Rowing Friends with Charlotte Lillie Balogh

In Episode 72 of Rowing Friends, Adrien Reidy and Kate Stockton sit down with author, screenwriter, and rowing coach Charlotte Lillie Balogh to talk about the two passions that have shaped her life: rowing and writing. The conversation explores Charlotte’s journey from the Charles River and Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI) to Syracuse University and eventually Los Angeles, as well as the inspiration behind her young adult rowing novel, Capsized.

Charlotte Balogh’s Journey from Rowing to Writing

Charlotte says writing and rowing have been constants in her life for as long as she can remember. She wanted to become an author as early as kindergarten, when she would dictate stories to her grandmother before she could write them herself.

Rowing entered her life through her father, a longtime rower who later became a coach. After learning the basics on an erg and rowing with her dad on the Charles River, Charlotte joined a novice girls' team at CRI as a high school freshman. That experience changed her relationship with the sport. She found a strong sense of belonging, made lifelong friendships, and discovered coaches who would later influence her own coaching philosophy.

Charlotte eventually attended Syracuse University, where she rowed on the women's team during her freshman year while studying television, radio, and film at the Newhouse School. Her college experience helped lead her toward a career in television and screenwriting, while her love of storytelling continued in the background.

The Story Behind Capsized

The idea for Capsized began taking shape around 2017, with Charlotte beginning to actively write the project in 2018. At the time, she was working in entertainment and waking up at 5 a.m. to write before heading to her day job. She also began coaching at Row LA around the same time.

Originally, Charlotte imagined Capsized as a television pilot. After a chance conversation with a book editor, however, she realized the story could work as a novel. She transformed her early television material into a book, working through several drafts before completing a version in 2021 and eventually finding an agent.

The story draws from Charlotte's experiences in rowing as well as her experiences working in entertainment. Rather than focusing only on “toxic coaching,” Charlotte explains that the book explores the darker side of competition, perfectionism, and toxic leadership. Those pressures can come from coaches, parents, captains, teammates, clubs, or other environments surrounding young athletes.

Making Rowing Accessible to Every Reader

One of Charlotte's goals with Capsized was to create an authentic rowing story that could also be enjoyed by readers who have never been in a boat.

She carefully balanced rowing terminology with explanations that would make sense to beginners. Her experience coaching novice rowers helped her understand how to introduce concepts without overwhelming readers. She also had non-rowers review early drafts while her father served as her rowing consultant, checking that the technical details felt authentic.

Charlotte also wanted the book to challenge assumptions about who belongs in rowing. She based the team in Capsized on her own experiences at CRI, fictionalizing the people and events rather than creating one-to-one representations. Her goal was to tell the story she knew while showing a broader picture of the sport beyond common stereotypes about rowing.

From Book to Television

The story of Capsized did not end with publication. After years of development, the project attracted renewed interest as a television series. A producer discovered an earlier version of the manuscript, and after several pitches, Hulu ultimately agreed to purchase the project. Charlotte is now adapting Capsized herself as the screenwriter, working with a showrunner and executives from 20th Television and Hulu.

That process has given Charlotte the unusual opportunity to work on the story in both book and television formats. While the pilot remains close to the novel, she has also received feedback designed to make the story accessible to viewers who may know nothing about rowing.

A Story for Rowers, Coaches, and Young Athletes

Beyond being a novel about rowing, Capsized is also an opportunity to start conversations about team culture, leadership, competition, and mental health. Charlotte included a coaches and captains discussion guide at the back of the book, with questions about building a positive team legacy, defining what it means to win, recognizing toxic leadership and coaching, and creating healthier conversations around mental health.

For rowers, coaches, parents, and anyone who has experienced the unique intensity of competitive sports, Episode 72 offers a fascinating look at how real rowing experiences can become the foundation for a larger story.

Listen to Episode 72 of Rowing Friends to hear Charlotte Lillie Balogh discuss her rowing journey, coaching experiences, writing career, Capsized, and the future of the story on television.