Interview with Kelly Slater

Stokepedia

Kelly Slater: The life of the non-surfer.

Credit: Kelly Slater

Stoke recently had a great chance to score a conversation with Kelly Slater, arguably the most famous household name in surfing. Needless to say we were very excited and took her up on the offer and er… It wasn’t quite what we expected. 

OK. It totally wasn’t what we expected.

We were hungover so we made an intern do the conversation and he clearly didn’t know anything about surfing.
Well. He’s fired now.

 Here you go anyway…



Hi Kelly, thank you so much for getting back to us, many of our readers and travellers admire you so much!



Hi to you! Thank you so much for this awesome opportunity. I have to say your email made me laugh. But, let me make it clear that I wasn’t always Kelly Slater.

How’s that?



I was born Kelly Callihan. I’m originally from Wilmington, NC. When I got married I became Mrs. Kelly Slater. The first picture is of me on my wedding day; the day I became Mrs. Kelly Slater…



Wow! I didn’t realise you had become married and were Mrs. Kelly Slater? Congrats!  



STOKE: this is the point where we regretted sending the intern. We were also regretting the night before.

I think [the photos] show me in my element; the life of the party, and always with a smile on my face and having fun.There are a few of my family as well; my husband, Justin, and our two children, Tinley and Crew. They all make up my awesomeness.

Wow, wait, so you’re… a woman? I got the impression that – ha stupid us… well… that you’re a man. Were we confused?

Ok. First and foremost, I’m a mom. That’s my main and favorite 24-7 job, and my greatest achievement. I graduated from Bowling Green State University with a BA in communications, and currently work for K&K Interiors.

That’s super admirable, I’m glad we’re getting a real insight into the mind of Kelly Slater! We have to ask then: who do you admire?



I absolutely love Reese Witherspoon, not only for her acting talents and southern charm, but also because of her strong involvement in women’s and children’s organizations. And, people say I even look like her, which I’ll definitely take as a huge compliment.


That is a big compliment and I can see it too! You travel the world so much, we always see you in basically every continent in the world! What is your favourite location?

My absolute favorite travel destination has to be Cabo, San Lucas. My husband and I spent our honeymoon there, and loved it so much, we took a babymoon there while I was 5 months pregnant with our daughter.

Babymoon! Ha I’ve never heard that term. What is your favourite ice cream flavour?


Hmm… that’s tough. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I’ll pretty much eat anything, except mint chocolate chip. Yuck. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Toft’s (a local favorite) Red Velvet Rush.

Red velvet rush, ha I’ve done that move on a lady before. Glad we share a passion for passion! Thanks Kelly! Now on to the nitty gritty:

 What’s your favourite song?



Credit: Jimmicane – Surfer Magazine

If I had to pick for myself, I would choose “You Make Loving You Easy,” by Zac Brown Band.It’s one of my favorites, and I think the lyrics describe me perfectly. Just ask my husband. 🙂



I’ll have to have an interview with your husband too! How would he describe you?



That’s easy. Fun. Okay, or bubbly. I’ve been described as both.

Right, now to our final and most important question: How much money have you drunkenly spent at McDonald’s

Haha, that’s the best question ever! I honestly can’t name the exact dollar amount, but I remember this one time after a long day and night of tailgating and watching the game… I don’t know what we ordered, but I know we got home with a lot of nuggets and fries. And A LOT of buffalo sauce.



Haha I always arrive home with food I never remember buying too. Well, Kelly thank you for this insightful and exclusive interview, and best luck in the upcoming championships!



Thank you again for this amazing and exciting opportunity! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with!


- Kelly Slater (not the pro surfer)

The intern was fired.

** Big thanks to Kelly Slater for sharing her life and personality with us. If you’re ever in Barcelona, we’ll buy you a beer.

Tagged with: surf, Kelly Slater, surfing