10/24/2026
“Do you realize what you’ve done here?”
I thought the parent was pulling me aside because there was an issue. It was her daughter’s first day at swim club, and most kids freak out the first day they swim in the big pool.
We know to expect it - our little pools have warm water, small classes and a cozy atmosphere.
PSU’s pool is much bigger, there’s way more people, and the water is COLD.
Day one with up to 6 kids in each lane, multiple lanes swimming at once, a deck full of unfamiliar parents and a lifeguard whistling at you is expected to be a little overwhelming.
“What going on?”
“Penny….I was scanning for my daughter, and as I was searching the lanes and the kids to find where she was swimming, it just hit me. This used to be just you, and one or two kids in a backyard pool.
Now look at what you’ve built.
You have a whole team of instructors.
All who care just as deeply as you do,
All who you’ve trained to respect boundaries,
All who create the space for kids to learn at their own pace.
You have enough graduated students to fill a whole swim team.
And that’s on top of TWO locations.
My kid couldn’t get her face in the water when she started with you.
And now we’re here.
What you’ve done here is incredible.
Have you ever stopped to celebrate this?”
And I realized…
I haven’t. 
It’s been one foot in front of the other for three years.
Three years of regulating the child or the coach or the parent in front of me - focusing so hard on noticing the tiny indicators of released tension in each individual that missed the massive net of comfort we’ve built together.
I started Zen Penguin with 15 years of frustration and one stubborn belief: that swim lessons could and should be done better. The water is for every body.
Every person, no matter how their brain or body works, deserves the opportunity to build a joyful relationship with the water. 🐧
I can’t say it’s been easy.
🐧I’ve grown a lot.
🐧I’ve messed up a lot.
🐧I’ve learned a lot.
But that’s the beauty of Zen Penguin. Everyone - from parents, to coaches, to swimmers, even me - gets to be human.
🐧We get to be scared and anxious.
🐧We get to be wild and excited.
🐧We get to be anything and everything that we are.
To my current Zen Penguin families: your trust built this. Your tuition paid our coaches a living wage, and made room for us to add scholarships so every kid who needs our approach could access it. None of this would exist without you.
To our future families: the water at swim club might be cold, but the community is warm and inviting. If you’ve been looking for a place to belong - come on in! 🌈🐧💧
