Amanda Kobritz is the host of a new radio show called The Breastfeeding Hour. The first episode aired on September 22, 2020, on Lookout.FM. Her show airs weekly on Tuesdays at 9 am PST. As a new mother, Amanda seeks to create a beautiful, peaceful environment for parent and child to thrive.
Please tell us about your radio show The BreastFeeding Hour and what inspired you?
I started DJing in 2014 and 2019 was the first year that I didn’t have to have a side hustle. Then COVID hit and no work. I missed djing. How could I transition during this time? It took a very long time to think about. When I had my baby, I was constantly playing classical music and consciously thinking of brain development and the best environments for a baby to thrive. Maybe I should create a soundtrack for babies - - baby time in the morning, playtime in the afternoon, or sleep time.
How did you get linked with the community radio station Lookout.FM? Can you tell me a little bit about that station?
Cut to August 4th, 2020, my husband, Kyle’s birthday at Sano, and our friend Cameron was there. (He’s in the band Sun Araw). He told me that he recently became a program director for a radio station called Lookout.FM. I immediately asked if I could get my own radio show. He said, “Sure, about what?”. And I blurted out, “music for breastfeeding and I want to call it The Breastfeeding Hour.” It’s so weird and specific that I thought this might actually work. He didn’t hesitate and I took that energy, made a flyer, taught myself GarageBand, and had a show recorded in two weeks.
What has the response been to your radio show? Is there a new community that you see yourself in? Who and how far has it reached?
The response has been very positive. It’s community radio, low-budget, so there’s no way of telling how many people are listening and from where. After a few episodes, there started to be technical issues during the show and we realized it was from too many people tuning in at once. But who knows what ‘too many’ means? 5, 10, 50? I’ve received dm’s from people, mainly mothers showing support and letting me know they enjoy the music. I know there’s a woman from Chile, a lovely internet friend in Mexico, a mom in New Jersey, and today a woman in Denmark who listen because they told me.
The MOM community is extremely supportive on social media; it’s the only way to connect right now. Because of the radio show, I found my MOM Zoom group that’s based in San Francisco. I’m forming many many internet mom friends and they feel genuine.
Before you launched your radio show and DJ-ing, did you have DJs that you admired or looked up to? Did you study music or radio production in school or in college?
I mean, I don’t know too many radio DJs and I never studied music or radio production, but I figured I listened to enough radio that I could figure it out. I am completely self-taught.
Do you surf now or has that been put on pause?
I have gone 4 times in the 8 months since our baby, Earth has been earth-side. We go to the beach multiple times a week and my husband surfs. I’m dealing with physical postpartum issues that have prevented me from feeling comfortable alone in the water. I’m rebuilding my core from scratch. I am dying to surf, but I will not die if I don’t surf. That is not true for Kyle. He will die if he doesn’t surf.
Right now my priority is my baby and recovery and soon shredding… with baby!
Which is/are currently your favorite board(s)?
Kyle made me a new 10’6” MEGAfish that I love. I loved this 11’11” MEGA he sold last year. I can never get too comfortable with a board because he sells it immediately, but then he shapes me a new one. I’m not complaining.
When did you start surfing? Did you grow up in California?
I grew up in Los Angeles, near UCLA, and we went to the beach a lot. I went out for the first time when I was 19 with all the wrong equipment. Even my bathing suit was wrong and totally fell off. I went again in my mid-twenties, borrowing my tiny friend’s wetsuit and I completely Incredible-Hulked it. It wasn’t until Kyle started to teach me in 2014 that I started to get serious about it… we started dating shortly after.
Photo by Jasmine Baldwin
What were your first experiences with surfing? Competitiveness? Women in the water?
I wasn’t focused on who was in the water.
I was focused on hoping no one noticed me in the water while I was learning. Here I am, a 32 year old with my own insecurities about my body, my abilities, and looking bad in front of everyone.
And then after a while, I just got over it and stopped comparing myself to others. It’s been a slow process but I would say I now have a slew of wonderful female surfer friends, some that I’ve learned with and others that I look up to.
Photos by Kyle & Jardine Hammond
Would you mind telling us a little bit about surfing while pregnant?
I did it a few times. I had a really good day right before I found out I was pregnant. As I started to get larger, I found it difficult to be on my stomach and to find the balance to paddle on my knees. Once I got my hands on an 88, that made things a lot easier but still really really hard.
How do you balance your life while raising a child and making time to enjoy life at the beach? What have the biggest challenges been since you’ve had a child?
It has been a challenge bringing outside hobbies, interests, jobs, basically my own identity into my new routine as a mom. But it’s important to me and I like figuring out how to make it work. It’s all trial and error and intuition and it feels like a real accomplishment when I get through each day. Physical recovery from giving birth has been a challenge. My issues are in my legs and feet and core. I’m realizing I need to take things slow and be kind and patient with myself.
Do you have any advice for new mothers who want to start or continue to go to the beach/surf?
The beach seems like an extension of the nursery and our home. I started going to Sano 4 weeks postpartum. First by staying in the car, nursing for the first many times. I gradually moved to the sand. We keep it super light. Going to the beach can be a quickie or an all-day event. Either way, minimalism is the way to go. We live close to the beach to make getting there the path of least resistance.
In terms of advice on getting back into the water. Everyone’s postpartum journey is different. Mine has been difficult. I have let go of expectations and I’m taking it nice and slow. The water is healing.
What is your favorite thing about Motherhood?
I love getting a front-row seat to watching a baby grow from scratch. I love the snuggles. I love the responsibility. Earth is my greatest teacher.
Just for fun, because I love food… What are your favorite foods to bring to the beach or on a surf adventure?
Before baby, I was making stuff like roasted salmon, filet mignon, and shishito peppers. Post-baby and now that Kyle’s vegetarian, we’ve managed to find the simplest and most delicious dinner equation with a small Hibachi grill, Beyond Meat hot dogs, buns, and sauerkraut. No utensils, plates, or napkins are necessary. Really simple, really delicious. A cooler for your beverages and you’re done.
Who are your biggest influences or heroes in surfing?
My husband, Kyle who’s 6’5”. Watching him is like watching a swan catch a wave - - so graceful and athletic.
Outside the historical greats, I’ve enjoyed watching Josie Prendergast on social media. She rides a wave-like butter. And also Lola Mignot. Her confidence and adventurousness is a huge influence. My friend Merry Nguyên from OC is soooooooo cool and I love her style in and out of the water. She is wise beyond her years. My friend Jasmine Baldwin, a ceramicist in Ojai and someone I learned to surf with, is always the first out and last in. Her endurance is contagious. My friend Amy Jo Diaz because she will travel very far for just a minute on a good wave and good conversation. It’s important to keep these types of surfers/ people in my peripheral to keep me going and growing.
What’s your after surf routine? Do you have one?
It’s changed over time. I discovered the showers at Sano late in the game and now I always have to take one after I surf, followed by watching the sunset with Kyle and Earth and catching the green flash.
DJ Mother Earth Playlist for WITHITGIRL xoxo
Amanda's (DJ Mother Earth) Instagram
The BreastFeeding Hour: website
Kyle, Amanda's Husband, Deepest Reaches: Instagram
About Lookout.FM: curated audio programming with a focus on a wide outlook: varied perspectives on the world expressed through music, documentaries, lectures, poetry, and discussion. Partnered with voices from the indigenous community, the music community, the arts community, and the academic community. Lookout FM offers long-term perspectives on that which lasts: nature, and the arts. Broadcasting on KGAP 96.7 LP-FM Burbank, KLDB 99.1 LP-FM Hollywood, and on http://www.lookout.fm.
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