WHY to Fitness

Superhero Swim Academy: Life Lessons Through Swimming Instruction with Jacob Siegal

• Aaron O’Connell / Jacob Siegal • Episode 14

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Ever wonder how to make education engaging, even in a potentially life-threatening context like swimming? That's exactly what we explore with Jacob Siegal of the Superhero Swim Academy, a unique swimming school that's breaking down conventional teaching methods. Join our conversation as we discuss how they use the power of superheroes to impart essential water safety and life lessons to children. 

Jacob candidly opens up about the challenges of operating a demanding business like this. From confronting parental expectations to handling the nuances of being a male instructor in a predominantly female field, he remains unwavering. Dive with us into the complexities of individual lessons, the importance of rapport with children and parents, and how effective systems can smooth the way.

As we navigate the waters of entrepreneurship, team building, and purpose, Jacob shares his insights into motivating his team and his journey of building a successful social media presence, particularly on TikTok. While establishing work-life balance, he emphasizes the importance of understanding oneself when deciding. At the core, his mission is to educate swim instructors and redefine swimming structures, ensuring parents are on board. Whether you're an entrepreneur, educator, or simply interested in unique teaching methods, this conversation with Jacob promises to be enlightening.

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Jacob Siegal:

I am a man that makes my job a little bit harder. The biggest issue I have is parents are too afraid. They're too afraid to let their child go. When you're working with children, you're not just teaching them the skill that you're coaching, you're teaching them life lessons. Kids is a hard business, man. It never ends and people keep having kids.

Aaron O'Connell:

Welcome to WHY to Fitness Fitness Podcast. I'm the host, Aaron O'Connell, and I am here with Jacob Siegal Say hello Jacob.

Jacob Siegal:

What's going on? How's everybody doing today? I'm excited to be here. Thanks for inviting me, man.

Aaron O'Connell:

Oh, it's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. Well, let's just jump right in and just talk about let's dive in. Yeah, let's dive in, I like what you're doing there. Well, just what is your business called?

Jacob Siegal:

Our hero swim academy.

Aaron O'Connell:

Yep, and I invited him over here because this guy right here is. Let's just say two things. A, he's an excellent instructor, swim instructor and swimming, let's just say it. I'll say it is probably one of the hardest workouts there is, especially the bigger you get, the harder it is. I agree with that. I know I struggle. But also, he's amazing with kids.

Jacob Siegal:

I'd like to think so.

Aaron O'Connell:

I know so. I know so and I'll even throw it in there, and it's almost like a problem, because there's two things, no three. You know what. It always says that, but you also are a man of God and that's why you're here and that's what this podcast is about. It's the why to fitness, and we know that the ultimate why is God. Everything that points to him is always going to be blessed, and if it's not pointing to him, it's meaningless, at best Correct. So when, fitness is your ability to overcome the task at hand, and the task at hand is learning how to swim, learning, teaching kids how to swim. And so let's just dive right in and just give us an overview of what the superhero swim academy is, where you're located and how it functions.

Jacob Siegal:

Well, superhero swim academy is based in South Florida, right? So we teach all children ages and two months and up. We work with all kinds of different children. We work with special needs, autism. You know anything and everything. Anybody needs to learn how to swim Adults too Anybody who needs it. We can do it.

Jacob Siegal:

The cool thing about what we do is we dress up like superheroes. We do our best to make it super fun for the kids and just really be the superheroes that these kids need. So, ultimately, we dress up like superheroes and we're training the kids to be their own superhero. We're giving them confidence. We're teaching them about independence and self-awareness and water safety. And you know, when you're working with children, you're not just teaching them the skill that you're coaching, you're teaching them life lessons altogether, because you are ultimately a role model. So you're being placed in that position and that's why it's so important to you know, just be aware of how you talk to them and you know, teach them anything. You always want to be building them up. You know. You want to really just be understanding of their feelings, and so on and so forth. Children lead with their feelings, that's all. They are right, it's just big balls of feelings. They're screaming, crying when they're upset, or jumping around happy when they're excited or when something's going their way.

Jacob Siegal:

So it is really important to really be observant and understanding of those things so you can truly, truly educate them. And that's what Superhero Swim Academy is all about just being the best for the kids so they can have the best upcoming education that we can possibly provide.

Aaron O'Connell:

I really like that. But there was. You said a lot there. That's totally okay, so let's just unpack that a little bit and just back up all the way to the front. And you said that you dress up like super heroes.

