little girls especially, but kids in general. I have never seen any of my daughter or her friends think, “oh I can’t do that because I’m a girl…” To them, you guys are like just as good as Barcelona.

Mana came to one of my daughter’s soccer games last year. I printed out a bunch of pictures and had her sign them all. And after the game, she gave them to all the kids and to this day, it’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to them. To me it’s like, I don’t care, but to them it’s everything.

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

Why is my dog licking my face?

What is your morning routine?

I wake up and, right now in the summer, I clean the pool. I take the dog out, feed her, get some food, then go for a run if I have time.

What advice would you give someone who wants to take a quality picture? 

Two things people don’t always pay attention to in taking a picture.: the light and the background. If you get those two things right, the rest of the picture will take care of itself.

What is your definition of successful? 

It’s not monetary or anything like that. To me being successful is being happy. For me personally, having my family, my business, and not stressing about things you can’t control. Also, being a good person. There’s a lot of different people in the world,. You’re not going to agree with everyone all the time, but that’s okay. To me being successful is accepting that things are what they are and if you don’t like them then change them.

Why do you do what you do?

Because I like it and I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.

Pun intended? 

Ya haha, I guess so. Photography has taken me places I never would have been able to go without it. I wouldn’t want to do anything else. The flexibility is super important because

if I want to take a day off, I can take a day off. My kids are only little for so long, so I want to take advantage of my time with them.

How are you different than the average?

I think a lot of people can take good pictures. I don’t necessarily think I’m the best photographer, but I think what separates me from the rest is my attitude and my customer service. The Timbers and Thorns could hire other people, but they keep my around because of my ability to predict what is needed and deliver it quickly before they ask for it.

What has been your biggest setback?  

I don’t know if I can answer that question, because I don’t think of things as setback necessarily. If anything doesn’t go as planned, I think, “okay what can I do differently next time to not have this happen? Every single thing that has been a “setback” has been something that has propelled me forward at the same time.

What is your most rewarding accomplishment? 

Probably my family. I don’t know if I can call them an accomplishment, but they are what I’m most proud of, for sure.

What do you wish you knew as a kid? 

It’s funny sometimes I think, “ohI wish I knew to put money in Apple or to take this job… but then I think if I knew that back then, then my life would have taken a different path, so I really wouldn’t want anything to change, because it was my learning that led me to this, and I like the way that this is.

What’s your dream meal? 

I’m kind of a picky eater. Probably a steak and seafood.  A ribeye or filet or something. And salmon or lobster. And then ice-cream to wash it down. I’m a big fan of cookies and cream or mint chocolate chip.

Who are three people you’d ask to dine with you?

President Obama would be cool as hell to hang out with. My grandpa. He passed away. I’d like to have a meal with him that would be great.

If you could only keep five possessions what would they be? 

Does my dog count as a possession?

Ya, he can. 

Ok. My dog.  I guess I could say a camera, but not really. My iPhone for sure.

You aren’t going to say your good camera? 

No my phone has a camera. I’m a terrible photographer, we go on vacation and I don’t even bring a camera,  I just shoot everything on my iPhone.

So you aren’t one of those parents that’s always snapping pictures? 

Oh nooo. I’m the worst photographer dad ever.  All of the parent’s on my kids soccer team always ask are you going to take pictures? I say no, I‘d rather watch my kids play than take pictures. So, one game a year, I only do this for my wife, but one game a year I’ll bring a camera and I’ll shoot pictures of them.

Ok So my dog, my camera, my car I guess so I could drive somewhere, my snowboard, and my bike.

What skill would you like to learn and why? 

I wish I could play soccer. That would be fantastic. I touched a soccer ball for the first time three years ago.  play on an indoor team with my high school friends and I’m just terrible. My kids let me know it too.

What is your favorite mobile app? 

Probably Instagram. (Follow: @craigmdyer, Follow his pup: @poison_ivy_pup)

Naturally. 

Naturally.

Arrow Liver: Professional Soccer Player, Nadia Nadim

Watch Nadia Nadim score a goal, and she’ll sprint over to the corner flag and karate kick it down. Ask her tell you a Chuck Norris joke, and she’ll laugh before she gets to the punch line. Play any card game, and her facial expression will give away the quality of her hand. Nadia is as real as they get.

