Loading episode…
Loading episode…
Episode context
Listen here, open the show page, or watch the linked video version without starting over in search.
Emma Levy swam competitively as a child, and since then has continued swimming either in the pool or in open water, depending what’s available. This year it finally occurred to her that for the purposes of open water swimming she is an adaptive athlete, so she will tackle future swim challenges with new strategies.
She is a SwimMastery High Performance Coach. She supported Tracey Baumann as a thinking partner in creating the book The SwimMastery Way.
As an Improvement Advisor, trained by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, she applies the science of improvement in her work with all her clients, drawing on a wide range of methods and approaches to support them to thrive in everyday life and in striving towards specific physical activity goals. These may relate to swimming, joint mechanics and re-organisation of movement patterns for other areas of physical activity, as well as cognitive function, self-regulation, and pain management.
Emma believes that there is no single ‘average athlete’ whose needs can safely stand in for everyone else’s. A standard recommendation designed for the average does not see the whole complex system of the unique individual. Improvement science helps us to personalise, to shift from 'apply the average' to 'learn what works'. Emma’s online courses in improvement science aim to empower athletes, coaches, and everyday movers to make better decisions on their day-to-day activities with confidence, based on choosing the most useful changes to try out, applying curiosity to make small adjustments systematically, and using simple rules for data analysis. Find out more about these courses at https://emmalevylearning.com
Are you ready to change the way you experience the water? Join the SwimMastery Open Water Camp in Loreto, Mexico in 2027. Find out more: SwimMastery Open Water Swim Camps
Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com
If these stories and questions resonate with you, there are a few ways to swim alongside me:
Join my email list for occasional updates about coaching, clinics, gatherings, and opportunities to get in the water together.
Subscribe to Lessons from the Water on Substack for my writing and reflections on swimming, water, awareness, trust, and the edges we meet along the way.
Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.
Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.
Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com
Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.
Next listen
All from Stories from the Water →
Next listen
Joe Zemaitis' Swim Story
Listen guide
"Emma Levy's Swim Story" is an episode of Stories from the Water. Runtime 43 min. Published October 1, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.