Aaron O'Connell:

I really like that because it reminds me of like in the Bible. It says Paul was saying I become all things to all people, just so I may win some souls for Christ. So he says that in the context of when he's around the Jews, he eats and does the traditions like the Jews do. When he was around the Gentiles he wouldn't observe those laws and just so he could then become like them to win them over. And it's almost like I'm showing you love, I'm becoming what you want me and what you are easily going to accept. So then I'm not just here on my own agenda, and then you're just going to be that much more likely to listen to me, to what I have to offer. And that's almost what you're doing with these kids. You're showing up as a superhero. So you're not just some weird dude that's like all right, come over here, do this, do that. No, you are showing up in a way that is relating to them, just like you got the superheroes behind us right now, and so they received that well, I'm sure 100%.

Jacob Siegal:

Yeah, so children are going to react. The first time they see you is important In most of the kids. I'm not going to sit here and say I walk in and all the kids are super happy to see me. I'm not going to say that because that's just not true. I have some kids don't know me, stranger danger, and that's perfectly okay. That's super normal. But you do become more relatable to them and they get more comfortable with you.

Jacob Siegal:

It has a lot to do with how you talk to them and understand them and get on their level, and so on and so forth. So the dressing up as superhero is step number one, but step number two and three are just as important being able to communicate with them, being able to get on their level, being able to not be an adult, dumb it down, just literally become their friend, become a kid. Sometimes I get on my hands and knees, I'll crawl around, I'll play with their trucks with them, before I even teach them to go into the water or anything like that. It's just building comfortability.

Aaron O'Connell:

And it just keeps sparking so much more in the Christian faith with that, because so many people within the church if they are the ones which there aren't that many in the church, I'll first be honest with that. But if they are the ones that are trying to win people over, trying to talk about their faith, trying to talk about God, they instantly almost like, start saying things that are Christian talk. Oh, you are a sinner. A lot of people don't even know what a sinner is. Oh, you're heaven in hell. It's like well, stop freaking them out. It's also a judgmental thing. You need to do it. You need to lead with love. That's what Jesus did so well. He became one of the boys. He talked in ways that the common farmer and the common people would understand, and that's what you're doing. Like you said, you're getting down and playing with their trucks before you're putting them into the water, because that water can be scary 100%.

Jacob Siegal:

Especially with somebody they don't know, right. And it really comes down to their past experiences and a lot of kids. The only experience they have is maybe wearing a floaty with mom and dad or being carried by mom and dad in the pool, because mom and dad didn't trust anybody or didn't know anybody. Now they're bringing some stranger in and they're bringing them to the most dangerous places you can be, for a child is in the water Right. Yes, 100%.

Aaron O'Connell:

But you also, from what I see through your TikToks, through your Instagram, through all that, you also bring the parents into it as well, don't you?

Jacob Siegal:

A lot of the times, yes, so this is up to the parents, okay. So, I leave it up to them. They get to decide as the parent if they want to be educated themselves, and I encourage it always, because then at least the parents can play with the children throughout the week and they can continuously educate them. You know what I mean.

Jacob Siegal:

You don't just teach, you don't just give the man the fish, you teach the man to fish right so and it's that's the only way to do it, because if the parents are educated, then the child will in turn become and when the parents are involved versus when they're not.

Aaron O'Connell:

Do you see differences with the kids? How well they receive you, how fast they learn, how easily they're upset or not upset when the parents are there versus when they're not there?

Jacob Siegal:

100%. If the child is receiving the same education from everybody who loves him or her right, the child will always do better, always, every single time. The biggest issue I have is parents are too afraid. They're too afraid to let their child go. They're too attached so they can't let their child swim by themselves. They just have something internally that's not letting them let the child go. So that's why I do if I can, I get them in the water and I teach them, I educate them, I slowly show them it's okay.

Aaron O'Connell:

So in these sessions because I see the sessions you're putting the kids straight into the water, face down, and it's 10 months old.

Jacob Siegal:

Younger man, younger, that's what I'm saying.

Aaron O'Connell:

I see that. So you're not just training the kids to swim, you're giving valuable life lessons to the adults and the parents as well.

Jacob Siegal:

Yeah, 100%.

Aaron O'Connell:

Because, like you said, to let go, that just goes with so many different things. I can think of just parents as their kids grow up, especially nowadays helicopter parents. When they're getting older, they don't wanna transition and understanding they're an adult, which then creates a lot of animosity towards each other. But another thing that was ringing loud and clear when you said when everyone around them loves them and are part of that training everyone, the kid thrives, thrives and takes a village.

