International Women's Day 2021 - Q&A with Emma Gage
Here is a 10-minute interview with someone we know and love; a swimming coach, CrossFit coach and a MLA ambassador!
We met 3 years ago in the Lake District at a competition where she was advertising her coaching. I saw her from the corner of my eye and thought, ‘I really want to learn to swim better’. I followed her on Instagram and then a year later I contacted her about whether she might want to come and coach on our Crete Retreat. Luckily she said yes! It was amazing and she's been coming with us ever since.
Emma’s work involves coaching, programming and running the UK’s only swimming-based CrossFit competition, Wod On Water. Read our conversation below!
Who are you and what do you do?
E: Hey everyone! I'm Emma Gage. I own SwimWod, which is online programming for all things swimming. I do normal swimming programmes for all different abilities and I also do SwimWod-style programmes. So if you're a CrossFitter or functional fitness athlete, I do programmes that combine functional fitness and swimming into one to make it really fun, which I know you've had experience with Stella!
S: I love it!
E: I also do triathlon training programmes for swimming and running and I also do swimming programmes for gyms. So if you’re a gym owner and you want to provide swimming training for your members, I provide that programming. That's basically what SwimWod is, there's a bit more to it but that's mostly it.
Alongside SwimWod I'm a full-time CrossFit coach at M Squared Fitness and alongside that I also co-own and run WOD On Water, which you took part in and smashed! It is the UK's only swimming-based CrossFit competition. And I'm also a coach at More Life Adventures and I'm wearing my MLA jumper!
S: We're so proud of that. So proud that you literally came to join us for the first time one evening in Crete not having met anyone.
E: At 1 AM!
S: That was brilliant. WOD On Water? I must say I've not been to many competitions as I'm not quite at that level of CrossFit athlete, but WOD On Water was by far the most fun. Half the time I felt like I would drown, but that was by far the most CrossFit fun I’ve had.
In fact, shout out to District L where I met you, for the scenery and shout out to WOD On Water for the actual WODs because they were hilarious - you’ve got a lot of creativity in you I must say.
I know you've done so many things but one thing you're proud of that you'd like to mention?
E: I think the obvious direction to go in with this would be to go down the sport route and talk about what I have achieved in that direction. But I think the thing I'm most proud of is how hard-working I am. I know that whatever it is I'm doing I will give 110% to.
Whether that's my sport, my career in sport, coaching, my career in coaching or my education. I put 110% into my friendships, into being a good daughter, sister, everything I do I always work really hard and I don't think I could ever say I haven't. I think that's the thing I'm most proud of; knowing that I've always given it everything to whatever I'm doing.
S: That's awesome. ‘All-in’ Emma or Emma ‘All-in’ Gage. It's true. We did an online retreat together and you put your all into the gymnastics coaching. I'd never seen you coach gymnastics before and it was amazing.
What is one thing you’ve failed but learnt a lot from?
E: When I look back at my life, I don't actually automatically think of any failures as such. I don't really think of them as a failure and I sort of see it more as a circumstance where it didn't go to plan or the outcome that I wanted didn't necessarily happen. I would never refer to them as failures because I see that as not a great word to use for myself, other people might, but for myself I don't.
I think the main one would be when I competed in the Olympic trials, although I'd already had ten years of retirement and then decided to get back in the water. It was kind of an unusual story to even be there. Obviously you go in wanting the outcome of qualifying for the Olympics and obviously I didn't qualify - I just missed out.
I think what I learned from that was that no matter how much you reassure yourself that you did everything you could and that you swam the fastest you could (I swam the fastest I'd ever swam so I couldn't really complain), it still kind of hurts.
I think what I learned was that in those sorts of situations it's okay to allow yourself to feel sad for a bit, and allow yourself almost to grieve what you didn't get or what didn't happen the way you wanted it to. I also learnt that the best way to get over it is to give yourself a new goal, whatever that may be.
Mine was putting my effort into coaching and that helped me, not ‘get over it’ because I didn't need to get over it because it was still a massive achievement to have just missed out, but to move on and put my energy into a new goal. It's led me to here and I've had great memories so I'm not going to complain or regret anything really.
S: Definitely, failure is the wrong word really. I don't know why I use that word but you got what I meant.
E: It's not that the question was wrong. It's just that I like to call it something different.
S: I know, it's true. This morning I was journaling reflecting on exactly the same thing - that very few things have gone to plan in my life. You know, the things that I put down on paper that I wanted to happen didn't happen and the things that have happened, I would never have put down on paper. So it’s what you're learning from this journey that matters really.
E: That's life really, isn't it? No matter how much you plan...
S: Absolutely. I think if you dream, plan and work towards something maybe it won't come exactly as you had dreamt it, but it won't be that far off. You know, you're not working for a bank. You're a coach that you would have been anyway, maybe it would have taken you longer, but because you have that urgency you just crushed the coaching pretty quickly.
E: Yeah, or maybe I wouldn't have got into it if I had qualified for the Olympics because then all of my efforts would have been put into competing and training which would have been a different path, so I don't regret anything.
Do you have a female role model?
E: I don't really. I've never really been that sort of person. Even when I was growing up, I didn't have posters on my bedroom wall of famous people or anything like that. And even when I was swimming I just kind of did ‘me’. I just did my own swimming and did it for me not really wanting to be like someone else.
However having said that, I have some amazing women who are in my life and who I respect and learn from every day for various different reasons. I would say I don't have one particular role model and that I respect and learn from my mum and my friends and everyone that's in my life, all of them!
S: I thought you might say your mum!
E: How can I not say my mum?! She's amazing! If I could be like my mum as a mum then I'll be happy.
S: I think a role model is not necessarily someone that you want to be like, but someone that inspires you to be a better person in something.
E: With whatever I do I always ask my mum for advice because I trust what she will say.
What about any quotes that have stuck out for you?
E: I love quotes! Anyone that knows me knows I love a quote. My all-time favourite is; “Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out and meet the bloody thing”. It was up in my family home when I was growing up, I don't know why and I don't know whose it was, but it was a picture up on the wall. It really resonates with me. Basically don't wait for things to be given to you. Make sure you go out and get them.
S: I love it!
E: Yeah, I think that's a cool quote and it always sticks with me that one.
S: Plus it has swimming in it!
E: I know! I mean, that's got nothing to do with it, but it certainly helps.
Do you have any advice for other women in business or coaching?
E: The way that fitness is going, I think women are already doing a mega job of showing the world how strong we can be. I would say that the thing that I respect most and that I think people should continue to do or do more of, is raise each other up.
I think it's too easy to talk negatively about someone and I think building up people positively, encouraging people, congratulating them on achievements or PBs or progress that they’ve made, even if you don't know them, is the best way to be. I think everybody, not just women, just as a human race needs to raise each other up more and continue to do that more. I would say that.
S: I love it. A few things for me to write down! Thank you Emma. This is all we have time for today, but I'm considering making this more of a regular feature if you’re up for it!
E: Of course! Thank you so much. It was great to see you, bye!
Would you like to see more chats like these? Stay tuned for the follow-up!
In the meantime, you can follow Emma on Instagram. Find out more about SwimWod and WOD On Water.