I achieved my Olympic dream. Now I want to help you chase yours.

There was a period of three years when I didn't swim a single personal best.

Three years of training, showing up, doing everything I thought was right, and still seeing the same times on the scoreboard.

I questioned myself. I wondered whether I was good enough and whether all the hard work was actually going anywhere.

What eventually changed things wasn't simply training harder. It was learning to focus on the process. Paying attention to the small details, understanding where I could improve and trusting that those little improvements would eventually add up.

That's something I wish I'd understood much earlier in my career.

I lost my dad when I was 17, and my mum when I was 23.

Those were incredibly difficult times in my life, and there were moments when swimming felt much bigger than chasing medals or personal bests.

I had to learn how to keep going through things I never expected to face, while also giving myself the space to deal with them.

My journey also meant making some difficult decisions.

After representing Ireland, I made the decision to move away from home and represent Great Britain in pursuit of my second Olympic Games.

It was a big risk. Leaving what I knew behind, starting a new chapter and not knowing whether it would work out was scary.

But I believed there was more I could achieve.

And eventually, all those years of work, setbacks, difficult decisions and small improvements led to an Olympic gold medal.

Throughout my career, I was fortunate to learn from some incredible coaches, athletes and people who helped me become the swimmer I was.

But I also know what it's like to feel stuck, to question yourself or to wish someone could simply tell you what you're doing wrong and how to make it better.

That's why I created SWM Academy.

Of course, I want to help swimmers achieve personal bests, qualify for championships and reach their goals.

But I also want to help them enjoy the journey.

I want them to understand that a bad race doesn't define them. That progress isn't always a straight line. That rest matters. That setbacks are part of sport, and that you don't have to burn yourself out chasing success.

Most importantly, I want young swimmers to have a long, happy relationship with swimming, wherever the sport eventually takes them.

Because I've lived the highs and the lows, and I know how much of a difference the right support can make.

That 11-year-old boy who wrote about his Olympic dream never could have imagined where swimming would take him.

Now, after everything I've experienced, I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position where I can give something back.

If I can help even one swimmer break through a plateau, find their confidence again, enjoy their training more or get one step closer to their dream, then this next chapter is worth it.