Editor’s Note: My Greatest Mentors is an original series where talented folks in the surf community discuss the people who have made a significant impact in their approach to life – within and beyond surfing. Lakey Peterson is the fourth to participate in the series. Read the first three installments from Layne Beachley, Coco Ho, and Kassia Meador.
Lakey Peterson and the family. An amazing support system. Photo: Courtesy Peterson Family
It’s hard to only list a few of my greatest mentors, both in surfing and life, because I have been blessed with so many amazing people in my life who I look up to and respect so much. If I had to choose just two, I would choose my sister and Stephanie Gilmore. My sister has always been my best friend and an amazing mentor. I can go to her to ask nearly anything, and she always seems to say exactly what I need to hear. I feel extremely blessed to have her in my life, and I look up to her in so many ways.
Stephanie or “Steph” as we call her, aside from being a five-time World Champ, is just about the coolest person you will ever meet. She has been on the World Tour for seven years now, and she’s someone who I have looked up to during my entire surf career. I have only gotten to know Steph better this past year, really, and she has, in a way, shown me how to be a classy, yet edgy surfer and person as well as a stylistically beautiful surfer. She doesn’t really care about what other people think of her. She just is who she wants to be, and I love that characteristic.
Thanks to you both for inspiring me everyday.
