A woman taking a selfie outdoors with red rock formations in the background during daylight.

Welcome to SwimAffect
Where belief meets performance.

I’m Sonya

Your Performance & Life Coach

With over 30 years of coaching experience at the high-performance level, my mission is to help you thrive—mentally, emotionally, and physically—so you can realize your full potential in sport and in life.

If You’re Ready to Step Into Your Potential

Whether you’re a developing junior, a collegiate athlete, or a parent wanting the best guidance for your child, I bring a lifetime of experience, a track record of world-class results, and a heart for the journey.

I don’t just help you swim faster.
I help you become the athlete—and person—you’re capable of becoming.

If you’re ready, I’m here to guide you.

Why Swim Affect

  • Swimming is more than technique, more than training plans, and more than chasing times. Your journey is a combination of what you can do physically, what you can understand technically, and what you can believe mentally. My role is to help you master all three.

  • Originally from Australia and now based in Phoenix, Arizona, I’ve spent over three decades immersed in high-performance swimming across NCAA programs, national teams, and international stages. My most recent chapter—over a decade as Technical Director of Swimming for Singapore—allowed me to work with Olympians, All-Americans, World Championship finalists, and developing juniors from their first national cut all the way to global podiums.

    I specialize in building systems that create sustainable success: long-term development models, stroke-mechanics frameworks, race-execution strategies, and performance analytics that help athletes understand exactly what drives improvement.

    But what makes my approach different—and what swimmers feel most—is how deeply I understand the heart of the athlete. The doubt. The pressure. The inner critic. The days when the result doesn’t match the effort. This is where most athletes get stuck, and it’s where I pour my greatest attention.

  • Science + Soul. Strategy + Humanity.

    I created SwimAffect - Inner Champion, to merge the best parts of coaching:

    • Technical mastery

    • Performance analytics

    • Mental skills and emotional intelligence

    • Holistic mentorship grounded in trust

    My work goes beyond the stopwatch. It’s about developing confidence, self-belief, resilience, and the ability to rise when it matters most.

  • ✨ Confidence that doesn’t crumble under stress
    ✨ Technical clarity so you know exactly HOW to improve
    ✨ Mental resilience to rebound from setbacks quickly
    ✨ Self-awareness and emotional mastery
    ✨ Long-term habits that create sustainable success
    ✨ A powerful mindset rooted in self-belief and purpose

    Athletes come to me when they want more than coaching—they want transformation.