Drowning is fast, silent, and can happen even when is not swim time. It’s the #1 KILLER of children ages 1-4. How can this be?! It’s because we have let our guards down and unfortunately our access to education and information on this topic is not ever made a point of discussion during our well-child visits to the pediatrician, we see only limited media coverage for a max of 6-8 weeks out of the year and our view of water and swimming as a society is beyond outdated. It happens to real families, families with good, attentive parents who never thought it could happen to them. There are ways to keep it from happening to your child, Jessica Box will tell you more about this today.
Jessica Box is a single mother to 3 daughters in Temecula, Ca and she has made it her life’s mission to teach as many children as possible the skills to save their own lives in the event that they ever found themselves alone in a body of water. Jessica is a Certified Survival Instructor and the Owner of SoCal Survival Swimming, LLC and the founder of the non
In a short amount of time, Jessica has established a successful business in her community and it is growing by the day. Although most of her clients find her via word of mouth she has had several amazing opportunities to be featured on the national media speaking about her mission on Drowning prevention and access to Survival Swimming. She is also working very closely with the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure pediatricians are educating local families on the real dangers and Prevention of Drowning.
What inspired you to start teaching as many children as possible the skills to save their own lives?
My own life motivated me to dive into the world of survival swim instruction. When I had my first daughter, Simone, I suddenly realized that I couldn’t be there at every moment watching over her shoulder. As a single mom, I needed to rely on my mom and grandma to help with childcare. And since they all have pools it was imperative that my daughter knew how to swim.
I was familiar with the survival swimming method thanks to my aunt, who is also an instructor, and decided to enroll my then 1-year-old in the program. The problem? At the time the closest instructor lived 50 miles away. Still, we committed to the program and made the long drive day-in and day-out for the 10-minute classes. By the time the six weeks were up, my daughter had mastered the swim-float-swim technique and I was sold.
I packed up my family and we temporarily relocated to Boulder, Colorado where I began and completed my training at the Infant Aquatics headquarters.
Tell us what do you do as the owner of SoCal Survival Swimming, LLC?
My students probably think I’m actually a mermaid since most of them never see me out of the water! But seriously, that is the crux of my day: my desk is a pool. I founded Temecula-based SoCal Survival Swimming immediately after completing the training in Boulder so that there was a local option for parents. My typical day involves dropping off my girls (I now have three young daughters), heading to the pool, donning my wet suit and visor and jumping in the warm water.
I offer different programs: the infant survival float program and the swim-float-swim program for children of walking age and older. We now also have fun group classes and I recently hired an amazing instru
In addition to actually teaching the classes, I also have to run the business side of SoCal Survival Swimming. This entails networking, organizing schedules and contacting parents. The majority of my students are referrals so I also spend a large chunk of my day talking to parents of prospective students and educating them about this life-saving program.
Tell us about what you’re working on now.
Did you know that when parents visit their pediatrician for their baby’s first well-visit, the only reference to drowning prevention they receive is a one-liner about water safety? That’s it! Even though drowning remains the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 1 to 4 that’s all the education we receive.
I’m passionate about changing this, which is why I’m so excited to share that I recently founded the One Baby At A Time Foundation, in collaboration with Dr. Jamie Friedman, our advocate with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Dan Caulfield, founder of the well-known Helmets to Hardhats nonprofit. The goal of our nonprofit is to serve as a drowning prevention educational resource, providing advice, access to local instructors, a rating system for instructors and a place for client reviews.
Share a story about how you have saved someone’s life thanks to your lessons as an instructor.
I have so many incredible stories of my students saving themselves after completing this program. One recent incident that comes to mind involved a 2-year-old boy named Andrew. It was Sunday morning and he was at his grandparent’s house while his Dad helped them fix some pool equipment.
While his Dad was around the corner of the house, Andrew was playing with a dump truck, trying to make mud to add to the back of the toy. Needing some water for his mud-making enterprise, the little boy reached into the water and the weight of the truck caused him to fall in headfirst.
Nobody heard a sound there wasn’t a splash, a scream or anything. Later, his Dad and grandparents found Andrew floating peacefully in the pool, they have no idea how long he was in there floating. He had used the swim-float-swim method I teach and was completely unharmed.
Thank God he was found alive and safe because his parents had made sure he knew how to swim.
What’s your advice to our followers who have small children on how to become more aware of child drownings?
First, if you have a pool and your children are not yet water safe, make sure the pool is enclosed. Second, always make sure young children are supervised by an adult when near any body of water. I recommend that parents assign one adult as the “lifeguard” by giving that individual a whistle to wear. Then when they leave the pool area, they hand the whistle over. And of course, make sure children learn the swim-float-swim method as early as possible. Babies as young as 6 months can enroll in my classes.
What are some hurdles an aspiring business owner might not be aware of?
You never (really) get a day of
Please share some tips that help your clients every day.
The first thing I tell my clients when their children start the program
What is a skill you think all women should learn and why?
I don’t know if it’s necessarily a skill women learn but something we are innately adept at is multi-tasking. As a single mother of three young girls, I have to multitask just to get through the day. Yet, I know that multitasking can also be detrimental to our careers and home lives and even dangerous. If more of us learned to turn off this natural
What has been your key (or keys) to success?
Passion and hard work. Literally. I am truly passionate about drowning prevention and the value of the swim-float-swim method. And the close-knit community of Temecula has helped me tremendously. I work long hours, in and out of the pool, and having happy parents spread the word about my business has helped me grow quickly.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
Helping to prevent drownings and teach children to swim has definitely been my greatest accomplishment. When I hear stories from my clients about their children saving themselves, I know that I have chosen the right path in life.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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