I’m a big fan of celebrating the New Year.  It’s a holiday that can be universally celebrated.  Even though the date is arbitrary and varies by culture, it’s a great time as any for a fresh new start.  One of my favorite things to do is look through all my photos from the year and relive all the things I did.  But at the same time, I make note of all the things I didn’t do so I can plan for them in the new year.  I’m not just talking about planning trips I want to take, but I also look at ways that I can grow and become a better person.

When I’m looking for a gift, I like to give something useful and creative.  Since Velokova is all about exploring many things, I made this gift list with the Renaissance woman in mind.  There’s a little bit of style mixed in with a little bit of nerdiness, adventure, and fun.  I’ve added most of these items to my Amazon shop, all you have to do is click on the item above to buy!  Cheers!

This is a girl who loves extremes.  Annelie Pompe holds the world record in the Variable Weight Apnea class for free-diving to an incredible depth of 126 meters (413 ft).  In May, she also became the first Swedish woman to climb Mt. Everest form the north side.  But wait, there’s more… she’s also a freelance writer, photographer, personal trainer, and motivational speaker.  Girl’s got it.  I was dying to find out more so I caught up with her for an interview about her thoughts on life, dealing with fear, and her favorite eats!

Have you always been adventurous?
Yes, as far back as I can remember, and as from what my mother has told me, I’ve always liked challenges and all kinds of adventures. I don’t believe that all adventures have to be dangerous or extreme in any way. It can be an adventure to walk out into your nearby woods or just trying to walk in high heels without falling over.

What made you fall in love with free diving?
I was already in love with the sea, and wanted to be closer to it, so free diving wasn’t far away.  I love the feeling of freedom and weightlessness it brings to be in the sea without any equipment but your own body.  It’s a great challenge for my mental strength and it also allows me to get closer to the marine life.

Can you describe what it is like being 126 meters deep into the ocean?
It’s an amazing feeling knowing I’m so far away from civilization and so alone with the sea.  There’s a lot of pressure at that depth so it feels like the sea is giving me a great big hug all over.  But I’m also very focused because I know I have to make it back up to the surface, and I know it’s a very hard and strenuous swim.

How many hours a week do you train?  How do you train your body and lungs for both diving and mountain climbing?
In general I train about 25 hours a week including all yoga and breathhold training. I train differently for free diving and mountaineering, but both strengthens my lungs, and one sport helps the other.  I work a lot on my breathing technique and lung capacity in order to maximize the use of oxygen.  Yoga and meditation has been a very helpful part of my training. I put a lot of effort and time into sports psychology and mental training.

You mention on your website that free diving is the ultimate challenge for both body and mind. What do you do to prepare yourself mentally?
I work a lot at controlling my mind and my thoughts.  Panicking at depth while free diving is not an option, so you really have to be able to control your mind in the right direction.  I also use a lot of visualization techniques where I first go into deep relaxation and then visualize the whole dive in a very positive way.  By doing that I can convince my mind and body that I have already made the dive several times before the “real” dive.

Do you ever get scared in these extreme environments?  How do you deal with fear?
I often get scared, and I think it’s a normal and healthy reaction.  But sometimes fear is only inside the mind, and there’s really nothing to be scared of.  I’m scared of heights, but it didn’t stop me from summiting Mt. Everest I overcome fear by looking it into the eyes. When you look really deeply you will eventually see that there’s nothing there.  It’s also helpful to change the word “fear” to “respect”.  I have respect of heights.

Climbing to the top of Mt. Everest must have been an amazing experience.  What was the first thing you thought when you reached the top of the world?
It sure was a most amazing experience!  I wouldn’t mind doing it again.  I actually didn’t think much when I reached the summit.  It was so beautiful I just experienced it without thinking.  I thought of opening my backpack and getting the satellite phone out to call my family, but it was too cold and I would have frozen my fingers.  I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was -45 degrees at the summit so I was also thinking of keeping warm and staying focused for the long climb down.  Most of the accidents happen on the descent so, I really had to concentrate for hours at end.

What advice would you give to beginners who are training for their first big trek?
Walk up and down in hills with a backpack to strengthen your legs in a way that will be similar to the trek, and get used to carrying some weight on your shoulders.  It’s also very good to do some exercises for the abs and lower back.

What is something you’ve learned from climbing to the top of Mt. Everest (8,848 meters) that has helped you in life at sea level?
In comparison to Everest, all small things at sea level that can seem tough are really not that bad.  Being so close to death has given me more security awareness and appreciate life and all the small things in life.  I’ve also made some very good friends in my expedition that has made life at sea level even more wonderful!

