Can August get any hotter? Um, yesss… Because Betty of the month, Jeanette Ortiz @jeanetteiolana is on 🔥🔥🔥 She’s a longtime sister in the Betty tribe – and nowadays from across the great Pacific, Jeanette is slaying what it means to be a #bettyboss💪💕🏄🏽♀️
We were beyond stoked to catch up with her. Here’s a snippet of what she shared… “My favorite surf adventures lately have just been exploring this side of the world. Living in Australia has been so fun for me the last couple of years because I
am constantly surfing new breaks and getting to explore new zones. There is so much open coastline here it really feels endless. Growing up in Ventura, I got to know all the surf breaks so well, I could look at one beach in Ventura and know exactly what was going on down in Oxnard. Here, I’m having to apply new knowledge to everything- almost all in reverse-with opposite seasons, swell and wind directions, etc. The challenge of that and learning new spots has been super fun for me. I’m also a lot closer to Polynesia and Indonesia, and now that travel has opened up again, I can’t wait to get over there more often. I was just in Fiji two weeks ago (4 hour flight from Sydney!) and got to surf Cloudbreak everyday, which is one of my favorite spots on earth. Being able to surf places like that more frequently really benefits my surfing and makes me so much more comfortable in faster, bigger waves.
I’m really into Muay Thai at the moment! I used to fight competitively at the national level in Tae Kwon Do, so this is not entirely unfamiliar territory, but muay thai is still really different. It’s been super fun, but also challenging to re-train my brain to another style of fighting. I’ve just begun training with a guy here in Wollongong that is an extremely talented professional muay Thai fighter, and learning from him has been such a joy. Martial arts has always been really grounding for me, and it’s been nice to get re-inspired to get back into it. Getting those fast twitch muscles back as well has also done wonders for my surfing lately. Between the mental and physical benefits, it’s really something I really look forward to.
My goals for the next year are loaded! Haha. First and foremost, I want to keep improving on my wine brand I started here in Australia called I’olana (my middle name.) I started making wine in Australia in 2021, and am just releasing that vintage as we speak. It’s been so fun having my own label versus working for someone else’s winery like I’ve done the last 11 years in California. So far it’s gone really well and been very well received, so I want to continue that momentum forward and keep improving where I can. I remember Betty B first starting in a little warehouse in Ventura, and I am so impressed with how far Donna has taken the brand. I always think of her when I need a little business inspiration!
Second, I bought some property ages ago in Sumbawa, Indonesia, that I’ve been wanting to build a little place on. That was originally my goal in 2020, so I’ve had to put that off a couple years. But to have a little surf retreat out in front of Lakeys to go hang at part of the year would be phenomenal.
As always, I always want to keep improving my surfing. My goal is always to get better every year, not go backwards! I think that’s the key to staying young. There’s a slabby wave almost directly out front my house that scares the hell out of me, but I’ve made it a goal to start surfing there when it’s on. If I can just incrementally improve across the board-surfing, snowboarding, fighting, working in winemaking, becoming more sustainable, giving back to the community…the list goes on!- even if they’re small improvements in each area, that’s all I can really ask for.“ Jeanette, your beautiful life is an inspiration to the Betty Tribe. Keep showing us that dreams are only limited by one’s imagination. Much love to you, sister & so pumped to celebrate you through the rest of August! 😘 Follow her adventures at @jeanetteiolana + @iolana_wine + @bettybelts Fun FYI, she’s the Babe our iconic Jeanette Seaglass + Silver Hoops are named after! Scroll down to scope her design ⇡
Second, I bought some property ages ago in Sumbawa, Indonesia, that I’ve been wanting to build a little place on. That was originally my goal in 2020, so I’ve had to put that off a couple years. But to have a little surf retreat out in front of Lakeys to go hang at part of the year would be phenomenal.As always, I always want to keep improving my surfing. My goal is always to get better every year, not go backwards! I think that’s the key to staying young. There’s a slabby wave almost directly out front my house that scares the hell out of me, but I’ve made it a goal to start surfing there when it’s on. If I can just incrementally improve across the board-surfing, snowboarding, fighting, working in winemaking, becoming more sustainable, giving back to the community…the list goes on!- even if they’re small improvements in each area, that’s all I can really ask for.“
