Surfer, Unconventional Lawyer, Writer, Bali, Indonesia

“Women now make up between 20 to 30 percent of surfers, and that number continues to grow,” writes professional surfer/writer Lauren Hill. I wonder how many female surfers are lawyers?

When unconventional is part of someone’s self-label, my interest piques. Ms. Christina Tabacco is an unconventional lawyer with a unique story. She relocated from San Francisco to a small town in South Africa (population 27,000) called Jeffreys Bay. With a bit more digging I found out that Jeffrey’s Bay is known for the following: (1) a very long, fast, right-handed (rare) point break surf wave, (2) cold water and (3) great white sharks. The surf break in Jeffreys Bay is regarded as one of the best right hand point breaks in the entire world, in both consistency and quality. It also attracts surfers from across the globe who participate in the annual World Surf League (WSL) event.

It was love for the sport, a promise of an adventure as well as the access to the break that attracted Christina to this part of South Africa. In fact her residence and work office are across the street from the beach. How did the leap into the unconventional happen?

I caught Christina post-surf, hair wet, rushing from Bali to West Sumatra (another epic surfing destination in Indonesia). It was later, through this interview that I learned about the transition into another life, re-settling on another continent and all the fun things that make Ms. Tabacco an unconventional and a non-conforming WOW Woman.

1. Name.

Christina Tabacco

2. Birthplace.

Portola Valley, California. 

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like? 

 Unconventional Lawyer.

My average day involves rising early, surfing, writing legal news articles (work), and more surfing.

4. What did you study in school? 

Environmental Science and later, law.

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the moment for you that changed your life (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?

Winding. I worked as a lawyer in San Francisco, California after graduating from law school in Washington, D.C. On paper, my life looked quite enviable—educated, prestigiously employed, a young mortgage holder of a beautiful Russian Hill property, an amiable boyfriend. It wasn’t until I started weeping during my lunch breaks and fleeing for a small cluster of redwood trees in the city’s financial district that I realized that I was terribly unhappy.

Sometime after those episodes began, an ophthalmologist looked into my eyes, asked me a few questions about myself, and made me understand that life it short to spend in neutral.

A few weeks later I quit my job, undid my mortgage, left my boyfriend, and set out for South Africa where I volunteered as a horseback safari guide for six months. Working with horses in the bush (African wilderness) reminded me that life need not be a linear track divined by society. Suddenly, it seemed my life was mine to make.

After that, I continued to look outside of law for career options and wound up teaching outdoor education to college students in Chilean Patagonia and South Africa. It turns out that I don’t have the patience for teaching, but the experiences were well worth it.

From there, I made my way to South Africa’s coast, fell in love with surfing and settled in a little town called Jeffrey’s Bay. I found work as a remote correspondent for an American-based legal news publication, blending my love of writing with my interest in law. It’s the best job I ever had.

Since then, I was lucky to meet someone with a similar outlook who has taken me to corners of the earth with the best waves.

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

More independent than I would have guessed, less cookie-cutter. At 20, I was looking at the blue print followed by my peers and was generally accepting of it. I walked down that road a little farther and realized that you don’t have to conform if you don’t want to.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

Leaving California for Africa (permanently) when no close family member wanted me to go. My thirtieth birthday dinner was a horrendously awkward affair as my family nervously shuffled around the topic of my future and struggled to understand why I would leave the comforts of the first world for deep, dark Africa.

Time smoothed over the pain and answered the questions that at the time, I couldn’t. It was a lesson: it’s ok not to have an answer and imperative to embrace the uncertainty.

8. Advice for other women?

Give yourself lots of credit.

9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?

Conformity kills! The way forward is independence.

10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?

11. What extracurricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?

Surfing. It has, without question, become the biggest fixture in my life and my main muse. The journey it has taken me on spiritually, mentally, and physically has been transformative.

I find peace and humility in the ocean, and there, the chaos of life seems to fade to irrelevance. Too, my hair was brown and is now highlighted with shades of blonde-come-white that people pay good money for, a professional hairdresser confirmed to me.

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?

I’d like to continue and expand my writing career.

13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?

I fear serious illness.

14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?

I’d learn to surf from a young age.

15. What inspires you?

People with the courage to do something meaningful, case in point, Olga.

16. What are you hopeful about?

The power to improve oneself and one’s situation.

17. What are some ingredients to a good life? Has the global pandemic changed your perspective about the world, about your life, your goals and dreams?

Ingredients for a good life include:

• Sunshine

• Smiling

• Inspirational company

• Turmeric

• Testing your limits (continually)

The pandemic has reminded me that every sublime breath is a gift.

19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

Be nicer to your mum!

20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)

David Mitchell’s Utopia Avenue. He is the most brilliant contemporary author.

21. Who is a WOW WOMAN in your world who inspires you and why? Can you nominate three (or more) women you know who perfectly fit WOW WOMAN description? What would you tell them, if you had an opportunity, why do you admire them?

Cheron, Liesle , and Chantal are some of the most badass chicks I know.

I admire the intuition and smarts Cheron has relied on to build and define her success. She is also unafraid to roll the dice, and has revealed to me why that is a must-quality for achievement, whether personal or professional.

Liesle’s beautiful and boundless energy is contagious; there is no other way to put it. She also sets the terms of her own life, and faces adversity with a “forward, march!” attitude. When life dishes up a challenge, she tackles it with poise and resolve.

Chantal rules the roost. Her slight stature belies the respect she commands: this matriarch is not to be messed with. She runs her business with the efficiency and competence of a top-tier CEO, CFO, and COO combined.

22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?

If you’re interested in reading legal tech news, please check out Law Street Media, my writing samples here. Otherwise I’m on Instagram @christinatabacco.Law Street Media

Bonus Qs:

Who is/are your mentor/s (men or women)?

A mix of both. Gender isn’t a deciding factor for me in terms of seeking guidance, whether personal or professional. I think my most critical mentor was a woman, Chris. At a time when the decision made me sick with concern, she pushed me to take the extraordinary plunge of leaving San Francisco for South Africa.

If you didn't have to work anymore what would you do with your days?

Surf and feed hungry people and take care of animals.

What bothers you most about other people? What do you love most about other people?

Arrogance is a really unattractive quality. I love it when people surprise me with some unexpected fact about their life.

If you could be anyone for a day who would you be?

A dolphin, if that’s an acceptable answer.

If you could relive one year in your life, which one would it be?

Thirty first. The year that the biggest change I made, leaving my home, career, and known world, started to pay big dividends. The feeling of accomplishment was to that point, unparalleled.