Daily Inspiration: Meet Dimitris Zogaris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dimitris Zogaris.

Hi Dimitris, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
As a teenager, I went through some hard times in life. Having to deal with my parent’s divorce and also getting through a lot of bullying as a teenager in high school, it was hard for me to escape and stay safe and focused on my journey in life. 

That’s when I found skateboarding. 

Skateboarding came into my life by the age of fourteen. 

One day a friend of mine came by my parents’ house and we played Tony hawk on PlayStation One. 

That’s when I first saw that you could do tricks with a skateboard. 

By that time, I knew that I needed to really get into skateboarding and start learning tricks. 

For a kid like me, having to deal with so much pain from my parents’ divorce and from all the bullying and judgments I was getting through at school, skateboarding gave me a way to break free and protect myself & soul. 

As years passed by, I was getting better and better at skating and was also getting to meet a lot of people. 

Skateboarding taught me to never give up and focus on myself. 

It made me who I am today. 

It saved my life, and it built me a huge self-confidence I never had. 

All these people that were bullying and judging me suddenly weren’t affecting me anymore because skateboarding made me strong. 

I also traveled around the world because of skateboarding, which opened my mind. 

Skateboarding saved my life. 

I was born in Vancouver, Canada, but grew up in Greece. 

Traveling back and forth to Los Angeles for pursuing my dreams was the number one thing I needed to focus. 

Skateboarding was all I ever wanted to do, so I had to be in Los Angeles to engage with people and be better at what I do. 

Now I have become one of the most successful skateboarding instructors in Greece and I’m trying to bring it out in Los Angeles. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles were mostly when I had to deal with my parent’s divorce and also the bullying I was getting through as a kid in school. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Skateboarding made me who I am. 

I do not consider skateboarding as a sport or a hobby. 

Skateboarding, for me, is a form of art. 

It’s a way of living. It’s a lifestyle. 

How do you think about luck?
Luck for me is Staying Safe! Skateboarding kept me safe Spiritually, emotionally, and physically. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://panagkarac.wixsite.com/zogaris-skate-lesson/portfolio
• Instagram: dimzogaris
• Facebook: Dimitris Zogaris
• Youtube: Dimitris Zogaris