In this powerful episode, Nicole Phelps sits down with Michelle Zieg, who courageously shares the heartbreaking story of losing her son, Brayden, to drowning. With strength and vulnerability, Michelle reflects on her unimaginable loss and her mission to ensure no other family has to experience the same pain. Together, Nicole and Michelle shed light on the reality that drowning is silent, fast, and preventable. Through awareness, education, and action, we honor Brayden’s memory and continue the fight to protect children everywhere and raise awareness on water safety. 

From building confidence in the water to creating a culture of safety, swimming legend Michael Phelps and pool safety advocate Tonja Howard dive deep into what it means to feel both safe and strong around water. In this episode, Michael shares how swimming gave him everything - and why water safety is now his mission. Tonja opens up about A Safe Pool’s efforts to protect children and families from preventable tragedies. Together, they explore why teaching kids to respect the water is just as important as teaching them to swim.

But the conversation doesn’t stop there. Michael and Tonja also discuss the critical role of mental health — both in and out of the pool. They share how their own parenting journeys are focused on breaking generational cycles, teaching kids it’s okay to not be okay, and creating safer futures physically and emotionally.

Whether you’re a parent, coach, or water safety advocate, this episode is a powerful reminder: supervision alone isn’t enough. True protection begins with education, heightened awareness, and multiple layers of safety working together. And just as we teach physical safety, we must also guide our children in understanding and caring for their mental health -building emotional resilience that protects them in and out of the water.