This week on Navigating Neva, Venetia Belk joins Nicole and Wesley to share her powerful story of growth in the aquatics industry. From her early days on the swim team to becoming an aquatic director, Venetia discusses the realities of leading teams, mentoring young staff, and juggling the many hats aquatics pros wear—including lifeguard, coach, accountant, and team counselor.

Venetia dives into her leadership philosophy—emphasizing the importance of mentorship, staying calm under pressure, and breaking big goals into manageable tasks. She also highlights changes in the Red Cross lifeguarding curriculum, the everyday challenges aquatic directors face, and her deeply personal "why" behind teaching swim lessons.

The episode wraps with a look at Venetia’s exciting upcoming projects, including launching pop-up water safety events and building her own swim school—and a shoutout to the upcoming “All Things Aquatics” event this September on St. Simons Island.

This is a conversation packed with wisdom, passion, and purpose. If you work in aquatics or care about water safety, don’t miss it.

Episode Overview (with Key Takeaways)

In this episode, Venetia Belk shares her inspiring career journey and the leadership lessons she's learned along the way. Whether you’re a swim instructor, aquatic director, or just passionate about water safety, this episode is full of real talk and actionable insights.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Why mentorship is non-negotiable in aquatics

How to present safety-related costs to management

The mindset shift from “just lifeguarding” to full-on aquatic leadership

Behind-the-scenes of planning water safety events for families

Great Quotes: 

“You can’t lead without a plan—and you can’t build a team without breaking the work into steps.”

“Mentorship doesn’t stop at onboarding. It happens in every daily decision.”

“Aquatics is more than chlorine and checklists—it’s therapy, teamwork, and tiny wins.”

💬 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!
Tag @NavigatingNeva and @VenetiaBelk when you share this episode, and tell us your biggest leadership lesson from working in aquatics.