LifeProof Ambassador Adam Sauerwein: On the outside, listening in

LifeProof Ambassador Adam Sauerwein says happiness is simple: do what you love. Everyday. Forever. We say he’s onto something. So, we sat him down for a casual talk on everything from making friends in Walmart parking lots to balancing social pressures by staying true to self.

Here’s the scoop.

[QA]

LifeProof: You’re a skier, podcaster, van builder and professional photographer — how has capturing images for a living framed your life?

Adam Sauerwein: For me it’s all about freedom. Being able to survive financially, make my own schedule, choose my own clients. Holding a camera has been a universal key to seeing and doing everything. Whether it’s shooting at hospitals or wedding venues, working motocross events or wandering into music festivals — photography is my all-access pass to all kinds of adventures.

LP: Buffalo New York, your hometown, is famous for birthing Mark Twain, Rob Gronkowski and, wait for it, Rick James. Out of the three, who do you identify with most and why?

AS: Gronk is detail-oriented and takes his job seriously. I can relate to that. Rick James … I love music, but I don’t have any talent or aspirations there at all. Mark Twain’s interesting. Everyone knows him for his classic books. But he was also a humorist. Comedy heals. Now, more than ever, I think that’s important.

LP: Twain was a quintessential storyteller and entertainer. He really did it all. And did it all well. How does that storytelling element fit into your new Pursuit podcast series? 

AS: Everyone has a story to tell, and so many of those stories often go ignored. Everyone knows Michael Jordan’s story. With Pursuit we introduce you to someone less obvious, but equally compelling on different levels. Ultimately, the goal is to dig into a person’s ‘why’ by having genuine conversations with genuine humans. To do that it’s important that we shut up and listen.

LP: Okay, we’re shutting up and listening now. What’s your why?

AS: That’s a hard one. But if I had to sum it up, it’s this: do what you love. Everyday. Forever. That’s something I literally wake up and think to myself on the daily. I’m 35, live in a van and don’t own a house. Should I be married? Should I have kids? For me, that isn’t necessarily what life’s all about, so doing me is my why.

LP: How do you maintain your sense of balance on the road and across a hectic schedule?

AS: I think it’s about finding your comfort zone while still allowing for some uncomfortableness. Make time for yourself, but also make room for risks and chances. If you can navigate that tightrope successfully, that’s where great things happen. 

LP: You’ve spent the last six years on the road, living out of your van. Imagine that dealing with some uncertainty is something you’re familiar with?

AS: Sure, there’s uncertainty. There’s flat tires, sketchy roads and all that stuff. But really, you have what you need at all times. The van provides a sense of home wherever you go. Even if it’s a Walmart parking lot in central Iowa. You have your pillow and your bed. Your skis and your mountain bike. All the tools you need to do what you love. 

LP: Everything you need to find happiness in the moment.

AS: Right — and happiness is ever-evolving. For me it’s finding that mental state where nothing matters. Not that you shouldn’t care about something, but instead finding those opportunities to put the things that don’t matter on pause.

LP: You’ve been part of the skiing world for a couple of decades. But you’ve always referred to yourself as an industry outsider. With a weekly ski podcast now on the calendar, can you still make that claim?

AS: Honestly, I don’t know how long I can keep using the words ‘industry outsider’ — because now I’m part of it. But the cool thing is I’ve become a part of it by just being me. By carving my own path. I started out as a guest on the podcast. A year later, they asked me to host my own show.

LP: If you could interview anyone, here and now, who would it be and why?

AS: Jeremy Jones [Jones Snowboards] would be high on my list. I think he’s always done it his own way. He puts his money where his mouth is, and he’s leading the charge on issues of climate change in the ski industry with Protect Our Winters — which I think is so important.

LP: Is advocacy in sports an important part of your message?

AS: I think you should care. And if you have a voice or a platform, you should use it to shine a light on the issues that affect our lives. 

Take diversity in sports ... the right conversations are happening. On our podcast we’re openly talking about them. But these are hard conversations. And oftentimes the best thing we can do is, like I said before — is shut up and listen. When we listen, we can learn from our past mistakes and hopefully move forward.

LP: If you could summarize your life in a meme, what would it look like and how would it read?

AS: It’s the guy sipping coffee surrounded by everything on fire and it says, ‘This is fine.’ That’s literally me every day. That’s my brain all the time. I’m researching and interviewing someone one second, the next I’m assembling the van and doing measurements in my head. I’m just all over the map. And that’s just fine.