Today, cultural studies theories, methods, and approaches are no longer solely the preserve of departments of arts, humanities, or social sciences. This article offers one example of learning how to teach cultural studies content to human movement studies (HMS) students. The author explores how she drew on various feminist and cultural studies theories and methods she was using in her PhD research project about women's experiences of recreational surfing to connect with students and engage them in an affective form of pedagogical exchange that challenges discourses of "Healthism." In this discussion, the author wishes to explore how learning to teach HMS undergraduates- in learning how to communicate, encourage critical thinking, and support students' personal growth and social awareness--also became an exploration of the role of teaching in universities, a commitment to academia as a career path, and a discovery of how research, theory and teaching practices can, and should, inform each other. The author writes that what she is advocating is the commitment by universities to include teaching opportunities as part of a PhD experience.