Aaron O'Connell:

Yeah, and I think of the church and how so often parents think it's the church's role to raise their kids up. They go into the Sunday and say you need to teach my kid about Jesus with all the stories, but it's like it's 1 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1. 100 of the time that is the church that they're with the kid, or however that may have been. That's probably not the right fraction, but it takes. If the parents just would then say, hey, I'm every day gonna bring in a Bible story, I'm gonna be taking an active role within my kid's spiritual walk, that that's gonna probably be the difference between the kid that all of a sudden turns 18 and doesn't want anything to do with the church or the one that actually thrives, and goes into that next level, and he lies in desires to wanna learn more about God.

Jacob Siegal:

That's what you have to create and build.

Aaron O'Connell:

So what would you say? Let's just put a hypothetical situation in there, when let's not start as young, because I know what's the youngest you Two months, two months, wow, wow. Well, let's actually start there. Let's just because I'm sure my listeners right now I've seen a little bit and I know I was super interested and that's why I actually searched it out of what are the steps that you would get a two month year old to go through to start getting used to the water, to, yeah, the acclimation to the water, to then be swimming by. Like I don't even know how long it would take a two month year old to go from getting acclimated to the water to, if it fell into or falling into the pool, at least going onto the back and saving it not being not being drownable.

Jacob Siegal:

Right, so, okay. So if a parent were to call me and they have their two month old, the first step is really breaking down the parent because, again, this is the number one thing and that's why, if I can get a child this young, it's a completely blank slate. There's probably zero chance that baby's been in the pool or been in the water, because usually they bathe them in the sink or something like that, and they don't put them in the bath. Yet they're very young and obviously very tiny at this age, right so, but there's nothing wrong with the baby being in the bathtub. There's nothing wrong with this.

Jacob Siegal:

You, as a parent, can get into the bathtub with the child, and this is where I start. So if I can get a parent with a child this young, I'll get them in the water. I'll have them floating with the child in the water, and that's step number one. So now a parent is becoming more comfortable with their baby being relaxed in the water and the baby is truly becoming acclimated from day one. You are basically breeding them into swimming, and that's what it's just like teaching a child to walk and crawl or anything else roll over.

Jacob Siegal:

If people start from day one the process of swimming, your child will one. I don't wanna say 100%, but there is a very, very high chance your child will be completely swimming by one and a half and done and you won't need to even do swim lessons.

Aaron O'Connell:

You can skip that whole part.

Jacob Siegal:

But the real issue is people are so afraid that they don't get their child into water till maybe two or so. I mean, some people take their babies in younger but they instantly put them in floats and then they float around and that's safe and whatever and it makes sense, right, but anyways, you get a two month old, you get them floating, you get them drizzling water on their face and you continue to break down the parent. Continue to educate the parent. Parent doesn't really need to do anything else until a child's like three or four months old. When the child starts to get used to the verbal conditioning drills, that's where we drizzle water on the forehead. Then we can start putting child under water, starting really basic rollovers and so on and so forth.

Aaron O'Connell:

And that drizzling of the water on the head is for them to learn how to hold their breath Correct, yeah so it's a breath control drill and what I like to do is I call it verbal conditioning.

Jacob Siegal:

I did learn it from another instructor who's located in, I believe, england. He's a much older instructor and that's actually how I learned to teach babies. I was just watching him on YouTube and then putting his videos to the test and I got to try it out, and so on and so forth. But yeah, so you say, ready, set, go, you take a deep breath and you always do it in front of the baby and then you just drizzle the water right on their forehead and you only do a small amount. As they're new and young, you do not want them to drink the water, so it is important that you're careful, but initially that is how you would start.

Aaron O'Connell:

Yeah, for sure, and we know that that element of trust is just so huge just within the Christian community and just in swimming, because we need to learn to trust the Lord, who is our Father, and we're the position of the little babies.

Jacob Siegal:

We are the little babies.

Aaron O'Connell:

We are the little babies, we are in the water and so many Christians are just stuck to the side of the-.

Jacob Siegal:

So scared.

Aaron O'Connell:

Stuck to it won't even get in, maybe just putting their feet in.

Jacob Siegal:

Maybe they We'll put their face under.

Aaron O'Connell:

We'll put their face under any of that stuff. But there is an element of trust in our Father that he is always gonna have us, because Psalm 46-1 says God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. And when we truly believe that, well, it's just like, if I know my Father standing right there and he can swim. He's the man. He's the man, he's my superhero. I know the superheroes right there. I am much more inclined to go jump off that darn diving board. Well, knowing that I can't swim, simply because I know.

