Just wanted to share I put up a new couse in the classroom (a few actually) one just for a new member, and one on Ep#433 Emotional Intelligence in Parks and Recreation Leadership. I listened to their youtube/podcast, took my notes, shared them with you... then did a deeper dive, then gave more info and make a worksheet for you if you want to do EI with your team.https://youtu.be/oy08ZLRCoT8?si=C9ReMMsUfXN-z4tA

I’m realizing I’ve been the main poster here, and I want this to become a real working community—not a feed. Comment with 3 quick things: 1. I’m a: (lifeguard / instructor / manager / owner / vendor / other) 2. My biggest stuck point right now is: ____ 3. I can help others with: ____ No long answers needed—1 sentence each.

1) Isolation + “nobody gets it.”People aren’t craving more “tips.” They’re craving peer community—the kind of cross-facility networking that reduces burnout (shared in-services, joint support, real conversations). Too often, when people try to build it, they run into competition instead of collaboration. 2) Staffing is the pain point… but it’s also a symptom.Recruiting/retention keeps coming up—thin teams, seasonal turnover, school schedules wiping out staffing, and leadership forced into reactive triage instead of systems. People are getting very little time off and carrying too much alone. 3) Burnout + identity conflict is real.“I love this work but I hit a wall.”“Imposter syndrome.”“I don’t know what I bring to the table.”That’s not a competence issue—that’s what happens when people are overextended without support, progression, or recognition. 4) Aquatics isn’t being treated like a profession (in a lot of places).Lifeguarding gets framed as a “teen job,” and that messaging creates apathy in the few who actually care. People want visible career pathways and language that connects aquatics to bigger futures (EMS, Coast Guard, fire, public safety, leadership, training roles). 5) The good part: leadership development changes lives.The best stories in the thread were pipeline stories:Guard → Rescue SwimmerGuard → EMTThat’s proof that strong culture + training creates outcomes, even when a manager doubts they’re “qualified” to mentor others. Here We can connect people and share tools: - drills, templates, and resources (free inside this community) - practical problem-solving with peers who understand the work - relationship-building across facilities and regions The map in this image That map shows where our current members are, so you can see who’s near you right now. If you’re in: Share this Skool with one aquatics person who would benefit from a real community. And I just want to say thank you, thank you for being here.

Who is on the all things aquatics fb page ? https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1bjZY4YgZj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A few of you joined specifically for customer service + de-escalation support—so I wanted to point you exactly where to go. You’ll also find related trainings already inside the community, including: - Right Isn’t Always Effective - Mind Matters & Dark Psychology - The Crayon Box Theory - Emotional Intelligence for High Performers - What Happens When No One Owns the Valve - Great Leader Series - Burnout Series ✅ And I just added TWO new courses today (both include attached PDFs): 1. Calm on Deck: Customer Service + De-escalation 2. Front Desk Confidence: Handle Complaints Without Meltdowns Go enjoy them—and more importantly, use them. If you try the drills with your team, come back and tell us what worked. If you get a short video of your staff practicing (even 15 seconds), share it. We all get better together. To access the courses: - Members go to Classroom (top menu) to see courses. - Inside a course, they open a module/lesson. - Navigation is typically Next (arrow/button) to move forward lesson-by-lesson. - Videos play by clicking Play. - PDFs/links are commonly near the bottom of the lesson, but sometimes they can appear near the top depending on how the lesson was built—so it’s best to say “in the lesson” and “often near the bottom.”