Sarah Freeman Coaching

The water has been my teacher for years... and it still is.

As a young girl, horses were one of the places where I felt most like myself. They’ve found their way back into my life, quietly reminding me to slow down, to notice, and to listen.

Not every space is meant for me.

Not every conversation asks me to stay.

Like the water, I’m learning to gently ebb and flow toward the people, places, and experiences that feel true to who I am.

Not from judgment.

Not from fear.

But from a place of trust.

One of the gifts of this season of life is learning to pause long enough to notice what feels true before taking the next step.

Not because I’ve stopped dreaming.

Not because I’ve stopped becoming.

My dreams are still fully there.

I’ve learned to meet them with more trust, more presence, and more grace than I once did.

The soft strength of a woman isn’t having all the answers.

It’s learning to trust herself. 🌊

A Water Woman knows that sometimes the greatest gift isn’t the full moon itself, it’s everything that unfolds while waiting for it to rise🌊

Last night’s Aquarius full moon gathered a few women at the water’s edge, where conversation flowed as naturally as the lake itself. Stories were shared. Laughter found its way in. Vulnerability quietly appeared. No agenda. No expectations. Just women, water, and the space to be.

Then, as the light softened and the moon started to glow, we stepped into the lake together. Held by still water, surrounded by mountains, we swam beneath the rising moon, a reminder that sometimes the most healing thing we can do is immerse ourselves in nature and trust what it has to offer🌱

Moon above. Moon reflected below. Mountains mirrored in stillness. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Water has a way of slowing us down long enough to notice what we’ve been carrying… and, if we’re ready, what we’re ready to release.

Water Women know that when we gather by and in the water, we don’t just witness its beauty… we begin to remember our own🌊🌕

A Water Woman knows that not every shore is meant for landing. Wisdom isn’t knowing how long to stay. It’s knowing when to swim on🌊

There’s something I love about this time of year.

After months of training, balancing careers, families, commitments, and everything else life asks of us, we finally have the opportunity to bring all of that unseen training to life.

I have so much respect for every person who commits to that journey. Because while a race may last an hour or more, it’s really a celebration of everything that came before it.

Over the years, I’ve realized the greatest gift isn’t the race itself.

It’s who we become along the way.

The water has taught me that movement isn’t always about reaching the next shore. Sometimes it’s about leaving the wrong one.

The older I get, the more I trust that quiet knowing.

I don’t need to stay where my energy feels depleted.
I don’t need to force myself to fit where I don’t belong.
I don’t need to explain why something simply doesn’t feel right.

I can listen.
I can trust.
And I can swim toward what fuels me.

Maybe that’s the real gift of being a Water Woman.

The lessons don’t stay in the water. They ripple into our work, our relationships, our leadership, and the way we move through the world.

It’s not just about becoming a stronger swimmer. It’s about becoming a wiser woman🤎🐆

There is something incredibly special about witnessing a young woman step fully into a dream she has been quietly building.

This August, the 2026 Swim It Forward Dreamer, Christine | Ultra Marathon Swimmer will stand on the shores of the English Channel and, when the moment is right, begin her attempt to swim to France.

As Water Women know, dreams like these are never built in a single swim. They are shaped by ordinary days, early mornings, choosing to trust your body, and the community that believes in you every step of the way🤎

Although Christine lives in Australia and I live here in Canada (Canmore), it has been such a privilege to witness her journey from afar. I’ve admired not only her resilience, but the way she has listened to her body, trusted the process, and continued to return to the water with quiet determination🌊

When I created the Swim It Forward Initiative, my vision was: to support another young woman who had experienced adversity continue pursuing a swim dream. This year, that young woman is Christine.

Her swim comes 100 years after Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel on August 6, 1926. One hundred years later, another woman will step into those same waters. Different story. Different journey. The same courage to begin🌊

As this year’s Swim It Forward comes to a close, thank you to every swimmer, coaching client, and supporter of Sarah Freeman Coaching. Because of you, we’ve been able to play a part in supporting another young woman’s dream move one stoke closer🏊🏼‍♀️

Christine, we’ll be cheering for you from Canada.

🩵Water Women know that when one woman follows her dream, she quietly reminds the rest of us that ours matter too.

📷 by SwimsNorth | Ocean swimming and videography

This weekend, I had the privilege of coaching a triathlon club in both open water and the pool.

As I drove home, one comment from an athlete stuck with me🩵

“I’ve never had a coach so invested in coaching me before.”

I sat with those words while driving home.

I don’t coach strokes first.

I coach people🩵

Of course, technique matters. But before I offer a swim tip, I watch. I listen. I notice. I trust my intuition. Sometimes the thing a swimmer thinks they need isn’t what i give feedback on.

And when I feel that quiet nudge, I lean into it.

Often, it’s one small adjustment.

Not ten things to think about.
Not information overload.

One thing🏊🏼‍♀️

The right thing, at the right time.

I’m not interested in giving people all the answers.

I’m interested in creating the space where they discover something for themselves.

That, to me, is where confidence begins🐆

The more I thought about it, the more I realized this isn’t just how I coach.

It’s how I move through life.

When something is a wholehearted yes, I invest in it.

My family.
My friendships.
My swimmers.
My own training.
My career.
The dreams that keep calling me forward.

Not by doing more.

By being fully present.

By paying attention.

By trusting what I notice.

Water has taught me that you don’t force what wants to flow. You become still enough to notice where it’s already trying to go.

Maybe that’s what I hope people leave with after we’ve shared the water together.

Not just better technique.

But a deeper belief in themselves🩵

I’ve been thinking about something for quite a while now.

In conversations with women, one thing keeps coming up: their dreams. Not just the dreams themselves, but the steps they’re taking toward them🐆

What keeps standing out to me isn’t only the courage it takes to move forward. It’s the people around them.

The ones who listen.
Who ask questions.
Who encourage.
Who celebrate.
Who don’t immediately point out all the reasons something might not work.

I’ve also noticed that’s not true everywhere. Sometimes, when I travel or spend time in different places, I’m reminded that every community has its own way of responding to people’s dreams.

It always gives me a new perspective and leaves me feeling incredibly grateful for this mountain community we get to call home.

Water Women know… water doesn’t force its way forward. It keeps moving because it finds a path. Sometimes that path is shaped by the landscape around it.

Our dreams are still ours to pursue. We have to be the ones willing to take the next step. But there’s something powerful about having people beside us who create space for those dreams to be spoken.

I’ve come to believe that one of the greatest gifts we can give another woman is to truly hear her dream.

To acknowledge it.
To hold space for it.
To recognize how brave it is to say it out loud.

Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer isn’t advice.

It’s listening long enough to simply say,

“Tell me more.”🤎🌊