Happy Flip Fam Friday! On Fridays, we profile members of our community who artfully build the spirit of serendipity into their daily lives.
This week, we’ll meet Sean Elliott of @moohahvanadventures, a talent manager, vanlifer and Dad extraordinaire based in Los Angeles. Check out how Sean and his daughters infuse creativity and discovery into their quests on the open road and raise the stakes on adventure....
Name: Sean Elliott
Your favorite nickname: Well lately, I am loving when my daughters think it is sooo, SO hilarious to call me “Sean" instead of “Dad”. Lots of mileage out of that one, and it is zero funny.
Where were you born? St. Cloud, MN
Where do you live now? Pacific Palisades, CA
What’s your profession or calling? I represent actors, celebrities, and creators. I run the West Coast office of Authentic Talent Management.
What’s a secret power that you have (that may surprise us!): I can hold my nose and blow air out of my tear duct. Pretty sweet.
What’s your go-to local zen spot? I paddleboard, way out there. I point my SUP towards the open ocean. And also do simple yoga and stretches while pretending I am the only human on the planet.
What’s your most beloved travel destination? My daughters and I are designing a 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter together. We will be making memories every weekend in Southern California, and beyond. Already, the creativity of the design process has been so rewarding as they are really making it their own (including naming her MOOHAH). I’m just kind of there to facilitate things and keep it all moving along (and also pay for it).
Why is adventure important to you and what do you do to infuse that into your daily life? I have an old 1970 LIFE magazine cover in my office featuring skier, Billy The Kid with the words “ON THE ICY EDGE OF WIN AND LOSE”. I think that sums it up. The unknown, the uncomfortable, and the unknowable all are important ways of getting unstuck and truly being open to new experiences.
What's your mantra for getting through challenges or tough times? The Kundalini yoga chant Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. I don’t know Kundalini or yoga well at all. I think I like it because it is not in English and I have no clue what it means. My brain doesn’t try to out-think the meaning of it or over-evaluate it.
What's your go-to 'thing' to get unstuck? My move is to ghost out of the office and go for a 10-15 minute walk.
How do you (and your kiddos) Serenflip? Well, the Sprinter Van design + build with my daughters is way outside of my comfort zone, but I love every second of it. We are creating a one-of-a-kind adventure van, plus a lifetime of memories. I love how they are taking control of the project, and I love what crazy and creative ideas they come up with — it’s non-stop.
I pictured something much more rugged and masculine, but it’s becoming so light and beachy, boho cool - and it’s really all them. So far, Paige’s favorite adventure idea for Moohah is to drive in the direction that Quinn says for 30 minutes or so, and then I ask Quinn where to go next and essentially just listen to her and go where she says!
And when I think about one instance watching my girls Serenflip, it has to be when Paige and Quinn picked cards to conquer their fears one day. I saw Paige coaxing Quinn to jump off rocks to overcome her fear of heights. It was so organic, and quite sweet and inspiring for me to witness. The ease of it just being a simple, straight-forward card spelling out exactly what to do made it effortless for them. They just picked the deck up and went with it.
What do you think about adventure potentially being the next meditation (and what could the benefits be)? Meditation is about going into the stillness of your inner space. Adventure is about the unpredictable unknown. When we allow ourselves to go into the unknown, into the world of instability, we truly open ourselves to becoming unstuck. There can be a lot of unknowns and realizations in meditation, but there is never the fear of embarrassment, ridicule, bodily injury, etc. Adventure raises the stakes in both the psychological and the physical realms.
Follow my girls and me as we create our adventure van + our own adventures!
IG: @moohahvanadventures