You are also a motivational speaker and inspire people all around the world.  What motivates and inspires you?
It’s a positive circle, because I get motivated by inspiring and helping people to live their own dreams and become happier.  I also get inspired by people who make a positive change in the world around them.

What do you like to do on your time off from training?
I love traveling and like to go to new places as often as possible.  I also like to read books and I study interesting subjects.  Every now and then I take time of to go to meditation and yoga retreats.

What’s your favorite food?
I like Thai-food and Sushi.  I’m a vegetarian and like most vegetarian meals!

What are some of your favorite websites?
I try to not waste too much time on the web.  It’s so easy to get caught in websites and then just keep surfing.  I allow myself some 10 minutes to do that, but I mostly like websites about traveling and finding cheap tickets.  I use Facebook a lot, and I try to update my blog deepeverest.se as often as I can.

If you could have lunch with anybody, past or present, who would it be and why?
I’d like to have lunch with the first Buddha, 2500 years ago.  I’d like to ask him about what he taught and how it could be helpful for the humanity today.  I’d ask him to stay in the present with me

If you could go back in time, is there anything you would have done differently in your life?
I don’t believe in regrets.  I think I’ve learned something from everything I’ve been through.  But if I could change something, I would have spent more time with my family when I was younger instead of selfishly looking for new things to do and see all the time.  Family is very important.

When you travel, what do you never leave home without?
A teddybear and a multitool.

What’s the next adventure on your list?
I will be in the world championships in free diving in Greece in September and hope to do some adventurous dives there.  Next year I hope to climb some more mountains.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Remember the power of the mind can make big changes.  When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.  Please take time to leave your house or office and get out into the nature and wilderness to experience some real peace.

Thank you, Annelie!

Catch up with Annelie on the web:
Website:  AnneliePompe.com
Twitter:  @anneliepompe
Blog:  deepeverest.se

(Photos:  Provided by Annelie)

My friends and makers of the ultimate premium sandal for the ocean minded, Olukai, just released a new inspiring series called ‘Talk Story’.  Talk story is all about slowing down and taking the time to share ideas and stories with the people around you.

I’m so honored to be a part of this site!  My story, “Do You Dream or Do You Plan” was featured and I also helped my other half, Scott, shoot the videos in Hawaii.

You can jump in and check it out here.

I instantly gravitated toward the book 3-Minute Einstein by Ivy Press at Barnes and Noble the other day.  It’s a quick biography of Einstein’s life and theories done in a creative way.  I think I’m going to have to go back and get it.

I came across this site on PBS that features him and loved what he said about his work, “The daily effort comes from no deliberate intention or program, but straight from the heart.”  Not only did he have the mind, but his heart was completely in it too.  He truly loved what he did.

(Here’s a 1-minute explanation of E = mc² by another one of my favorite scientists and theoretical physicist, Michio Kaku.)

p.s. nerd’s the word.

New Yorker cartoonist, Liza Donnelly, represents what Velokova is all about.

From birth we’re brought up to believe that girls are meant to be soft, fragile, and love the color pink… (and if you’re the opposite you’re considered a tomboy).  People love to label each other….. I say ‘eff that’ and be true to yourself and follow your heart.

In this TED video, she talks on women changing the rules.  Who says girls have to like pink and play with dolls?

Source: TED

What will you do in 2011 to challenge yourself, learn, and grow?

We always hit Office Depot and buy one of those gigantic dry erase calendars so we can plan out our entire year easily.  If you don’t plan, it will just be a dream. To kick off 2011, I put together this New Year’s gift guide for the adventurous girl in lieu of the usual holiday gift guide.

Hope you are all having a fun holiday!  Happy New Year!

Moleskin Journal – $12

Blue Makeup Bag – $18

Yellow Travel Case – $40

Olukai Sandals – $60

Moon Print – €50.00

Icebreaker Merino Wool – $90

Amazon Kindle – $189

14KGold Globe Charm – $195

Patagonia Down Parka Jacket – $229

GoPro Camera – $260

Standup Paddle Board – $895

Earthwatch Manta Ray Expedition – $2795

Feeling a little brainy this morning, I watched this TED talk with Taryn Simon.  She photographs secret places and things that we wouldn’t have access to see for ourselves… like the only federally funded site to grow marijuana and a nuclear waste facility.  I’d love a chance to shoot with her for a day… very secret spy-like.  What’s one thing you would want to see in person as an insider (top secret or not)?  Mine would be the International Space Station… or David Bowie’s closet circa ’72.