Aaron O'Connell:

He's gonna come get me, and I would just want that thrill. And if we could just have that type of trust in our Father, in our earthly thought, how much more would we be willing to accomplish, how much more would we be willing to risk? Because there's so many people that are stuck in jobs that they hate. They're waking up hating life, going to the work, hating the people they're around, and there's little opportunities. God opens up little bits of doors, but they first appear uncomfortable.

Aaron O'Connell:

But they may be praying on it, whatever it may be, to break up with the boyfriend so they can actually get into another relationship that honors God, to distance themselves from friends that are bad influences on them, but they sit there and go. Well, I then won't have any friends that fear. But if we know that we can trust our Father and give us ever-present help and trouble, you know that right, there is going to be the difference of being able to jump in, to be able to go and do those things, and I think it also is so important, like you said, the earlier you get the child to do so it's almost like you breeded them in the water, exactly, and that's the same as with Christianity the earlier you can start teaching your kids, showing your kids how you act, how what you do, what you believe in, the more likely they're going to be following Christ.

Jacob Siegal:

Exactly Totally agree with that. That is so good.

Aaron O'Connell:

That's why I wanted you on here. I saw the correlations of what you do with Christianity. I'm just like, no, I need to get him. But tell me a little bit more. You're here in Palm Beach, is it just you? I know it's not just you, but for our listeners, how big are you? Where do you expand? Like what is like, how big is your team.

Jacob Siegal:

So we have about 30 coaches on our team now, which is great, and all of them are amazing coaches and some of them are career coaches and that has been the biggest blessing is being able to find and connect with those coaches that love the children as much as I do and have the same passion that I do, and we've been able to just work together and, you know, expand throughout most of South Florida. You know we're from Fort Lauderdale all the way up to Jupiter. We have five active locations where children can come and attend swim lessons and we offer everything from private swim lessons to group swim lessons and you know we're in Lake Worth, wellington, westlake, west, palm, coral Springs. We're now in Plantation and we're looking at opening actually a second school in Plantation because Plantation is doing so well and I love that because you're it's not just you so many people that are doing lessons, coaching, personal training, fitness things.

Aaron O'Connell:

It's usually comes with this selfish vibe I'm going to do it all. I can't trust this other person to be there. But with even within the Christian community, we are a body, we are meant for community, we thrive in community. The biggest companies out there are the biggest because they allowed the reins to get put, given to other people. And first Corinthians 12, 12, 12, 14 says just as a body, though one has many parts, but it's all many parts form one body, so it is with Christ and that that right there has two implications.

Aaron O'Connell:

I see, on swimming, and at least with your business as well, is you are a community. You, you guys all have the same goal of teaching these kids, which makes you that much more effective, makes you grow that much more, because it's not about your business and you making the money. It's about you teaching these kids and filling a need within the family and saving lives. Even right, you know. But but also on top of that, swimming inside of itself can be that community, it can be that team sport, usually once if they were to go further along with it, not just learning it. Let's say, you get one of those kids and they love the water, they start thriving, they begin on a swim team. Yeah, and it correct me if I'm wrong, yes, you have your individuals, but usually you win as a team as well, correct?

Jacob Siegal:

Yeah, exactly, and we do. We do have kids. We have one child right now. That's on the Kings Academy swim team, which is extremely hard to get on, extremely hard to be a part of, and he was with us for years and it's cool to watch him. They always send me his like oh he's got to meet here, he's got to meet here. Yeah, unfortunately I haven't been able to get out and watch him because teaching kids is a hard business man it never ends and people keep having kids do it.

Aaron O'Connell:

So let's dive into that just a little bit. What are what are some of the challenges on on your side of things being the you can? You can head it on two areas One, just in the challenges of the individual running the lessons, okay, and also be what are the challenges of running a business like this?

Jacob Siegal:

Well, I like to tell people, or I explain to people, that there's very few businesses that are as stressful as this one. This is an extremely stressful business. It really is. It's not for everybody and usually it's due to staffing and dealing with different types of parenting styles. And you know, there's nothing against parents, nothing against other people, but some people can't coach, they just don't have it in them. It kudos to them for trying right, but it's just not for everybody.