As a Muslim fleeing the Taliban to Denmark, Nadia grew up with incessant demands on how to act and live her life. She wasn’t supposed to wear shorts, play soccer, or run around with the boys. But Nadia never subscribed to these ideals. She knew in her heart what she wanted to do. And the moment she dribbled a soccer ball, it was love at first touch.

At a refuge camp in Denmark,  12 year-old Nadia ventured over to a nearby field and watched the local teams train. One day, she went up to the girls’ coach and asked if she could join the team. He agreed, and from there her career took off.

Today, Nadia’s enthusiasm for the game matches that of her childhood self; the girl who spent every spare hour playing pick-up with friends.  She plays with fire. Doubt her, and the flame only gets bigger. If people tell her to act differently, it reversely encourages her to be even truer to herself, and no one else.

Although, an innate passion influenced Nadia’s soccer career, she is aware of the power she holds to give other refugees hope of a brighter future. Nadia’s drive to help others extends beyond the soccer field, as she is currently studying to become a reconstructive plastic surgeon. She plans on opening up her own clinic, owning a big home, and helping thousands. That’s not Nadia being cocky or arrogant, that’s Nadia Nadim being Nadia Nadim.

Ask her to tell you a Chuck Norris joke, and you’ll see what I mean.

Nadia is an Arrow Liver.

Name: Nadia Nadim

Age: 28

Hometown: Aarhus, Denmark

Occupation: professional soccer player, future reconstructive  plastic surgeon

Years at profession:  16 years playing, 10 years professionally

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

I woke up later than I usually do around 8. I pray sometimes, especially in the morning. So I thought, should I go pray or should I go to the pool? I was having this dilemma. I was like if I go to the pool it might be too late for my prayers. As Muslims you have to pray 5 times a day, but I never want to force myself to pray. I want to be real and pray when it comes from the heart.

So I thought, if I pray I’m forcing myself to be fake and God’s going to know. So I did not pray. I went to the pool. So, I was like he’ll understand, he loves me.

What is your morning routine?

Here is a lot different than at home. I have more time than usual. I’ll wake up really early around 6 or 7. Then I go to the gym, do my exercises that I have to do for my hamstring. Sometimes I will go in the pool or jacuzzi. Then I come back and make breakfast. I always have scrambled eggs with veggies.

Sometimes I pray, but only when it comes from the heart.

What do your prayers entail?

There’s a special routine. You have to wash yourself before you pray. I have to take a shower, I need to be clean. I lay out my prayer carpet, and make sure it’s pointing towards Mecca. Then I bow and I pray.

I believe in God deeply. I feel like as a med. student people say “oh no, you can’t believe in God because you believe in science.” I feel really strongly about God and something powerful after being in med. school. Because life couldn’t possibly be happening without some higher power.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

So I feel like when I was young people always told me, “don’t do it the way you want to do it”, but I never listened, and it’s been working for me somehow. My assistant coach from Fortuna, she’s American, she is the best. She would say “ Nadia, yes do you.” She was the only person who told me “You do you.” She told me to believe in myself. That was cool to have someone to tell me to do it, even if other people told me not to.

Have you always had this strong belief in yourself?

Ya. It wasn’t from my mom. She wasn’t into sports. She didn’t even know what was going on, she was so busy trying to feed us and take care of us. I felt like the other people around me wanted me to be something else. A lot of times it wasn’t easy, but I never wanted to bow down.

Who is your definition of successful?

I think there are many ways to get success. The people I look up to are the ones who stay true to themselves while achieving something. You can achieve a lot of things, but if you are losing yourself along the way, that would suck. I would hate that. I don’t want that to happen to me.

They just made a Danish documentary on me, and I know on television and interviews they want you to be a certain way and say a certain thing. I don’t want to do that. I want people to know who I am. Because then I’m not changing, you know?

Why do you do what you do?

Because I love soccer. It makes me happy. When I am playing everything else disappears. It’s me and the ball and I’m like daaa daaa daaaa [she’s smiling with her thumbs up]. When I’m studying for my exams or really stressed out, I get to train and forget all of it. I get to be in my own world. It’s hard to get those feelings from other places. When I score…I haven’t done drugs, but it’s almost like you are on drugs. You’re so high up, its crazy. It makes me happy.

