I recently had the chance to attend a Q&A with Bob Bowman and Carol at the University of Texas, and I wrote down some of the biggest mindset lessons that stuck with me. The biggest takeaway was that great swimmers don't rely on motivation, they rely on the discipline of their swimmers. One thing Bob and Carol said really changed my mindset, even Olympians don't wake up excited for every practice. The difference is that they show up anyway. They don't wait until they feel motivated, they train because they know consistency is what leads to improvement, and eventually these big wins at the highest level Another lesson was to have a short memory. Bad races and bad practices happen to everyone. Instead of dwelling on them, warm down, learn from what happened, ask your coach what you can improve, and move on. A bad race is often your biggest opportunity to learn. They also talked about what makes their favorite swimmers. Surprisingly, it wasn't always Olympic champions. It was the athletes who were coachable, listened, made changes, worked hard, and got the most out of their own potential. One quote I'll definitely remember was that elite swimmers aren't a 10/10 every day. They're usually a 7 or 8 every single day. They have a high average because they consistently show up and give what they have, rather than waiting for the "perfect" day. Another thing I loved was: "It's not the set that makes you fast, it's you who makes the set work." There isn't a magical workout. Improvement comes from bringing focus, effort, and purpose to every practice. Finally, they emphasized that character matters just as much as performance. Be a good teammate, support others, work hard in school, and remember that the way you do one thing is often the way you do everything. Overall, this Q&A reminded me that success in swimming isn't built by one amazing race or one perfect practice. It's built by showing up every day, staying coachable, learning from setbacks, and trusting the process.

The swimmers who make it all share the same few things, and you can copy every one… In this one I break down our latest team call: Liam's week training under Bob Bowman, how to show up to camp ready, and locking in your race-day mindset. I'm dropping the link to his Skool post in the comments below. Here's what's inside: 👉 What it's really like to be coached by Bob Bowman 👉 Why weeks out of the water cost more than you think 👉 The one race-morning mistake you can't afford 👉 The 3 things every successful swimmer has in common Here's the replay. 👇 Drop your take: is taking 2, 3, 4, (5??) full weeks OUT of the water over summer smart recovery, or are you handing your rivals a head start you'll never get back??!!

A swimmer texted me "I want to swim, but I don't feel very motivated"... so we opened his screen time. In this one I break down the No-Nag agreement, the one-page contract your swimmer signs to become the master over the phone instead of the other way around. What we covered: 👉 The screen-time number we found behind one swimmer's missing motivation 👉 What "just two hours a day" really adds up to 👉 The swap that makes cutting an app actually stick 👉 Three rules that protect sleep and focus plus your only job as the parent Here's the full recording. The agreement is in the pinned post. Sit down with your swimmer for five minutes, fill it out together, and drop it in the comments when it's done. One bad day isn't failure.. direction beats perfection. First check-in is Sunday at 8pm Zurich time, right after the academy training.