Jacob Siegal:

Some people can't handle being in the water that long. Some people can't handle screaming or crying or how to calm a child down. Some people just don't have the skills or capabilities to do that, and that's perfectly fine. And then some parents can't handle certain styles of teaching or they're. They just don't feel like their child is ready, and so on and so forth. So when you're dealing with parents, you're dealing with the one thing they love the most and that's their child. The one thing that they're obsessed with the most and that's normal that's their child. They love their child. You know it makes sense, right? But because of that, because of that we have to.

Jacob Siegal:

If they're upset about anything or their child is a little bit sick and they cancel anyways, it's a lot of moving parts, especially overseeing as many locations as we do. Again, I have very trusted coaches. Again, I have career coaches who are extremely valuable and who love it to the point where I know that the kids are safe with that coach. Right, and that's great. But because you deal with so many different clients and parents and people, there's just so many things that can change on an instance. So every day when I wake up I wonder what is the new issue that's going to happen today if it's already not on my phone? Yeah, if I don't already wake up to the issue, which happens often, you know I'll wake up and there it is. And now I have a problem that I have to deal with and that could take me three to four hours, based on whatever it is.

Aaron O'Connell:

So a lot of putting out fires.

Jacob Siegal:

It is extremely difficult business, extremely difficult. Now again I have the best team probably in the world.

Aaron O'Connell:

I would say that 100%.

Jacob Siegal:

My team is amazing. They are hardworking. I love them each and they are all like my family, you know, and we're trying to. We're learning new systems because our team is growing so quickly. We're trying to learn how to communicate better. Okay, how do I make sure that this director knows this and this and this and this, and it's so many moving parts for me I can't remember all the things they need to know.

Aaron O'Connell:

So then, there's just a lot of hurdles and a lot of new things.

Jacob Siegal:

We're still new, we're only four years old, yeah, right. And so as you grow, you have to put new systems into place and you have to find what systems work for you that aren't going to be too expensive and so on and so forth. So, but as for like individual coaching, like if I were to go through what are the struggles with individual teaching? It's, it's trying to understand how the parents want the child to learn. That would be my biggest issue. And again, this is another reason why I like only teaching babies. I really don't teach like kids one and a half or older anymore. My other coaches do, yeah, right, but for me, I know if I get a baby, I'm not going to really have any issues with the parents because I'm the first person they know I'm going to educate the parent on how I think the child needs to learn should be no issues If we get a three-year-old.

Jacob Siegal:

They already had lessons before. They didn't like the last coach because the coach was too rough. Now they come to us and I teach similar. Now there's a problem, yeah, so you know it. We have to understand how the parents want the children to learn, right. So if I have a parent that wants their kid to be water safe in one month. Okay, now this is going to be a different type of lesson.

Jacob Siegal:

This kid's going to hate me and that's just how it is Right. And there's certain situations where I can see where that makes sense. I have a family right now. They live in Boca. They live on the water. He lives on the inlet. He's got a pool. He does not have a pool fence Right. The kids are one and a half. They're walking around.

Aaron O'Connell:

They're little men, you know, they love everything they love in charge, ready to go running against? Walls jumping on everything.

Jacob Siegal:

Right. So those are those kids are getting survival lessons, and for a while they I was their least favorite person. They saw me and they instantly started crying, but they both can flip and float. They're both having fun now. It just took them a while so.

Jacob Siegal:

And then I have other kids. Parents Don't want their kids to cry at all. You know that situation. That's different now. I have to bring parents in the water. I have to teach, sometimes from 10 feet away, because if I get too close the parent, the child, will think I'm gonna take them or something like that. So and also, I'm a man. I Am a man. That makes my job a little bit harder. People don't realize that right, children relate to women a lot more. No, women have a motherly and nurturing yeah exactly now.

Jacob Siegal:

There are some female instructors that are tough.

Aaron O'Connell:

Don't get me wrong like they're.

Jacob Siegal:

There's some mean instructors out there, but what I'm getting at is, you know, these are the hurdles that I see as a male instructor every day, and so on and so forth. You know, it really always comes back down to to the parents.

Aaron O'Connell:

Okay, so what's now? Turn the tables a little on to you personally. How do you decompress from that? How do you, what do you do, to either, like I said, decompress from it ever a long day or a hard, rough day or how do you prepare yourself for this? What are things that you do to stay so level-headed, to stay above the game, above, above, like ready to go?

Jacob Siegal:

well, that's a great question for one and that's a really tough question. I don't even know if I have any answer for it and ultimately it's because you know I'll go through seasons where I'm just like go, go, go, go, go grind. I don't care, I can handle anything, I don't have too many issues.

