Dr. Adya Misra - British Canoeing #ShePaddles Club Champion. Raising awareness on the lack of diversity in paddlesports and helping to improve gender, ethnic and neuro-diversity in the paddlesports community.

<div>Adya discovered the joy of being out on the water later in life, when she moved to Stockholm, Sweden and discovered kayaking in 2014. Kayaking in the lakes and the Baltic Sea was, at the time, the best way to escape the stress of daily life and connect with nature. </div> <div> </div> <div>Working in scientific research left little free time to enjoy her new hobby, so a few years later she ended up pursuing a new career that would allow more time for kayaking. Adya fell in love with sea kayaking as soon as she tried it in Dorset and has been on several expeditions in Greece and Sardinia.</div> <div> </div> <div>Adya trained to become a sheltered water kayak/canoe coach in London to share her love of kayaking and canoeing with others and enjoys coaching small groups of paddlers at her local canoe club. She also blogs about her adventures, hoping to inspire other women with full time jobs to try paddlesports while incorporating safety advice for everyone.</div> <div> </div> <div>After moving to Liverpool, and a less than ideal sea kayaking trip in Wales, Adya considered giving up sea kayaking for good but missed being on the water. Her love of watersports encouraged her to try paddleboarding in the Liverpool docks. With the help of a supportive coach, Adya managed to stand up on a board (and more!) giving her the confidence boost she needed at the time. Adya managed to get back into a sea kayak and now also does a lot of coastal paddleboarding.</div> <div> </div> <div>She is currently a British Canoeing #ShePaddles club champion, the paddle boarding discipline lead at her canoe club and an On Planet Patrol Community Guardian. These volunteer opportunities allow Adya to focus on some of the biggest problems we face as a society: lack of representation and climate change. </div> <div> </div> <div>With her paddling, blogging and #ShePaddles work, Adya hopes to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in paddlesports and help improve gender, ethnic and neuro-diversity in the paddlesports community.</div> <div> </d