75. It's Never Too Late with Aunty Skates
In today’s episode, Laura welcomes Oorbee Roy, also known as Aunty Skates, to the podcast to discuss her journey of becoming a skateboarder in her 40’s as well as her enormous social media success. Together, they discuss the mental and emotional challenges of learning a new sport, overcoming self-doubt, and the impact of Oorbee's positive message on her TikTok followers. Oorbee shares information regarding her upcoming free clinic, "It's Never Too Late to Skate with Aunty Skates", this May in Toronto, which is open to anyone who wants to start skateboarding. She and Laura also discuss the toxic Aunty culture prevalent in South Asian communities and how Oorbee created the character of Aunty Skates to offer a safe space for South Asian women to pursue their dreams.
They go on to explore the sense of belonging that skateboarding can provide to adults, and how it allows adults to step outside their comfort zone and experience the liberating feeling of play, without fear of judgment or criticism. The importance of finding connections with children through shared interests, modeling perseverance and kindness, and investing time in activities with them to build strong relationships and promote healthy development are all topics that are discussed as well. Laura and Oorbee both emphasize the value of being invested in their children's interests and activities to create meaningful connections, and being positive role models online to help children deal with negativity. The episode concludes with a reflection on the joys of parenting and the importance of being present in their children's lives.
Episode Highlights:
Oorbee Roy, and the origin of Aunty Skates
Documenting her skateboarding journey on TikTok
Aunty Skates’ message
Inspiring others to pursue their dreams and live their best lives
Finding joy in the journey and not being too hard on yourself
Offering a safe space for South Asian women to pursue their dreams
The toxic Aunty culture is a result of generational trauma that Oorbee wants to break.
Inspiring others to break down barriers in their own lives.
Stepping outside your comfort zone and experiencing the liberating feeling of play.
How skateboarding has allowed her to parent in a unique and fun way.
Creating special connections with children.
The importance of being invested in children's interests and activities
Modeling perseverance and kindness
The joys of parenting
Celebrating the journey, not just the successes
Giving children the confidence they need to navigate online negativity
Dealing with hate on social media
Building resilience
Quotes:
"It's never too late to live your best life."
"It's really about finding joy in the journey."
"You have to be your biggest fan."
"I think it's really important to inspire people to take that first step."
"I want to be a safe space for young South Asian women to come and know that anything is possible."
"I have compassion for that Aunty generation now, but I don't want to repeat that."
"You hit a spot, a sensitive spot, and something a lot of people needed to hear."
"It's a mental health break that we all need."
"I want to provide that opportunity for people because it's such a joyful experience."
"Watching the surprise on their faces when they land the tricks, and then when they get the high from skating and the endorphins start coming in, I'm like, yeah, I love it, I love it, I love it."
"Every time they see me fall, they see me get back up."
"I do a lot of parenting at the skatepark, which is great. It's great multitasking."
"Finding a connection point with your kids...I think is really invaluable."
"I guess we see each other's journey, and that's one thing I find really special about the skating community."
"I think a lot of it is about confidence."
"I'm out there skating in my sari and I feel like a freaking superhero."
"They see how joyful I am, they see how confident I am."
"Social media is great, and it can be a virus. Like, it can be awful."
Links:
Laura’s Social Media:
Oorbee’s Links:
