There’s something about being by the water that makes it easier to slow down, connect, and be present.
This summer, Helen Jon was proud to support the third annual FITIZENS x Paddle Diva “Ride, Flow, Connect” event in the Hamptons, gifting board shorts to women who gathered for a morning of paddling, community, and giving back. Together, the group raised nearly $3,000 for The FITIZENS Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting breast cancer research, education, wellness, and direct support for women navigating the disease.
As we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, our founders, Missy Neville and Gwyn Prentice, spoke with Gina Bradley, founder of Paddle Diva, and Valeria Talve, founder of FITIZENS and The FITIZENS Fund, to talk about the partnership, the women behind it, and why this gathering has become about so much more than just a fundraiser.
It Started with Movement
For both Gina and Valeria, movement was the starting point, but community quickly became the reason to keep going.
Gina founded Paddle Diva more than 15 years ago with the goal of making standup paddleboarding accessible to everyone, particularly women. Today, the Hamptons-based company brings people to the water through classes, rentals, and experiences designed to get people outside and see the area from a different perspective.
“I’m bringing people to the water so they can have a completely different experience than they otherwise might in the Hamptons,” Gina says.
Valeria's community began after she started teaching fitness classes in 2023. Women would linger after class, asking to get together for coffee, drinks, or dinner. She created a WhatsApp group and what began as a casual gathering grew into FITIZENS — a community built around the idea that wellness extends far beyond a workout.
“My class isn’t just a workout for the body. It’s a workout for the mind, for the soul, for the heart,” Valeria says. “Moving from the inside out.”
When the “Why” Became Personal
In June 2024, Valeria was diagnosed with breast cancer. As she began her own treatment journey, the purpose behind FITIZENS took on new meaning.
“I can only do things that bring me joy,” she remembers telling Gina. “I knew I was on a healing journey, and I was sure so many women were on different journeys of healing. I cannot be the only one going through something.”
She started with smaller gatherings — a beach walk, a sound bath — and eventually began creating fundraisers that brought women together while raising money for others navigating difficult circumstances. The Paddle Diva partnership became one of those annual gatherings.
The FITIZENS Fund, which became a 501(c)(3) this year, now provides grants to organizations including Breastcancer.org and Latina Sisters Support, Inc. The goal is to offer support that reaches beyond research and awareness, helping women with needs that can be as immediate as groceries, gas, or rent during treatment.
“Human First, Then Business”
Today, FITIZENS has grown to more than 300 women, and joining the community now begins with an application. For Valeria, it’s not about being exclusive; it’s about protecting the energy and authenticity that made FITIZENS what it is.
“It’s not like a sorority or a clubby thing,” she says. “It’s mostly because I need to keep the energy great. And also, very important to me: first is human and then is business. And if someone is just promoting their business, that's just not your place.”
That distinction is at the heart of FITIZENS. Women aren’t invited in to promote a business or make a connection. They show up as themselves first. As Valeria puts it, Gina came into the community as Gina and happens to have a business called Paddle Diva. Valeria is Valeria first, who happens to be a fitness instructor, community builder, and philanthropist.
The business connections come naturally from there.
When FITIZENS hosts an event, Valeria looks within the community first. Who owns the coffee shop? Who has a food business? Who might want to contribute? The answer often comes from one of the women already in the room, not because the gathering is transactional, but because the relationships come first.
That same spirit extends beyond the events. Valeria shared how one FITIZENS member once reached out to the group when her husband needed to go to the hospital. Another member had a connection and was able to help.
“Those kinds of everyday connections are irreplaceable,” Valeria says.
More Than a Morning on the Water
That sense of connection is exactly what makes “Ride, Flow, Connect” different from a traditional fundraiser.
The morning began with coffee before the women headed out with Paddle Diva, paddling to a beach for a picnic lunch and sharing circle before making their way back. There was no elaborate production, just paddleboards, bathing suits, sunblock, conversation, and time in nature.
“This is a space of intention,” Valeria says. “I want to hold space for women to cry, to share, to laugh, to scream.”
For Gina, that simplicity is part of the magic. Paddle Diva has never been about creating a typical Hamptons atmosphere. It's about getting women outside, onto the water, and into a setting where genuine relationships can form.
And the partnership itself has its own history. Gina and Valeria first met years ago when Valeria took a Paddle Diva class, eventually reconnecting around the time of Valeria's diagnosis. What began as a personal connection has grown into an annual gathering built around a shared belief in movement, nature, and community.
The Ripple Effect
What happens on the water doesn’t necessarily stay there.
It becomes a new friendship. A local business connection. A moment of vulnerability. A donation that helps a woman through treatment. A text to a community asking for help, and someone on the other end who knows exactly who to call.
That, ultimately, is what makes this partnership so meaningful.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re grateful to the women who turn personal experiences into opportunities to support others and to the communities that show us what it really means to show up.
Because sometimes, one gathering can create a ripple that reaches much farther than the shoreline.
************
Thank you, Gina and Valeria, for creating a space where women can move, connect, and show up for one another. We’re grateful to be part of it and look forward to creating more community together.
XX,
Helen Jon