Sarah Pedley's Swim Journey – Confidence, Empowerment, and Making Waves in Open Water

What if swimming could be the key to unlocking your confidence and embracing your true self? Join us for a refreshing journey with Sarah Pedley (She/Her), an exceptional athlete and coach from British Columbia, as she reveals how her love for water sports has shaped her life and the lives of the women she coaches.  As a head coach at Be Strong Training, she guides women through different life stages.

Sarah takes us through the dynamic and sometimes chaotic world of open-water swimming, drawing parallels to the environment of triathlons. Her insights into building trust and fostering connections while swimming in the picturesque lakes of British Columbia are both inspiring and heartwarming.

With Sarah, we explore the notion of swimming as an equalizer, where all body types can thrive, and discover the transformative power of self-confidence and body positivity. Her candid experiences with Rise swimsuits illustrate how stepping out of our comfort zones can lead to newfound strength and assurance.

Embrace the challenges and dreams of swimming alongside Sarah, as she shares her aspirations of qualifying for the Masters Swimming World Championships. Her role as a Lululemon ambassador and her ambitions, such as achieving a hundred-pound bench press, testify to her indomitable spirit.

Throughout our conversation, Sarah's heartfelt stories inspire us to face our fears and embrace our athletic identities. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer or just starting, Sarah's journey offers a motivational boost to dive into the water and make your own waves.

PS: If you have kids around, we recommend throwing on some headphones, as there is some swearing in a couple of spots in this episode of RAWW Podcast.

Swimmingly,
Sarah Freeman

Transcript

Speaker 2 0:05

Welcome back to Raw Podcast. It is 2025 and we are diving in with all these incredible women that have a love for swimming, whether they're competitive, non-competitive, they're doing events, they're coaches and so many other things, their coaches and so many other things. I mean, the one thing that I definitely know as a swimmer and as an athlete is that I am surrounded by a lot of women that are leading organizations or they have their own company and they're athletes, and there's really something special about that and what we bring into the organization. So today I have not met this incredible woman in life, in real life, but I hope to one day and I hope that we can swim soon together, one day at an event which will be really awesome. I know we share the love for a very similar swim and suit brand, so we can talk about that, and she's coming all the way from British Columbia. So, sarah, welcome to Raw podcast and thank you for saying being brave and saying yes.

Speaker 1 1:11

Right on. Thanks for having me Sarah.

Speaker 2 1:13

Awesome, and where are you right now in the world? I know you're in BC. I think it's Vancouver, but correct, no.

Speaker 1 1:18

I am in Port Coquitlam, so the Tri-City is about well with no traffic. We're about 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Oh nice, with traffic. We're an hour and a half. So you know.

Speaker 2 1:28

Ooh, that's a change, so I'm going to dive right in here, Sarah. And who are you? Can you tell all these incredible women that are listening right now, like who are you?

Speaker 1 1:41

In one word I'm going to say I'm an athlete.

Speaker 2 1:44

An athlete love it. Uh, in one word, I'm going to say I'm an athlete, athlete of it.

Speaker 1 1:48

Yeah, I am an athlete, I you know. Sometimes you think, oh, I'm not competitive or I'm not the fastest, and no, that's not true. Anyone that gets out there and puts the shoes on or puts the goggles on, we're all athletes. So, in a word, in a nutshell, that's what I am.

Speaker 2 2:02

I love that. I love how you said that You're an athlete. If you put goggles on the cap on, it doesn't matter. I love that. So women that are listening listen to this. I want to dive a little deeper into this. Sarah, can you tell us a little more? Like I love it, you're an athlete.

Speaker 1 2:20

Tell us more about you because I want to learn more. Who else are you? Well, I am a coach. I'm the head coach of um be strong training, one of the head coaches of be strong training. We have four gyms in um the lower mainland. We're in Squamish, north Bend, vancouver and Port Moody, um. So we train mostly women, um throughout different stages of their life. So we really focus on supporting pre and post needle fitness right up into you know, I'm going to say seniors, women in their seventies come train with us. So I do that. I am a Lululemon ambassador for running. My other passion is running. What else do I need to tell you? I'm a dog mom and yeah, that sort of sums me up.

Speaker 2 3:12

I think I love it. Thanks for sharing, sarah. So dive into the next question. So where, or how, did the love of water come into your life? And I know that you took a bit of a pause sabbatical, you called it from swimming. So how did that all start, like, where did the love of water come from?