How are you different than the average?

I’m different by being super honest. I’m myself. I’m happy 98% of the time. The 2% I’m not, you will see. My approach for life is that there is so much worse happening than what is happening to me right now. No matter what happens,  I get over it. Sometimes it sucks. but it is the way I feel, you know? Maybe because of the stuff I went through when I was younger, I have this mindset. I know my life is short and anything can happen at anytime so I might as well enjoy it.

Why do you where those colorful headbands?

I hate to look like anyone else, I always want to buy things that other people don’t have. I started wearing headbands when I was really young, I just liked it. I really quickly started making my own. I used to take my underwear and cut of the colorful elastic band off of it. My teammates would say “that’s so cool where did you get it?”  I would say “ya, you don’t want to know…haha.”  When I started getting sponsorships they wanted me to wear their brand. I was like,  I don’t like this and everyone else is wearing them, so I am just going to keep making my own. Now I go on ebay and buy fabric to make them. I wear them because I think I look cool with them, and they help to hold my hair back.

How do you spend your free time?

I love watching movies. That’s the way I relax the most. I watch all kinds of movies. I watch a lot of Bollywood movies. The ending is always so happy. I love that. I’m a big Star Wars fan because it was the first movie I saw at the cinema movie house.  I was 13 or 14, and one of my closest friends was working in this little cinema. After school, I used to help her clean the theaters so I could get free popcorn. And one time we got to see the Star Wars movie. After that, I was hyped up.  I also like to hangout with my friends. The ones who know me really well and I can relax 

What has been your biggest setback?  

I really believe in faith and destiny in all of this stuff. That’s why I always maintain this positive approach. I know it’s meant to be somehow. Maybe thats how my brain works with coping through stuff.  But I believe it 100%. That’s why it’s hard for me to say “this has been my setback.”

What is your most rewarding accomplishment? 

In 2006, my mom moved to a bigger city. and there were a lot of foreigners there. We used to live in this kind of ghetto area. It was my favorite place of all time because people were always playing in the streets. I used to look out at the kitchen window and if someone was down there I would run out and play with them. There were no other girls playing.

There was a lot of crime in this area. My friends and I were like, we should start a club to get these kids into soccer. We started with 7 players. and a year and half later we had 217 people. Some of these kids were getting into trouble, but with us, they were behaving with respect. The club was called Athletic South.

My friend and I tried to fundraise. During this time, I was getting into the national team, so the club was getting recognition and the city was suddenly trying to help us. We were interviewed on tv, and random people would call me and say we will donate 10,000 kroner. We got cones, balls, jerseys, and everything. We raised enough money to take them to the Lemona Cup tournament in Italy. And so we took them. And they killed everyone. When we came back to the street, there were so many parents, vans and a camera team. We were like this is so sick! We suddenly started having a girls team. And these girls were from moms, who used to be against me and didn’t want their kids playing soccer.

One day there was this little Somali girl playing with the guys on the streets. It was so freaking sick.

We changed people’s view by just showing what soccer can do. You can change so much if you use sports the right way. These parents were seeing that it’s healthy for their kids. That their kids can achieve something and feel good about themselves.

I had to stop eventually because it grew so big and I couldn’t maintain it being away with the national team.

100% if I had time, I’d do it again.  I loved it. I loved those kids. That was the achievement I am proudest of.  We managed to change peoples views.  It doesn’t take a lot to change stuff. You just have to be willing and put energy into it.

What do you wish you knew as a kid? 

I wish I knew that my life would turn out this way so I could tell my mom so she wouldn’t be so worried all the time. My mom used to worry a lot obviously, it was hard for her.  She was a single mom and doing a lot.  I didn’t know what to say. I wish I could say, “don’t worry dude.”

I always knew no matter what, that things are going to work out. Even now, I’m far away from where I want to be, I think I’m on the right path. I know everything will work out.

What’s your dream meal? 

I love my mom’s food. My dream meal is something she would make. We have this Afghan dish called qobalee its basically rice, raisins, carrots, meat, and nuts. It sounds weird, but it tastes so freaking good. It’s funny because I travel with my national team and eat out a lot but I always feel like my mom’s food is so much better. l’ll never complain about food though.  I’ll eat everything as long as there’s not a lot of chili in it. Otherwise, I’m grateful for food.

