"Leap In: A Guide to Finding Courage and Clarity in Life's Big Transitions" by Alexandra Heminsley

Peter Herold: Very motivating for those learning front crawl (like me), both the tips on relaxation and exhaling and what you can go on to do open water swimming.

Germany on Sep 29, 2022

Amazon Customer: If you have decided to start open water swimming or move up to front crawl and are struggling, this book is for you. The author has the same problem and she explains in detail what she did to begin to feel comfortable with both. She then breaks down the theories behind front crawl for you. Very useful and inspiring.

United Kingdom on Feb 22, 2021

VPad: This book was absolutely amazing for me. It was funny, very informative, and written in such an excellent way that I just had to continue reading it, and will not be lending it out to anyone as it is now my 'reference book'. I chuckled at so many parts of the book, and agreed whole-heartedly with Alexandra's take on "Pull Buoys" instead being "pool boys" as I'd teased my husband about, already, before reading the book. It has inspired me to carry on trying to improve my front crawl, and also encouraged me to find some cold water swimming near where I live. I send my heart-felt commiserations about the sad parts of the book. I highly recommend this book to all swimmers.

United Kingdom on Jul 04, 2019

M Stojanova: I found this book very enjoyable to read, probabky because it echoed many of my reservations when I was persuading myself to return to swimming properly - after taking a wee break of about 20yrs and aquiring many of the same phobias I had about the water when I fitst started smiwwing. My "persuasiin" period took more than 3yrs - time I now view as totally lost in heading to my "monkey brain" - as I redescovered the joy and meditation in swiming. The book is tailored to the female audience. If swimming always intrigued and scared you in equal measure, this is the one book to read.

United Kingdom on Jul 26, 2018

HayleyV: Very warm and moments where I laughed out load (getting into the wetsuit being one of them!) One of the things I loved about it was the honest in how difficult it can be to learn new things but the benefits in overcoming fears.

An honest and inspiring account of learning to swim and tackling the open waters - it made me want to swim in more places and try new types of water.

United Kingdom on Feb 08, 2018

Kathy Lynn: I have read "Running Like a Girl" multiple times and I was hoping this book would be similarly inspiring as I learned how to swim as an adult. While "Leap In" was inspiring, it didn't quite match Hemmo's previous book. It was a great read, and I loved the section at the end where the author recommended swimming drills and equipment. Plus, as a woman who started swimming at age 40, it was very helpful to hear the author's real life explanation of things like getting on a wetsuit, why she wears flip flops at the pool, and how she felt wearing a swimsuit to the pool the first few times. I would recommend this book to any adult who is new to swimming.

United States on Aug 27, 2017