Lincoln and Darby Walden are the owners of Goldfish Swim School - Franklin, the first Goldfish Swim School in the state of Tennessee, opening in the spring of 2019! Originally from Middletown, Ohio, Lincoln attended Southern Methodist University in Texas, where he swam competitively. After graduation, Lincoln moved to Chicago to pursue a career in the stock market, where he eventually met his wife Darby, a Hollins University grad from Clarksville, Tennessee. Together, the couple have three young boys, all of whom have attended Goldfish Swim School to become safer in and around water. After seeing firsthand the unique environment and the extraordinary results their children had at Goldfish, the Walden’s knew right away that they wanted to be a part of the Golden Experience. With Lincoln’s competitive swim background, and Darby’s passion for group fitness, the Walden’s were ready to dive in! And after spending 20+ years living in the big city of Chicago, Lincoln and Darby were ready for a change of pace for their family. Inspired by the quality of life further south - along with the perk of a little more country music! – the couple decided to bring Goldfish Swim School back to Darby’s homestate! With a shiver-free pool, confidence-building curriculum and small class sizes (max of 4 students to every instructor!), the Walden’s are so excited to bring what they firmly believe is the best kept secret in water safety and swim lessons to Tennessee!

Ms. Bri has an extensive swimming background starting as an instructor when she was 14, working at the YMCA and coaching their swim teams. She has also worked at the management level for the water parks at Walt Disney World in Florida! Ms. Bri makes an awesome Assistant GM because of her vast swimming background and knowing what it takes to give our members a GOLDEN experience. She's so pumped to bring all her skills to Goldfish Swim School Franklin!

Ms. Kyle couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Goldfish Swim School Family! She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Business and a minor in Graphic Design, which makes her a huge asset as our Sales & Marketing Manager! One of her many tasks is handling all our social media accounts, so if you ever get a heart emoji or a big thumbs up from us, it's Ms. Kyle giving the love.

Ms. Kyle was a part of her community swim team as a youngster, was a lifeguard and taught swim lessons in high school and,after college maintained her love of swimming by participating in a few (very short) triathalons. And, so, after pre-registering her two daughters for lessons before we even opened, she knew she wanted share her gifts and love of swimming with the Goldfish Franklin Family. Sitting around the Walden's dinning room table, registering families is a treasured memory, and she absolutely loves giving each of our guests a GOLDEN Experience.

Ms. Toni joined the Goldfish Franklin family when we opened in May 2019. She was part of the initial group of employees that went through “fry” training and starting as a Front Desk Associate. From day one, Ms. Toni took on project after project, including becoming our Birthday Party Coordinator, proving her love and commitment to Goldfish. And so, it was an easy decision to promoted her to our Front Desk Supervisor, of which she ROCKS!

Because of her love for children, Toni attended Aquinas College in Nashville studying education while working in the Franklin Special School District. And after raising 3 children of her own, she resigned from the school system to relax. Reading, sewing, walking and cooking were not as fulfilling, so she began seeking the opportunity to work around children again. She also was a swimmer in middle school, and so Goldfish was the perfect fit!

Ms. Toni's favorite hobby is cooking Italian food for her family and friends. Her family includes her husband, Pete, 3 children, 2 step-children 5 grandchildren, dog (Hercules) and cat (MacNair), and they are the most important thin to this “Nona".