Speaker 1 3:32

Well, I started competitively swimming when I was five. My older brother had joined the swim team and I have a twin sister and me and her, I guess watched him swim all summer at the meets and our parents threw us into the season late, the last two weeks of the season and that was it. We loved it. So we swam with a summer swim club in North Van from when we were five till I think we were about 11 and we started playing water polo and I'd say that is when I really fell in love with water. Um, that sport is just incredible. It's, it's challenging in so many ways and I absolutely loved it. So I played that until I was 17 um at a fairly high level. I played for TBC um, and then after that you know, when you start venturing off in the world and swimming sort of fell to the wayside and I didn't keep it up consistently, yeah. So I guess that's where my whole obsession with water started, when I was a kid playing water polo playing water polo.

Speaker 2 4:47

I love that and so do you feel like water polo set you up for open water swimming because of like people being around you? And is there anything from that? Because I know water polo is pretty full-on yeah, I mean I, I, actually I.

Speaker 1 4:57

I did my first open water swim at a triathlon years ago, like in the early 2000s, um, and it scared the crap out of me. There were so many people everywhere and the water was cold like um. But just having the background of water polo definitely made me um be able to complete the race, just being comfortable in the water and feeling confident in the water. Um, even with all that, I mean, you're a triathlete as well, so you know the chaos of that. Like it's. It's intense the first time you do it right yes, it's intimidating, like that first event.

Speaker 2 5:35

I remember my first event was pool, but when my first open water like I remember being so nervous, even though I'm like a strong swimmer, just like you, and it's like, it's the yeah, it's just, it's different. Like pool swimming and open water swimming are like two different sports. I feel different. Yeah, and it's just doing more of it right and putting yourself out there, or you don't have to swim in the middle of the pack either I don't.

Speaker 1 6:00

I, you know, I still to this day people, because now I'm getting more and more into water. I love, I love the lake, like I just love floating in the middle of the lake, but I do like I'm, like I said before, I'm not, I'm not the fastest person out there. So these are more about challenging myself, and so I have no problem starting at the back or finding a spot where I feel comfortable or just off to the side and and letting people go, and then, you know, just starting on my own pace, because I really I'm competing against myself, not anyone else. So, yeah, I always find that little corner where I feel comfortable and confident and then just head out in the open water, right?

Speaker 2 6:39

I love that like this is for you and, and on on average, like women out there that are competing or like doing these events. It's not, it's on average, not about other people, it's, but it is intimidating, but it's like kind of like being present in this is for me, so and it's for nobody else, so I really like that. Thanks for sharing that. Um. Next one um, how has like swimming helped you move through like any stress in your life? So this could be the present time, sarah, like the healing in your life. Is there anything? So how has that helped you?

Speaker 1 7:16

um, yeah, there's definitely. I mean, swimming is just, it's one of those things that if you love it, it's, there's something so calming about it. It doesn't matter where you go. Like even if you just jump into the you know pool and do a couple of like dolphin dives and a handstand, like it's just so freeing and it's it doesn't matter where I go. If I'm in the water, I jump in, I'm at peace, it's calming, it's just yeah, like I jump in, I'm at peace, it's calming, it's just yeah, like I don't know, it doesn't matter what's going on in my life. If I jump into water, I feel happy. So whatever stress I have, like I can, really they can go away by, like jumping on the paddleboard and going for for an hour at the lake or you know going to the pool and sitting, like it just it's, it's, there's nothing quite like it.

Speaker 2 8:09

I, I agree with you 100%, like even just I can envision that like just floating in the middle of the lake, like that is so peaceful to me too, like yeah, yeah, and it has this, this meditative way like of helping you heal through water, if you can, if you can find that for yourself, and I'm glad that you find that yeah, peaceful and quiet, right like your head in the, your ears in the water, and you're just float and look up at the sky like it's being able to do that right.

Speaker 2 8:47

No, exactly. Um, what was one of your best like memories you've had like to do with, like water or swimming, or maybe it's like coaching or at an event?

Speaker 1 8:52

honestly, like I said, I have a twin sister, um, so we both started swimming again after a long time off and we've joined masters. So the first masters event we did together last year was in Richmond and it was a long course pool and just watching or like just the two of us being at a swim meet again after 30 years was like spectacular. But I think my favorite swimming moment was she. Um, she signed up for the Skaha across the lake swim and she did the 4.8 kilometer swim and I paddled next to her so I helped her train, like I trained with her so she wouldn't be bored training by herself and then being her support and and paddling next to her and having her water and just I don't know, I just it's so exciting to see someone else complete such a huge goal and to be able to be a part of that is amazing oh, wow, thanks for sharing that it's.