Who are three people you’d ask to dine with you?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic because I freaking love him.  Ok this sound weird, but I would love to have one of the presidents from the U.S because I feel like there is so much stuff they know I would say “is this true with this alien’s thing going on?” That kind of stuff. And who else? Probably one of my friends or sisters because…family.

If you could trade lives with one person for an entire day who would it be?

Not with an athlete because I know how that is. Probably a big shot politician just to see how it works.

If you could only keep five possessions what would they be? 

Probably my phone, a ball, my credit card, my iPad cause I have all my books there, and I don’t know the last one. I’m not very attached to stuff.

What skill would you like to learn and why? 

I would love to be able to play an instrument for real. I hate the fact that I used to play the flute and could read notes. I don’t know why I didn’t continue with something else. Guitar would be kinda cool. I would be like “let me play a song for you guys.”  Can’t you see me doing that?

What is your favorite mobile app? 

Snapchat. I use it a lot. That’s how I communicate. I also use WhatsApp a lot with my family.

To everyone 25 and older: GROW UP, GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS.

I recently turned 25, which basically means I am 30, because as we learn in 5th grade, you round up from 5s. The more birthdays I celebrate, the further I push forward my definition of “old.” In my early teens, I decided I would turn adult when I began college. Free from parental guidance, I’d have no choice but to grow up. But then graduation rolled around Daytona 500 fast, and I felt ill-equipped to wear the cap. After I entered the “real world” surely I would feel old. Nope. And now here I am, four years removed from college, 30 by mathematical rounding standards, and yet just this month I purchased my first house plant. My parents gave me a food dehydrator and water filter for my birthday. That has to stand for something.

The word “grown-up” in itself is deceiving. It insinuates that there’s a distinct point in which one becomes an adult. As if some mystical creature waves her wand and all of sudden we transform from a child into a matured specimen.

In my adolescence, I thought by now I’d undoubtedly have my “adultness” on lockdown. A few things my teenage self anticipated I would have checked off by now:

-marriage

-kids on the way

-owner of a home

-strong political and religious views

-lover of fine wine and cheese

Score for this list: 0 for 5, unless you count the green plant that I’m mothering.

Being an adult is a far murkier matter. There is no clear cut definition.

I used to feel weird about this grown-up thing. I haven’t done this, bought that, become this.

But I have always been certain of one fact: I wanted to be a professional soccer player when I grew up. Far before I knew its logistics as a career choice with foreign words like contracts, salaries, and sponsorships.

I watched the 1999 World Cup penalty shootout-Brandi Chastain tearing off her jersey after scoring the game-winner. I wanted that. Not the shirt ripping-off, that’s not my style. But everything else.

I wanted to make the National Team. To represent my country in a World Cup and Olympics. I wanted to win them both, and kiss the gold medal on the podium, listen to the national anthem and look out to my entire family in the stands.

I envisioned this scenario before society had a chance to chokehold my dreams and contort my brain into thinking maybe I wasn’t good enough. Before my friend’s parents asked me “what do you actually want to do with your life after soccer?” As if soccer was not going to be my job. It was too late for any of that. The seed was already planted in my head. Padlocked in a place no one could touch but me.

I was naive. I didn’t know you needed a certain amount of talent to play a sport at the highest level. My current ability was irrelevant. All that mattered was that I wanted to play soccer, therefore that’s what I was going to do.

I have never really cared much about what people think about me. I guess I care to an extent. When I was younger I left the house with a shirt on because my mom told me that’s what ladies are supposed to do. But I never brushed my hair. I was late to the game on shaving my legs,  wearing mascara, and all other products intended to enhance aesthetics-with the exception of roll-on glitter, I was all about having a little sparkle in my life.

I knew what I wanted. Playing soccer ignited my soul. I didn’t concern myself with much else and turned a blind eye to anyone who inferred I should do otherwise.

I grabbed hold of this golden feeling and allowed it to guide me throughout my youth.

