Meet Monica Engesser of Your Life Aquatic in Atwater Village

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Engesser.

Monica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always loved swimming. I move a little more slowly than most people and I always felt more natural and more graceful in the water than on land. I grew up in Minnesota so my childhood swim memories include a lot of cold pools and lakes. I was a lifeguard and swim teacher in high school but never thought I would swim professionally. In 2012 I had graduated from the University of Memphis with a BFA in Theatre, I had been living in LA for two years and I had just gotten let go from another restaurant because I was getting too many shifts covered (I was doing a lot of stand up at the time). I pulled up craigslist to check out restaurant openings and this tiny inner voice said: “why don’t you try something you like?” I had always LOVED working with kids, always loved the way they communicate simply and directly (for a time I had majored in Child Psychology) and so on a whim, I clicked on job opportunities under education. I saw an ad “LOVE SWIMMING? LOVE KIDS?” it asked. Three days later I started training at a swim school in Sherman Oaks.

Over the next six years, I learned the ins and outs of the swim business through this company, I worked as a teacher, scheduler, manager, trainer, and finally launched a mobile program using their curriculum. I learned a lot more about swim and a lot about business. My biggest realization was that I don’t like using a curriculum. To me, swimming is a relationship with the water and I think everyone needs a different introduction and everyone will have a unique relationship.

I launched Your Life Aquatic officially in November 2018 and am finding the small business owner hat fits well. I’m so excited to be busy, my summer is booking quickly! As I’ve grown in my love and understanding of swimming I’ve gotten even more passionate about its benefits. I want to help people think about swimming in a way they might not have before. Swimming relaxes us and forces us to slow and modulate our breathing and muscle movements, it’s like outside-in meditation. I’ve lived with depression and anxiety since my teen years and swimming has helped me regulate moods and kept me consistently happier than any medication or therapy (that’s not to say meds and therapy aren’t useful too, because they absolutely are). Swimming has and is healing me. Maya Angelou said, “As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else.” That’s what I’m trying to do with Your Life Aquatic. For now, I’m teaching swim lessons, but in the future, I want to get certified for Watsu (a type of water massage) and am interested in pursuing Physical Therapy certification as well. I want to start making videos as a way to reach more people and help parents be more involved with their kid’s swim process. For about a year I’ve had this idea in my heart that I want to work with homeless students and kids in the foster system, I’m currently working on bringing that dream to life. It’s important to me to operate from a place of generosity, with love and gratitude.

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 biggest struggle for me has been learning how to start a business. I’ve always thought of myself as a disorganized creative and flexing the consistent research and follow through muscle has been really good for me on many levels. My confidence has grown as I’ve seen what’s possible when I’m specific and consistent.

Please tell us about Your Life Aquatic.
I’m a one-woman show. I teach private, custom swim lessons in home pools. I’m uniquely gifted at explaining how the water works in a way that makes sense to people of all ages. I teach “inside out” swimming, meaning I focus on an understanding of how the water works and I customize according to each student’s strengths and anxieties. I care about technique so my first focus is safety but I also emphasize proper mechanics so my students have a great foundation for swim team if they’re interested. I meet each student where they’re at and emphasize learning at a comfortable pace.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Being in the water. I would spend most of the summer baking in the midwest sun. Nose full of chlorine. Weightless, pretending I was flying. Going home exhausted, starving and happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: yourlifeaquatic.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @yourlifeaquatic
• Facebook: facebook.com/yourlifeaquatic

Image Credit:
Mikayla Gluskin, Brian Sorbo, Pol Sena

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