Interview: Peter Tranter

Photos: Casey Jones,
Green River Narrows Photography,
Adriene Levknecht,
Rob Giersch &
Anna Levesque

A chat with… Anna Levesque

When did you first start kayaking? 
I started kayaking in 1994 at 19 when I took a summer job in the kitchen of a rafting company on the Rouge River in Quebec, Canada, near where I grew up. Kayaking looked so fun, and the lead instructor for the kayak school would let me shadow her courses on my days off. I tried to get every chance I could. When I graduated from university in North Carolina, USA, my parents dropped me off at a rafting company in West Virginia, where I started raft guiding on the New and the Gauley Rivers and kayaked as much as possible. My parents thought it would be a phase. Instead, I chose to forego law school to pursue my passion for whitewater and travelling.

Let’s start with mental agility, a major focus in your life – how does it apply to paddling?
I define mental agility as the ability to move quickly and easily from feeling disempowered to feeling empowered. It’s about building confidence to perform well and, most importantly, to recover when things don’t go your way or you have a scary experience.

For example, if you take an unpleasant swim, it can be challenging to recover mentally. When you cultivate mental agility, you cultivate your ability to separate the facts from the story you’re telling yourself about the facts. The facts of a swim are: I flipped over, couldn’t roll, pulled my skirt, exited my boat and swam/got to shore with help from my friends. The story I might tell myself about those facts is that I’m a crappy paddler, that everyone is judging me, that they won’t want to paddle with me anymore etc. The suffering and lack of confidence typically live in the story we tell ourselves about what happened.

If we can flip the script on the story, you can cultivate courage and confidence over time. It’s a lifelong practice. There is no point at which your fear will go away because your brain is designed to assess threats and opportunities to keep you safe. The key is to cultivate mental agility and strategies that help you face your fear and take action in the face of it.

What is your approach to physical and mental wellbeing?
My daily routine is key in setting me up for success and a positive mindset every day. It includes breathing, meditation, yoga and a few other simple practices based on Ayurveda and yoga. The most crucial part is that I don’t look at my phone until my morning routine is complete.

When you look at your phone, you give your power and energy away to external demands that aren’t in the room with you and don’t have your best interest in mind.

What are the basics of stepping outside our comfort zones?
Interestingly enough, you must feel safe and supported to step outside of your comfort zone with confidence. My job as a coach is to hold space for my clients and students to feel heard and supported so they feel safe and empowered enough to try things when they’re scared.

That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with supportive people in your paddling circles. It will help you feel more courageous.

If you want to learn and grow, stepping into discomfort is imperative because that’s the growth area.

It’s OK to be nervous and unsure and take action anyway.

Does what you teach transcend watersports and reach into everyday life?
Yes, absolutely. Kayaking is a mirror for life. How you approach kayaking is how you approach challenges. As you grow more confident in kayaking, it spreads to other areas of life.

Paddling metaphors for life abound:

• Practice hard moves in easy water.
• Look where you want to go, not at the obstacle in front of you.
• If you flip, roll up and keep going.
• Go with the flow.

I could go on…

Do you suffer criticism, and if so, what’s your response?
Definitely, I’ve been criticised since I released my first instructional DVD for women in 2004. If you’re going to put yourself out there, you’re going to get criticised. It’s OK for people not to like me, my style or whatever they don’t like. I’m not here to please everyone, nor will I ever please everyone. I’ve always said that as long as people keep coming to me for coaching and experience benefits that are important to them, I will keep doing what I’m doing.

You can’t let critics stop you from offering your unique service to the world.

If you had to choose one last thing to achieve within WW paddling before giving it up, what would that be?
I’ll be honest: I don’t have any big WW paddling goals that I want to achieve at this point in my career. Yes, there are a few places I’d still like to paddle, and I love refining my skills and moves, but I feel very complete and grateful about my path. I would want one last session on Garb to do some air blunts, connect with the water and feel the joy that has kept me in the sport for 30 years.

Here in the UK, a lot of work by British Canoeing is being done to bring more women into the sport; what’s being done in the US, and by whom?
What’s been really exciting in the past several years in the US is that I’ve seen more women step up and take on organising grassroots women’s events in their area. We have several in the Southeast US, including Women’s Paddlefest and the Green River Takeover. I love seeing women empowered to organise events and bring paddlers together. Most events have a fundraising component, making it fun and for a good cause.

What BC is doing is awesome, and I think it’s also essential for women to feel confident enough to use their voices and skills to organise and lead in their communities.

Coaching, expeditions or competitions – which gives you the most buzz?
What gives me the most buzz is coaching and playboating for fun. I never loved competing, although I was pretty good at it in my time, but I always loved training freestyle and trying new tricks. I still love paddling a river like the Ottawa and surfing a wave like Garb. I’ve never been an expedition kayaker, although I love multi-day raft support trips like the Grand Canyon and the Middle and Main Salmon Rivers. I still love paddling Class IV + rivers that send me just enough outside my comfort zone and keep my skills sharp.