On my club team, I remember playing in a quarterfinal match against our local rivals. The opposing team scored the game winner with two minutes left in the game.  Our coach brought us into a huddle to console us and chant the final obligatory “team name” cheer. After we all shouted “Sapphire!”,  I overheard my teammates laughing and talking about going out to dinner at the pizza parlor.  Pizza??? How on earth could you think about consuming pizza when we were just defeated mere minutes ago??

Blasphemy. I didn’t understand it.

Whenever we lost, my parents knew my red flag was activated: do not talk to me, unless I initiate the conversation.

I had this mentality throughout childhood. I just wanted to get better, and become more like Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, and Tiffany Millbrett. For me, it was all or nothing.

I never knew the exact steps I needed to take to get there. I relied on my intuition and trained the best I knew how. I practiced my juggling in the backyard.  In middle school, I discovered the racquetball courts at the gym and I spent hours jamming to music and kicking against the wall. It just happened. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I knew my heart liked it. That I was in alignment with my vision of playing at the highest level.

I continued this attitude throughout college, onto the U-20 national team, and into the professional ranks. At a glance, it appears I have reached my dreams. Yet, I still haven’t played in a World Cup. I still have yet to win a professional championship. I still feel like I haven’t even tapped into my potential. I have more things I want to accomplish.

And here I am battling a concussion. Increasingly aware of how finite a professional athletic career is.

Will I get fully healthy? Is it time for me to grow up and get a “normal” job? Is this the time to throw in the towel?

It seems the older we get, the more we’re exposed to this dream-snatching vortex. The one where our parents, or teachers, or news reporters or friends say, “okay, enough is enough, it’s time to settle down and get your life sorted out.”

As children, we run around with our dreams like political campaigns, unafraid and eager to divulge them to anyone who will listen.

But each year, we have to stand on even firmer ground to protect them. Societal pressure is toxic. Like mosquitoes on a warm Southern night. If we don’t wear enough repellent, we’ll get bit with insecurity, our self-belief sucked away. With each bite, our dreams get called into question and tainted with doubt.

Eventually, we listen to the voice inside our heads that rationalizes maybe it is time to move on.  We become too overwhelmed by the scrutiny (self-imposed or from peers).  We cave in. And slowly but surely, the thing that once made our soul sparkle, our dream, fizzles away.

When did we confuse growing up with giving up?

There are some people who truly, circumstantially, despite how badly they want it, can’t pursue their dreams. But most of us don’t fall under that category.

Sometimes goals change. We realize that what we wanted in the past, truly doesn’t feed our soul anymore.

But I think a lot of times we give up because of fear.

Society has this stigma about audacious goals. If you say them out loud, then you are cocky or crazy, or both.

Big dreamers make people uncomfortable. They challenge mediocrity and cause others to examine their own dream-lost lives.

On the individual’s end, we often fear that if we vocalize our goal and don’t achieve it, then we are a fraud. A failure.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

Our worth as a human does not come from whether or not we achieve our goals.

I believe it’s cultivated through the pursuit. Through the lessons we learn from the triumphs, and, especially, the failures. Our value lies on who we become by going after things that genuinely fire us up.

It’s wildly more rewarding pursuing our true desires, than scraping by with a do “what you’re supposed to do” existence.

Even if at surface level it appears that I am further away from representing my country in a World Cup, or my other dreams, that doesn’t change the itch inside of me. The goosebumps I get when I look into the stands at Providence Park and see thousands of fans waving their scarfs during the national anthem.

That giddiness is inside all of us. It’s there for a reason. It’s a sign we are doing what we are meant to be doing. It gives us the juice-even when life isn’t going how we anticipated-to keep going. It affirms that the obstacles are all necessary teachers in our journey.

I believe this is what growing up is about. Relentlessly following that feeling. Going after our dreams. And not stopping at whatever arbitrary number society associates with the appropriate age to settle down.

Whether I am a wide-eyed 9 year-old watching the Olympics, a 25 year-old in the midst of a quarter-life crisis, or a 106 year-old with a walker, I will always have something that lights me up. My plan is to find it. Go after it. And not stop.

I will never grow up.

Arrow Liver: Surf Instructor, World Traveler, Happiness Seeker, Lewis Smith

24 year-old Lewis Smith’s father is a criminal lawyer at his self-owned law firm. His mother, a general practitioner, and his older sister a double major in engineering and law. Lewis recently completed his degree in civil engineering and is currently chasing after his second degree in environmental engineering.

