Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Hall.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2020, I was one of the many who’s career took a “pandemic pivot”. After 12 years of working in the hotel industry, I followed my passion for serving others and became a Realtor. I was drawn to this career choice as I wanted to focus on serving locally, in my community. Over the past 5 years, as I’ve grown as a business owner & entrepreneur, I recognized that I had the capacity and desire to serve more families – if I could only find the right fit.
Enter Infant Swimming Resource (ISR). Outside of work, I’ve always loved being in water. I became a competitive swimmer at 7 years old, went to the Junior Olympics for water polo in high school, currently train with the NAC masters swim team, and compete in triathlons. After finding out about ISR through my friends who are parents, I knew this would be the perfect fit for me. It always breaks my heart to learn of a child drowning. With Nashville being surrounded by rivers, lakes, and waterfalls – I felt called to provide this service to our community. I want your children to love the water as much as I do and most importantly, know how to enjoy it SAFELY.
Alright, 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?
Getting certified to teach ISR is not easy. For one, there’s a cost involved. If you can get past that part, the other puzzle piece to solve for is the reality that you’ll have to relocate for 6 weeks to get trained. For me, that meant stepping away from real estate for and saying goodbye to my husband and fur children for 6 weeks.
The business part wasn’t as hard as I imagined, luckily I am part of an amazing team (The Nashville Home Guys) who stepped in and took excellent care of my clients while I was away. Leaving my little family, that was the hardest part. I cannot imagine how instructors with children manage this. I’m not ashamed to say, I cried a lot in the weeks leading up to & first few weeks of training. It’s hard leaving your loved ones!
Thankfully, the days were long & mentally challenging. I felt like I was in a bootcamp program. We’d teach in the pool in the mornings, get an hour break for lunch, then have hours of classroom time to learn about child psychology, physiology, and sensorimotor learning. I’d take an hour break after that to go for a walk, cook dinner, and then it was back to my desk to work on 2-3hrs of homework before bed. It definitely helped keep my mind busy & the time pass quick.
Overall, it was an amazing opportunity to get to learn how to teach these skills and bring them back to my community. PLUS I now have women in Florida (my Master Instructor) and New Hampshire (my partner in training) who have become colleagues and friends, I am so thankful our paths crossed!
The biggest challenge I have now is FINDING POOLS! If you or someone you know has (or works for a facility that has) a heated, indoor pool in Nashville, I’d love to chat with them about the perks of hosting ISR lessons! I have so many families who have graciously offered to host in their outdoor pools – which has allowed me to teach through September – but I would be thrilled to be able to offer these lessons year round!
As you know, we’re big fans of NashSplash ISR. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Infant Swimming Resource teaches infants and toddlers age 6 months to 6 years old how to self rescue should they find themselves in an aquatic emergency. As a certified instructor, I will honor your child’s sensorimotor learning skills by letting them set the pace for lessons. What sets ISR apart from traditional swim programs is that we only offer one-on-one lessons. This allows us to customize every lesson and meet each child where they are developmentally and at their skill & comfort level. Furthermore, our program is 4-5 days per week for 6 weeks. This helps build muscle memory and ensures long term skill retention. This way, your child becomes skilled and independent in the water in a matter of weeks vs. the months or years it could take in weekly or group lessons. Safety is our number one priority and I pride myself on offering gentle lessons that adapt to the pace of each child.
When it comes to water safety with children, ISR is one of the crucial layers you should consider adding and the only layer your child can do for themselves. Drownings are the #1 cause of death in children under 5 years old (CDC). Whats more: they are preventable. Please help me ensure not one more child drowns.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is two fold – I want to ensure that my students are skilled in self rescue – but I also want to provide them these skills in an environment that fosters trust. In order for our lessons to work, your child needs to trust me. This is why I will never toss, push, or otherwise force your child to do something. I will gently progress the challenges they are presented with, only once they are equipped with the skills to meet them.
Pricing:
- Self Rescue 6 week program: $150/wk
- Refresher 3 week program (for returning students): $150/wk
- Maintenance (individual lesson): $30 ea
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nashsplashisr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashsplashisr
