Peggy Oki
Categories
Suggested Topics
✅ Breaking Barriers & Finding Your Flow: Lessons from a Skateboarding Pioneer on Resilience and Living Authentically ✅ Ocean, Art, and Action: How Creative Activism Can Drive Real Change for Our Planet ✅ Discovering Your Porpoise in Life: Allowing Passion to Unfold into Purpose and Impact ✅ From Dogtown Rebel to Global Advocate: Empowering Youth Through Environmental Art and Direct Action ✅ Resilience Under Pressure: Surfing Life’s Waves, Overcoming Obstacles, and Protecting What Matters ✅Discovering Your Porpoise in Life
Biography
Peggy Oki is a trailblazing skateboarder, lifelong surfer, acclaimed artist, and passionate environmental activist whose boundary-breaking life inspires audiences worldwide to embrace resilience, creativity, and action for our planet.
Born April 10, 1956, in Los Angeles to Japanese-American parents with roots in Hiroshima, Peggy grew up in the raw coastal culture of West Los Angeles’ “Dogtown.” As the only female member of the legendary Zephyr Competition Team (the Z-Boys), she helped revolutionize skateboarding in the 1970s with a surf-inspired, aggressive style that shifted the sport forever. She made history by winning first place in Women’s Freestyle at the 1975 Del Mar Nationals and was prominently featured in the acclaimed 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. In 2012, she was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
After her groundbreaking days with the Z-Boys, Peggy earned a BFA in Painting from the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara (with an emphasis on environmental art), following studies in biology. Today, she is the founder and director of the Origami Whales Project (since 2004), a global awareness campaign using thousands of folded paper whales to highlight the threats of commercial whaling. Since 2011, she has served as an environmental art instructor in the project’s Whales and Dolphins Ambassador Program, empowering youth to combat ocean threats like pollution, bycatch, noise, and climate change through art and activism.
A lifelong vegan (since ~2001), avid rock climber, yogi, and world-traveling surfer, Peggy blends her rebel spirit with a kind heart to motivate change. Her TEDx talks, keynotes (including VIVID Sydney Game Changer and CURVY Sydney), and presentations—such as Smithsonian World Ocean Day—draw from her extraordinary journey, urging audiences to find their “porpoise” in life, protect the oceans, and live with purpose.
Peggy Oki delivers unforgettable, action-oriented talks on resilience, breaking barriers, environmental stewardship, creativity, and ocean conservation. Book her to ignite inspiration and real-world impact.
To book Peggy Oki or inquire about her availability — contact us at contact@presbourgspeakers.com