We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenn Lacey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenn, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
What makes me happy and feel my best is being outside in sunshine and nature. I love being in and moving my body–surfing, yoga, long beach walks, dance and going to the gym bring me right back into the present moment and my best self. I love cooking nourishing meals for myself and people I love and getting creative inventing “healthy” yet delicious desserts. My heart is at its fullest when I spend time with my love, my dogs and other positive and inspiring people.

I believe true happiness and fulfillment exists only in the here and now… that’s all that we’ve got! It’s a daily practice to rewrite old conditioning that tells me that “when I get there, I’ll be happy.” Every day I’m learning to appreciate the journey, acknowledge and remember how far I’ve come, and take time to notice all of the moments and milestones whether they’re big and small. I have my end goal in mind–this motivates me and excites me to take daily steps in that direction–but I’m no longer obsessing over it. If I’m not happy now, I won’t be later!

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets Ocean School apart is that we are not a “surf school” or just “childcare.” We are a movement set out to redefine how the world views children’s education and how it weaves into the health and wellbeing of families, community, the ocean, environment and beyond. We are just getting started!

We are not here to “indoctrinate,” or tell children what to think or who to be. Instead, we hold a safe and supportive container for children to explore, get curious about the ocean, nature and themselves and find what truly lights them up. Ocean School is a place where kids are empowered and encouraged to take learning into their own hands, come to their own conclusions and to always feel that they are heard, seen, valued and loved exactly as they are.

Ocean School is a movement rooted in love, purpose and connection to something far bigger than oneself. We pour all our hearts into it–it is the culmination of all of our years of surfing, ocean experience, life lessons and everything we wish we had learned in the beginning. In all of our time and learning together, we always direct back to our own greatest teacher: Ocean! Everything ties back to the endless teachings of the ocean and our own inextricable connection to it. The hope is that every student goes home knowing that they belong, and to remember that the ocean is a place for all of us.

If I didn’t love and wholeheartedly believe in our mission, honestly, I’m not sure I would want to own a business. I think we live in a time where being an entrepreneur is glamorized and depicted as the perfect life. Being a small business owner entails a whole lot more than just the fun glimpses we might see on social media. We wear a LOT of hats and there is a ton of behind-the-scenes effort that goes into what is seen on the surface.

Work-life balance can be challenging as a passionate entrepreneur. Working with my husband takes it to a whole other level. Is working with your spouse something I would recommend to everyone? Definitely not! Thankfully, in our case, the result has been synergistic and far greater than anything I could ever do on my own. We’ve come to a place of maximizing our individual talents and strengths in a way that supports and complements one another and serves a far wider population in our community. We have learned when to turn on and off conversations about business in a way that’s healthy for our relationship. We are both always open to learning more and continuing our own growth for the rest of our lives. Working together is just one portion of this abundant, beautiful life we’ve made together; far more than business partners, we are life partners, lovers and best friends!

I’ve had to get serious on making time for self-care, time management and setting boundaries for myself with work. I’ve experienced seasons of manic obsession, working nonstop and devoting all my time and energy to Ocean School which inevitably followed with intense burnout, anxiety, self-doubt and second thoughts on if this is even what I want to do after all. Year by year, I’m finding more balance and flow through all the seasons and making sure that, no matter what, I am filling my own cup first. It is so important to me that I give 100% in this work that I care so much about, and taking necessary time to care for myself first is the surest way to be at my best for the children, the community and my family.

Even after five years of owning and running our own business, I feel like we are learning something new every day! Certainly, a recurring lesson for me is to TRUST and let go of control. By no coincidence, this is also one of the biggest lessons I have learned from the ocean and surfing in general. We cannot control the waves or ever know for sure what’s on the horizon with absolute certainty. Our life as surfers and working directly with the environment requires complete surrender to nature and accepting the fact that there is so much that is out of our control.

At the end of the day, I trust that we are always headed somewhere good. I believe the universe lines everything up perfectly every time, even when we cannot fathom why in the moment. It gives me so much peace to remember that there are no mistakes. Everything is unfolding exactly as it’s supposed to, and even in times of chaos or total unknown, there is always a reason for everything just as it is. There is a plan that is far more amazing than anything we could ever imagine!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d definitely start the day by going for a surf! Then we would take the dogs for a walk at OB Dog Beach, aka the happiest place on earth. From there, we’d grab coffee and breakfast burritos at Benedict’s right at the entrance to the beach. And for the burrito I would ask for extra green sauce! Then we would go to People’s Co-op and pick up some beautiful produce and cook something really delicious for dinner.

We would make a day at Sunset Cliffs, one of my absolute favorite places in all of San Diego with some of the most picturesque, breathtaking views and beautiful hiking trails.