Aaron O'Connell:

Right, then I'll crash because that's what always happens, right, which?

Jacob Siegal:

especially if you're not giving it to God and you're not praying it over every day and like you're not inviting him into things. And it's not, I mean, because I don't want to, it's just because there's always something Mm-hmm. Oh, I gotta do this, I gotta do this, I gotta do this. And you know I do a lot of things, you know, and it's just my natural. You know, I don't know if to have it or it's not a good one, but yeah.

Aaron O'Connell:

Well, you know, the Bible says there's a season for everything, season for planting right season for harvesting. Yeah, no seasons for rest and all that stuff for sure. So we, that's what. It's one big thing. But as an entrepreneur, do you find yourself in that go, go, go, take on the world like pretty often, like that type of mind mindset yeah, compared to compared to others Around you, that you know like oh yeah, yeah, definitely.

Jacob Siegal:

And and I see this in my team a lot, so I Put a lot of effort into my team mm-hmm, I want them all to be business owners one day. If they want to stay working for a company or they want to be a corporate person One day, that's great, right. But I treat each and every single one of them as if they're gonna own their own superhero swim academy one day, right? So I constantly am building them up and I notice that I'm always on them about Things. I'm always texting them hey, did you get this done? Hey, did you get this done? Did you do this? Did you that? This you know? And and I feel like maybe sometimes they get annoyed, but then also I feel like maybe they don't realize how important it is to stay on top of the little stuff, because as the little stuff builds up, then you know, then it's just again You're gonna crash, right.

Jacob Siegal:

But as for me taking rest, that I Decided this year and I did a little bit last year, but we have fifth weeks. So, on fifth weeks, parents pay monthly for four weeks at a time. Typically most months have four weeks, but if they have a fifth week, I'll take that week off and I won't teach any lessons. But being the owner Means that there's always something. There's always something coming up and like, even Mondays are my days off. Usually it's stocked with just meetings all day, and and we just started teaching an instructor in North Carolina she wants to just do private lessons, yeah, and so we're trying to set her up and so I've been training her each week and, as you know, we're I'm on social media and we have the largest Facebook, the largest tiktok in the entire world for educating parents. So that is like Talk about it both.

Aaron O'Connell:

I'll let you boast a little bit. Okay, tell me about there's those followers on tiktok and what you've built, because that's something that is Commendable all inside of itself. Not only have that many employees, not only doing all that you're doing, not only pouring into your employees, not only handling the kids, not only handling the parents right, but you also have a thriving social media presence, right. Yeah, but how much? What are your followers on tiktok, instagram? I?

Jacob Siegal:

Instagram. I don't put that much effort to but tiktok, because tiktok takes so much time. But like I think tiktok's like 750 right now, or something like that which is great.

Jacob Siegal:

I believe tiktok 100% as vanity number. I don't really know. Numbers are good. What really you need to look at in a successful social media page, especially on tiktok, is like okay, how many views are their videos truly getting? Are they consecutive in the views, and so on and so forth. A good page Should be getting anywhere between 10 and 50,000 views on average, and then every once, well, maybe a couple million.

Jacob Siegal:

You know you should have some there send the millions, but, yes, that was extremely difficult to build. That was something I started during COVID and that was a. It was just constantly posting, putting myself out there, vulnerability. I get a lot of hate from a lot of people. A lot of people don't like how I teach. That's normal, you know. That's just part of the swim business. There's a lot of instructors that love me and use my stuff and I got a lot of parents that love me and like the videos and I got tons I hate mail.

Jacob Siegal:

I get hate emails. I get bad reviews on our, on our pages on Google and on Facebook. That's tough, you know, because, again, this is business I started, so it's like I love it like a baby and, like when I get a bad review, I feel hurt. Yeah, you know, and it was worse when I first started it, when I got like my first one dude, I couldn't sleep for like three days. Like it like takes that much out of you and that's another reason why, like this is so stressful for me because, like, when a couple things go wrong, I'm hurt, like emotionally, I'm like taking a toll. So I've really tried to draw my emotions emotions out of things and really just try to focus on. You know what's the problem, how do we solve it. What's the problem? How do we solve it? Let's just move on, move on, move on.

Aaron O'Connell:

Yeah, and and speaking on those emotions, what would you say is your ultimate goal with this? Like like, not only the future of it, but also like the why behind it. Like right, because clearly you care, like you just said, it's your baby, it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's you, it reflects you, you, it's you, it's what your biggest thing you've built yeah, so there's got to be a purpose behind it, but also the your, your goal for everything as well.

