Today we’d like to introduce you to Mel Bolton.
Mel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was a competitive swimmer growing up, starting at the age of six, and aquatics has never left my life since. I have been a lifeguard and a swim team coach, but now I travel all over Southern California to help my customers improve their swimming skills. I love that in a day of teaching, I may work with absolute beginners learning how to float, but my next session may be running a high-intensity workout for an advanced client. I meet my clients where they are, literally, because I come to their backyard pools, but also in terms of instruction. In L.A., many of us do already know how to swim, but sharpening your skills can be a great tool in helping you or your kids become safer swimmers, or for some it’s just a really great workout.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The circumstances of 2020 haven’t made life easy for any of us, but despite challenges Mermaid4Hire has continued to offer swim lessons with safety measures in place. I now wear a plastic face shield while teaching and practice social distancing as much as possible. For those who still don’t feel comfortable, Ive been working on digital content that my social media followers can use on there to improve their swimming skills. Social media is both a blessing and a huge challenge, I wouldn’t say I’m great at it yet, but starting my Mermaid4Hire account has been a great way to share information with my clients and followers, and also allowing them to get to know me better.
Mermaid4Hire – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
One of the things that makes me special as an instructor is that I customize each session specifically to the needs of that client. I’m a chameleon, I work with some families where I’ll I’m teaching their toddler the true basics, like floating and closing their mouth to go underwater, and then afterward I’m training mom for an hour doing different kinds of dolphin kick and other exercises to tone the abdominal muscles.
I also am sure to always make swimming fun, at MermaidforHire we also offer underwater photography and mermaid services. I visit birthday parties and even have a child-size mermaid tail that the kids can use to be a mermaid for a day.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m always proud to see my littlest swimmers succeed. When they go from crying for the entirety of a lesson to finally swimming the length of a pool by themselves – that’s huge, that’s why I do this. Every child is different, and I work with people who have a wide range of diverse abilities, so the challenge is figuring out what will work best for that individual. When I can do that, tap into their specific learning style, great things happen and people can progress quite quickly.
Contact Info:
- Email: mel.mermaidforhire@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mermaid4hire/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/mermaid4hire/
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