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Guest: Karissa (Be Swim Happy)

What actually makes swim instruction effective—especially when a student is scared, parents are watching, and staff are stretched thin?

In this episode, Nicole and co-host Wes King sit down with Karissa from Be Swim Happy (25+ years in aquatics) for practical, usable guidance for aquatic pros and parents. This isn’t theory. It’s what you can apply next shift, next lesson, and next staff meeting.

We cover:
• The biggest misconceptions about “progress” in swim lessons (from both parents and staff)
• What strong programs do differently: culture, standards, and consistency
• The difference between a program that runs on a system vs. a program that runs on a hero
• Non-negotiables every instructor should understand—regardless of curriculum
• How to train instructors without burning everyone out (even with limited time)
• What quality looks like in the first few lessons for nervous kids
• Green flags and red flags parents can use right away
• A rapid-fire “Lightning Toolkit” for directors, instructors, and teams

Share this episode with one pool manager, one instructor, or one parent who needs it.

Connect with Karissa / Be Swim Happy: https://beswimhappy.com/

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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From competitive swimming at 5 a.m. to becoming one of the first female surf lifesavers, Julie-ann shares how “work with water, not against it” became a philosophy for teaching and leadership. We also unpack her Bali river moment, how AquaBabies scaled fast, the “business shark” lesson every swim school owner needs, and what’s next with the 2025 relaunch and a 2026 collaboration. 

You can find Julie-ann at [email protected] and visit: www.aquababiesmalta.com

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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From one swim lesson to over a million followers.
🎄 Christmas Eve drop.

Jacob shares:
 • How Superhero Swim Academy really started
 • Why content creation isn’t for the faint of heart
 • What swim instructors get wrong about parents
 • And why flexibility beats force in teaching kids

This episode is about growth, grit, and doing it the right way — in and out of the water.

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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In this special year-end episode of Navigating Neva, Nicole and Wes look back on 2025 through the voices that helped shape it. From lifeguards and swim instructors to nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and advocates, this episode celebrates the guests who showed up, spoke honestly, and pushed the aquatics industry forward.

We revisit the big conversations—water safety, leadership, burnout, workforce development, trauma-aware instruction, career pathways, and what it really takes to create safer, more sustainable aquatic programs. This isn’t a highlight reel for clicks; it’s a reflection on growth, lessons learned, and the shared responsibility we carry as aquatic professionals.

Whether you joined us for one episode or all of them, this recap honors the community behind the mic and sets the tone for where we’re headed next.

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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Drowning isn’t dramatic — it’s silent, fast, and overwhelmingly preventable. In this episode, Nicole and Wes sit down with Annabelle, BSN, to expose the real story behind the leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1–4 and the rising drowning rates across Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas.

Annabelle brings a powerful nurse’s perspective as we break down:
 • Why toddlers (1–4) have no fear and no cognitive ability to recognize danger
• The false sense of security families get from puddle jumpers and floaties
• How nurse-led community education can transform drowning prevention
• The shocking gaps in EMS documentation and why near-drownings go untracked
• What better data, better advocacy, and better awareness could do for our communities

This is an honest, human, and deeply needed conversation about a crisis that touches healthcare, aquatics, and public safety at every level. If you want to understand the problem — and be part of the solution — this episode will change the way you see water safety forever.

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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In this episode, Nicole and Wesley sit down with Ryan Greenstein, Advocacy Program Manager for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, to unpack how Georgia is reshaping water safety through policy, partnerships, and statewide collaboration.

Ryan shares his path from Capitol Hill policy work to becoming the YMCA’s first water-safety advocate—an initiative inspired by a family who lost their child to drowning and wanted to turn their grief into change. He explains the rollout of Georgia State Bill 50, which now allows high school students to earn PE credit through lifeguard certification, and highlights the early wins of the Atlanta Water Safety Coalition, including partnerships with 11Alive, DNR’s SPLASH program, and the Governor’s Mansion swim lesson.

Nicole and Wesley connect Ryan with national and local leaders who’ve already implemented lifeguarding-in-schools programs and discuss how communities can move from “awareness” to real, structural impact. If you care about prevention, advocacy, and building a stronger water safety pipeline for youth, this conversation gives you the roadmap.

Find Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangreenstein/

The Greater Atlanta Water Safety Alliance: https://gawatersafety.org/

Vote for your guest of the year: https://form.jotform.com/253228114944052

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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“Thanksgiving Eve: Gratitude, Growth, and What’s Ahead for Aquatics”

Tonight’s Thanksgiving Eve episode is a warm, reflective conversation between Nicole and Wes — a chance to pause in the middle of a big year and acknowledge how far the aquatics community has come.

We open with gratitude, holiday energy, and appreciation for every guard, instructor, supervisor, director, parent, and program leader who has supported this podcast and the mission behind it.

This episode covers:
 ✨ Podcast Guest of the Year Voting
Nominate your favorite guest or episode!
Winner receives:
– A free ticket to ATA 2026 in Houston
– A $50 Visa gift card
– A spotlight feature
Voting closes Dec 17 at 5 PM EST.

Vote here:  https://form.jotform.com/253228114944052

✨ Upcoming Free Webinar
Nicole and Wes highlight the next leadership-focused aquatic webinar — practical tools, real scenarios, and the kind of support most trainings skip.

