The Lineup with Dave Prodan - A Surfing Podcast

2026 Championship Tour rookie Nadia Erostarbe and high-performance coach Natalie Hummel join The Lineup to discuss confidence, pressure, and the mental side of elite surfing. After years of working toward the Championship Tour, Nadia Erostarbe is making her mark in her first full season, with semifinal finishes on the Gold Coast and in Brazil. Joining Dave Prodan alongside her performance coach Natalie Hummel, the Spanish surfer opens up about the highs and lows of her rookie year, the pressure of fighting to stay above the cut in 2025, and the mindset shift that helped her go from wondering if she belonged on tour to believing she could win CT events. Natalie explains how she works with elite athletes to navigate self-doubt, comparison, fear, and the unpredictable nature of competition. They dig into nervous system training, learning to feel safer under pressure, and why trying to control the uncontrollable can take energy away from the things athletes can actually influence. Nadia also reflects on representing Spain on the world stage, the advantages of finding her own path to the CT, and why she believes her journey has unfolded at the right time. She shares how changing her expectations helped her break out of a cycle of low scores and start seeing new possibilities in the water. Nadia talks about her relationship with DHD Surfboards, the boards behind her breakthrough performances, and her hopes for the final stretch of the season. Natalie offers advice for athletes looking to break recurring patterns, face their fears, and trust their own process. Learn more about Nadia here and follow her here. Unlock your highest performance with Natalie Hummel and Limitless Academy here and follow her on Instagram here. About Limitless Academy Her yearlong coaching program helps riders work through fear, navigate pressure, and build the skills to pursue their goals with more consistency. The program combines coaching with Natalie, guided practices, integration sessions, breathwork, and a supportive community. Relive the EDP Ericeira Pro Presented by Xacobeo. And catch Nadia in the 10th stop on the Championship Tour event, the MEO Rip Curl Pro Presented by Corona Cero, Oct 16 - 25 here. Stay up to date with the rankings. Get the latest merch at the WSL Store! Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel. Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2026 Championship Tour regular season is officially in the books, and Dave Prodan is joined by WSL commentator and surfing analyst Jesse Starling to break down everything that went down at the Lexus Trestles Pro. Erin Brooks and Miguel Pupo took the wins at Lower Trestles, but the biggest story may be just how much the event reshaped the Championship Tour. From Mateus Herdy’s breakthrough run and Luke Thompson taking down the world No. 1 Leonardo Fioravanti, to the Brazilian storm getting knocked back and Oscar Berry finally finding a breakthrough win, Dave and Jesse dig into the biggest winners, losers and surprises from Trestles. They also unpack Erin Brooks’ incredible three-event winning streak and what it means for the women’s World Title race, Miguel Pupo’s emergence as a legitimate threat on the men’s side, and the high stakes surrounding the surfers who fell below the postseason cut. Dave and Jesse dive into the 2026 Surfboard Empire CT Shaper Rankings presented by VEA, the all-JS men’s final and all-Lost women’s final, the experimental equipment making an appearance at Trestles, and why Lower Trestles continues to be such a fascinating testing ground for new designs. Finally, with the Lexus Pipe Masters worth 1.5x points and qualification on the line, Dave and Jesse look ahead to the surfers who could make a run at requalification and the storylines to continue to watch as the season heads toward the North Shore. Follow Jesse here. Discover more about our episode sponsor, Pacifico, here. Relive the Lexus Trestles Pro here. Stay tuned to the requalification stories with the next Challenger Series event of the season, the Banco do Brasil São Sebastião Pro, Sep 26 - Oct 3rd. Stay up to date with the rankings. Get the latest merch at the WSL Store! Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel. Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finn McGill joins Dave Prodan on The Lineup for an honest conversation about growing up on Hawaii’s North Shore, chasing the Championship Tour, recovering from a major shoulder injury, and finding balance away from surfing. A former World Junior Champion, QS winner, and longtime North Shore standout, McGill has spent years proving his surfing belongs alongside the world’s best. He opens up about his early rivalry with childhood friend Barron Mamiya, competing against CT surfers like Joel Parkinson from a young age, and translating his powerful, high-speed North Shore surfing to the conditions of the Challenger Series. McGill also breaks down the shoulder injury that abruptly ended his 2026 Challenger Series season, the long road through surgery and rehabilitation, and how injuries have changed his perspective on his career and what it means to be a professional surfer. Finn talks about his relationship with Seager, his deep involvement in surfboard design, growing up skating and surfing, his love of dirt biking, and why stepping away from surfing can actually make him a better surfer. Learn more about Finn McGill here and follow him here. Get 15% off your order at Seager using the code LINEUP15 at check out.  Stay tuned to the Lexus Trestle Pro, Sep 11 - 20. Stay up to date with the rankings. Get the latest merch at the WSL Store! Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel. Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cloudbreak saved some of its best for last and delivered an iconic Finals Day at the Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero, crowning Cole Houshmand and Erin Brooks the champs. After another iconic run at Cloudbreak, Brooks' diamond double earned the Pacific Leg sweep and a second Fiji Pro title. An unfortunate injury in her Semifinal sidelined Isabella Nichols for what would've been fireworks in a Final of friends with Brooks. Now, Brooks sits at No. 8 on the rankings heading to Lower Trestles with a chance to truly put her name in the World Title race. An unprecedented run from Houshmand earned him a third CT win in three Final appearances, cementing himself across the world with victories at Bells Beach, Brazil, and now Fiji. Houshmand sent himself over the ledge throughout Finals Day, culminating in a masterful performance over one of the best to ever take on Cloudbreak, two-time Fiji Pro winner Gabriel Medina in a Final battle. Houshmand's excellence continued from posting a 9.43 in the Semifinals, to an excellent 8.50 over Medina. An insane exchange witnessed Houshmand's ridiculous power get matched by Medina's magic in the Cloudbreak barrel to post a Perfect 10. Cloudbreak provided every face it could to test the world's best and was one for the history books. Now, with a surge from those looking for major points continuing to rise, the hunt for a World Title is heating up every event, and now, it heads for Southern California's high-performance haven of Lower Trestles. Watch the Lexus Trestles Pro LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com beginning September 11 through 20. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices