Wipeouts, Wins & What’s Coming Next: Growing a Midlife Women’s Surf Community - The Pink Diva Dispatch - August Edition

August is here—and let me tell you, this month has me riding some waves… and not just in the ocean.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been knee-deep in learning Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, video editing, scheduling content… and figuring out how to not throw my laptop out the window while trying to add trending audio to a Reel. 😅

At 58, I feel like the world’s oldest intern. I’ve had moments where I’ve asked myself, “What am I even doing?”—and other moments when I’ve stayed up way too late with a burst of creativity, thinking, “This. This is meaningful (and fun!) I can do this..."

And that’s what this dispatch is all about.

Because building Pink Divas Surf Club isn’t just about surfing midlife or posting cool content (although yes, you will see me paddling waves this summer). It’s about creating something deeper—and wildly different—from just any "old" Instagram feed or Facebook group.

💗 Why I Started This

If you’re new here, quick backstory: I learned to surf at 45 during one of the hardest chapters of my life—navigating divorce, shared custody, and the deep ache of having to rebuild what came next. The ocean became my therapy. The waves taught me how to fall and get back up (repeatedly). And slowly, I found my center again.

But you know what really stuck with me? How many women I saw out there—learning how to surf later in life (literally and figuratively), showing up scared but willing, looking for something more than just a hobby - looking for true connection and friendships.

That’s where Pink Divas was born. Out of the idea that maybe we didn’t need to go it alone. Maybe we could use the ocean as our muse and find our inner Divas... together!

🌊 Why Pink Divas Is Different

There are plenty of Facebook groups and surfing accounts out there. But Pink Divas Surf Club is being built on something more:

🔹 Local Connection

This isn’t just about likes and shares. It’s about real-life meetups, day retreats, paddleboard adventures, and salty beach walks with women who just get it. Whether you're in Florida or watching from afar, the idea is to eventually build chapters where ocean-loving women over 50 can meet in real life.

🔹 Ocean-Inspired Healing

We talk wellness, yes—but not in a “drink more green juice” kind of way. We’re about ocean therapy, joy, sweat, salt, soul. We believe menopause, midlife shifts, and second chances aren’t something to hide—they’re something to surf.

🔹 Sisterhood with Salty Sass

You won’t find perfection here. You’ll find personality. Messy hair, don’t care. We’re about full-hearted encouragement, no toxic positivity, and definitely no bikini body pressure. We're slaying midlife and loving it.

🌅 What’s Coming Next

This month, I’ve started early planning for our first in-person experience: An exclusive half-day retreat on a secluded island off Clearwater Beach—just a small group of us, a pontoon boat, kayaks and paddleboards, beach tents, and time to reconnect with yourself and other ocean-hearted women. It's not fully launched yet—but almost. If that lights something up in you, stay close. I’ll be sharing more soon.

🤳 How You Can Support This Movement

• Follow on Instagram @pinkdivassurfclub That’s where I’m experimenting with inspiration, humor, and ideas that only we divas can relate to. Likes and comments appreciated!

• Join the Facebook Group This is where the conversations can go deeper and the community begins to form. It's brand new - so you'll be a founding member! Join, engage, contribute, share your journey in midlife - we become stronger when we connect!

• Comment below or email me Are you interested in future Diva retreats or meetups in Florida? Would you want one in your area? I want to hear from you.
  

💬 Final Thoughts

Here’s the truth: I’m still figuring this out. The editing apps. The hashtags. The strategy. But one thing I know for sure?

We deserve spaces that feel like home. We deserve community that doesn’t ask us to shrink or stay quiet. We deserve to try new things, fall down, and get back up—surfboard, phone camera, Instagram or otherwise.

If you're a woman over 50 who's ever felt too old to start again, I hope you know this:

You're not too old, and it's not too late. Let’s build this thing together.

With love, waves, & sea spray,💗 Carol Ann, Founder, Pink Divas Surf Club