But for the Smith’s, “success” doesn’t require scrubs and a stethoscope, or polished shoes and a briefcase. It comes from something much simpler.

Lewis’ stumbled upon “success” at 18-years-old on an ordinary lazy Sunday afternoon after a morning of surfing in his hometown Wombarra, New South Wales. Lewis laid on his couch and flipped the television to “Before 30”, a show highlighting the things people ought to do before they turn 30. Most often, Lewis mindlessly watched the show, but that day, his eyes were glued to the episode’s topic: Become a surf instructor in France.

“I saw it and a immediately thought that sounds like it would be really fun and something I want to do one day.”

That night, Lewis researched surf camps near his hometown and came across Essential Surf and Skate, a surf instructing company. He recalled seeing the Surf and Skate van perched up at beaches he surfed at. He dialed the company’s contact number. The owner, a friendly man named Pete, answered and Lewis inquired about the necessary steps to become a certified surf instructor.

The phone conversation gave birth to a mentorship. Pete took Lewis under his wing, guiding him through the process of acquiring his life guard credit, completing an online Academy of Surf Instructors course, and completing 25 instructing practice hours.

By 20, Lewis’ desire to travel resurfaced. He returned to Google and searched “surf camps France. ” He drafted an email expressing his interest in becoming an instructor and blasted it to over 50 programs. He heard back from a few, and chose to reach out to France’s Star Surf Camp.

His email spurred a series of exchanges involving background checks, criminal records, and surfing photos. Lewis passed the test; the camp wanted him.

Lewis knew very little about the camp, but a few days after his final exams he boarded the plane.

For the next six months, Lewis lived in a beachside tent nestled in the forest.

On a typical day, he woke up, chowed down breakfast, crafted himself a sandwich for lunch, then ventured to the beach to teach a group of campers how to surf. He spent eight hours in the water, from 10:00am-6:00pm. Once the day’s activities were through, he returned to the tent for dinner, and engaged in a evening activity with the campers.

Each week, Lewis hugged the 40 campers goodbye, and welcomed in another set.

Lewis lived this beach bum lifestyle for the next six months. After his employment with Star Surf Camp ended, Lewis saved up enough money to travel. He met up with a friend to travel throughout Europe, from Amsterdam, to Prague, Portugal, the Canary lines and ended in London to catch a flight back home.

Two days after touching down in Wombarra, Lewis was back immersed in civil engineering courses. Months passed, and something felt off in his life.

He asked himself a simple question, “When am I happiest?”

His mind instantly shot back to the France surf camp.

“It was so cool. I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing, living the life I want to live, and getting paid for it. All of the staff was family even though they were from all over the world.”

Lewis couldn’t ignore his gut feeling.

He decided to postpone his studies next semester, and flew back to Star Surf Camp .

From there, he went on another traveling escapade to Portugal, Norway, the Canary Islands, and on to Sweden to study engineering for a semester.

Lewis saw these solo traveling experiences equally as valuable, if not more so, than his school courses.

“I think it was way better by myself. I didn’t know what to expect, but that made it was way more of a challenge. When you put yourself out there, you learn a lot. I loved it.”

Now, after three years of exploring the world,  Lewis is back in Wombarra for more than just a quick trip home. He’s pursuing his second major in environmental engineering, teaching surfing, and enjoying family time.

He sees himself making a career out of his double major and is especially interested in ocean engineering, which involves harnessing the energy waves to use a renewable energy source.

But he’s not ready to settle down just yet.

“I think we have this idea that we have to rush into things. Like jobs. There’s a time and place for everything.  I want to experience things while I am young. I wanted to enjoy my life do what makes me happy.”

The Smith family have high standards for success. Yet their definition of success doesn’t mean becoming an engineer, a lawyer or a doctor.

“My parents are really supportive. They want me to do what makes me happy.”

For Lewis, that means a surf trip to Central and South America in the future. After this big trip, he thinks he will be well-traveled and ready to make Wombarra his permanent home and pursue an engineering job.

“If I’m not ready to be a grown-up by then, I never will be.”

