Building a Culture of Trust and Clear Accountability with Krista Hawkins, former PAWW swimmer

Truth About Leadership & Why Collaboration Beats a Lone Wolf Mentality

In Heavy or Not, The OG Swim Guide, episode #98, we’re blessed to pick up a few flash-back comments as well as present leadership insights from a former competitive swimmer who makes us all proud.

Way to go Krista!

Scott Grates sits down with performance coach, Krista Hawkins, to cover leadership truths, accountability systems, and the importance of holistic self‑care. Her athletic background and the coaching perspectives apply to everyone — from the wee swimmers to CEOs.

Krista explains the important elements that coaches, families and humans should deploy.

Get straight‑forward, actionable insights drawn from Krista’s journey from a shy student just joining the team to a Division‑I athlete and business leader.

• Why the “leader must know everything” myth is a lie and why collaboration matters.

• How clear communication and a solid accountability framework drive consistent results.

• The difference between training (skill‑building) and development (growth) and why both are essential.

• Why physical health, mental wellness, and spiritual practices are non‑negotiable for effective leadership.

• Krista’s step‑by‑step accountability process: role clarity, goal alignment, regular check‑ins, and actionable feedback.

This is part two in a sequence from another podcast, Referrals Done Right with Scott Grates. See Scott’s site, show and the original, full interview, #122

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/122-krista-hawkins-the-leader-you-are-becoming/id1738602897?i=1000758278572

Krista Hawkins' Links:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-legacy-partners
Personal FB - https://www.facebook.com/krista.hawkins.9
Business FB - https://www.facebook.com/FUTURELEGACYPARTNERS
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_kristahawkins_

 

 

Check out this episode!

From Shy Student to Swimmer to Executive Coach: How Coaches Build Unshakable Mental Resilience

Krista and our PAWW Swim Team - flashback with AI

In episode #97 of the podcast, Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, we rejoice in the discovery and shout out of another podcast.

Years ago, Krista’s journey to the PAWW swim team went from a terrified 12‑year‑old student, to age-group swimmer, to Division I athletes to today’s high‑level executive advisor.

Come along for the ride and enjoy the flashback with coaching tactics and a story debrief with aid from Notebook AI.

Krista’s growth to and confidence happened, in part, on the team — with Head Coach, Mark Rauterkus. The mental‑skill system translated from the pool deck to the boardroom — and appeared in a podcast episode elsewhere.

Learn:

• How a competitive swim program became the catalyst for Krista’s confidence boost.

• The specific mindset and accountability framework Coach Mark taught her.

• Why raw physical talent alone isn’t enough for peak performance.

• How Krista now applies similar principles to coach thousands of business leaders.

• The broader lesson: elite youth coaching methods can be scaled into powerful executive leadership strategies.

Thanks to Scott Grates, and his Referrals Done Right podcast, episode #122 for the interview with Krista. Hear their voices in Heavy Or Not, #98.

• Show link https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/122-krista-hawkins-the-leader-you-are-becoming/id1738602897?i=1000758278572

Krista’s Links:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-legacy-partners
Personal FB - https://www.facebook.com/krista.hawkins.9
Business FB - https://www.facebook.com/FUTURELEGACYPARTNERS
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_kristahawkins_

How Early Sports Psychology Shapes Future Leaders and Influences Whole Industries

Check out this episode!

Greetings from Wilburn

Greetings!

I mistaken left SI out of my original draft. 

June 4​.​ 1:00 – 3:00​. (Patricia's Birthday)​.  ​Memorial Service​East End United​ (EEU) Sanctuary​. 310 Danforth Avenue ​Toronto, ON, M4K 1N6  ​  Thursday June 4, 1-3pm. Live Zoom room stream for the service:  https://bit.ly/Memorial_RevPatTrudeau    PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMUNICATE THIS LINK OUT. 