When did you start to paddleboard, and what appeals to you?
I started paddleboarding about 13 years ago, and I love the flexibility of it – you can stand, sit, practice yoga, and be on your knees. I’ve whitewater SUPed a few times, and it’s fun, but I still prefer my kayak for whitewater. I have a race board I take out on my local Class I run and attain for a workout. In recent years, I’ve loved learning to SUP surf in the ocean. In fact, I’m completing this interview from Costa Rica, where I’m SUP surfing this week before leading my whitewater kayak week next week!

If you could paddle anywhere in the world, where would it be, and what appeals about that location?
So far, I’ve paddled in over 14 countries and six continents and had many amazing experiences. Honestly, where I live in Asheville, NC, there are so many fun rivers to paddle. The Ottawa River is one of my favourites, and so is the Upper Gauley in West Virginia.

What do you think is the biggest accomplishment in your career to date?
If I had to pick one thing, it would be my persistence in following my path and passion as a coach and entrepreneur over the last 20 years and doing it successfully.

There were naysayers when I first started creating content specifically for women; I’ve grappled with giving up my identity as a competitor and top performer; as a coach, I’ve grown a lot, and I firmly believe that whitewater professionals/outdoor industry professionals should value their work and be able to make a good living. I’m proud that I’ve kept showing up, shifting when I felt it was right, and being of service to others while also building a solid personal brand and business.

Which paddlers from the past would you have loved to have paddled with?
I’m old enough and started early enough that I’m grateful to have paddled and been mentored by many paddlers from the past!

What’s the most enjoyable encounter with wildlife that you’ve had whilst paddling?
I did a moonlight run on the Kaituna River in NZ, and seeing the canyon above the waterfall lit up with glow worms was unforgettable. I also had a great line off the waterfall, which was fun!

You motivate so many paddlers, but who motivates you?
My husband, Andrew Holcombe, Clay Wright, Buffy Burge, and my clients.

I love paddling with Clay Wright because he always asks me what I’m working on if we’re surfing, and he and Andrew are always doing fun river play stuff down the Gauley River during the Gauley season.

Buffy has always been an inspiration for me since I started paddling.

My clients motivate me to practice what I preach and keep showing up to be of service.

I look up to powerful women who aren’t afraid to be themselves and walk their own paths: Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Simone Biles, to name a few.

My favourite motivational author and podcast currently is Adam Grant. His book ‘Hidden Potential’ is a must-read for athletes or coaches.

Have you ever been scared, and if not – what would it take?
Of course! I’m scared almost every day. That’s how you know you’re living and growing. And it’s not just about being scared paddling. Sharing your work with the world, whether that’s content, teaching, art, etc., is super scary and vulnerable. Fear is where the growth is and where you can make a difference.

Any fellow paddler you would like to interview and why?
Funny you ask this! I have so many I want to interview, which inspired me to start a podcast called The Discomfort Zone that launches in February. The conversations centre around stepping into and through your discomfort zone for growth, learning and following your passion. I’ve just started the interviews, and so far, I have interviewed Buffy Burge, Adriene Levknecht, Andrew Holcombe, Clay Wright, Nick Troutman, Adam Edwards and Chris Gragtmans. Many more to come… I’m still scheduling them out.

I’m also interviewing climbers, swimmers, therapists and master yoga teachers, so there will be great motivation, inspiration and practice strategies for building mental agility in your discomfort zone.

What do you do when not paddling?
So many things – work on my business, create empowering content, podcast interviews, I also have coaching clients I work with over Zoom, alpine ski, sup surf, MTN bike, walk my dog, read, cook, yoga, meditate, time with my hubby and friends – I could go on. I have a rich life outside of kayaking.

Name just one thing we can do as paddlers to improve our environment.
What I’m hearing more and more is that one of the most important things we can do is talk about climate change with friends and family because, especially in the US, people aren’t talking about it enough, so it can be easy to ignore. Few people hear their family and friends talking about climate change.

Quickies…

If you could paddle with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?
I already get to paddle with amazing people in my life.

Are you a bathroom/shower singer, and if so, what do you sing?
I’m not a shower singer…

An ideal night out for you is?
I had one of these recently. A dance party that starts around 7 pm, so I can leave by 10 pm and still get eight hours.

What one luxury item would you take with you on a desert island?
Face and skin oils.

What would I find in your fridge right now?
I’m in Costa Rica for two weeks now, so my home fridge is empty!

What would you prepare for us if we came to your house for dinner?
Green lentil and pumpkin soup with spices, basmati rice, naan and dark chocolate for dessert.

What’s the most boring question you are often asked?
Nothing comes to mind right now.

If you could be a superhero for one day, what superpower would you choose and why?
The first thing that came to mind was that I would want to be Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. 

Favourite film?
Right now, it’s Barbie.