146: Diving to Incredible Depths During Menopause with Nina McGowan

In this Episode

Nina McGowan didn’t begin freediving until she was in her late 40s and sliding into the menopause transition. With the help of her background in meditation, yoga, dance, the arts, and eventually hormone therapy, she’s reached depths she would have only dreamed imaginable, setting multiple Irish National Records as well as securing a World Record in the 50-54 age division with a dive of 43 meters (141 feet) that involved holding her breath for 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Just last month, Nina set three new National Records including 46 meters (151 feet) in the Constant weight No Fins (CNF) division and 58 meters (190 feet) in the Free Immersion (FIM) division. We talk all about it, along with her history and work as a visual artist this week.

Nina McGowan is a visual artist who is primarily concerned with the human body, and considers it a tool for understanding, mediating, and perceiving the world. She uses freediving as a research tool to inform and direct her artwork. Her current themes address the overwhelm that people cite when they think about the scale of the climate crises. Her work attempts to re-scale and re-map aspects of the crises to the human body. She performs on stage, makes sculpture, and speaks publicly on these topics. You can learn more about her and her artwork at nina_mcgowan_artist and her diving at marinina_freediver.

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