Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
From the early part of the 20th century with Annette Kellerman and Ida Elionsky to the contemporary 21st century world of marathon swimmers Sarah Thomas and Kimberley Chambers, women in the open water have long demonstrated a deep-seated passion for challenging themselves and expanding the boundaries of what the human spirit and body can do.
Kristina Roth instinctively knows that fact whether women are in boardrooms or start-up companies or across channels and lakes.
The American entrepreneur turned kiteboarder and global traveler has previously created the SuperShe society, a community of women who can create change and achieve the impossible.
From Gertrude Ederle who smashed the men’s English Channel record at a time when women were only allowed to swim 400m at the Olympics to Shelley Taylor-Smith whose victories over men led to equal pay and equal opportunities for women in the professional marathon swimming world, women have long achieved the seemingly impossible offshore.
Now Roth is upping her game and has developed SuperShe Island, the official headquarters of the SuperShe society.
The private island is in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Finland. It is a small 10-person island with four well-equipped cabins, saunas, and facilities for yoga, meditation, farm-to-table dining, cooking classes, and fitness classes.
SuperShe Island is limited to women. “Women need to spend time with other women. Being on vacation with men can be draining and demanding. We want SuperShe Island to be rejuvenating and a safe space where women can reinvent themselves and their desires. A place where you can recalibrate without distractions,” explains Roth.
“You just come and…chill,” on an island among the Finnish archipelago known for its evergreen trees, rocky coast, warm sea water in the summer, and beautiful sunrises.
The travel writer has big plans for the future. “I love the Caribbean and I love Hawaii, but I was personally very surprised by how at home I felt here and how beautiful it was. I think even if I had my mind set on Caribbean blue waters for the first retreats, I really am very happy that I changed the paradigm and I started with this island first.”
She owns property in Turks & Caicos where she may expand next to continue encouraging women to connect with, befriend and help empower other women. “Seeing how much positive feedback I received through the island, and it’s not even open yet, I’m very excited to take this global. I know that I’m on the right track, that I really am craving something that’s needed and wanted.
It’s very interesting to see the whole spectrum of women who are signing up and really reassuring me that this place is needed.”
She told CNN Travel of her motivations. “I really lived in, worked, lived, breathed in a men-dominated world. When I really started to travel more the last couple of years, I just met a lot of amazing women around the world.“
“Women need to spend time with other women. Being on vacation with men can cause women to become sidetracked, whether it’s to put on a swipe of lipstick or grab for a cover-up. We want SuperShe Island to be rejuvenating and a safe space where women can reinvent themselves and their desires. A place where you can recalibrate without distractions.”
And possibly swim in a beautiful part of the world.
For more information, visit supersheisland.com or here.
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