Join the All Things Aquatic FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Ca69CPDwA/

Sign up for the Webinar: https://form.jotform.com/253147034647053?fbclid=IwY2xjawOUn9JleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBDbGxSeDV5RlpZdTNna0pXc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHt8nmlFyk2O2kjhkiQPdJHGnCyIWDbvZQM6imMrAbz8cp1TmAdMmiMYllWXx_aem_2A46twj_vd1pExey4bMNWA

✨ Save the Date: ATA 2026 — Houston
This community-driven event is shaping up to be massive:
speakers, vendors, certifications, networking, team-building, and the kind of professional connection that changes careers.

✨ Month-in-Review
A fast recap of November’s aquatics adventures:
• Nicole at the World Waterpark Association Conference
• Nicole & Tyler Daly presenting at GRPA
• Nicole & Helen teaching at Treasure Coast YMCA, with a stop-in from Ron
• Wes preparing for his upcoming speaking sessions
• And a shout-out to Aquatics Connect — the growing online directory that’s becoming the “yellow pages” of aquatics. Get your program or business listed and stay visible.

Wes shares why he believes Steven’s platform is needed, even though Steven couldn’t join us tonight — and why tools like Aquatics Connect matter for the future workforce and visibility of this field.

To close, Nicole and Wes offer heartfelt Thanksgiving wishes — a reminder to rest, reconnect, and take pride in the work you do. This industry is heavy, meaningful, purpose-driven work… and we’re grateful you’re part of it.

From our families to yours — Happy Thanksgiving.

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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Tonight Nicole and Wes sit down with longtime friend and aquatics professional Lindsay Thompson, whose journey through lifeguarding, program leadership, swim school ownership, and competitive coaching has shaped a powerful perspective on our industry.

In this episode, Lindsay opens up about:
 • How lifeguarding led her into running a swim school
 • The move that shifted her career path
 • Returning to the pool deck as a coach
 • What the aquatics field gets right — and where we need to grow
 • Lessons learned through transition, leadership, and life on the move

She brings honesty, wisdom, and heart to a conversation that will inspire instructors, coaches, supervisors, and anyone navigating a new chapter.

Follow Lindsay on the platforms she shares in the episode.

If you enjoyed this conversation, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a colleague, and help us build a stronger, safer aquatics world — together.

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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This week on Navigating Neva, host Neva Nicole is joined by Phil Waggott, founder of SplashSave, and co-host Wes King to talk about the most important — and often overlooked — part of water safety: parents as the first line of defense.

From the first bath to the first swim lesson, prevention begins long before formal instruction. Together, Nicole, Phil, and Wes break down how parents can build confidence and calm around water from day one — teaching awareness, emotional regulation, and realistic safety habits that truly prevent drowning.

You’ll hear:
 🌊 Why safety starts before swim skills
 👶 How early comfort and calm responses build lifelong water confidence
 🏡 Ways to integrate SplashSave’s Online Parent Program into your family, swim school, or community outreach
 🤝 How professionals and parents can collaborate toward #ZeroDrownings

Whether you’re a parent, swim instructor, or aquatic leader, this episode offers real, practical ways to empower families and create safer waters for every child.

🎟️ Learn more or register: https://www.splashsave.org/challenge-page/c6c5235f-1545-46be-ad24-a4642e59bf9d?programId=c6c5235f-1545-46be-ad24-a4642e59bf9d

💙 Partner with Safe Shores Georgia: https://www.drowningpreventionlowcountrygoldenisles.com/

📲 Follow @NavigatingNeva for more conversations that bridge leadership, learning, and love for the water. 

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!

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Helen Hughes returns to Navigating Neva to dive deeper into her philosophy of Purposeful Play—and to give listeners a preview of her upcoming workshop at the Treasure Coast YMCA in Stuart, Florida.

In this episode, Wesley King and Nicole Fairfield unpack strategies for promoting Helen’s workshops across the United States—framing them not as required in-services, but as energizing professional-growth experiences that inspire creativity and confidence in aquatic educators. Together, they discuss how to attract teachers who want to evolve their methods and find joy again in teaching.

Helen shares her own turning point—when repeating the same lesson plans no longer sparked excitement—and how structured play transformed both her teaching and her students’ engagement. The group explores practical ways to communicate workshop value, integrate playful structure into lessons, and reimagine how pool space and materials can support individualized learning.

They also contrast UK and US swim-education systems, revealing what each can learn from the other—and why bringing Helen’s approach stateside could reshape instructor training, lesson planning, and overall aquatic culture.

Tune in for insight, laughter, and the spark of something bigger—the movement toward teaching that feels as good as it works.

Support the show

🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok: Stay connected and see behind-the-scenes content by following me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield.

💬 Find Wesley King on Facebook: Get expert insights and connect with Wesley at Wesley King Consulting on Facebook.

❓ Got Questions?: Have questions about today’s episode or upcoming topics? Reach out to me at [email protected].

📚 Check Out My Books: As an author, I have books available on Amazon under Nicole Fairfield.

📲 Follow Me on TikTok: You can also find me on TikTok at @NicoleFairfield for more content!

🔔 Show Support: Enjoy the podcast? Please come back each week, or add Lifeguard Life: Certifications, Careers, and More to your favorites so you never miss an episode!