Empowering Through Water

Speaker 2 9:56

There's something special, just like you said, about being out on that water and supporting someone to swim towards their dream and be a part of that and have someone beside you supporting you along the way, especially your sister. It's pretty incredible. Yeah, definitely a cool moment. Okay, I'm go. I'm going a different way right now because it's coming up for me. So when you do open water swims, like longer ones, like, or even in your own training, like, do you have someone that you love, that paddles with you, that you connect with.

Speaker 1 10:30

This is probably not the greatest. I actually prefer to do stuff with my sister or by myself. Actually prefer to do stuff with my sister or by myself. So I, um, I swim at a lake that is full of open water swimmer and triathletes in the summer and paddle boarders.

Speaker 1 10:46

It's just packed. So I feel fairly safe going there by myself and I always make sure I have my gear, um. But yeah, I will swim on my own and just do like laps of the lake, um, for really long ones. Then me and my sister always go together um make sure we're safe, but I don't actually have anyone that paddles with.

Speaker 2 11:05

Yeah, I I find like I have both, like I have I go by myself, but I I really like I actually do have a lot of paddling with my husband. Oh fun, yeah. So it's like building that trust, especially when you get into really long distance. Yeah, it's like it's a commitment for them too, and it's like this is like relationship building, you know you gotta communicate somehow, but yeah yeah, so, oh, that's awesome.

Speaker 2 11:30

I love how you like the solo and then you also like the other. And what's the? Where do you swim? What's the lake called?

Speaker 1 11:35

um, I swim at sasmat mostly. Um, it's the warmest lake we have out here. Okay, it's like a two and a half k loop, so it's quite nice. Perfect, yeah, it's, it's great. Or you can just go across to the? Um, yeah, there's some nice little ones. Um, bunsen lake is actually spectacular but it is cold and, uh, it's about 5k long, I think, but it's cold and it's very deep and I would. I just don't feel confident swimming there on my own, so that's the one that I always go to with my sister yeah, well, it's good to listen to your spidey senses right, yeah, yeah, I feel, if you ever get out this way, well, you gotta come with us here.

Speaker 2 12:13

We have cold legs, though, but um, beautiful ones, but I do like bc lakes better, because they are warmer and you can get rid of the wetsuit too, which is nice, but yeah, yeah, okay. Next question how does water, like um, build yourself, how does it, or has it built your self-confidence and your self-esteem, and, and what can you tell us, tell the other woman, like about that, like that was something that may help them as well?

Speaker 1 12:43

You know, there's nothing quite like having to put on a bathing suit and stand up in front of hundreds of people on the diving blocks and get ready for your race. The one thing that I think I think about well, we do have our, our friend pam, with rise suits, who makes incredible suits that just, yeah, well amazing the minute you put them on. Um, but the thing that I I think I like to remember is that you know I'm doing it and, uh, I strong, I'm confident and I'm getting up there, and swimming is a great equalizer. So you know, all bodies can do it and you can't judge anyone on the blocks, because the person that you think might be super fast could turn out to be not so fast or not as an accomplished swimmer, and the person that you think, oh, they're going to be so much slower than me, and they're not. So I, I think, get out there and do it, because you know there shouldn't be anything that stops you. Swimming is just, it's an equalizer, everybody can do it.

Speaker 2 13:53

I love that an equalizer. I never heard anybody say it like that before. And it's like you go back to the swimsuit. Right, we have chosen a sport. I know you're a runner and triathlete too, but with swimming it's like we've chosen the sport where it's like the least amount of clothing, right. So we show up and it's like just show up and like we're badass, like and like. And these in the Pam suits, like rise swimsuits, like they do empower you, right, like they're. They're beautiful suits yeah, they're a little bit more like than I probably would wear, but when I put it on it's like, yeah, you feel beautiful.

Speaker 1 14:31

And the little cheeky bit that I think you're talking about.

Speaker 2 14:35

The cheeky bit.

Speaker 1 14:35

It doesn't even bother me, I just I love it right the first time I saw them and like they're gorgeous, but I couldn't wear that. And then, uh, you know, no, I can wear it and you know what? It makes me feel freaking awesome and I'm going to continue to wear it because I love that. We should all. I want everyone to feel like that me too.

Speaker 2 14:59

Can we go back to something you just said? So it was something around the swimsuit. So what changed for you? So you saw they were a bit cheeky, like any swimsuit doesn't have to be that one like a bit cheeky. So what changed that? What was the turning point?

