Swimming & Surrender
How I Stopped Fighting and Started Flowing
I used to think success came from pushing harder.
More reps. More effort. More willpower.
If I just kept trying, and pushing, eventually, I’d break through.
And nowhere was that belief more visible than in a swimming pool.
The Story: Fighting the Water
Years ago, I was living in London.
At the time, I was a personal trainer & sports therapist, and also studying Naturopathic Osteopathy — waking up before sunrise, hitting the pool, then heading straight into a full day of classes and clients.
I was all-in on self-improvement. Discipline. Achievement.
Chasing my next personal best, determined to "get fitter," "get stronger," "get better” - in literally EVERY area of my life!
But swimming didn’t come naturally to me.
No matter how many laps I forced myself to do, it felt like I was fighting the water. Each stroke was a battle.
Each breath felt stolen, not given.
Twenty lengths left me exhausted, tense, and VERY frustrated.
Meanwhile, other swimmers glided past me — effortless, graceful, free.
I thought:
Maybe I’m just not trying hard enough.
Maybe I just need to push even harder.
(Does that sound familiar? It’s the same voice that haunts so many of us.)
The Shift: Finding Flow
One morning, my coach pulled me aside.
She didn’t tell me to train harder.
She didn’t critique my form.
Instead, she handed me a book and said:
“Read this. Stop fighting the water. Flow with it.
I can teach you the strokes, but you have to find your rhythm. You have to swim your own way.”
The book was The Art of Swimming, based on the Alexander Technique — a philosophy of movement rooted in awareness, alignment, and ease.
As I read, something clicked.
Swimming wasn’t about forcing my body through the water with brute strength. It wasn’t about perfecting form through force and conquering the elements.
It was about being with the water.
Trusting it. Letting it hold me. Surrendering.
Small, subtle shifts in my alignment made a massive difference.
When I stopped resisting and allowed myself to be supported, the water actually held me and allowed me to achieve more.
And just like that, I went from struggling through 20 laps… to flowing through 60. And feeling AMAZING! I had energy left over and didn’t want to stop.
I wasn’t fighting anymore. I was now flying.
The Deeper Lesson: Ease Is Not Laziness. It's Alignment.
That moment in the pool changed more than just my stroke.
It changed the way I move through everything.
Because here’s what I realized:
Ease doesn’t mean you’re doing less.
Ease means you’re moving in harmony with your own energy.
I had spent years approaching life the same way I approached swimming: through tension, willpower, and over-efforting.
Whether it was academia, health & fitness, or personal development…
And I was exhausted.
In business.
In life.
In every part of me that secretly believed success = struggle.
The real shift came when I realized:
It’s not about fighting harder.
It’s about flowing smarter.
It’s about knowing the currents you’re swimming in—and moving with them, not against them.
“When you are aligned with your true nature, you move with the flow of life, not against it.”
Martha Beck
And that’s what inspired The Growth Cycle — a framework to help you stop fighting yourself… and start flowing again.
The Growth Cycle: Your Inner Compass for Alignment
The Growth Cycle gives you a new kind of roadmap — a way to understand where you are, what season of growth you're in, and how to align your energy with it.
Not one based on pressure, hustle, or external timelines.
It helps you recognize:
- What phase of growth you're actually in
- What kind of energy is being called for right now
- And how to make decisions, plans, and moves that align with it
Because here’s the truth:
The moment you begin to honor your real energy — not the version you think you “should” have — everything shifts.
You make better decisions.
You stop second-guessing yourself.
You stop burning out on things that were never yours to fuel.
When you stop fighting yourself, everything gets lighter.
You don’t just survive.
You flow.
And you finally stop swimming upstream.
Where I Am Now (and Why This Matters)
As I write this, I’ve just entered Phase #3 of my own Growth Cycle — a phase I call Explore.
It’s the moment where curiosity leads.
Where the foundations that were laid down in Phase #2 | Builder are firmly in place, and it’s time to follow the pull of what’s next — not because it’s perfect, but because you’re alive and growth keeps moving forward!
That’s what I want for you, too.
Whether you’re in a season of rebuilding, reimagining, or rediscovering what matters most…
You don’t have to force your way forward.
You can flow into what’s next — aligned, supported, and clear.
Ready to Swim Your Own Way?
If something in this story feels familiar — if you’re tired of fighting the current — The Growth Cycle is here for you.
You don’t need to push harder.
You just need to find your rhythm.
The water is already waiting to support you.
Growth by Design. Not by Default.
Where are YOU on
The Growth Cycle?
Kate Vanden Bos
Grow Your Own Way
Kate Vanden Bos is the creator of The Growth Cycle, a nature-based framework for personal evolution.
She helps professional women reconnect with their energy, their seasons, and their soul’s true rhythm — so they can grow by design, not by default.
Kate’s work blends intuitive insight, grounded guidance, and a deep respect for the natural cycles that shape both our lives and our world
Learn more at MyGrowthCycle.com.
If you're feeling the pull to reconnect with your own rhythm of growth — to trust your season, your timing, your soul — begin here.