As co-founder of Textured Waves, Chelsea Woody has elevated a movement to grow the culture around surfing for women of color and underrepresented demographics through representation, community and camaraderie. Woody is originally from Seattle but relocated to Santa Cruz six years ago with her husband so they could surf daily. Feeling underrepresented as one of the only Black women in the local lineup, she and Textured Waves’ co-founders sought out a community of Black female surfers across the country and their community was born, quickly gaining momentum on Instagram for its spotlight on women of color who surf. Since then, Textured Waves has used their platform to elevate women’s voices, while inspiring and creating space for others to take the baton and create their own history.