Speaker 1 15:13

um, you know, I think, um, I just, I don't know. I think I think I was with my sister and I'm like dude, we got to look at these suits and she's like, oh my God, they're beautiful. And then we both kind of looked at each other. We were like you know what, we're getting them Like, we're going to try them on, we're going to buy them, and it was, I guess, having her there and we gave each other the confidence that we should have had without each other there. But sometimes, you know, when you're doing it with a friend, it it makes things a little bit easier. Um, but yeah, and then, of course, um, pam is like pretty, um, well, she's all about empowering women, so she definitely helps, helps you feel good. Um, but yeah, I think it was just like that fuck it moment. Why can't we do this?

Speaker 2 16:04

exactly. I love it. The fuck it moment, yeah. So if you're out there listening right now and you have this swimsuit and your butt cheeks are showing and it's like and whatever else, fuck it like, put it on. So I'm gonna listen to myself and I'm gonna do that today, so I'm gonna listen to that. I love that. So thanks for sharing. I'm sure that will resonate with a lot of women that are listening, and Pam is doing great things as well.

Speaker 2 16:34

I think I want the bright green one next. Oh, I have that. It's gorgeous Okay.

Speaker 2 16:38

I like the black and green one, though, too, but then she sold out of it. So, um, but I think I need to go brighter. So, yeah, yeah, I think that's my favorite. Actually, I'm gonna do it. Yeah, okay, we'll put the link in here. So, if anybody's curious, as we're talking, um, okay, next question, on the hard days how does water like help you move through that tough like moment in your work, in your business? Um, we kind of talked a little bit of above, but maybe let's just dive into it a bit deeper um.

Speaker 1 17:09

How does water help me with tough days?

Speaker 2 17:12

yeah, is it swimming or water? Like how does, how does it help you with stress?

Speaker 1 17:17

oh see, for me it's movement in any way. Um, like I do I have. I suffer with anxiety, so, um, if I'm having a bad day, sometimes it's really hard to get motivated. Um and just, I think movement, like running or swimming, whatever's going to be the easiest for me that day, is what's going to help me break through that anxiety moment, or having that moment, and the water part of it, like I said before, it's calming. So if I can get myself out of the bunk and get into the pool or get to the lake, then it's just stress relief or whatever. I need to clear my head, I guess. And then you know, if I'm at the pool, a hot tub afterwards doesn't hurt. It's always nice to chill and sort of watch the world go by. But I think, yeah, it's just movement in general for me, and swimming is one of the ways I use that as an outlet.

Speaker 2 18:25

Okay, thank you for sharing. Yeah, swimming is an incredible outlet. I don't know, do you ever find like, when you're going into the pool and you're like maybe there's a bit, you have a bit more anxiety or it's like stress from the day or something that's bothering you, that you can just release it in that pool exactly?

Speaker 1 18:41

yeah, nice cannonball in and I love it all right, cannonball in ladies, not slide in. I swear I need to do a video one day I'd never get in a pool if I had to slide in cannonball.

Speaker 2 18:58

Maybe I should start that in my squad. Sarah says so. Um, one day I want to create a video around how long it takes people to get in the water and how everybody gets in the water. Like it's really quite entertaining when you're a coach on the pool deck and I'm sure I do the same thing but it's like everybody's chatting, it's beautiful to watch and how they put their caps on their goggles and yeah, and's just, it's a process. Maybe one day that would be awesome actually. Yeah right, what has water taught you to infuse in your everyday life, like beyond the pool deck, beyond the lakes and the water?

Speaker 1 19:37

Consistency pays off. If you are not consistent with your swimming, um, it doesn't matter what level you're at. If you're not consistent, it's gonna take a long time to improve, and that sort of translates to everything. If you're not consistent with what your goals are, then you're not gonna get to the end as fast as you would if you were consistent.

Embracing Challenges and Dreams in Swimming

Speaker 2 20:03

I love that consistency, everybody listening, I love that. So a couple more questions and then we're going to go into some like fast, fun, like questions for you. So one thing that I want to know is that if you could tell like all the women are listening right now um one thing around, like building their self-confidence and self-esteem, uh, in swimming, like what would you tell them?

Speaker 1 20:29

oh geez, that's I building self-esteem and swimming, uh I don't or like going back to like.

Speaker 2 20:38

So you took a pause, a sabbatical, and now you got back into the water. Now you're doing master swimming, open water swimming, those women like. What would you say to the women wanting to get back into it?

Speaker 1 20:50

I'd say you know, what I would say to everyone is don't let your fear stop you. We tend to hold ourselves back from things like especially as we get older, we do become more fearful. We're more fearful about failure. We're more fearful about what people are thinking about us. Um, you know, we're more fearful fearful about injuring ourselves. Um, don't be, don't let fear stop you from trying. I think that's what I would say.

Speaker 2 21:20

Yeah, love that and the woman you admire most. And why? In swimming it out or so?

