Who’s in your corner?

Do you stuff down your disappointment? Or talk it through?

This week I have been reflecting and integrating what was not readily apparent after getting out of Lake Memphremagog. Immediately after the swim I debriefed with my crew and coach, but the lessons keep unfolding. This week I hosted a Q&A at The Water’s Edge where my community asked astute questions about how I kept going in the night despite the inconvenience of being cold, my decision making process before exiting the water, and the importance of knowing your why. I had another conversation with my coach, SwimMastery cofounder, Tracey Baumann, for an upcoming episode of Stories from the Water where we talked about my journey and benefit of finding presence in the water (and in life). And I kept the conversation going with friends, neighbors, parents and swimmers who popped in for lessons and coaching in my backyard Endless pool. I realized something simple and true: no amount of solo journaling matched the comfort and closure of speaking it out loud with my people.

When I pushed off in Lake George in 2022, I wondered how far I could swim, knowing that I’m at home in the water and operating my body in The Swim Mastery Way. Here’s what 4 big swims in 4 years have taught me:

• If I continue with my 1-3 day a week practice never focusing on speed or distance, the answer is about 22-29 hours and 35-36 miles.
• No matter how I prepare, mother nature decides what to throw at me on the day, I have to steel my mind and surrender to my crew. All I have control over is how I conduct myself in the face of the unknowable.
• Community matters: the right voices at the right moments keep you present, grateful, and moving forward—one feed at a time.

The question is, who’s in your corner?

Who’s on your boat?

Who’s helping you tune into your body so you can receive the water’s feedback?

Who’s supporting and encouraging you on the weeks when your boss yells at you, your kids or your cat are sick, and your dog poops on your favorite rug?

Who’s reminding you that movement patterns matter and you can do those in front of the mirror, even when your pool is closed?

That there’s more to swimming than going back and forth in a pool tallying lengths?

This experience reinforced something I’ve always believed: humans are better together, and growth happens in community. Which is exactly why the group dynamic in SwimBound is so powerful.

SwimBound is a 5 month group coaching program culminating with a destination swim week in March of 2026 in the comfortable waters of the Caribbean Sea. We’ll swim every day for 6 days, admiring the way the jade jungles descend into the turquoise waters, the geothermic bubbles rise from the volcanic rock underwater, and discovering what the island has to offer when we’re not wet.

We’ll be exploring pieces of the Waitukubuli Sea Trail that I swam in 2023 and discover what we’re truly capable of—the goal is not a set distance or your name in a record book, but who you become as a swimmer along the way—and the lessons from the water that you can bring back and implement in your daily life.

In the process we’ll remove the barriers between you and the presence, trust, and joy that the water, and a life fully lived offers. If you feel called to your own transformative challenge, book a Discovery Call to explore what’s possible.

See you in the water (or online) soon—ready to find out who’s in your corner?

Shannon