People of Bondi | Katie James

People of Bondi | Katie James

We recently profiled Katie’s business SWELL Swimming that she started with her friend Flora Wilkinson.

Katie was born in Scotland but came out to Australia when she was a baby when her family moved to Adelaide. They returned to Scotland a few years later but luckily for us not before they all became citizens.

Katie returned for a year to study at Adelaide University in 2015. She graduated back in Glasgow with a Master of Arts in Geography and Politics the year after that.

She always knew that she would come back to Australia and did just that after graduating. She was in Coogee for two years before moving to Bondi in 2019. “I like how Bondi can feel big and small. It can be busy and crazy and it can be quiet and relaxed. It’s diverse in its nature.”

“I am motivated by being able to choose what I want to do. I started my own business a couple of years ago and I love having the freedom to make up my working week with a variety of things, which keeps things fresh and never boring.”

Katie starts her day by either “coaching squad or doing my own training at 6am which leaves my mid mornings free to get a coffee and have a swim when it’s much quieter at the beach”.

What’s the one thing she’d like people to know about her? “My accent is not Irish 😊”