What Kayaking and Paddleboarding Taught Anna Levesque about Fear, Confidence, and Mental Agility
After over 30 years of devotion to whitewater kayaking, what can one learn about life from the river?
Anna Levesque is a distinguished leader in the outdoor industry as a mental agility and white water kayak coach. She leads, inspires and coaches her clients on the self leadership and physical and mental wellbeing required to live a healthy, confident and adventurous life.
Anna is the author of the book Yoga for Paddling, was named one of the most inspirational paddlers alive by Canoe and Kayak magazine, and is a World Freestyle Kayak Champion medalist.
She has paddled, taught and competed on the international stage for 3 decades, and is passionate about empowering her clients with courage and confidence through her company, Mind Body Paddle.
We talk about...
Aging when you’ve loved a sport for 30 years
Learning to kayak at 19 and joining the Canadian freestyle team
Realizing she wanted to go all-in on paddling, so putting herself in a position through work and life choices to get her on the river all the time
Giving up other sports, friendships, and being close to family to follow passion
Turning 50 and still paddling Class IV rapids, and noticing ego around it
Feeling healthier at almost 50 than she did in her 20s because of Ayurveda and lifting weights
Building in chiropractic, physical therapy, and massage into her budget
Being a woman in whitewater kayaking
Misogyny in her first paddle sports job and being nicknamed “Kitchen Wench”
Finding a strong female role model and mentor
The pressure women feel to perform and stand for all women
Putting out the first instructional DVD for women in kayaking in 2004 and getting pushback from both men and women
Being called the Feminazi of kayaking, but that proved she was doing something worthwhile
Not everyone may agree with her teaching methods, but she still shows up for those who she can help
The courage to put yourself out there as a leader even when it’s uncomfortable
Knowing when to give or accept feedback
Mindset shifts and mental agility as a path to empowerment
The need for both rivers and humans to have discipline and boundaries in order to experience full flow
Practicing easy moves in hard water; testing your skills and finding failure so you can improve
Learning to face discomfort and coming out with drive and motivation; you don’t learn unless you fall
How her mind tends to go to the worst-case scenario, which is tough in adventure sports
Developing strategies to combat negative internal dialogue
Being self-aware of when your ego is making decisions for you
Celebrating all small steps as a win, even swimming while kayaking
Knowing friends and acquaintances who die on the river and learning to cope with grief; there are different coping styles around death and you can’t “fix it” for anyone
Supporting diversity in whitewater and adventure sports
When your sport’s community feels fun and amazing, but can also be less inclusive and more elitist
Making kayaking more inclusive: being willing to paddle flatwater and practice wet exits with folks, noticing expert bias, breaking out of your usual network and cultivating relationships in other communities
Expanding the community will take effort and may even take a bit of time away from kayaking, but it’ll pay off
The changing language around adventure sports and how language can become more inclusive
Being willing to put what you have at stake in order to make the sport more inclusive
Owning a paddling business and entrepreneurship
Making a living as a whitewater professional
When people assume that since work is “fun,” you don’t need to make much money
Paying yourself enough as an entrepreneur allows you to give back to others
Making giant leaps in life or business can be easier than smaller shifts
Being unapologetic around your prices as a business owner because you know the value
Giving up stability in life, and knowing nothing is guaranteed
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