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Time to read 3 min
In a world that often demands constant performance, Marianne finds her reset — not on land, but out at sea.
In an intimate reflection, Marianne shares how paddling solo on a stand-up paddleboard in the vast ocean became a profound act of surrender and renewal. One memory, in particular, stands out: gliding across the powerful waters off Kalanga, France. The moment was cinematic — a still human moving through an endless, roaring blue. There, under a wide sky and atop wild waters, she felt small in the most freeing way possible. It was a reminder of nature’s immensity and her own place within it.
“A tiny human on the big ocean,” she said — and that humility has stayed with her ever since.
For Marianne, water isn’t just a playground; it’s a mirror and a mentor. When she speaks of the sea, it’s with reverence. Paddling isn’t just exercise — it’s therapy. A moving meditation. Each stroke is a way to let go of daily stress, to return to the body, and to feel fully present.
The rhythm of the ocean slows the mind. The vastness reorients the soul. As Marianne puts it, “Time on the water is a reset.” In that act of physical movement and environmental immersion, clarity surfaces. Energy returns. Happiness flows back in.
Before she touches the water, Marianne engages in a ritual: a “power pose.” It’s bold. Grounded. Intentional. This isn’t about looking fierce for the camera — it’s a mental switch. A shift into readiness. Her body becomes a signal: I’m here. I’m strong. I’m ready.
It’s a simple but powerful reminder that our mindset begins in the body. Confidence, she believes, is something you can stand into before you even paddle out.
Her wetsuit, she explains, isn’t about comfort or coziness — it’s about drive. It embodies her “Type A” personality: focused, charged, purposeful. While some might associate wetsuits with fluidity or flow, for Marianne, it’s about power. Zipping it up is like donning a second skin that says: Let’s go.
This blend of gear and grit is telling. It reflects how athletes often translate their inner world into outer form — how what we wear can become an extension of who we are.
There’s one more moment she shares — quieter, nearly sacred. It's a whispered message, received not from a person, but from the board. From the water itself:
“Trust the water. Let go of your troubles. Protect the water.”
This phrase feels like a mantra. A prayer. A plea.
To trust the water is to trust yourself — your instincts, your resilience, your breath. And to protect the water is to live in reciprocity with nature. It’s a call to align joy with responsibility, play with preservation.
Embedded in Marianne’s practice is a quiet but urgent ethic: care for what you love. Every paddle stroke is also a vote for ocean conservation. Every breath of salt air is an invitation to do better by the planet.
This message resonates deeply within the WALLIEN community — a sisterhood of water women who understand that athletic performance and ecological respect must go hand in hand.
Marianne’s story is more than a personal anecdote. It’s a case study in how water sports become transformative rituals — integrating physical strength, mental clarity, and spiritual wonder.
Out on the ocean, she doesn’t just train her muscles — she realigns her being. It’s a space where discipline and surrender meet. Where performance becomes prayer.
In Marianne’s world, water is teacher, healer, and mirror. From her power pose to her whispered mantra, every moment on the board becomes a deeper act of connection — with herself, the sea, and something bigger.
So the next time you zip up your wetsuit, ask yourself:
What are you paddling into?
What do you need to let go of?
And — most importantly — will you trust the water?
"The sea is our yielding mother, harsh teacher, comforting womb, it is flow, it is meditation. Water is our element."
