Second Acts: How I went from coaching reporters to coaching swimmers
Plus: Teen Talk; Charlotte's top news of the week: CMS students head back to class — streetcar reopening set for Monday — more events postponed
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One year after he traded the newsroom for the swimming pool, Doug Miller reflects on what he’s learned while diving into a new career
Do you ever daydream about starting fresh, with a new career or a new calling you’re passionate about? In this occasional series — “Second Acts” — we’ll introduce you to Charlotteans who who decided to make huge life changes to follow different paths in pursuit of their dreams. Have a Second Act story of your own to share? Email us!
The journey that led Doug Miller to take the leap from editing to swim coaching started four years before he made the career switch, as he laid the groundwork for a coaching business that could replace his income as a journalist. (Photo by Jess Dailey)
by Doug Miller
A year ago, I emailed my boss: “We need to talk.”
I broke the news that I would be leaving the newspaper to be a full-time swim coach. After a brief silence, she asked, “Are you OK?”
I’d been a journalist for all of my professional life, so a question about my well-being was not uncalled for.
But yes, I was OK. At age 50, I had simply decided to make a change — a change that actually began 4 years earlier.
Swimming is my lifelong love. At the time, I wanted to learn more about how to help others in a pursuit that had given me so much. I needed to try something new. Maybe even earn a little money.
I studied on my own. It’s one thing to know how to do something. But to understand it well enough to teach it? That’s another. I obtained certifications. I volunteered with our city’s Special Olympics swim team.
Finally, I hung my shingle — a post on NextDoor. One parent responded. Her daughter needed swim instruction. My first client!
Initially, I taught one day a week, on Sundays. As the months passed, I acquired more and more students. Miller Swimming was born.
I discovered that helping students become more proficient in water was incredibly gratifying. Plus, I enjoyed the entrepreneurial aspect of building a business.
As I considered financial goals, I landed on a target: $200 a day. That always made me think of that 1970s TV show “The Rockford Files.” Private eye Jim Rockford’s fee was $200 a day — plus expenses.
Like hapless Rockford, I didn’t always earn that. But eventually, I did.
I thought of buckets.
Each “bucket” was a revenue stream: lessons, race events, clinics, etc. All together, they needed to add up to the one bucket of income that I earned at the newspaper.
In a stroke of good fortune, a youth swim team in town was searching for a coach. The owner and staff at the Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg were supportive, encouraging and ready to take me in. I signed on.
My metaphorical boat was finally close enough to the dock. I took the leap.
I’ve learned plenty:
Build a team: You can’t do it alone. Even as a solo operator, you need help. Your inner circle can be informal, but find supporters, advisors and confidants you can count on. I sought out other entrepreneurs, friends with much more business experience, friends who understood my passion and other coaches. I also test new ideas first on my most loyal students because I trust their feedback.
Charge more: You’re worth what you say you’re worth, a wise friend advised. It’s true. When I started, I did only a cursory market survey. Year after year, I realized the value of what I offered was worth more, and adjusted accordingly.
Give people what they want: Have a vision, but don’t get so stuck that you can’t or won’t pivot to what customers say they want. For two years, I offered group practices only in the pool. A few swimmers kept asking: Can we swim at the lake? It took longer than it should have for me to add that option, but I finally did. Now, it’s one of my more popular programs.
Stories matter: Everyone has a story. Before I begin to talk about swimming with any new student, I try to discover what brought them to me. Nobody at age 45 suddenly wakes up and decides out of the blue they want to learn to swim. Something else is going on as well. Only by knowing their swim story can I coach them most effectively.
In my former role, I coached reporters as they worked on stories. In my new career, I coach all levels of swimmers, of all ages. Some days, I help young competitive swimmers hone their technique. Other days, I teach adults to swim.
But most of my students are adult triathletes. Many want to become more proficient. Others need to learn how to move through the water with enough confidence and efficiency to complete their first triathlon. We work one-on-one and also in group practices.
My calling card, if you will, is to create an environment where swimmers can achieve their goals. Always in a supportive, positive and encouraging environment.
Maybe it’s time to tell your story.
There may be a chapter that begins like mine did: “We need to talk.”
Doug Miller is a former editor at the Charlotte Observer and is the owner of Miller Swimming, where he coaches swimmers of all ages and abilities. He also coaches at the Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg (ATOM). Reach him at coach@millerswimming.com
Previous articles in our Second Acts series:
“She went from selling cars to nursing” (Aug. 21)
“Taking the plunge from finance to iguanas” (Aug. 14)
“A ‘recovering trial lawyer’ becomes an author and podcaster” (Aug. 7)
Today’s supporting sponsors are Soni Brendle …
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Teen Talk: Build your vocabulary
Impress and delight the young people in your life by using the words they use. The Ledger shows you how in this occasional Saturday feature.
Today’s word: drip
Definition: A term used to describe fashionable and trendy clothing and accessories.
Used in a sentence:
“Did you see that Gucci belt he was wearing?” “Yeah, that dude’s got the drip!”
“My mom didn’t feel like going back-to-school shopping, so she gave me $200 to buy my own drip.”
Ledger analysis: The old slang meaning of the word dating back to the 1930s described someone dumb, or lacking enthusiasm or energy. The new meaning is totally different, and began being popularized in the late 2010s by rappers and celebrities. Related words are “swag” and “bling.” One local celebrity who used the word frequently was former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who gave his Instagram posts about his fashion a title, the Drip Chronicles, which the team also adopted when featuring his outrageous style on its website.
