Depending on your experiences in the water, swimming can be the ultimate leisure activity or trigger deep paralysing fear.
For artist, academic, and podcaster Sadie Clayton, her relationship with swimming is complex.
There's one memory that stands out when she reflects on her early experiences. What began as a playful game of children pushing each other into a swimming pool during a youth group trip became a defining moment for Sadie.
She was suddenly plunged under the water and unable to get to the surface.
“I remember thinking, this is it – I’m going to drown,” she says. “The lifeguard had to pull me out. From that moment on, I’ve never been a fan of the water.”
It’s a memory that would play out subconsciously for years to come as her fear of water carried into adulthood, and it would be most present when travelling.
“I love adventure and travel,” Sadie says. “I was at one of Sri Lanka’s most famous surfing beaches, but I couldn’t handle the waves. I thought, this isn’t right – visiting all these amazing places but not feeling confident in the water, so I decided to take swimming lessons.”
When Sadie returned home, she started adult swimming lessons. A journey that she says was humbling but ultimately transformative.
“I remember standing at the edge of the deep end, knees literally shaking, thinking, I can’t jump in. The people in my class were saying, ‘Come on, you’ve got this,’ but that moment took me right back to being a child, but this time, I had control and I did it.”
The lessons inspired more than just confidence in the water – it sparked a podcast.
During the lessons, Sadie noticed something striking: “The majority of people in my class were Black or Brown. That made me realise this isn’t just my story – this is cultural, it’s systemic.”
That was the seed of her podcast, Black People Can’t Swim. What began as four episodes soon attracted global attention and messages poured in from listeners who said they felt seen, or had been inspired to start lessons themselves.
“The title catches people’s attention,” she says. “But really, it’s about representation, community, and access. Why don’t we see more Black swimmers, or Black jockeys, or Black skiers? It’s not about ability – it’s about opportunity, exposure, and culture.”
Community is at the heart of everything Sadie does. “I grew up as a woman of colour in a very white area, but thanks to my mum I learned to embrace my identity. Now I want to give that sense of belonging to others – through creativity, through education, through conversations like these.”
Though she has only produced a handful of episodes so far, the podcast opened doors and conversations. “People from all over the world reached out. I didn’t realise how many people globally can’t swim and I didn’t realise how many barriers there were to swimming. I thought it was just me and I was a bit embarrassed.”
Becoming a mother has also added another dimension to swimming. Sadie’s son Koa, now 14 months, has already been introduced to the water on family holidays. “He loves the water; he has no fear. But I feel that when I’m in the pool with him he can sense my hesitation or that I’m not as confident as my husband, so I want to make sure my fear doesn’t become his.”
For those who feel daunted by swimming, Sadie’s advice is simple: focus on how you’ll feel after.
“Before every lesson, I’d be panicking. I even made my husband sit and watch me from the side of the pool. But afterwards, I always felt amazing, and every week I got better. I can now do backstroke and before I would have never considered getting my head under the water.
“So don’t focus on the present moment, focus on doing this for your future self. You will feel so proud of yourself, it’s such an achievement.”
Sadie stresses patience and persistence. “It’s baby steps. Don’t expect to smash the front crawl straight away. And don’t be afraid to ask your instructor to get in the water with you and show you. It’s not about perfection – it’s about progress.”
And as for her own swimming? Sadie’s still on her journey. “Maybe one day I’ll even do open water,” she says. “But for now, it’s about showing my son, and others, that you don’t have to be fearless to belong in the water. You just have to keep showing up.”