mom about town
M eet Rebecca King, athlete, swim coach, and mother. Rebecca and her daughter, Emma, are as dynamic of a duo as they come, and you can always find them training together— swimming, running, biking—and seated at a booth at Katie’s on Sunday mornings for brunch. Rebecca is the embodiment of strength, swimming through life with steady strokes despite its hurdles. As a single mom, Rebecca spends nearly every moment with her “mini-me,” and wouldn’t trade it for anything. REBECCA: I like training in the mornings for all of my competitions, then I’ll get Emma ready for school. I’ll drop her off and work while she’s gone. Then I pick her up and get her to her activities. She swims on a competition team and is also in a pep squad WHAT DOES YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW? at school. We do homework once we’re home. I basically live as Emma’s chef, taxi cab driver, and her full-time service. On the weekends, we actually train together—she’s swimming, biking, and running now, so we do that in the mornings. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE SWIMMING? REBECCA: I have a passion that just so happens to collide with a career. Swimming has been my life from the very beginning— I started competitive swimming at the age of four. Swimming is my best friend and my therapy. I’m dyslexic, so at a small age, I struggled through school. Swimming gave me something to look forward to and relieved all of my worries. When it was time to decide what to do, I thought, why can’t I be a swim instructor and coach for a living? Teaching lessons became a full-time career, and I was able to build a business. After I had Emma, my schedule needed a change, so I contacted Marshall Love, who welcomed me with open arms, and I was able to take on the director role at Love Swimming. REBECCA KING BY MADELINE PISTORIUS
Career: Swim Coach and Director of Love Swimming
Hobbies: Swimming, biking, and running Child: Emma; 6
WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPIRSED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU? REBECCA: I don’t cook—and I am as Cajun as it comes from Cut Off, Louisiana. Everyone assumes I can because I come from a Cajun family! Really, the only reason I have a stove is because it came with my house. I also want to write a book about my life being dyslexic and how swimming has guided me to where I am today. DO YOU RAISE YOUR DAUGHTER SIMILARLY TO YOUR CHILDHOOD? REBECCA: I’m from the country, but I’m raising her in the city, so I try to give her a mix of both. All of my family is in Cut Off—she and I are the only ones in the city. As her mom, it’s important to me to teach her about where I come from and the slower-paced culture. My mother lives on 40 acres, and Emma has a garden she has to keep. There’s a farm next door where she learns about cattle. She eats Cajun food and is learning how to grow food and cook from visiting down there.
WHAT DOES BEING A MOM MEAN TO YOU? HOW HAS IT SHAPED WHO YOU ARE? REBECCA: I prayed for Emma for a very long time. I didn’t have her until I was almost 40, but the timing was just right. Before her, I was able to compete in Iron Man races, swimming competitions, and ultra marathons. I wouldn’t have been able to do that being a single mom. Being an athlete prepared me for motherhood, because those competitions require digging deep— and now I am digging deep to be the best mom I can be. Being her mom is my biggest accomplishment. She’s every breath I take. She’s never met a stranger—she’ll talk to anyone or dance in the middle of a restaurant like nobody’s watching.
WHAT DOES TIME FOR YOURSELF LOOK LIKE?
REBECCA: Time for myself is time with Emma, too. She’s my sidekick and my mini me. Sometimes she’ll go to Cut Off for the weekend, and that allows me to bike, swim,
12 JUNE 2026 | NOLAFAMILY.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs