Is it possible to combine the love of kitesurfing with the love of your life? and is living the dream a reality or just a matter of relative opinion? It is our pleasure to introduce you to Lisandre Godbout & Nicolas Bélanger from Canada who are doing just that. We talk to them about love, life and living the dream.
KSm: How did you guys meet?
Lisandre: We met at work through a Marketing Company called Celsius Communication. We were giving away yogurt in a womans show in Montreal. As we were discussing several subjects suddenly Kiteboarding popped up in the conversation. I told him that I was about to buy some gear in the summer and just try it by myself! He started laughing thinking I didn’t know what I was doing…which was kind of right! He convinced me that I should start with him. So our first date was on a 10m Best Nemesis c-kite from 2005, no harness, leash on the wrist. Now that I think of it, he was probably trying to get rid of me! But failed… I am still here 7 years later. Not too long after, we left for a 6 month trip to Maui, Hawaii. Every windy day, we would ride for hours without even eating, totally hooked to kitesurfing.
KSm: Can you tell us a little bit more about what a working day is like for you both?
Lisandre & Nico: Our lifestyle is quite varied. It is very hard to describe a working day since everyday is so different. In Montreal, we are working in various fields; Event Marketing, Kitesurfing lessons, T.V. shows. We also started our movie company 2 years ago called LENS Imaging. We do several things, either we work on our own kiteboarding projects otherwise we do short corporate movies for various companies. We are usually very busy because the main idea is to condense work, make enough money and manage the schedule to be able to escape for few months and discover new kite destinations every time. Once away, we like our day to start with a cup of coffee on the beach (very important) check the forecast, pack the camera and kitesurf gear and then explore, go for excursions to any remote spot.
KSm: Like other couples in the kiting industry you work and spend most of your time together … what do you find most difficult about this, and do you have advice for others on how to deal with this situation?
Lisandre: Huummm…very good question! Indeed we spend a lot of time together, if not all, but if we are still together 7 years after, it must be because we have a good way to deal with this. Many people are very curious about our situation “How can you always be together 24/7 like this without killing each other? This is not human!”…I agree, it is not made for everyone, but the lifestyle we live is so stimulating; we don’t have time to get tired of each other. Of course, I would be liar to tell people it is always perfect. It does have its difficulties. The hardest part is to be able to daily mentally split passion, love and work. My main advice would be to emotionally be able to differentiate these 3 and of course see the positive in difficult moments and then it’s all good!! Just need few sessions of meditation after.
Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today
KSm: Many people may see your video and think that you are living the perfect life. Do you see yourself like this, or more like every other couple still chasing the dream?
Lisandre & Nico: It’s the life we have chosen, so of course we enjoy it. “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today” That is what we believe in. Whatever we do in life the dream is never reached until life is over. I always dream and go after my dreams. Many people say I am lucky, that I am living the dream. Yes I appreciate all the opportunities that life offers me but as opposed to many people, I just take them! As long as you live the life you love and you love the life you live, you follow the right path. We create our own world, Nick and I love adventure, kiteboarding and facing pure unknown so, that is what we do. A perfect life is so relative, we just live the life that makes us happy for now and if this life can make some people dream and smile too, then it is even better!
KSm: If there are children planned in the future, will you be trying everything you can to continue to live your life with the wind, or will the call of stability be too much to resist?
Lisandre: This is the question that I always avoid, cause I always feel like it is so far ahead, but it is not. Kitesurfing is such a big part of us, of our life, of our heart; I hope nothing would ever stop this. Of course, it will change the way of doing things, the way of travelling, but I see it as a new challenge, new lifestyle and a new world. I just hope to find the good recipe, a balance between stability that is good for the child but that allow us to keep on living our dream…I am still working on this perfect recipe, but except for winning the lotto… No seriously, our perfect world would be to find a place where the wind blows and where our heart feels like home. Hawaii is our number one option so far, but we still need to discover few more destinations before we make our mind.
KSM: Lisandre… do you easily accept Kite advice from Nicolas? … and vice versa for you Nicolas?
Lisandre: If you would ask the question to Nicolas, he would probably say NO! Nick is my personal trainer since the beginning and I really like to receive advice from him of course, but like in every sport, advice has a limit to its success then you just have to get out there and do it, which is the hardest part. Nicolas has a much more receptive nature as oppose to me, he is always seeking my advice.
KSm: For you both, do you think it’s possible to teach kitesurfing to your other half?
Lisandre: Well one thing I can say about this… Good thing Nicolas is probably the most patient person in the world!!! It is possible, as long as one half in the couple has a temper close to GOD!! Aahah. If you can teach kitesurfing to your other half, then you can go through any challenge; you are ready to get married!!!
KSm: What other passions do you share together?
Lisandre & Nico: Lots of passions. Travelling of course, photography, video, snowboard, dance. Enjoying the simple things in life in general…Having a good moment with some friends or sleeping in a van and waking up on the beach, drinking a coffee with the sound of the waves…
KSm: I heard that you guys have a new movie coming out soon, can you tell more about this?
Lisandre & Nico: Yes, the movie will be out in the next few weeks. It’s call “Lagoa Suja”; the story about our last trip in Brazil. It was both of our first time and we had a lot of fun; we met some very nice people that became very good friends. Best destination for training. We visited few different spots, Uruau is my favorite, just because of the Posada “Vida Boa”…You have to meet the owner Bruce once in your life.
KSm: What new personal or profesionnal projects do we have to look forward to in the future?
Lisandre & Nico: So many projects, not enough time. We are working on many things but our main focus right now is a Kiteboarding T.V. series in Quebec. There is not much to talk about yet since it is still at the very beginning of its process but we are working on this on our free time and hopefully we will see some results shortly. We would eventually really like to try kiteboarding races if ever we find some time hiding somewhere. Otherwise, continue to travel, discover kite spots and enjoy life is the common eternal project for us both.
