We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Gonzalez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I am very grateful and appreciate the way that both of my parents raised me. They will be going on their 39th anniversary this September. I remember in elementary school recognizing, my parents being slightly older than most kids around my age. As a child, I didn’t really understand why, but the way I see it now is both my parents were able to fully provide for us (my brother and I). My dad has been a hard worker his whole life, and has dedicated majority of his life to being a mechanic, a job that requires concentration and intelligence while working on cars inner workings, and diagnostics, and a thorough understanding of all types of cars. Throughout my life he has shown through example what it means to be a hardworking and loyal. My mom, on the other hand, showed up by always being there for us with unconditional love and making sure we had fun. She has always been someone who loves kids and goes above and beyond to making kids smile. Throughout my life, my mom has shown me how to be bold and creative and has taught me that I really have the power to do anything I put my mind to. When working with children, I feel that I can provide that nurturing support and guidance that builds confidence, acceptance and inclusion. I try to help them realize their fullest potential. I like to think that area comes from my mom. The more logistical parts of the business (finances, scheduling, training’s, admin, etc.) are the foundation of running my business successfully, is the area my dad probably influences the most. They both have impacted my life in so many positive ways that it not only reflects on me as a person but my business as well.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a proud mobile swim teacher and aerial yoga teacher here in San Diego. I first started off as a swim teacher before becoming an aerial yoga teacher. Growing up, my parents had a pool and I have been swimming ever since I can remember. My mom taught me how to swim and funny enough, I’ve never seen my dad in the pool, EVER! When I worked for the YMCA back in 2014, I worked for the summer camps. There I had the opportunity to be a camp leader for the camps that went to the pool to swim, where I had to be lifeguard certified. After that, they asked me if I’d be willing to be swim instructor certified so in the event there were not enough swim teachers, I could hop in and teach the kids. I happily agreed! I taught lessons with the YMCA for about a year before my friend asked me if I could teach her son how to swim. My friend Brenda encouraged me to teach swimming as my summer job but I was very hesitant. Eventually she convinced me and in summer of 2018 I started to teach lessons privately. I am now currently offering 2 types of swim lessons; Survival Swim Lessons, and technique based lessons. What makes me stand out compared to others is that I specialize in working with children who have an intense fear around water. My style is a gentle play based way of learning where I focus on building confidence through acceptance and inclusion. This means that I am patience, creative, encouraging and fun to make lessons feel more at ease. Having a background working with kids and young adults on the spectrum is also something that sets me apart from the rest. I can also teach adults how to swim too!
I also teach aerial yoga. I currently work at “If I was a Bird Yoga Studio” for kids in Liberty Station, and sub occasionally at Pier to Point in Point Loma for adults. I first started that journey in March of 2022. I was struggling with my mental health to the point that I stopped working. My birthday gift was an unlimited month membership and went probably everyday that month. I met the great aerial community, and knew it was something I wanted to keep doing and be apart of. I saw they had aerial yoga teacher trainings and dreamed about the day I was going to have enough money to take the training. The following summer, I had saved enough money to do attend the training. My trainers Emily and Amy guided me through a very special teacher training. I taught my 3 community classes and then got on the sub list for Pier to point. Last year is when I found the kids aerial yoga job with Tiffany Gullberg and I have been teaching there since this past September. My goal this summer is to buy aerial yoga insurance so I can host aerial yoga workshops and maybe one day travel up California teaching aerial yoga.
Something I am most proud of is seeing the person I have grown to be and the time it has taken to get me to get to this point. It has taken me so many years of doing better than the last year to get me to the place where I am today. I’ve had to stop people pleasing, set stronger boundaries, and prioritize self care to manage the feeling of burnout, something I have struggled with every summer. I’m happy to say I am on a much better track this year due to setting boundaries and being able to say no. and putting myself first!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Personally, the most effective strategy has been social media (Instagram specifically), and word of mouth for me. When I first started, it was just word of mouth. Friends telling friends, and then people coming up to me at the pool getting my information. Back then I really didn’t think my business would pick up the way it did because this was something that was a “small summer fun job.” I put a limiting belief in my head that fun things couldn’t pay off your bills the way that a typical job would. But a year or so into it that, my friend Monique was able to get that out of my head. She was the one who encouraged and me to make a separate social media for swimming and helped me make flyers to post. She helped me pick the name @JustKeepSwimmingwithJessica. Every year since 2018, my business has grown in numbers , with this year growing the most. Since teaching kids aerial yoga, my videos have been getting more interaction and although it may not sound like a big deal, I finally have reached a little over 700 followers!
Just being myself when working with kids has been a big help. I can not tell you the amount of times people have came up to me while I was baby sitting, or teaching lessons, to get my information. The right people will attract to you.
Instagram giveaways have been a big help in gaining new followers as well too. I believe that the right kind of people will find you and the ones that like you will stay and support and will happily tell others without asking. Here is a little thank you to all people who like, comment, share, tag, send or have any interaction with my post, and an even bigger thank you to those who have taken swim lessons from me.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

The best thing that has helped me succeed has been to stay firm on my boundaries, particularly with scheduling and to prioritize self care. When I first started teaching lessons, I used to book up to 10-12 lessons a day with one day a week off. I kept telling myself that because this was a “fun job,” I didn’t really need days off since I was in the pool all of summer and who would complain about that? I currently understand that for the longevity of my business, I need full days off where I am completely away from swim and aerial yoga. As I am getting a little older, I am understanding that my body needs a little more time in between lessons and have a maximum on 8 lessons, on the 2 full days of the week that I am teaching swim. I stick firm to my scheduling boundaries the most and it helps me stay consistent and this lets me pour from a full cup. The things that I do on my days off are usual things that align with self care. Funny enough, you’ll probably still find me in the water or flying in the silks by taking a yoga class, go to the beach, surf, SUP yoga, aerial yoga class, go for a walk outside, use my Seaworld pass, meditate, journal, and so much more. Doing the things I love to do on those days off makes me feel rejuvenated to go back to teaching. Its a constant balance of focus and flow and then to rest and restore. Managing that work life business is crucial!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Justkeepswimmingwithjessica

Image Credits

Mitzi Martinez
Amy Thai
Jenna Richardson
Elizabeth Gonzalez