Jacob Siegal:

Well, I Want to educate swimming structures. That is my ultimate goal. It used to be educate the parents, and I still want to do that, and I still. That's what the social media is so helpful with. I am able to educate parents all over the world, which is great, but I found that if I truly want to make a real impact, I can build 30 schools here. Great. Right still limits me, still limits how many children we can work with, how many children we can teach Right can't impact and show as many children the love that they need and deserve to learn how to swim Right by only having those physical locations. Physical location be cool, all right, that'd be awesome.

Jacob Siegal:

I can't wait to see it in lights one day. That'd be great. But, like, I want to be able to educate coaches all over the world, have some sort of curriculum for them so that they can learn and I can share my love and passion with them at a very affordable cost and they become a superhero coach. You know what I mean. Like, I would love to see superhero. They don't even have to be a superhero swimming kit, that doesn't matter, they're just certified superhero. They're a superhero swim instructor and that's who they are. They've gone through our training, so that's my long term goal.

Aaron O'Connell:

Yeah.

Jacob Siegal:

Right, and the why is, again, it's to show coaches how to teach out of love and how to teach with that sort of passion and just honestly share mine with them. Yeah.

Aaron O'Connell:

And how would you then tie that in your walk with Christ? Because, clearly, showing love and all that stuff is automatic, because Christ is love. But how would you say you tie that in? I know it's not like, oh, I'm gonna be preaching the gospel here and there.

Aaron O'Connell:

No, no, no, because quite frankly, that's not what we're really called. We're called to just love others and be so good at what we're doing that we stand out. That's so many people believe they can only serve God by, like in the church as a pastor, going and talking about their faith and all that stuff. But no, God calls us just to do what we are put on this earth to do to the best of our ability. Don't work for worldly masters. Work like you're working for Christ. So then we can stick out. So much because you're sticking out. You just said you got the highest following on social media. You're growing like a weed. You're doing things that no one else is doing and it's causing this buzz. You're causing a buzz that I'm here interviewing you and you get that message out. So how would you say that through this you are answering God's call?

Jacob Siegal:

Well, again, another great question, and one that's extremely difficult to answer, I find it I understand. Right and it's because I see my work as my mission. Yes, Right, like most people do. There are questions and believers. Right, I find that I can't really preach to these coaches or to the children. I can pray over the kids. It was what.

Jacob Siegal:

That's actually how I teach, believe it or not, I'll take breaks and I'll actually pray over the child to help me understand what the child needs, or so on and so forth, and just to bless their life and so on. Now, but I don't really know yet, and that's the truth. I feel like if I can build a community of coaches like me with passion and love, and all I get to do is share with them, it's going to come from a place, from my heart, where Jesus lives already right.

Jacob Siegal:

So Jesus is going to work through me somehow one day to talk to them all, and I don't know how it'll be. I don't know what it'll look like, but that is what I hope for.

Aaron O'Connell:

Do you get people that ask you about your faith, or have those conversations been able to ever be sparked up?

Jacob Siegal:

They have. Yes, not through the coaches community that I have set up right now, but through my staff. Okay, so now I have leadership meetings here at my home. We've actually had one. I was able to pray over all the coaches. I was able to pray with them, and then I was also able to get them to all right down. So I was able to get our staff to write down their goals and their desires and the things they want out of life, and I got to see what kind of house they want.

Jacob Siegal:

What kind of car they were looking for. Maybe did they want a different job in the future. So I was able to get to truly know them on a different level, which I had never done before, and then again I was able to pray over those things with them.

Aaron O'Connell:

You showed that you actually cared.

Jacob Siegal:

That is the most important thing you can do as a business owner, as an employer, is not just show you care, but truly care about them and build them up. You have to be building them up, especially this new generation that wants higher pay and so on and so forth. So you have to give them that opportunity to be creative and to build them up and love on them, and so on and so forth. That's how you're gonna create loyalty and a great solid business.

Aaron O'Connell:

No, that's awesome. So if you could give one piece of advice to the listeners right now, what would that piece?

Jacob Siegal:

of advice be, If you got a kid, start them young, no.

Aaron O'Connell:

No, no, for sure yeah that's what I mean.

