Empowering Women & Girls in our community…
It all started with an interaction with another female surfer. Spotted in the waves off Folly Beach, one of our founders wondered how this surfer was so confident. Traditionally, surfing has been an intimidating, predominantly male sport.
This led to the development of Waves 4 Women, a nonprofit empowering women & youth in the ocean. There is strength in numbers to try new things and grow. As a team, we created clinics to build confidence and connection in the waves through wellness skills so we can thrive together!
FAQ’s
WHAT IS SURF THERAPY?
Surf therapy programs use a combination of wellness education, surf instruction, and mindfulness practices within a safe outdoor space. This gives participants the opportunity to discover and enhance personal strengths, connect with other women, and experience belonging and connection.
HOW DOES A PROGAM WORK?
Waves 4 Women uses group surf instruction and guided wellness discussions to teach adaptive life skills such as overcoming adversity and challenges, practicing Mindfulness, Personal Strengths, Growth Mindset & Letting Go. All of this and a bonus of developing healthy relationships within a safe and supportive community of women and girls.
When women and girls learn a new and challenging skill like surfing, they develop the skills needed to face fears, tolerate uncomfortable emotions, engage in healthy self talk, and build self-confidence. Through guided wellness discussions, participants learn how to utilize these skills in their daily lives to improve functioning and enhance satisfaction in relationships, work, family, and other life domains.
WHAT BENEFITS WILL I EXPERIENCE?
Participants will …
Identify and enhance strengths inside themselves
Move past obstacles
Enhance mindfulness skills
Develop coping skills to better manage uncomfortable emotions.
Increase trust and confidence in their ability to make decisions and solve problems.
Enhance feelings of belonging and connection to others.
Discuss Mindfulness &how to be present in the moment without judgment.
Growth mindset: how to notice and reframe negative self-talk; how to identify and enhance personal strengths.
Goal Setting: how to create healthy goals, adapt and respond to challenge and uncertainty, and learn from mistakes.
Distress Tolerance: How to deal with anxiety, fear, and discomfort; how to manage frustration.
Gratitude: How to recognize and experience appreciation for the good in our lives.
Erin Jones
LISW-CP
Co-Founder & Board member
Sarah Butler
Executive Director
& Legal Counsel
Nicole ‘Sparky’ Fulk
Surf & Programs Director
Kathie Watson
Wellness & Social Media Director
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Sarah recently retired from her 25-year legal practice & started her new role as Executive Director & General Counsel for the non-profit Waves 4 Women. Sarah is so excited to be a leader for W4W !
When Sarah was in private practice, she was a civil defense attorney and enjoyed construction litigation and personal injury defense. She is a proud Past President of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association (SCDTAA). Sarah received numerous awards during her 25 year practice such as Leader in Law and Influential Women in Law.
A frequent public speaker, Sarah has presented on many legal topics but in recent years her speaking engagements have focused on ethics and mental health. She has presented on topics such as Diversity & Inclusion, Civility in Legal Practice, Work Life Balance, Working Women, Burnout & Stress, Mental Health & Wellness. Sarah’s personal experiences with stress, mental health & wellness and her love of the ocean lead her to the Waves 4 Women community.
Sarah remains active with the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association. She is also a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, Litigation Counsel of America, and the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance. Sarah is also a Certified Professional Life Coach, completing her training in 2023, and a Red Cross certified professional lifeguard, completing that training in 2024.
In her new role with Waves 4 Women, Sarah is excited to engage and collaborate with other nonprofit organizations and embrace the NPO community in South Carolina. She is dedicated to strengthen funding for its successful programs and to honor the mission, vision and values of the W4W founders.
When she is not working, Sarah enjoys life on Folly Beach with her husband, Drew, who is also an attorney, and their four children. Sarah and her family love anything to do with the ocean. They have recently traveled in the Adriatic Sea and the Caribbean Sea and can often be found boating, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking and surfing.
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SparkyNicoll began with W4W as a volunteer surf instructor in 2021. At that time Sparky was a Photographer a Circus Artist & worked in dance studios teaching acrobatics. Sparky was in the middle of a divorce & looking for more work to support herself and her animals. Attending the W4W volunteer interest meeting in 2021 was the best decision she made that year as it led to her to her current place with Waves4Women.
Athletics has always been consistent in Sparky’s life, from Waterskiing as s baby, competitive swimming, wake & snowboarding, skating, surfing, Cross Country & Track (a few marathons). Around 18 Sparky began studying yoga at her college, and things began to shift.
Yoga opened up her tight body and helped strengthen her internal organs. No longer stuck painting her feelings on canvases, Sparky took a hint from her cousin and began Performance Art. She studied Aerial Acrobatics & other Circus Arts, like dancing with Fire in Washington DC, Richmond & Baltimore- Soon after began performing and training others. Since 2010, Sparky has been in studios and gyms ballrooms & coliseums up and down the East Coast of the U.S. sharing her dances and instructing others how to safely express their bodies in the Flow Arts.
Sparky completed her Bachelor of Arts at Christopher Newport University in Va in 2007. She studied World Religion and Philosophy. A lifelong student in the Spiritual Arts, her focus remains heart led by healing and educating others on how they can embrace their Spiritual side.
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