Kirra & Hannah

You won’t miss our wonderful volunteers Kirra and Hannah who bring their beautiful smiles everywhere. After spending 4 years in Artillery, Kirra discovered a love for surfing through surf therapy for her mental health and so generously donates her time to come help with everything and anything throughout the intensive program. Hannah spent 10 years as a Medic within Army and was one of our previous participants who after completing the program decided she loved it so much that she is not only returning to help volunteer, but is also one of our generous donors who is now helping to subsidise enrolments for women who may be financially vulnerable and otherwise may not be able to attend. Hannah brings not only her prior experience as a participants but also her incredible knowledge and skills as an exercise physiologist.

Tammy, Sez & Flick

You’ll be spending 2hrs every morning on the beach with Sez, Flick, Tammy as they will be your main surf coaches guiding you through the group discussions and teaching you everything from beginner basics all the way through to pushing you on to your first real green wave. Your experience level doesn’t matter, we have you completely covered no matter if it’s your first time surfer or whether you’re a seasoned wave chaser.

Tammy leads our surf therapy component each morning before handing over to our qualified coaches Sez and Flick who are both long-time local shredders and passionate advocates for women in surfing on The Sunshine Coast. These absolute power houses are the perfect fit here at Flow House because not only can they shred a wave as good as they can a beer, but, they’re banter is absolutely on point for veterans without sacrificing professionalism or safety.

You can also expect to hear Sez and Flick during our surf therapy component, everyone around here practices what we preach so it’s a unique opportunity for you to hear the perspective of two amazing locals who don’t have experience within Defence but perhaps have similar experiences in life.

Gemma Francis-Smith

Gemma is our Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) who will be joining us for the first couple of days of the program, which are typically the most confronting.

She’ll be there to oversee that we lead a space that is ethical and safe, whilst also being able to provide extra support if needed. Gemma comes from lived experience and is the single parent to two beautiful boys and also utilises surfing as one of her own personal tools to manage her own health and well-being.

Currently practising out of both Brisbane (Three Little Birds Psychology) and Sunshine Coast (With Grace Therapy), her special interests are trauma, attachment, relationships. life transitions and women’s health making her the perfect gal for the job with Flow House. She is now accepting DVA clients, so if you’re in need and have been having trouble finding a suitable therapist and connect with Gemma - there is the option to keep seeing her post-program.

Luz Helena Thompson

We are honoured to announce that Luz from Women Veterans Surf Project (WVSP) USA will be joining us as a guest for this Veteran Rise Program.

Luz brings a wealth of knowledge as an ally and the founder of WVSP in California, and shares a myriad of lived experiences that lead to her own surf therapy journey for her PTSD as a result of her time in The Marine Corps. Subsequently, Luz is also a Doctoral Candidate at PennWest University for the Doctor of Health Science and Leadership Degree where she hopes her research will continue to inspire women veterans to reclaim their strength through the transformative power of the ocean.

We are so proud to collaborate with WVSP, showcasing how global organisations can work together in harmony to achieve global goals for women veterans. 2026 will see both WVSP and Flow House work together on two international events and we couldn’t be more stoked by this international partnership and what the future will hold for women veterans around the world. Stay tuned! Did somebody as a US trip?!