Speaker 1 21:32

I, you know, I've been thinking about that and, in all honesty, I'm going to say I admire all the women that I meet. They all inspire me some way. Like you know, people are dedicated, they're passionate about things. Every single person I meet, especially in my coaching world, like all my clients, all my friends, they all have something that I admire and they all have something that I aspire to be. So I wouldn't pinpoint it to one person. I would say that the women that I surround myself are the are the people I admire.

Speaker 2 22:11

I love that. That's beautiful. Yeah, that's yeah, I love it. Okay, fast, fun questions. What's a mantra or quote you live by?

Speaker 1 22:21

oh, I gotta go with, just go with the chaos, just go with it okay, three favorite places you'd love to swim um, okay, I have a secret little hidden outdoor pool.

Speaker 1 22:39

Um, that's open year-round here and it's an absolute gem, so that's one of my favorite places. It's just a burnaby community center and they open year-round is wonderful. I love swimming at sasmat because it's just down and dirty, it's close to home and I know I can go and get a good open water swim in. Um in the third place, my third favorite place to swim um, I quite enjoy Cultus Lake out in the Fraser Valley they have a swim event there now, right yeah.

Speaker 1 23:12

Yeah, it was actually good if you can make it out next year. It was a fun one okay, um one thing you would like to master outside of the water honestly, I would love to get to a hundred pound bench press and I have been struggling with that and it's one of the things that I'm going to work on for 2025 awesome.

Speaker 2 23:33

I love that. Uh, what's in your swim bag?

Speaker 1 23:37

um, besides all the normal, like goggles, way too many caps to count um fins paddles, full boy water bottle towels I, like you said, towels, yes, tampons definitely important, right gotta have those a quarter, in case I need one for a locker, and that's about it. Shampoo, I do. I do use shampoo and conditioner after the pool and soap. I've got that good, I'm glad yeah, I try not to take too much, because it's a lot to carry every day is it not?

Speaker 2 24:15

oh, my goodness, I remember the other day I was going to coach and then swim and then do my other job and I swear I had three bags over my back and shoulder and someone just looked at me like where are you going?

Speaker 1 24:27

I'm just like, don't have time to explain, but yeah, 5 30 this morning I had my work bag, my swim. I have two swim bags one for all my gear and one for my towels and stuff and a lunch bag. I'm like, yeah, I'm a bag lady. Off to work.

Speaker 2 24:41

I just got an awesome swim bag. I am a fan of a little bit of leopard print in my life and so I found like an arena one and it's so freaking awesome, so I'm embracing the leopard print on the pool deck a little bit.

Speaker 2 24:57

So, Pam needs to create a leopard print swimsuit, so if you're listening to this, come on now. Maybe not everybody will wear it, but anyways, I just want to end with one last question, sarah, like, do you have like a dream event, that or something, some sort of a dream that you want to achieve in like the next five to 10 years, or maybe it's less?

Speaker 1 25:17

Yeah, actually me and my sister are um, we're really embracing this master swimming um. So we have bought our plane tickets to nationals, so hopefully we'll see you there I'm not going what we'll talk about that later. Yeah, we'll talk about offline um, but we are, um, we're creeping up on 50 and, uh, we are hoping to qualify for worlds um, when we reach that age category how do you go about doing that?

Speaker 1 25:48

qualify. Yeah, like you, you just have to get the qualifying times at a swim meet and then you are eligible to register. I think you might have to prove the times to register. I think you might have approved the times. Okay, yeah, it's a long course meet which I struggle with, so I have a few years yet, um, but I definitely I want to. I've got a couple qualifying times now, but I would like to be able to say, like I qualified for six events and and uh, that's awesome definitely a long-term goal.

Speaker 2 26:19

I love these. I can't wait to go along this journey with you, I think it's exciting, so yeah.

Speaker 2 26:25

So thanks, sarah, so much for being a guest on raw podcast, for saying yes, for sharing your story, um, and I know it'll inspire, or like give somebody that kick in the butt to get get moving in the pool and and and fuck it and put that swimsuit on Damn straight Nice. Thank you, sarah, for being a guest on Raw Podcast. Thanks for sharing your story and your experiences out in the open water pool and beyond. I look forward to meeting you, hopefully this coming summer in the open water somewhere at an event. Thank you for being on Raw Podcast. If you're new to listening to Raw Podcast or you've been listening to Raw Podcast for a while now, we would greatly appreciate it if you could leave us a rating or some comments with some goodness in there. It really helps us grow. Next month we will have another guest coming on, another person that is involved in the swim world, and we are looking forward to that. Keep being the amazing woman you are in the water and beyond.