We would also go to Mission Bay for a little snorkeling day, float, relax and get some sun and then enjoy a stroll or skate on Mission boardwalk. While in the neighborhood, we could walk around Belmont Park where there’s tons to eat, drink and do… maybe play mini golf or laser tag! For dinner we’d get Brazilian Pizza at Theo’s Hot Pizza in Pacific Beach. We would order Frango Catupury com bacon, caprichada por favor 😉

We would get cacao at Maya Moon Cafe–San Diego’s first and best cacao cafe and beautiful atmosphere to just hang out and talk or get work done. Then we would recenter and recharge with a yoga class in the park with Elka Yoga, my yoga mama and the goddess who I completed my Yoga Teacher Training with this past year!

In the evening we would take a dance class either at Madhouse Dance or Brazilian Sculpt Dance. Both of these women-owned, women-serving studios are SO MUCH FUN, all-levels, empowering studios to let loose, get down and shake off the day!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I cannot say thank you enough to the many people who have been and continue to journey alongside me.

First and foremost, I thank God/Goddess, universe, higher power, divine spark, unconditional love–whatever you want to call the universal connecting source energy behind it all that has given me inspiration, desire in my heart and vision in my mind to bring into reality, all thanks to the loving support of my family and community.

I want to thank my love, my life partner, my best friend, my business partner, my favorite surfer, my ride or die, my husband Orlando. Orlando has my back no matter what and is the only person I want to spend hours, days on end with and do all of life with. He sees and fully supports me with all of my dreams, even when they are a little out there! He is the co-founder and loving counterpart of our passion project, and Ocean School’s official “SPORTS GUY”! I love you endlessly, babe!!!

I’m grateful for my parents who gave me the gift of life and so much more. Without a doubt, I got my love for teaching children from my mom, a stay-at-home and homeschooling mother of six. My mom is endlessly devoted to giving her children the best life and education. Through her own sacrifices, she gave me opportunities as a child that allowed me to think outside the box, experience and imagine alternative education. My dad, a small business owner himself, always modeled what a hardworking yet balanced entrepreneurial life can look like. Throughout my entire childhood and now as an adult, my dad has always demonstrated unwavering love and commitment to his family. He has the most positive perspective on everything, is so cool and so much fun! Love you Mom and Dad!

I’d also like to thank the Ryan Family YMCA for giving me my first job as a camp counselor and afterschool teacher–this was when I first realized my love for working with kids. For several years, I worked elementary afterschool care at Silver Gate Elementary. This was the first time I had classes of my own to guide and I learned a LOT. I dialed into my craft and uncovered my passion, I let my creativity and inner child run rampant. I had so much fun! Through my time at the Y, I formed extremely positive and meaningful connections with families in our community lasting to this day.

Between now and then, I am thankful for all of the children and classrooms I’ve taught and the teachers I’ve had and got to work with both here in San Diego and while living abroad in Peru and Ecuador. In so many different classrooms, environments and settings of teaching children and working alongside other amazing educators, I have gained so much insight, wisdom and perspective to infuse into my own unique teaching style. And I’m here to continue learning and refining my craft for the rest of my life!

I would like to thank Groundswell Community Project, a nonprofit that runs surf therapy programs both in the community and around the world. My involvement with them has been so instrumental in my personal and professional development, my surf journey, finding community and my path to purpose. The people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had through Groundswell brought to light what boldly following one’s heart can look like and all that is possible when community comes together. Their trauma-informed, heart- and community-centered approach to teaching surfing inspires much of the curriculum and practices that we incorporate at Ocean School. I am so grateful for Natalie and all of the beautiful Groundswell community that has both held me and inspired me to grow, to believe in myself and the vision of Ocean School.

I would like to thank the very first families of Ocean School: the Brackens, the Steins, the D’Ascolis and the Coynes. Fondly known as the Ocean School’s “First Wave” class, these families came together as the most supportive, encouraging and purely magical first year of Ocean School we could have ever had. What was originally supposed to be a temporary pod of six 2nd graders in the wild time of Covid turned out to be the birth of Ocean School. When I first proposed my slightly outlandish idea–meeting at the beach and getting in the ocean every day (as long as it was safe) as an alternative to going to school–all of the families were completely on board. They trusted me completely and gave me so much confidence that, even in such a time of uncertainty and having never done this before, I felt a peace in my heart that it was the perfect time to actualize my dream of an ocean-centered nature school. Thanks to all of their support and sharing our program with friends and community, here we are, still rocking and rolling five years later!

Finally, I want to thank all of our community today and over the past five years–how much it has grown over the years and sustained the life of Ocean School. Community is everything and this passion project is definitely co-creative in nature. We do our best to share our love, purpose and talents in a meaningful way that serves the very community that makes everything we do possible. Without the community, we wouldn’t be here! Words can’t express our gratitude for all of your presence, trust and support!

Website: https://www.oceanschooliscool.com

Instagram: @oceanschooliscool

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oceanschooliscool

Image Credits
Gifted Studio Photography

John Cocozza Photography

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