Juliet Urushima – Bluet SUP

It’s that magical time of day just before sunset when the world takes on an air of mystery. Shadows lengthen. The sky softens. Night creatures begin to stir. As the first hints of pink paint the horizon, Juliet Urushima pauses atop her stand-up paddleboard to take it all in. And it occurs to her she might just be the luckiest person on the planet.

The past 10 years have been quite a journey for Juliet and, at moments like this, it’s hard to believe all that’s happened. Fifteen years ago, she was just one more cog in Corporate America, working an administrative job in an HR department. She was working full time, raising a family, and caring for her sick mother a state away. There truly weren’t enough hours in the day.

Then, she lost her mother to cancer, her kids were getting older, and Juliet was left feeling rudderless. “My mom was a teenage mom, so she was like a mother, sister, and best friend to me,” Juliet said. “Losing her when I was only 40 left me wondering who I was without her.”

It was in this state of mind that she came across an ad for stand-up paddleboarding. Next thing she knew, she was paddleboarding four days a week. “When I was on the board, all my doubt and anxiety seemed to dissolve,” Juliet said. “I started inviting friends to come along and the strangest thing happened. While I was on the board, these amazing blue dragonflies called bluets would land on me and all over my board.”

They only landed on Juliet, not on her friends. “Some days I’d have 20 of them at a time on me,” she said. “I looked up the meaning of dragonflies and it was all about change, new beginnings, transformation, and living without regret. I just knew they were a sign from my mom.”

Paddleboarding and being on the water was the therapy Juliet needed when she needed it most. “When I was paddling, I had a sense of peace and everything seemed to make sense,” she said. “When I wasn’t on the paddleboard, I was wishing I was.”

Then, a paddleboard company invited her to participate in a recreational race in Austin, which she won. She was hooked and started traveling across the country to participate in recreational races. The next development in her journey came when she spoke to friends who told her they didn’t like paddleboarding, relating harrowing experiences they’d had. “I told them, ‘Give me the opportunity to teach you’. And I discovered I love teaching and sharing my love of paddleboarding with others.”

Then, Juliet was transferred to Dallas. She was reluctant to leave her beloved sport behind. Then, she found a property on a lake in Highland Shores that would give her the perfect spot to continue teaching. “There was even a three-car garage on the property where I could rent paddleboards,” she said.

When it came time to choose a name for this new enterprise, it was a no-brainer. She named it Bluet Sup (Stand-up Paddleboarding). It felt like a bit of a lark when she stuck a new-business flier to a Starbucks bulletin board in Highland Village. But the response was overwhelming. She went to the city of HV and was approved to open her business at Pilot Knoll Park. She quickly went from 10 boards to 36 boards plus kayaks and canoes. And SUP Ohana (family) Community was created!

“COVID really put us on the map,” Juliet said. “There were so many things people couldn’t do. But it was easy to keep paddleboards six feet apart. We were out in the open air to welcome everyone and give them the basic human interactions we all desperately needed as well as giving them the opportunity to ground themselves with nature. Water is therapeutic for the heart and soul. We were there to help those struggling with life and were honored to hold space for those who needed it.”

What Juliet began as a hobby was soon a thriving business with 10 employees. Her classes filled up and stayed full. Companies scheduled team-building classes. Girlfriends scheduled classes to celebrate birthdays and bachelorette parties. There were recreational races and 10-mile paddles, sup yoga, sunset paddles, and full-moon paddles. “Some days we’d have 100 customers,” Juliet said. “We even constructed a self-service kiosk where people can rent a board when we’re not here.”

Bluet Sup hosts one of the biggest paddle races in North Texas, The Bluet Brawl, and Juliet is now organizing Bluet International trips to other countries. Upcoming global paddleboarding adventures include a seven-day catamaran tour through the Greek Islands and a fabulous summer 2025 trip to Norway paddling the Fjords, Seychelles sailing trip to Aride Island, Cocos Island, Grand Soeur, and Petit Soeur, a catamaran tour of Italy, including Positano, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia, Gulf of Naples for 2026 and Costa Rica and Mexico. Visit BluetSup.com/Wanderlust for details. Juliet is grateful for Bluet Brawl sponsors; Pacifico Beer, 425 Apparel, and  Lambeau’s America Kitchen & Taps.

“Classes vary depending on what someone needs,” Juliet said. “Whether you’ve never been on a paddleboard or you’re a seasoned paddler preparing for a race, our lessons include safety, relaxation, and skill-building so you can immerse yourself in the rhythm of the water and the beauty of nature.”

One area that tugs at Juliet’s heart is teaching fuller-figured guests to paddleboard.
“I used to be 260 pounds myself and I love empowering fuller-figured guests to realize they can enjoy paddling as much as anyone.”

She’s also worked with young adults on the autism spectrum and those with physical limitations who’ve gone on to win gold medals at the Special Olympics. For 14 years, she’s raised money for Dam That Cancer – The Flatwater Foundation for free mental healthcare for families dealing with cancer diagnosis and paddles 21 miles each year in memory of her mother.

“Ten years of being out on the water and empowering others to do the same has been a blessing beyond belief,” she said. “We are not just a rental company. We’re a safe place to find yourself and have the best experience for you.” Find class schedules at BluetSup.com.