One Truth Every Adult Swimmer Must Learn

Hey, its Coach Meredith —
One thing about my brain? I love noticing patterns. Especially in the water.

Over 15 years of teaching thousands of adults to swim has shown me something I can’t unsee:

Women and men often learn to swim differently.

Same pool.
Same step-by-step process.
Totally different journeys.

Let me tell you a story about Figgy and Nicole.
A married couple.
Neither could swim.
But they dreamed of snorkeling side by side in the Caribbean.

They enrolled in our swimming mastery program, ready to conquer their fear together.

On day one, Nicole followed our cycle of mastery process step by step.
Figgy… didn’t.
Figgy wanted to immediately “push past” his fear and spend time in the deep end  — determined, intense, chasing the result.

Nicole? She stayed at the wall.
Trying a skill.
Checking in with herself.
Relaxing into each movement.
Repeating.  Over and over.
Developing a relationship with the water.

From the deep end, Figgy called to her:
“Come swim with me!”

But she smiled and said something I’ll never forget:

“I’m exactly where I need to be.”

And she was.
By the end of the week, Nicole was treading water with ease — calm, steady, and even talking while treading water like she was sitting on a park bench.

Figgy?
Still trying to outwork the deep end… 

The shocking reality of this?

 ⅔ of women don’t know how to swim.
But 80% of drowning victims are men.

Why?

Because men often push through fear…
While women often pause and listen to it.

It’s not about who learns faster.
It’s about who learns to trust themselves in the water.

That’s the real finish line.

If you’ve ever thought…

“I should be farther along.”
“I’m behind.”
“I’ll just push through it.”

Pause.
You’re exactly where you need to be.
Progress isn’t about speed — it’s about safety, trust, and peace.

And whether you're a Nicole or a Figgy, we've got your back!

Want more stories like this?

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BIG Love,

— Coach Meredith
 Relax first. Swim second.

P.S. There is a happy ending.  Figgy did end up following the process and learned to swim effortlessly!