—Andrew Bolling, age 14
This week in Charlotte: Public schools open their classrooms, more events postponed, streetcar opening set, Epicentre 2/3 empty
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
Back to school: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students headed back to class this week, kicking off an academic year that already has some challenges. CMS officials are faced with larger-than-usual staffing shortages and are offering recruitment and retention bonuses; some schools are having trouble with their HVAC systems, and a couple of schools reported Covid cases after the first two days. Other local school districts that opened earlier are already seeing widespread Covid outbreaks, including some schools in Lancaster County.
Covid concerns at football games: (WFAE) Some Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials are concerned about Covid transmission in packed high school stadium stands during football games. They say masks are recommended at crowded outdoor events, and they’re watching to see if restrictions need to be put in place.
Private school criticized: (Observer) A group of students and alumni of Covenant Day School in Matthews are criticizing a policy that says sex outside marriage and same-sex relationships are sinful and can result in employees being fired and students disciplined. The school, which is a ministry of Christ Covenant Church, said in a statement that it respects everyone and that the commitment “is an important part of following Christ and being true to the Bible in our church’s historic creeds and confessions.” The policy is “seen as discriminatory against the LGBTQ community,” the Observer reported.
Politics
From school board to county commission? (Observer) Jennifer De La Jara, who is in her first term as an at-large member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, says she’s going to run for an at-large county commissioner seat next year.
No campaign finance reports: (WFAE) More than three weeks after a July 31 deadline to file campaign finance forms, several well-known local politicians still have no reports posted on the Mecklenburg Board of Elections website, including Mayor Vi Lyles, City Council member Malcolm Graham and county commissioners George Dunlap, Mark Jerrell and Ella Scarborough. “We have tried calling them and reminding them,” elections director Michael Dickerson said.
Local news
Events postponed: Charlotte Pride announced Monday that it will postpone certain events and celebrations scheduled for its upcoming Pride Season due to low vaccination rates and high Covid numbers. And organizers of the Charlotte SHOUT! festival featuring art installations, concerts and celebrity speakers said the event scheduled for Sept. 17 to Oct. 3 will be postponed until 2022. (QC Nerve, CharlotteFive)
Gold Line streetcar opening set: (Observer) The long-awaited CityLynx Gold Line streetcar will start operating again on Monday, the Charlotte Area Transit System said. The newly extended line will link the Elizabeth neighborhood to the Historic West End via uptown Charlotte.
City worker vaccine incentives: (Observer) Charlotte City Council is considering a plan to offer $250 incentives for city workers to get the Covid vaccine, with another $250 payout if 75% of workers get vaccinated by Sept. 30. City officials said this week that about 66% of workers who responded to a survey had been vaccinated. The City Council has not yet voted on the plan.
City arts and culture officer hired: (Observer) The city of Charlotte hired its first arts and culture officer, who will be in charge of developing a cultural plan for the city and devising a plan for sustainable funding. Priya Sircar is coming from Miami, where she is the former director of arts for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Her first day is Sept. 13.
Business
More like the Emptycentre: (Ledger) The Epicentre uptown is two-thirds vacant, according to a new report from a court-appointed receiver, and could be facing foreclosure.
Atrium Health’s strong finances: (Business North Carolina) Atrium Health had $943M in net income in the first six months of 2021, more than triple its budgeted amount. Most of the money came from the increased value of its investments, though operating income also tripled, to $264M. Revenue was $4.2B, up from $4B in the same period in 2020.
Slow times at Overstreet Mall: (Observer) Store owners in uptown’s Overstreet Mall say the delay by the big banks in returning to the office is hurting their business. Activity picked up a little during the summer but seems to have slowed again. “I don’t think our business will survive unless people come back for their work,” said the owner of Overstreet Market. Sales at Johnny Burrito are down 20% from the height of the summer.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Financial advice (Wednesday 🔒): Inflation is up, the stock market is soaring, there are lots of shortages … what’s the best advice for what to do with your money these days? We put the question to six financial advisors in Charlotte.
Self-storage boom (Friday 🔒): Charlotte is now home to more than 400 self-storage facilities, and as the industry has grown in Charlotte, it’s also seen big changes in design and technology. We break down what’s happening in the industry, and what’s to come.
Ways of Life (🔒): In our weekly obituaries newsletter, we take you to the outdoor memorial service for conservationist and philanthropist Anne Springs Close, who died last week at age 95. Our coverage includes remarks from family and friends who knew her best, in a celebration that was largely planned by Close herself.
Nondiscrimination enforcement (Friday 🔒): The leader of the city department charged with enforcing Charlotte’s new nondiscrimination ordinance says he has no idea how many complaints it might generate — and that his department has a track record of treating everyone fairly.
Economic projections for transit plan (Transit Time): A new study by researchers from N.C. State says that Charlotte would miss out on up to 126,000 jobs and $28 billion in economic output if it doesn’t address traffic congestion. But the financial benefits of the transit plan the city is proposing are less clear.
Disney stores closing (Wednesday 🔒): Disney is closing its retail stores in SouthPark Mall and Concord Mills next month, as it transitions to mini-stores inside of Targets and an emphasis on its online sales.
Providence Road development (Friday 🔒): We answer a reader question about why bulldozers are clearing a 20-acre site on Providence Road in south Charlotte.
Here’s your sign (Monday): The city is proposing to replace the sign with changeable letters in front of Bojangles Coliseum on Independence Boulevard and replace it with an electronic sign.
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