Name: Lewis Smith

Age: 24

Hometown: Wombarra, New South Wales, Australia

Occupation: surf instructor/student

Years at profession: 4 years

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

There’s construction going on by my apartment, so I thought “damn these guys are still making noise. But then I knew I was going to go surfing so I thought “get out of bed and go shred.”

What is your morning routine?

If it’s a surf day. I’m pretty manic. I want to find out what the surf is doing and if it’s going to be good. Surfing is really temperamental and there’s a really small window. So I’ll head out quickly with a banana and a sandwich in my hand.

On days I’m not surfing, I’m the slowest person ever. I’ll spend an hour making scrambled eggs and doing nothing. I have an addiction to music so I’ll put on some music-anything from gangster rap to Al Green-and make breakfast.

What did you love most about where you grew up?

The beach culture, community, and the quality of waves.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

My granddad told me “if you do what you love, then you’ll do it well, and then you’ll succeed.”

Who is your definition of successful? 

For me, it’s not about money. It’s people who chase their dreams. People who make a career out of what they want to be doing and inspire others to do similar things-especially healthy things like sports or things a bit off the beaten track.

Why do you do what you do?

I think your mind is really powerful. It’s important to keep yourself happy and not do what society expects of you. At the end of the day you only have to answer for yourself and ask have I done stuff today that I am happy about?

Is this where you thought you’d end up?

When you grow up around here, everyone is really territorial and proud of their own place. I never thought I’d leave Wombarra for Wollongong.  But other than that, I’m glad about how life has turned out. I owe a big part to my parents. They always made sure I studied. That’s given me so many opportunities which I’m really grateful for. I feel like i am in a really good place, but also have lots of other options which is really nice. I still have time to have some fun while I’m figuring things out. One of the best things is to travel to learn and it’s made me realize how lucky I am to grow up in a place like this.

How are you different than the average?

I’m taller than the average [he laughs]. I’m not really in a rush for everything. I have goals, but I can be patient and work towards them step by step. Sometimes good things you have to wait for.

How do you spend your free time?

I am a big fan of being by myself when I have free time. One of the reasons I like surfing so much is that it gives you time to think. I also like reading books, going for a bike ride, and looking at nature.

What’s been your biggest setback? 

When I try and pick up chicks [he laughs again]. Just kidding, don’t put that. I’ve had a lot of setbacks with injuries. I’ve perforated my ear drum 4 times, had a shoulder ankle, and knee injury, broken my finger and elbow, thrown out my back, and had some reef cuts. I hate them because I feel like I can’t do what I love doing, but I think failing is a really good learning experience.

What is your most rewarding accomplishment? 

Most people get satisfaction from working, but that’s not me. For me, it’s been from traveling and doing it by myself. I like having a challenge and throwing myself in the deep end a bit.

I also think having good relationships in your life is a really positive thing. It’s good to be open and nice to the people you care about. I’ve held onto the good ones and believe that’s a big accomplishment.

What do you wish you knew as a kid? 

Nothing. It’s a whole learning process. Maybe one thing would be to recognize that hobbies and sports and passions can be really influential in your life. Apart from that, every mistake is vital to help you learn in your own time.

What’s your dream meal? 

I like eating healthy food with a lot of nutritional value. I’d say a poached egg with smoked and avo on toast. I like something hearty and healthy where you feel really full in a good way. And then a coffee.

Who are three people you’d ask to dine with you?

David Attenborough because I reckon he would know some stuff about everything. He would be old and wise. Then, I’d have my grandparents because they are funny, wise, have life lessons, and they are happy which is cool. And lastly that girl from The Rum Diaries [Amber Heard] because she is a babe.

If you could trade lives with one person for an entire day who would it be?

I’d like to be a dog for a day or a dolphin. Dogs have heaps of energy and are always happy. They run around when they want to run around and sleep when they want to sleep. And dolphins are cool.

If you could only keep five possessions what would they be?

Definitely my surf board. My wetsuit, passport, laptop, and boardies so I don’t have to be in my wetsuit all day.

What skill would you like to learn and why?

I’d like to be able to speak three languages fluently and be able to play three instruments. Speaking would be cool to be part of the culture more and learn to express yourself in different ways. And instruments would be cool.

What is your favorite mobile app?

I try not to use my phone that much, but I like Wind Guru which tells you the surf report and Google Maps because I always get lost.