Episode notes
The Slanted Attic Experience: Episode 65 "William" Waves, Wizards & Settling Catan
Tyler sits down with William, a Virginia Beach local, lifelong surfer, surfboard shaper, and father of two, for a conversation that moves through creativity, family life, career, and culture with the kind of easy flow you would expect from someone who has spent a lifetime reading waves.
They open with William's surfing journey and the craft of shaping surfboards before getting into sizing, design, and what goes into building a board from scratch. The conversation turns to prioritizing hobbies in a busy life, finding things you can do in short spurts, and navigating office politics or the deliberate choice to avoid them altogether. Financial independence, staying active, mobility, stretching, volleyball, and backyard sports all find their way in before Tyler shares his Tommy John surgery story and what rehab looks like when you are not a twenty year old athlete anymore.
A social media detour and a well timed pee break lead into the book block. Project Hail Mary gets its moment alongside the Eragon series and its magic system, and Harry Potter sparks a full ranking debate before digital versus physical media and the growing footprint of data centers add some real weight to the conversation. Career pathways, the rising cost of childcare, coaching youth sports, name brand tools, and what you would actually want to build with them keep things moving before the Washington Commanders, the VMI Keydets and NIL money, and the hypothetical of which sport you would compete in professionally if given the chance round out the serious topics. Tabletop gaming and a full Catan conversation close things out before the outro.
Guest Panel:
William: A Virginia Beach native, husband, and father of two young men who has built a life around the things that genuinely matter. A lifelong surfer and surfboard shaper for over a decade,
William also edits surf films and picks up a guitar whenever the opportunity presents itself. An optimist at his core, William finds joy in every chapter of life and brings that energy naturally into every conversation.
Topics Covered:
Intro
William's surfing journey and the craft of shaping surfboards
Sizing and shaping of boards
Prioritizing hobbies and finding things you can do in short spurts
Office politics and the choice to avoid them
Financial independence
Staying active and prioritizing exercise
Mobility and stretching
Volleyball and backyard sports
Tyler's Tommy John surgery and rehabbing injuries as an adult
Social media
Texting and a pee break
Project Hail Mary the book and the upcoming film
The Eragon book series and its magic system
Harry Potter
Harry Potter book rankings
Digital versus physical media
Data centers
Finding a career pathway
The rising cost of childcare
Coaching youth sports and our favorites and least favorites
Name brand tools and building things
The Washington Commanders
The VMI Keydets and NIL money
What sport would you want to compete in professionally?
Tabletop gaming and Catan
Outro
New episodes of The Slanted Attic Experience drop bi-weekly at 10:30 AM EST, with the occasional surprise episode along the way. Find everything Slanted Attic at linktr.ee/slantedattic.