This weekend I had the honor of joining the SOF Open Water Swim + Tribute Workout for the second year in a row.
Together, with your amazing support, we raised $1,500 and sold nearly 100 paperback books (+ many more on Kindle!), with all proceeds going to The Honor Foundation to support our Special Operations community.
Growing up, the water was always my happy place and my place of peace. Some of my favorite memories were heading 90+ miles out into the Gulf with my dad, jumping into open water with nothing around, but massive schools of red snapper, mahi mahi, barracuda, dolphins, and whatever else decided to swim by.
At 16, I taught myself to surf off the Texas coast, right in the middle of jellyfish mating season lol, getting stung more than a few times while people nearby reeled in hammerhead and sand sharks. I skied, tubed, and kneeboarded in creeks where gators chilled nearby and where we’d catch alligator gars longer than me. I’ve dived off coasts in Texas, Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, and California.
I was never afraid until I set out to swim actual distances in the open water.
Facing this fear has helped me overcome my own anxiety in more ways than one by teaching me how to find my own pace, stay calm, focus on my breathing, maintain a positive mental space especially while under fatigue, and to keep going even when I couldn’t see what was ahead.
Standing side by side with the superheroes this event honors is surreal and so inspiring. They have given me the courage to do something I once thought was impossible, and they inspire me to keep going and pushing beyond my own perceived limits.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you surround yourself with people who operate on a whole different level.
I am beyond grateful for this cause, community, and for each one of you who helped make this possible.
Grab your book HERE!
Thank you so much for being part of this journey with me! Together, we can make a difference, inside and out!
With lots of love and gratitude,
Coach Nicole “Z