Jacob Siegal:

That's the biggest piece of advice I can give. And if you are, if you're unsure I mean you brought this up earlier if you're unsure about what you're doing in your life, if you hate your job, if you hate what you're doing, man, you gotta find something else. Whether you do it on the side for now, until you can figure out how to leave your current position to go into it, you need to, you have to. You don't have a choice. Like, if you wanna be happy and live better, stop looking at the financials. And that's the hardest thing I see. Even with my team, they're all looking at like okay, how much money can I make? And I look at like are you gonna get burned out? They're always like can we work more for more hours, this and that? Well, are you happy? Should you be doing that? Could you make more money and work less somewhere else? What if we did this? Instead, you'll make the, you know? And then they sit back and they're like oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Aaron O'Connell:

You know I can share a quick story. Oh, please do, please do.

Jacob Siegal:

So actually I just had a coach of mine. He's a younger guy, guy's awesome, he's on it, he's got a lot of energy, he's super good with the kids and his name's Jacob too. We have the same name, so I see a lot of myself in him. He's a little better looking than me, though, honestly, but no, he's a great kid and super ambitious. And he came to me and he's like Jacob. Our director of our school just stepped away.

Jacob Siegal:

She wanted to go into a different career which is great good for her and we left totally on good note as she stepped away. He wanted to step up and be the director. Now he's young, right, he's young. There's a certain way. You need to know how to talk to parents. It's extremely difficult to be a director. It is a lot of moving parts and so on and so forth. So I sat him down Well, actually it was on the phone I talked to him for maybe 30 minutes just explaining to him on all the reasons why or all the things that director would need to do, and all the things I would expect of him and how long I would expect him to be in that position like two to five years.

Jacob Siegal:

I need some sort of real security. And basically I explained to him like no man, this is a job that's going to lock you down, right Now, it's right for the right person. But he's young, ambitious, he likes his freedom, so on and so forth. Again, I see a lot of myself in him. That's the same thing.

Jacob Siegal:

My dad would put all these rules and I wouldn't allow him to leave the house at a certain time. And anyways, I moved out as soon as I could, you know. So as soon as I were to put those rules on him, he would have been the same thing. It would have been the same thing, right? So after the conversation he said, jacob, I never thought of it like that. He's like you're right, I want more freedom, I want to have freedom to make my own schedule and control this, and I can make money over here doing this. And he decided like that was the best plan for him. So again, you know, I took the time and broke it down for him and he truly understand, because the pay looked exciting to him. That's a good pay, it's a good salary, it's paid time off, vacation time, sick time, things like that right Benefits. But ultimately his freedom was more important to him. So then, when he saw that, then he chose that path instead.

Aaron O'Connell:

Which that's just a whole another podcast inside of it.

Aaron O'Connell:

Inside of itself, of really understanding what you want and really looking towards the length and the long-term outcome of things. And not just grabbing the next shiny thing, that instant gratification, not getting the job that pays you well, but you're not. To really sit down and understand yourself, yes, but also, as a Christian, sit down there, give it to God and say Lord, what have you created me to do? What have you put into me? What are the gifts you've given me to be able to handle XYZ or not be able to handle XYZ and be able to really look at the totality of the picture and be able to make an educated decision.

Aaron O'Connell:

And that's what I just admire about you so much is that you are leading from a place of love, a place of caring. But you're not just doing it for the bottom line, you're not just doing it to grow like a rapid way. You are taking the time and caring about the individual parts, everyone, from the client to the parents of the client, all the way to the systems, to the social media, everything. And that's why I wanted you on this podcast, because you are set apart. Man, thank you. I truly believe you're destined for great things. This business is destined for great things and yeah, let's just. I wanna end it here. We could talk for a while, but please tell the listeners where they can find you, how they can find you.

Jacob Siegal:

Definitely.

Aaron O'Connell:

All that great stuff.

Jacob Siegal:

Yeah, I mean, if you're interested in watching our videos or checking out everything that we do at the Superheroes Swim Academy, all you gotta do is type in Superheroes Swim Academy anywhere YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. We are everywhere Working on LinkedIn, working on that right now but you can check out the videos and see a little bit about how I teach. It is a lot of videos of me, so Superhero Academy, not the Superheroes. Superhero Swim.

Aaron O'Connell:

Academy, superhero Swim Academy, awesome, awesome. Is that also a dot com? Or?

Jacob Siegal:

Superhero Swim Academy dot com. If you wanna see prices or sign up, All right well, excellent.

Aaron O'Connell:

Thank you so much for being here, Jacob.

Jacob Siegal:

Not a problem man.

Aaron O'Connell:

You're the man. Thank you, brother Of course. Okay.

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Aaron O'Connell

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