Find Refuge in the Water Last September I turned 50. I thought that I was handling "middle age" just fine - until I had to pull out the reading glasses that I reluctantly purchased - I broke down crying. But that's just one piece of it. The swim studio project I have been pouring myself into has been dragging out, tangled in unexpected regulatory hurdles and unforeseen expenses. Every step forward seems to come with a new roadblock. And beyond my own struggles, there's the flailing economy, a...

What's it like for you? Do you have an easy time showing up for your training sessions? Or is it a struggle to make it happen? (🙋♀️ Yep, I’ve been there.) Showing up is half the battle, but making each stroke count—that’s the real challenge. In community, we support each other in putting our best effort forward. Yes, there are times when showing up is all we can do and it's enough. But let's be real—water time is precious. We need to make it matter. This isn’t about hollow conversations,...

There's more than meets the eye At our weekly Q&A on Tuesday, we explored a powerful truth: looks can be deceiving, especially in swimming. It’s easy to assume a long, graceful stroke means efficiency or that choppy movements signal struggle. But the water tells a different story. A swimmer who looks smooth might be leaking power in invisible ways, while someone with an unconventional stroke might be moving through the water with surprising ease. The real difference isn’t in how a stroke, a...

What are you training for? When people ask me, “What are you training for?” my answer is simple: life. Sure, I like to take on a big swim each year (my version of misogi)—this time, I’m celebrating my 50th trip around the sun with a 50-mile swim in a Vermont lake. But here’s the thing: I don’t want training to feel like something separate from the rest of my life. I want it to fit into my days, not take them over. Training for Life, Not Just a Goal If you’ve ever looked at the long list of...

Start on a mat Last week I was in Mexico doing yoga two times a day and swimming in between. While I've practiced yoga on and off for decades, something is really starting to click for me - not just on the mat, in the water. The word 'yoga' literally translates to yoke, or to unite. Yoke, as in the piece of wood that connects two animals together to pull a cart so that they can work together. In a yoga practice, the aim is to create a union between your mind and your body. As my yoga teacher...

Performance versus Potential The word 'performance' makes me cringe. It brings me back to high school swim meets. Spending time before a race visualizing a qualifying time that would earn me a spot in the State swim meet. Then diving off the blocks and falling apart. The weeks, months, years of practice completely escaping me. Anxiety and overthinking taking over. Potential, I can get behind. Everyone has potential. With my swimmers, I cultivate curiosity, resilience, and a growth mindset....

Is it time to grow?