Podcst

288. Koa Smith: You're Facing Your Fear the Wrong Way. A Top Big-Wave Surfer's Method

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Gary Brecka

July 21, 2026

Show Notes

You think some people are just born without fear, but my guest Koa Smith has spent 15 years paddling into waves big enough to kill him, and he'll tell you the opposite: fear never leaves, the whole game is what you do when it shows up. After a reef injury knocked him unconscious underwater and left him eight months numb, depressed, and unable to get a straight answer from a doctor, he clawed his way back with forest time, breathwork, meditation, clean food, and real sleep instead of a prescription. This isn't really a surfing video, it's about the same fear that keeps you from a hard conversation, a new business, or a decision you've been avoiding, and how getting clear lets you finally see through it.


CLICK HERE TO BECOME GARY’S VIP!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg


Connect with Koa Smith

Website: https://bit.ly/4pwKtZ0  

YouTube: https://bit.ly/4gJxZLf  

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RoFYTt  

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3TJhk0C  

TikTok: https://bit.ly/45eUzUQ  


Thank you to our partners

A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij

AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD

AIRES: "ULTIMATE20 " FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/4a3Duze

BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa

BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV

COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp

CYMBIOTIKA: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4tjyluP

GENETIC METHYLATION TEST (UK ONLY): https://bit.ly/48QJJrk

GENETIC TEST (USA ONLY): ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9

GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC

H2TAB: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg

HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S

PEPTUAL: “TUH10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4mKxgcn

SNOOZE: LET’S GET TO SLEEP!: https://bit.ly/4pt1T6V

WHOOP: JOIN & GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW


Watch  the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST:

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8

Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0


Connect with Gary Brecka

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs

TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8foX: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf

Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2

Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU

Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws

Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG


Timestamps

- Intro of Show

- Meet Koa Smith: surfer and abundance advocate

- Learning to manage the fear of the ocean

- Feeling good as the key to seeing through fear

- Wim Hof breathing, ice baths, and the early days

- Transcendental and Joe Dispenza meditation

- What meditation actually is (and busy minds)

- Surfacing buried memories and energetic blockages

- Learning to hear your own voice

- The traumatic brain injury on the reef

- Waking up underwater to violin music

- Depression, double vision, and numbness set in

- Doctors refuse the brain scan

- Forest bathing as the number one tool

- Slippery thoughts and the darkest moment

- Antidepressants vs. his gut instinct

- Fantastic Fungi and the mushroom decision

- The forest experience and its instructions

- The reset that healed the injury

- Why meditation beats going deeper too often

- Pear-xanthine and getting off stimulants

- Building the cafe and drink brands

- Where to find Koa

- What it means to be an ultimate human


Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. It is not intended for diagnosing or treating any health condition. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making health or wellness decisions. 


Gary Brecka is the owner of Ultimate Human, LLC which operates The Ultimate Human podcast and promotes certain third-party products used by Gary Brecka in his personal health and wellness protocols and daily life and for which Ultimate Human LLC and / or Gary Brecka directly or indirectly holds an economic interest or receives compensation.  Accordingly, statements made by Gary Brecka and others (including on The Ultimate Human podcast) may be considered promotional in nature.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

288. Koa Smith: You're Facing Your Fear the Wrong Way. A Top Big-Wave Surfer's Method — Podcst