Navigating Neva

Send us Fan Mail  In today’s episode, Cameron shares the full arc of how she became a swim school owner, starting with her own swim story (when and how she learned), moving through her years on swim team, and then into the college chapter where she pivoted degrees and clarified her direction. She also walks through the jobs and experiences that shaped her before business ownership, the mentors and...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Navigating Neva , we’re joined by Beth —an aquatics and PE professional whose work spans Physical Education & Aquatics, Driver Education , coaching Women’s Varsity Swimming , Men’s Varsity Swimming , Women’s Water Polo , supporting Special Olympics Swimming , and serving as an American Red Cross LGIT/CPRIT . We get practical about what it takes to run a high-funct...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode of Navigating Neva , Neva and Wes sit down with Tyler Daly , an aquatics leader who blends coaching mindset with real-world deck accountability. Tyler shares his career path—from early aquatics work in Leesburg, Florida , to building a swim program in Colorado from 80 to 400 monthly participants in 2.5 years and helping certify 77 swim instructors , to returning...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ne...

Send us Fan Mail 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 collaborati...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 toddle...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail “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,...

Send us Fan Mail 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 caree...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 1: “Mini Adventures, Big Impact” Release Date: October 29, 2025 Hosts: Neva Nicole & Wesley King Guest: Helen Hughes – Founder of Mini Water Adventurers (UK)  Episode Summary In this premiere episode of Navigating Neva , we’re diving into early swim education through the lens of play, connection, and emotional safety. Nicole and Wesley welcome Helen Hughes , creator of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into Otterball — a revolutionary, inclusive water game created by veteran coach and adapted PE teacher Ron Usher . With over 50 years of experience in swimming, water polo, and aquatic education, Ron developed Otterball to bridge the “aquatic desert” — the gap where teens and non-swimmers have few opportunities to learn or participate. Through a progressiv...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Phil Waggott from SplashSave joins Nicole Fairfield and Wes King to unpack New Zealand’s groundbreaking drowning-prevention data system — one that now tracks hospitalizations as well as fatalities. The results are eye-opening: for every drowning death, there are roughly ten hospitalizations — a hidden layer of water-related trauma that rarely gets measured or disc...

Send us Fan Mail  What if fear of water could be measured — not guessed? This week, we explore the groundbreaking 12-Step Aquaphobia Program developed by Mike Berman and researched with Dr. Ali Barrow in Germany and Dr. Jenny Smith at the University of Chichester. Joanna shares how this evidence-based approach uses a 25-question fear assessment, PAR (Personal Ability Range) scoring, and gradual ex...

Send us Fan Mail 487 rescues. Zero drownings. That’s not luck—it’s a skill. This week on Navigating Neva , Nicole and Wes welcome Stephen Dixon , an open-water safety leader who turned a high-risk lake with 3–5 drownings a year into zero . Stephen takes us inside the mindset and methods of real-world detection and rescue—and what pool guards can learn from open-water culture. Support the show 🔴 F...

Send us Fan Mail  From First Whistle to Facility Coordinator: Ashley Marthaler on LGIT & Aquatics Leadership (Sept 24, 2025)  Tonight on Navigating Neva , Nicole and co-host Wes spotlight Ashley Marthaler —an aquatics pro who started guarding at 16 and, by 24 , has leveled up through guard → head guard → manager → coordinator to Facility Coordinator at Illinois State . She just wrapped LGIT ac...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Navigating Neva , Nicole and Wes welcome Mark — host of the Heavy or Not podcast, ISCA contributor, and longtime advocate for gameplay and water polo. We dive into: Why water polo is one of the most unique (and underrated) sports in aquatics. How gameplay keeps kids engaged and builds long-term swim development. The vision and impact of ISCA (International Swim...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode, Wes and Nicole talk with Andy Graham about the Medical Fitness Association — what it is, how it connects fitness and healthcare, and why its standards matter. The conversation highlights how medicine has created strong pathways between physicians and fitness, while aquatics has yet to build similar systems.  Support the show 🔴 Follow Your Host on TikTok : Stay c...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring episode, host Nicole Fairfield and co-host Wesley King sit down with Paralympic medalist, global speaker, and future LA 2028 athlete Jamal Hill . Jamal’s story is one of resilience, courage, and unshakable belief. From growing up in Inglewood where swimming wasn’t “supposed” to be part of his story, to being diagnosed with a rare disease that doctors said would k...

Send us Fan Mail What if lifeguard training wasn’t just a summer requirement — but part of your camp’s culture? In this episode of Navigating Neva , Nicole and Wes sit down with Shannon, a powerhouse camp director and lifeguard instructor who’s redefining what leadership and safety look like in a camp setting. From why she trains her own guards, to how expectations shape behavior, Shannon shares a...

Send us Fan Mail Are you ready to connect, grow, and lead in the world of aquatics?  Join us for All Things Aquatics 2025 , a full-day experience for water safety advocates, swim school leaders, pool operators, lifeguards, and aquatics pros from across the nation. 🎯 WHO THIS IS FOR: YMCA & JCC aquatics teams PE teachers & youth program leaders Swim schools, coaches, and instructors Pool o...

Send us Fan Mail In this roundtable episode of Navigating Neva , we sit down with Canadian lifeguard legend Scott Ruddle—who’s still rocking the deck after nearly four decades. Nicole and Wes dig into Scott’s journey, the culture of guarding in Canada, crossover lessons from his work as a paramedic, and why lifeguarding is more than just a summer job. It’s raw, reflective, and packed with wisdom f...