Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah King.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My first job at age 16 was teaching swimming lessons, which was an easy choice since I had been a year-round competitive swimmer since I was 8 years old. I enjoyed teaching swim lessons and have continued to do it since then outside of each “day job” I’ve had at the time.
Over the years, my favorite clients to teach have become adult beginner swimmers. Not only has it felt worthwhile to teach people a survival skill, but it is also amazing to witness them discover the joy of swimming on their own for the first time. I’m consistently inspired by their bravery to learn something new as an adult. And yet, I have always looked at swimming as a physical skill to teach. Until about a year and a half ago.
See, a few years ago, I followed a growing passion to shift careers from Social Work and nonprofit management for almost 20 years to starting my own business called Sarah King Creates. Through this business, I guide those who serve others in accessing and nurturing their OWN well-being and mental health.
Burnout and compassion fatigue are rampant in helping professionals and something I have experienced firsthand while working in the nonprofit sector. I am passionate about providing tools, resources, and support for helpers to remember the person underneath all the hats they wear. As they renew their mental health, they can carry out their passions from a more sustainable place. The main way I’d been teaching this is through guided creative workshops as a Healing Arts practitioner and speaker.
After moving to South Florida in 2021, I picked up a couple of new adult beginner swim clients during the summer of 2022, simply seeing it as a way to supplement my income while building my business. Yet this time, I began to listen more closely. I heard my clients say things like “Wow, it’s so quiet underwater”. After encouraging a client to relax their core to float more easily, he realized, “I don’t know if I’ve relaxed my core in 20 years.” A few lessons later, he shared that his colleagues were asking for afternoon meetings, after we swam on his lunch break, since he seemed so much less stressed! In fact, a few lessons later, I got to witness this man PLAY in the waves for the first time in his life!
I started to see what had been in front of my face for decades. In addition to a survival skill and beneficial physical skill, swimming is also an incredible tool for mental health and well-being. It dawned on me that I have benefitted immensely from the comfort that the water can give.
I remembered that when I was 27, in the immediate aftermath of a family member taking his own life, the ocean held me and my tears. Day after day in the weeks right after, I found myself driving the 45 minutes to the beach and floating and crying into the water, releasing my pain into the waves. The lifeguards must have wondered what in the world was up with this lady.
As I looked back, I realized that being in or near water has been a space for comfort, clarity, and a healing balm for every major event, change, and loss in my life. Yet, there are so many people, who are missing out on this incredible tool and resource for mental health support. The American Red Cross reports that 44% of Americans said they would fail a basic swim test. And these rates are even higher within historically excluded communities.
As a former collegiate swimmer and 24-year swim instructor, I am honored to guide adults to access the physical and mental health benefits found in swimming. By transforming something that used to be a stress-inducing activity into a tool for stress relief, adult beginner swimmers can experience new levels of freedom and well-being.
This discovery led me to expand Sarah King Creates into three main offerings to support mental health and well-being: speaking engagements and creative workshops, “Hats Off for Helpers” Healing Arts membership, and “Water & Well-Being” adult swim retreats and lessons.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As you may have noticed in my story, one consistent theme in my entrepreneurship journey has been changing and evolving. When I was working full-time, many things changed with the organizations I served in, but the basic framework was already in place, I had a clear (albeit long) job description, and to some degree, I knew how to plan financially. The uncertainty, change, and evolution of entrepreneurship can feel very unsettling at times and cause me to question myself.
On my good days, I go with the flow and trust the process of uncovering the path of least resistance. On other days, I’ve felt like I’m scrambling in circles and grasping at straws. When those days come, it is a sign that I need to pause and practice my own advice through creativity, swimming and moving my body, being out in nature, taking a break to have fun, and breathing exercises. I have also learned how pivotal it is to seek and receive the support of my mentors and coaches.
Another struggle having to do with change was relocating from Texas to Florida in the process of setting up my business. Having lived in Houston for the prior thirteen years, I took for granted how connected I was there and underestimated the challenges of starting a business in a city where I knew few people.
Thankfully, everywhere I go, I meet cool people! It has been great getting to start experiencing the beauty and unique collection of cultures and vibes of South Florida. Yet, there is much to learn as I get connected. Building a business in the midst of reestablishing myself personally has not been ideal.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sarah King Creates LLC?
I invite you to access the free resources on my website to nurture your mental health and well-being! (located here: https://www.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I heard a former business mentor of mine, Jane Hamill, say a few years ago, “Being an entrepreneur is not just about building a business, it’s about who you become in the process.” At the time I was so new to this that I didn’t grasp it fully. Now, wheeeeew it really resonates with me!
I continue to learn to embrace the gifts talents and life experiences that make me unique instead of trying to emulate others whom I look up to or admire their businesses. By embracing each quality that makes me unique as well as embracing the growth of who I am becoming, my business feels the most authentic to me and my service is the best quality I can give my clients. I am learning that the more I can identify what ideas and business ventures align with my passions, skills, and desires, the better the outcome.
In this process, I’ve needed to refine my ability to say no to what is not in alignment. Before I leaned more fully into entrepreneurship, I had a hard time determining if something aligned, and even more difficulty saying no even if I could identify it.
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