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Talking Pools Podcast
If you’ve ever stared at a test kit like it personally insulted your family… welcome home.
Talking Pools Podcast is the pool industry’s “pull up a chair” show—part shop talk, part field manual, part therapy session—built for people who actually live on pool decks: commercial operators, service techs, builders, facility managers, and anyone responsible for water that can’t afford to go sideways. The network was created to level up the pool industry with real-world conversations on water chemistry, filtration, troubleshooting, construction, safety, and the business side of keeping pools open and budgets intact.
Here’s the hook: it’s not theory-first. It’s experience-first—a roster of seasoned pros (with 250+ years of combined “been there, fixed that” wisdom) turning complicated problems into practical moves you can use the same day. And it’s not one voice, one vibe, one corner of the industry: it’s a network of shows designed to reflect how diverse this work really is—different regions, different specialties, different personalities.
Also worth saying out loud: women aren’t “special guests” here—they’re on the mic as hosts, from the beginning, with an intentionally balanced roster. That matters, because the best ideas in this industry don’t come from one lane—they come from the whole road.
If you want a podcast that can make you laugh and make you better at what you do—without pretending the job is easier than it is—Talking Pools is the one you queue up before the first stop, and keep on when the day starts getting weird.
Episodes
1073 episodes
Ten Things Wrong with the Pool Industry
This episode is intentionally abrasive.The pool industry wants the respect, credibility, and compensation of a skilled trade. But are we willing to establish, demand, demonstrate, and charge for skilled-trade standards?Rudy...
Selling Your Pool Business? Protect Yourself Before You Sign
Private equity has entered the pool industry, and companies looking to acquire thousands of service accounts are knocking on the doors of independent pool professionals.But what happens when they knock on yours?In this Insurance I...
Calcium Nodules, Mentorship, and 50 Years of Pool Industry Wisdom with Jerry Wallace
What does nearly 50 years in the swimming pool industry teach you? According to Jerry Wallace, there are no shortcuts, you never stop learning, and sometimes you need to show up with a rolling suitcase full of textbooks.Natalie Hood sits...
The Biggest Pool Technology from Down Under
For this special Mondays Down Under episode, Lee, Shane, and Nick are finally together in the same room after two exhausting days walking the floor at SPLASH! 2026.The team shares the products, technology, conversations, and innovations ...
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Rudy asks Education or Sales Pitch? Know Who’s Teaching You
WARNING: This episode is intentionally abrasive. It contains strong language, blunt opinions, and an alarming lack of patience for sales pitches disguised as education. If professional disagreement offends you, consider this your continuing edu...
1099 or W-2? The Expensive Difference Pool Companies Cannot Ignore
Calling someone an independent contractor does not automatically make them one.In this Insurance Interlude, Steve Sherwood and Pat Grignon of the California Pool Association examine the complicated line between 1099 subcontractors and W-...
Is There Too Much Pool Industry Education?
In the conclusion of this two-part Mythbusting Wednesday conversation, Natalie Hood sits down with Erik Knight to discuss his move from Watershape University to Pool Brain—and the bigger problems he hopes to help solve.Th...
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Is Your Pool Business Balanced—or Are You Just Putting Out Fires?
This week on Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury—the Pool Shop Coach—and Nick tackle a question every pool business owner should ask: Are you actually running your business, or are you simply reacting to whichever fire is burning hottest...
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If You’re the Local Expert, Stop Charging Like the Local Idiot
WARNING: Intentionally Abrasive Language - Every service business wants to be the company everyone recommends—the local expert called after three other contractors have replaced the wrong parts, collected their checks, and left ...
Stop Guessing, Start Charging—and Learn When to Say No
Steve Sherwood and Wayne Ivusich discuss one of the hardest lessons for pool service professionals: you cannot solve every problem, satisfy every prospect, or repeatedly rescue neglected pools for free.Steve explains why customers must k...
Cold Plunge Myths: Short Exposure Does Not Mean Low Risk — Part 2
Natalie Hood continues her conversation with Dewey Case of the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code, separating cold-plunge science from wellness-industry hype.Cold plunges may be popular, but cold water changes chemical reaction ra...
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SPLASH
SPLASH 2026: Why Pool Professionals—and Their Teams—Need to Be ThereSPLASH isn’t just another excuse to escape the office, collect two years’ worth of free pens, and start asking suspicious questions about when the complimentary slushy m...
Your Pool Guy Isn’t the Problem—You Are
🚨 Warning: This episode contains intentionally abrasive commentary and strong language. Most Talking Pools questions come from pool service professionals. This week, Rudy clears the inbox of questions submitted by pool owners—and ...
When Corporate Buyouts Kill Technical Support
What happens when the people who actually know the product disappear—and customer service becomes a phone tree, a 90-minute hold, or an ordering department that cannot answer a technical question?This week, Steve Sherwood and Wayne Ivusi...
Eric Knight Joins Pool Brain
Natalie Hood welcomes Eric Knight back to the Talking Pools Podcast to discuss his move from Watershape University to Pool Brain—and what this new role could mean for pool service professionals.Eric explains how a conversation that began...
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Salt
In the conclusion of our conversation with Lee Moore and Blake, Technical Director at AIS Water, we examine what it takes to make saltwater chlorination work reliably in demanding commercial environments.Commercial pools cannot be manage...
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Confidence Isn’t Competence: Pool Industry Edition
Profanity does not make someone unprofessional. Confidently spreading bad information does.In this intentionally abrasive episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, Rudy Stankowitz takes aim at the comment-section exp...
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Miracle Pool Products
This week on Thursdays with Wayne and Steve, the guys take aim at “miracle” pool products, suspiciously cheap equipment, expired test reagents, and the growing number of online knockoffs promising professional results at bargain-basement prices...
Cold Plunge Myths: Dewey Case of the CMAHC Turns Up the Heat
Cold plunges and ice baths are appearing everywhere—from fitness centers and recovery facilities to wellness clinics, athletic programs, and luxury spas. But colder water does not automatically mean cleaner or safer water.In this episode...
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Commercial Salt Chlorination: Safer, Smarter, and Built to Scale
On this episode of Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury and Nick are joined by AIS Water’s Lee Moore and Technical Director Blake for a deep dive into commercial saltwater chlorination.AIS Water has worked in salt chlorination for approxima...
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Stop Selling the Bottle—Sell the Outcome
Specialty chemicals are not the enemy. Phosphate removers, enzymes, clarifiers, sequestrants, scale inhibitors, flocculants and stain treatments can all deliver real value—when they address an actual, diagnosed condition.In this episode ...
Cold Plunges, Pool Inspections, and Where the Industry Is Headed
Show NotesThis week, Steve and Wayne tackle two timely topics affecting the swimming pool industry.First, Steve discusses a growing number of calls from homeowners who find themselves trapped in construction projects with missed...
Building a Better Pool Company: Leadership, Growth, and Company Culture with Leslie Elliott
What really separates a good pool company from a great one?This week, Natalie Hood sits down with Leslie Elliott, Founder and CEO of Poolie, one of the fastest-growing pool service companies in Texas. Leslie's journey into ...
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Mondays Down Under – LaMotte, Water Testing, and Why Professional Testing Matters (Part 2)
What separates a professional pool service company from someone simply adding chemicals?In Part 2 of this special Mondays Down Under discussion, Lee Salisbury and Nick dive deeper into professional water analysis with the team f...
Everybody Blamed the Hydrogen Peroxide... But What Did It Really Do to Trump's Reflecting Pool?
When the National Park Service added hydrogen peroxide to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the internet immediately decided it had found the culprit behind the peeling coating.But science doesn't work that way.In t...
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