About Us
Celebrating Courage and the Witches Paddle was founded by co-hosts Dodie Guardia and Susan Parnell in 2020. While they don’t know how they met, they know why they met. They share a similar vision to empower women in their community and a passion for supporting domestic violence and human sex trafficking, so selecting local shelters such as DASI in Sussex County, NJ, and Open Gate in Wilmington, NC, as the beneficiaries of the Witches Paddle, was an easy mutual decision.
DODIE
Dodie Guardia made it her mission to give back to her community through the healing powers of the water. As a certified 200 RYT yoga instructor, she knew there were more ways to tap into her students' courage, and what better way to do that than on the water. She became a certified Paddleboard instructor at Wrightsville SUP in North Carolina. She continued her training up and down the East Coast as a Paddlefit Core and Paddlefit Pro instructor and has taught for over 10 years. She has continued to hone her skills and love for paddleboarding by attending various clinics that have brought her skills up to race in the Carolina SUP CUP.
SUSAN
Always a water lover at heart, Susan has found waters to be healing. Whether jumping in a boat, setting sail on the ocean, grabbing a kayak or paddleboard, or even her scuba tank, waters have always been a part of her life and journey.
After being affected by a loved one's addiction and joining Al-Anon, Susan developed a deep empathy for women who endure the effects of emotional or physical abuse. It was during this time that Susan knew she had a greater calling, which led to the purpose behind Celebrating Courage and the Witches Paddle.