​June 4. 3:00 - 5:00. Memorial  Reception​. ​​ Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation (NUUC) Sanctuary & Cappuccino Room​. 310 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M4K 1N6

 

TBA – July 5-10. Central East Region Summer Institute (CERSI) Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH

https://www.cersiuu.org/

 

July 11​. 4:00 ​- 6:30. PM (RSVP​)​. Rauterkus – Palmer Reception​. Pittsburgh

Wilburn and Donovan will be in Pittsburgh on July 11th and hope you will join them to celebrate Patricia's life. We will be gathering at Mark Rauterkus and Catherine Palmer's home (108 South 12th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203). Please feel free to join us anytime from 4-6:30pm. We'll have time to recount shared moments and stories of Patricia as you are moved. We ask you to RSVP so we can have a sense of the number of individuals who will be joining us. We look forward to spending time with you.

https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eWKT6aukramVlxI

 

July 12​. 2:00 PM. 1st​ Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh Memorial and Reception​. ​605 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213

 

August 2​2​. ​1:00 PM. Unicamp Memorial – Luncheon, Informal Sharing and Fairy Walk after sunset. 638159 Prince of Wales Road, Mulmur ON, L9V 0C5

Take Care!

Wilburn

My hope is that one day soon we will all be free from racism.

Video

https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/workspace/google-vids-updates-lyria-veo/

Transform our new book into Custom Practice Plans in Seconds with the New Coaching Tool

Coach’s Secret Weapon: Quick, Privacy‑First Lesson Plans Tailored to Sport, Age, and Time

To the Lesson Generator for Mental Skills for Young Athletes.

 

Break the Closed‑Loop Coaching Hierarchy with Independent Oversight and Transparent Performance Structure

 

In episode #96 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, you’ll get a quick introduction to the brand‑new mental‑skills resource for parents, teachers and youth coaches.

The lesson generator is a free website that support the book, Mental Skills for Young Athletes.

Get the quick how‑to on turning a book into ready‑made practice plans and learn why structural safeguarding is now non‑negotiable.

In the second part of the episode, hear of the latest findings on abuse in Canadian sports — swimming included.

• The free mental‑skills lesson generator: pick a chapter, sport, age group, and time to get a custom 15‑minute practice plan.

• How the tool integrates Dr. John Hogg’s animal‑character stories while keeping all data private—no accounts, no tracking.

• Quick overview of the “Mental Skills for Young Athletes” book and pricing options for individuals and whole teams.

• Key takeaways from the Future of Sport in Canada Commission report on systemic maltreatment in competitive swimming.

• Recommended safety reforms: independent safeguarding officers and decoupled oversight to protect athletes and coaches.

Future of Sport in Canada Commission Final Report Transforming Sport in Canada: Time for Action

Link to the full report: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/future-sport/participate/final-report.htm

Check out this episode!

Fwd: My book - Beyond the Stand

Nice note from Nicole. 

Honored. 

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Nicole Fairfield <nevanicolefairfield@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Mar 28, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Subject: My book - Beyond the Stand
To: Mark Rauterkus <mark.rauterkus@gmail.com>

I wanted to reach out and let you know that in my book Beyond the Stand, I reference and build on voices and ideas that have shaped how I think about lifeguarding, leadership, scanning, and the real weight of the job.

I'm being intentional about who I acknowledge and how. In the book, I directly reference industry conversations around guard dynamics, burnout, mental load, and surveillance, and I also highlight tools and voices that help people see the work more clearly.

I'm sorting through who should be thanked directly, who should be cited as an influence, and who belongs more in acknowledgments, podcast references, or future editions. I wanted you to know you are on that list of people whose work and presence in the field matter to me.

I'm also looking at how I reference others such as you - you work with Heavy or Not, Jo Wilson, Mark Finas, Tim from The Drowning Files, and the CPO podcast, and I want to do that in a way that is accurate and respectful.

I just wanted to share that with you directly.

Nicole

https://a.co/d/0cik43JM

Nicole Fairfield 

https://linktr.ee/NicoleFairfield