World Champion Athlete, World-Renowned Inspirational Speaker, and Author
Diana Nyad: Biography at a Glance
- Diana Nyad is the first person to successfully complete the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage, which led to her induction into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
- She achieved this feat, referred to as the "Xtreme Dream," at age 64, 30 years after she had failed to finish the same route.
- Nyad, the Academy Award-nominated feature film based on Diana’s life, was directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and stars Annette Bening as Diana.
- Diana has written four books, including her bestselling memoir Find a Way: The Inspiring Story of One Woman's Pursuit of a Lifelong Dream.
- She launched an initiative, EverWalk, in an effort to turn us from a sedentary nation to a nation of millions of walkers.
- She also developed the Oceans Commit event to gather commitment signatures from individuals and businesses to reduce single-use plastic.
- From the stage, Diana's message of teamwork, determination, perseverance, and “finding a way” to overcome seemingly impossible challenges resonates with audiences at every level across the world.
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Videos
Biography
25 million people worldwide rooted for Diana Nyad as she reached the Florida shore, at long last achieving her 35-year-old quest of becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida.
Speaking the words “Never Ever Give Up” to the wildly cheering crowd on a Key West beach on September 2, 2013, Diana demonstrated to the world the power of the human spirit.
Diana’s amazing record: 110.86 miles in 52 hours, 54 minutes, 18 seconds.
A prominent sports journalist, filing over thirty years for National Public Radio, The New York Times, and others, Diana has earned her place as one of our compelling storytellers. Her memoir, Find a Way, has earned worldwide praise. Her groundbreaking OpEd piece on her childhood sexual abuse for The New York Times drew a passionate response from around the world.
Also a uniquely entertaining and inspiring public speaker, Diana has now fulfilled another lifelong dream, bringing her performance of her play The Swimmer to the storied off-Broadway Minetta Lane Theater. The show played to sold-out crowds.
Diana’s best friend and Cuba Swim expedition leader Bonnie Stoll has further collaborated with their nationwide walking initiative EverWalk, sparking America to become a nation of walkers.
And EverWalk in turn has recently launched yet another initiative, OceansCommit, hosting walks along our shorelines, asking individuals and businesses to reduce single-use plastic.
Diana has been inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, among other Halls of Fame and awards of distinction.
President Obama invited Diana to congratulate her in the Oval Office and then asked her to accompany him on his peace visit to Havana in 2014.
Oprah Winfrey chose Diana’s interview for her SuperSoul Sunday broadcast to be the first to extend to two hours.
Diana has written four books and speaks three foreign languages fluently.
NYAD, the Academy Award-nominated feature film based on Diana’s life, was released in the fall of 2023 starring Annette Bening, and Jodie Foster, and directed by Academy Award winners Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Free Solo).
Topics
Never, Ever Give Up
At age 60, having not swum a stroke in decades, Hall of Fame swimmer Diana Nyad began planning for her white whale of distance swims: the 110-mile ocean crossing between Cuba and Florida. She’d tried it once, in her 20s, and severe jellyfish attacks had defeated her then. With a new commitment to her vision, she attempted it again and accomplished this incredible feat 30 years after she failed to complete it before.
In this moving conversation, Diana shows us that it is never too late to chase our dreams and shares the key steps we all need to take in order to accomplish our goals, no matter how big.
What Swimming 110 Miles in Shark-Infested Waters Taught Me About Teamwork
At the age of 64, Diana Nyad emerged onto the sands of Key West after swimming from Cuba to Florida in an epic feat of both endurance and human will.
From the dedicated crew who navigated the waters to the expert nutritionists who fueled her body to the motivational coaches who kept her spirits high, Diana credits her success to the unwavering synergy of her team.
In this conversation, Diana shares powerful examples of teamwork from her years-long pursuit of this goal while also discussing how to assemble a high-performance team and how to face challenges with a resilient mindset.
