SB_issue55_Digital

hayel
balance
words: amber o’dell
photos: walkandseemedia
You will often find Shay next to
her blush longboard on the
beach, smiling at sunset colours
next to a bowl of quinoa oats and
berries.
We all work towards the bliss of a perfectly balanced
lifestyle. For Shay, the daily chase of finding the key balance
of health and happiness has never stopped, and she
comes closer to reaching it every day. As a lover of life,
health and the surf, she carries with her a buoyant spirit that
is contagious enough to lighten any moment, which is why
we humble Smorgasboarders were so lucky to have a surf
and a chat with her.
Many may recognise Shay and her bright smile from
Australian Survivor’s 2022 season, Blood Vs. Water, where
her fitness and inner strength earned her runner-up in what
was considered the most ruthless season to date.
As a surfer, yoga instructor, biomedical student, dancer and
organiser of retreats, Shay’s lifestyle is anything but bland.
Constantly chasing health and happiness, her enthusiasm
has taken her across the world to her current home in the
Sunshine Coast. Here, her lifestyle is so full it’s a wonder
how she fuels her mind and body to be so physically and
mentally active – surely there isn’t that many hours in a day.
Shay proved to us there actually is if you put your
mind to it, and said her daily routine is usually filled
with study, yoga, running, work, surfing and meetings
from sunrise to sunset.
“I’ll usually do a lot of my work from uni, so I try to split
my day up. I’ll surf in the morning, go to uni, have two
hours in the lab and then I’ll do two hours of personal
business for my retreats or whatever else. I might go
for a run, get back to work and then maybe go for a
sunset swim or walk. Sunsets on the beach are such
a nice way to relax and get time to yourself. I just sit,
read or play Wordle.”
Shay’s love of a healthy life and the ocean is
canvassed all over her body in the form of tattoos,
with a manta ray gliding over her shin, a palm tree on
her hand, a whale tail on her forearm and the amusing
addition of ‘eat your veggies’ on her other forearm.
She also has ‘salty’ tattooed on her thigh, which she
got after she was inspired by the salt left on her skin
after going for a surf.
For Shay, surfing combines her love of fitness with
her love of meeting different communities and people,
even when she is travelling. She understands the best
way to meet someone is when you are both doing
what you love, and as a self-proclaimed ‘goofy and
fun’ surfer, said she has never been the one to take it
very seriously.