Meet Daniel Parsons | Kinesiologist & Collegiate Professor

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

Hi Daniel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Founding and growing Surf the Spectrum was a culmination of several years of life experience, opportunities, relationships, education, and self-realization. It’s been a journey that I imagine is very similar to that of many other entrepreneurs Peeling back the layers, it’s one that has been guided by the notion that all individuals can be the author of their own story and achieve great things. Working with several populations in physical activity settings over the past fifteen years, from competitive athletes, older adults, teens recovering from drug addiction, to children with special needs, I’ve learned that perhaps the most valuable ingredient in service delivery is fortifying the human connection; meeting people where they are in there lives and facilitating personal growth and development. Earning my Masters Degree in Kinesiology and writing a thesis really helped me learn how to capture the therapeutic nature of physical activity and build safe and effective programs that are in line with evidence based practice both in design and delivery. In fact, Surf the Spectrum was born from my graduate thesis in which I investigated the effects of surf therapy on quality of life and self-determination among young adults on the Autism Spectrum. It was an incredible two year journey to dive into literature and learn about all the wonders that physical activity can do for mental health. I had experienced the therapeutic effects of physical activity and surfing in my own life and had come to know it so well but designing and implementing a 12 week intervention study to empirically document it truly set the stage. Seeing lives change and passions discovered became the driving force to deliver that experience to other people who may be searching for that flame in their own lives.

What should our readers know about your business?
We use surf, longboard skate, and evidence-based fitness programming as tools to promote both physical and metal health. Whether it’s at the beach, in the park, or at our gym space (HUGE shout out to Adrian’s Place in Santa Monica for renting space to us!!), we seek to place our clients in a position to experience personal growth and development. Surf the Spectrum is unique in that, to our knowledge, there are no other companies that implement the combination of programs that we do. Having a firm understanding of the needs of our target populations (special needs & mental health) along with being equipped with the credentials to design and implement programs that fill those needs has been an invaluable part of the company’s success. I’m most proud of all of the clients we serve who regularly work so hard every week to challenge themselves, commit to themselves, and accomplish things they may have previously thought wasn’t possible. As our clients grow and develop in their own skill in a private one-to-one setting (whether it’s surf, skate, or fitness), we strategically form small groups as socialization opportunities for them to continue working on their craft among their peers, which is something that isn’t being done elsewhere for the population we serve. When I think about where the business is today, I can’t help but think that we’re only just beginning. As I’ve always done from day 1 (2018), I commit to the vision each and everyday knowing that the future of the company will be determined by today’s hard work. When you’re in the human business of delivering a service, I think it’s probably easy to eventually get caught up in the numbers but something that has really helped me is trust that if the service truly is a good one that satisfies a real need, then the numbers will take care of themselves. Maybe it’s not the most business savvy philosophy but it’s worked well so far and I think it’s important to continually align with the “why” of our philosophy and vision. If I were to choose one thing that I’d want someone to know about our brand is that we are delivering scientifically sound programs with love and compassion.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Is there a word limit on this question, because the amazing opportunities in Los Angeles are endless. On the list of requirements is time spent at the beaches in Malibu (Leo Carrillo and Zuma are my favorites), going to restaurants in West Hollywood, catching a Lakers Game and hanging out in the art’s district after, and a doing the beach path from Venice up to Will Rogers at sunset can be pretty amazing, on whatever wheels suit you best! Being from LA, the food, culture, diversity, and opportunity are things that I have learned to be truly grateful for.

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?
The success and continued growth of the Surf the Spectrum has been made possible because of the support, mentorship, and encouragement of others. My wife, Kiera Parsons, was and continues to be instrumental in helping the company get to where it is today. The mentors I had during my graduate studies, particularly Dr. Teri Todd, Dr. Belinda Stillwell, and Dr. Ashley Samson truly helped me understand how to digest tons of literature and incorporate theoretical framework into program design. My loving family and friends continue to support me and it’s so necessary, because having your own business is truly a life’s work.

Website: surfthespectrum.org

Instagram: @surfthespectrum

Linkedin: Daniel Parsons

Image Credits
Daniel Parsons Sarah Feldman Sanaya Maniar