Purpose
A primer for the conversations and open office hours on insurance issues.
This journey is starting.
- The first mission is discovery.
- What questions need to be asked? Your input in the comments are welcome.
Who Motivates the Motivator? Coaches Under Pressure
Being a swim coach isn’t just about writing sets, blowing whistles, and guiding young athletes toward their potential. It’s also about carrying the weight of responsibility. Sometimes, it is crushing responsibility. Barry Healey, a veteran coach and mentor from British Columbia, Canada, put it bluntly in a recent conversation:
“We’re getting coaches unfortunately getting sued for either bullying or, the opposite way, lack of attention. So you’re going like, which way do I go with this kid?”
That’s not just unsettling. It’s a stark reminder that coaching is full of legal and ethical minefields. You’re constantly judged, often without clear guidance, and sometimes exposed no matter what you do.
Coaches are living under that tension day after day.
You spend long hours away from home, working jobs that aren’t 20-or-40 hours a week, but closer to “all the time.” You pour yourself into athletes, and yet, as Barry wonders, “Who motivates the motivator?”
Coaches, especially young ones, often lack mentors, guidance, and safe spaces to talk about the stress that comes with the job. The irony is striking: those who motivate athletes are often among the most insecure people in sport. Add to that the constant fear of lawsuits, burnout, and lack of structural support, and you get a crisis bubbling under the surface of the pool deck.
This isn’t sustainable. Left unchecked, it drives talented people out of coaching and leaves those who remain increasingly isolated.
The next steps forward is acknowledgment and then action.
Barry Healey has taken up the challenge of creating spaces for coaches to talk, learn, and protect themselves. Together with the International Swim Coaches Association (ISCA), we're calling coaches, especially swim coaches, to engage in ongoing conversations about insurance, liability, and professional survival.
At the heart of this effort is a new course called “CYA” (Cover Your Assets). The course is in its early stages, hosted at Read.SwimISCA.org/course/cya, and it’s completely free. But this unfolding mission more than just a course and a podcast.
Barry is championing online roundtable discussions on a monthly basis. We're doing the heavy lifting and crafting a safe, collaborative space where coaches can share real experiences, ask hard questions, and get ahead of problems before they blow up.
This is about building resilience, not just for individuals, but for the entire coaching community. It’s about shifting from isolation and uncertainty to connection and preparedness.
If you’re a coach, especially a swim coach in North America, this is your invitation.
Don’t wait until “the problem happens.” Join the conversation now. Sign up for the free CYA course and take part in the monthly roundtables. Learn how to protect yourself, your athletes, and your career.
Join the free CYA course today