Meet Coach Breianna

MY ISR JOURNEY:

Morgan Miller wrote a powerful post on the anniversary of her daughter’s death from drowning “Had I known then what I know now, my daughter would be alive. Let that sink in. So today, every day, make this a conversation. Share with parents and pediatricians what you now know because that conversation may just save a life.”

Becoming a mom changes your outlook on life, the new responsibility you have over another life that depends on you is one of the biggest and greatest responsibilities you will ever have. I take that responsibility very seriously and if I’m being honest one of the biggest topics my husband and I talked about was how to keep our kids safe in and around the water.

We moved into a home that had an inground pool when our twins were about a year old. I grew up around pools and water and was very comfortable but my husband was not as comfortable as I was. We set up multiple layers of protection, pool fences, alarms, cameras, extra door locks, an automatic pool cover and signed them up for traditional swim lessons all to ensure that our kids were safe. We still had a sinking feeling in our stomachs that we needed to do more!

I will never forget reading a story in a local twin moms’ group about a family who had just suffered their worst nightmare, their twins that were right around the same age as my twins both went into the water at a family party and were drowning. They were rescued but for one of the children he suffered life altering damage that will impact his life forever, I followed their post drowning journey daily. It really hit home for me and affected me profoundly.

I started researching swim safety for kids and came across ISR. I enrolled my kids right away and now have 3 children who have completed the ISR program and continue on with their maintenance and refresher courses. It is a big commitment to take on (5 days a week, 10-minute sessions, for 6-8weeks) but for me it was one that was easy because the outcome held so much weight for our family.

I talk about it to anyone I can because I believe it was one of the greatest things we have ever done for our children, giving them the ability and confidence to save their life. The peace of mind that came with that for us as parents is something I may never be able to fully put into words but I want to give that feeling to as many parents as I can. 

As a swim parent myself and watching all 3 of my children successfully learn life saving skills, I can personally say that it was a moment that I think about often. I cried through a lot of their sessions because of the immense pride I had for them. Watching the confidence that radiated from each of them and how proud they were of their hard work is something to date that has not been replicated, it is an amazing thing to see! I wanted to emulate that feeling for parents and children over and over again while reaching as many families as I possibly could to give them the gift of these life-saving aquatic skills. I took the steps to become a certified ISR instructor.

While drowning prevention is the heartbeat of why I have chosen to do what I do, I am very passionate about your child's well being as a whole. As a mom of 2 children that had speech delays, I understand the added level of concern around water when there is communication barriers in your child. I feared that if my child did ever find themselves in a life threatening situation near water would they be able to yell for me? I needed to give them more tools to save themselves in water in the event their communication skills weren’t in place at that time. I understand the challenges that come with children that have varying levels of developmental delays and want to lock arms with ALL parents to meet your child where they're at developmentally and support them on their journey to building confidence in and out of the water.

My vast understanding of the science behind ISR, behaviors in children and how it correlates to the mind and body in and out of water gives me the capability to work with children from all walks of life and on varying spectrums from autism, SPD and more. 

I became an ISR instructor to live out the mission of “not one more child drowns” and be a part of the ripple effect of a larger responsibility to teach children life saving skills in water and give families the knowledge of the importance of water safety. We exist to save one child at a time and I look forward to being a part of your family's journey to safer swimming.