Source:  TED

As the ultimate icon of grace, style, and class, it’s fun to watch Grace Kelly change gears in Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief.”  She plays Francie, an American heiress with a sense of adventure who meets Robie, a suspected jewel thief played by Cary Grant.

Like a Formula 1 racer, Francie tears through the French Riviera to shake off the cops while on their way to have a picnic.  When they get to the top of the hill, she opens a picnic basket and unexpectedly pulls out some fried chicken and beer.  With her magnetic allure she looks at Robie and asks, “Do you want a leg or a breast?”  He responds, “You make the choice.”

Source:  thekitchn, hitchcockmania.it

Photos:  Hawaii – Kalalau Trail, Na Pali Coast, Kauai

The sun was beating down on us and we were aching all over.  Our packs were weighing us down and our blisters were on fire.  I held my breath around the dodgy corners so I wouldn’t slip and tumble to my death.  We completely underestimated how tough this hike would be.  After two nights of camping on the remote Kalalau Beach, my boyfriend and I were heading back to civilization along the rugged 11-mile Hawaiian Na Pali coast trail.

We had a running joke, “How much money would it take for you to walk allllllll the way back to camp and then walk alllllllll the way back?!”

“There’s no way… I physically couldn’t do it. I would die,”  was my response.

A young couple from Germany caught up with us for a snack break.  We throw our packs down and perch ourselves on the side of the rocky cliff overlooking the vibrant blue and green tropical coastline.  The view is so stunning it looks fake.  Aside from the occasional tourist helicopter buzzing overhead, we are the only 4 spectators watching the waves crash violently into the rocks down below.  We sit completely exhausted in our Clif bar eating trances and wait for a cool ocean breeze to come by and slap us back to life.

Breaking the silence I asked them, “What part of Germany are you from?”

“Bavaria.  Where are you from?”  the tall young German guy asked as the sweat dripped into his face.

“Southern California… What brings you to Hawaii?”

“We’re 6 months into our year long round-the-world trip.”

I gasped then responded, “Really??  We’re dying to plan an around-the-world trip one day.”

Without hesitation he looked me dead in the eye and in his German accent he simply responded, “Do you dream or do you plan?”

I shuddered as it sunk in instantaneously. “One day” doesn’t exist on the calendar.  This guy was right.  Maybe it was the sweltering heat, maybe it was because I was chewed up and spit out by this 22-mile trek, but his simple straightforward no bullshit response has resonated with me ever since.

While stretching out my sore knees, I looked at my boyfriend and asked, “So… what would it take for you to go allllllllll the way around the world and back?

Do you dream? Or do you plan?  Make it happen.

Female Samurai Tamoe Gozen by Fujiwara – paintingsilove.com

Empress Jingu in Korea

Left-Nakano Takeko, Right-Yamakawa Futaba

Onna Bugeisha (onna – woman, bugeisha – samurai)

My dreams have come true.  Female samurai.  I didn’t know they existed.  They weren’t as prevalent as their male counterparts, but they fought right alongside them winning wars and even leading their own clans.  So dope.

Of the upper class, Onna Bugeisha were trained to protect their family, honor, and home.  They could slice you into pieces with their signature weapon, the naginata.  With a curved blade at the end of a long wooden pole, it was the perfect weapon for women since it kept them at a good distance from their beefy male foes that had the advantage of strength.

The ancient discipline using the naginata teaches all types of great self improvement skills like patience, self-confidence, and etiquette.  I found a “dojo” (practice hall) here in LA that practices the art form.  It’s taught by a woman that has been practicing for over 40 years and even studied under a master in Japan.  Sign me up!

Notable Onna Bugeisha:

Tamoe Gozen – lead many men into battle with her impressive sword and archery skills.  Or maybe she just killed them softly with her signature long luscious locks and beauty (see photo 1).

Nakano Takeko – took a bullet straight to the chest while leading a charge against the Imperial Japanese Army.  Refusing to let the enemy take her head as a trophy, she asked her sister to cut it off and had it buried near a temple.  No words…

Empress Jingu – led and won a 3 year long invasion of Korea and was the first woman to be printed on a Japanese banknote.

Yamakawa Futaba – fought in the Boshin War and later went on to improve education for girls in Japan.

As female warriors, they certainly destroy all those little pink fluffy female stereotypes of weakness… and they’ll destroy you too.

Sources: oldphotosofjapan.com, wikipedia, koryu.com, naginata.culturalnews.net