A Media Platform for Intentional Living
Exploring the philosophy of leaving a clean wake—through stories, insights, and meaningful conversations.
WELCOME TO
CLEAN WAKE MEDIA
We are a multimedia content platform with a mission to inspire intentional, ethical, and authentic living.
Our first project, Leaving a Clean Wake, is a newsletter that explores the bluewater sailor’s philosophy of “leaving a clean wake” as a guiding principle for life.
More projects are on the horizon—stay tuned!
The Ripple Effect of Every Action
THE MEANING OF LEAVING A CLEAN WAKE
A wake is caused when a boat displaces water as she moves.
Most people think that a wake only trails behind a boat. In reality, a boat’s wake forms as its bow pierces the water ahead. To leave a clean wake, then, a sailor must cast her eyes forward, to all sides, and behind, close in and outwards to the horizon. Skill, planning and preparation, risk assessment, and learning to move in concert with forces like wind and wave that are much more powerful than you are all essential to leaving a clean wake.
Superficially similar mantras like “Leave No Trace” or “Take only photos, leave only footprints” are prescriptive in nature and, while essential, are actually contained within the bluewater sailor’s maxim to Leave a Clean Wake.
Leaving a clean wake can be completely prescriptive too: don’t jettison plastic overboard, don’t discharge sewage into an anchorage… But its richness comes from much more figurative applications. For example: leave the locals eager to welcome the next cruising boat that drops anchor in front of their village.
At its most resonant, leaving a clean wake exhorts each of us to leave the people and places we encounter better off for our passage through the world: as bosses, as parents, as partners, and ultimately as citizens of the world.
THE TEAM BEHIND CLEAN WAKE MEDIA
Meet the Founders: A Father-Daughter Team
We are Michael and Vienna, the team behind Clean Wake Media. For several years, we lived on a sailboat, sailing thousands of miles and partially circumnavigating North America. Along the way, we encountered the idea of leaving a clean wake, a philosophy that has shaped our approach to business, creativity, and life ever since.
Michael provides the business expertise to bring Clean Wake Media to life. His “first retirement” came in his 30s, moving the whole family onto a 43-foot sailboat for an epic voyage that eventually washed us ashore in Virginia. In addition to an illustrious career in the tech/business world, Michael is a songwriter, musician, and backpacker.
Vienna brings the creative flair behind Clean Wake Media’s content. After following in Michael’s footsteps to Stanford, Vienna spent several years working for Silicon Valley startups, both in-person and remote. Vienna is also known for her photography and writing about backpacking, and teaches aerial arts here in Virginia.