Jamie Tworkowski

Jamie Tworkowski was born in Morehead City, North Carolina, in 1980. His early life was immersed in surf culture, with his parents owning a surf shop and his father working as a sales representative for a t-shirt company. This environment fostered an early interest in brands and the surf industry. At age 18, Tworkowski began his career as a sub-representative for Quiksilver. By 22, he was a sales representative for Hurley, a position he held for four years. In 2006, Tworkowski transitioned from the surf industry to establish To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).

TWLOHA originated from Tworkowski’s effort to support a friend, Renee Yohe, who was facing challenges with depression, addiction, and self-injury. He documented her story in a blog post on MySpace and began selling t-shirts to fund her treatment. The narrative gained significant attention, leading to widespread demand for the t-shirts and the eventual formation of TWLOHA as a non-profit organization. Under Tworkowski’s leadership, TWLOHA expanded its reach, responding to individuals in over 100 countries and allocating more than $2.7 million to treatment and recovery initiatives. In 2015, Tworkowski authored “If You Feel Too Much,” a collection of stories including the original “To Write Love On Her Arms.”

After 15 years, Tworkowski departed from TWLOHA in 2021 to pursue independent writing and speaking engagements, maintaining his focus on mental health advocacy. In 2020, while residing in Nashville, Tworkowski founded NEEDS AN OCEAN (NAO), a beach brand. This venture allowed him to reconnect with his surfing background, with NAO’s tagline, “A beach brand born from new appreciation,” reflecting his renewed focus on his roots. The brand’s operations are based in Nashville, with Tworkowski returning to Florida at the end of 2020.