Fear Controls. Love Connects

Caribe Nation,

Yesterday I traveled to Atlanta to spend time with my mentor and my sister.

It had been a year since I’d seen my sister.
Only the fifth time I’d seen my mentor in as many years.

The reason for the trip was simple: healing.

We participated in a traditional Amazonian cleansing ritual called Kambo — approached with intention, respect, and guidance.

What stood out most wasn’t the experience itself.
It was what happened before it.

In the days leading up, my body was loud.

Nervousness.
Anxiety.
A constant internal message saying, “Don’t do this.”

That voice wasn’t wisdom.
It was protection.

A defense mechanism designed to keep me in what was familiar — even when familiar meant staying stuck.

That is what living in a fear state feels like.

Fear isn’t loud because it’s right.
It’s loud because it wants control.

During the experience itself, it was intense.
Uncomfortable.
Demanding.

And one truth became very clear, very quickly:

I could not have done it alone.

I stayed regulated because I was supported — by my mentor, by my sister, by people I trusted.
The relationship carried me through the discomfort.

When it was over, I felt lighter. Clearer. More connected.

But the real shift wasn’t physical.

It was relational.

Before the experience, I was operating from fear — protecting, bracing, resisting.
Afterward, I was operating from connection.

From trust.
From presence.
From love.

And that’s when it clicked.

Learning to swim follows the exact same rules.

Fear in the water is not about water.
It’s about the absence of relationship.

No relationship with your body.
No relationship with safety.
No relationship with the water itself.

When that relationship is missing, fear leads.
And when fear leads, the nervous system stays guarded.

No amount of technique can override that.

But when relationship is built — with support, intention, and trust — the fear state reduces.

Love replaces fear.
Curiosity replaces resistance.
Confidence replaces force.

This is why people don’t fail at swimming because they’re incapable.

They fail because they’re taught from fear:
Push harder.
Try again.
Just do it.

But learning — real learning — happens from love.

And love requires relationship.

That’s the real secret.

I would love the opportunity of helping you REMEMBER your true relationship with self, with water, & with learning to swim.

BIG LOVE,

Coach Jeff Wood
Founder - Caribe Swim

P.S.
If you’re ready to build a sacred relationship with the water — one rooted in trust instead of fear — reply to this email or complete this form:
https://foxly.link/connection

This is where connection begins and fear ends.