Melbourne, FL & Costa rica

Eva Woodland

"There's always enough light for the one who wishes to see it."- Imam Alias

Eva saw this quote on a random wall while in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica four years ago with her friend Olivia.

Eva's Favorite Product

Surf

Meet Eva

Eva's Instagram

How it started

Born but not fully raised in Florida, Eva recalls her earliest beach memories of spending her summers at her aunt and uncleโ€™s beach house in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Surprisingly not wanting to step foot on a surfboard, her dad, Woody, found the best alternative was pushing Eva around on a boogie board. Although her stubbornness proceeded she finally gave surfing a chance; at the age of seven Eva caught her first wave in Dominical, Costa Rica (very fitting since she is now on the Costa Rican surf team). After one wave she went back to the olโ€™ faithful boogie board until she went to her first surf contest when she was 10 in elementary school with her two best friends who were in the contest. She randomly decided to enter the โ€œpushโ€ division and actually ended up winning! From there her passion was created and she would become the impressive surfer you see today.

Eva and Costa Rica

Growing Pains

Growing up means youโ€™re probably going to go through some hurdles, learn some lessons, and find new passions. She has found other hobbies in cooking, baking, yoga, and secretly wants to participate in a poetry slam. Something that has really shaped Eva into the person she is today is her journey with mental health. From an early age she has struggled with depression and anxiety which at any time can take a major toll on you. She had to find a way to navigate her feelings which she found in writing. Eva has been very open about her struggles with mental health on her Instagram and by going to high schools around her area to educate others on speaking up for themselves and wants to destigmatize the stereotypes around mental health. One of the biggest lessons Eva has learned is forgiveness because in the wise words of Trudy Goodman "forgiveness is the most selfless act someone can do,โ€ and she believes especially if it is towards yourself. There is no better way to summarize this than what Eva said, โ€œI believe that acceptance and forgiveness walk hand in hand. I have accepted that I am probably going to lose a lot more than Iโ€™m going to win and being able to forgive myself has made surfing a lot more fun.โ€

The little details between and what the future holds