Click the image to listen to Bob Hurley talk about pivotal experiences that have had a profound impact on his life.
Confession time. I’m a bit of a podcast nut. I geek out on them daily, listening to conversations with and about people who have accomplished, failed, tried, and everything in between. It’s to the point where I feel like I’m learning more about life by wearing a pair of earbuds for a few hours each day than I was able to pack into getting that four year degree.
Anyway, if you’re going to listen to a couple good stories and take away some life lessons, Bob Hurley is probably a good guy to turn to. He might be one of the most intriguing people in all of surfing, having built one of the industry’s most successful lifestyle brands. He (and his company) place a very clear emphasis on the youth of our sport and community, and the entire Hurley brand has always been more about inclusion than exclusivity – a refreshing change up from the image most surf brands (and surfers) strive for, where the game seems to be about racing to the cool kids table.
The funny thing is, Bob Hurley was brought up in the thick of it all in Huntington Beach. He grew up having to make a choice of which side of the pier to stay on – south side or north side – because surfing both wasn’t an option unless somebody invited you. But there were other distinct moments and experiences that made him into the guy he is today, like the time Rabbit Bartholemew declined his invitation to surf, opting to hang with the groms instead because that’s where he got his inspiration and energy. It was an a-ha moment for Hurley that started shaping the way he approached surfing and business from there on out. As he puts it, that chance run in with a world champ gave him a 15 year head start in his approach to business.
“We can all learn from each other,” he says. “And we can especially learn from young people the most because they’re unbiased and they’re just pursuing the truth wholeheartedly.”
Here are a little over 15 minutes of Bob telling his story, sharing some other profound moments in life, and passing on a few life lessons.
