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Diana Nyad        

World Champion Swimmer, Storyteller, Sports Journalist & Broadcaster

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 in September 2019.

Diana’s best friend and Cuba Swim expedition leader Bonnie Stoll have 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, 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. The upcoming movie "NYAD" is based on Diana's life — starring Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, and directed by Academy Award winners Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhely.

Speech Topics


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.

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.

News


Annette Bening To Star In Swimmer Biopic ‘Nyad’
Four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening is set to star in Oscar-winning duo Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s narrative directorial debut Nyad. The project is based on Diana Nyad’s best-selling autobiography Find A Way, which follows the remarkable true story of the swimmer who, at age 64, assisted by her best friend and crew of 35 dedicated supporters, defied the odds to become the first person to complete the 110-mile journey from Cuba to Florida, through poisonous jellyfish and shark-infested waters.
'Find a Way,' swimmer Diana Nyad's stirring tale, is not for the ...
For Diana Nyad, a long-distance swim was a 110-mile odyssey from Cuba to Key West, Florida. And danger? There were toxic box jellyfish, and sharks that ...
Diana Nyad Talks Being Stung by Box Jellyfish; Writes New Memoir ...
"You felt that your body had been dipped in hot, burning wax oil," Diana Nyad says of being stung by a box jellyfish.
Swimmer Diana Nyad on Neil Young - WSJ
Diana Nyad, who set records on a Cuba-to-Florida swim, talks about using Neil Young's “The Needle and the Damage Done” to keep going.
From Cuba To Florida: Diana Nyad's Final Attempt At A Record ...
When the distance swimmer turned 60, she vowed to complete her life's biggest challenge: a 110-mile swim from Havana to Key West. It was her fifth attempt at ...
Diana Nyad completes historic Cuba-to-Florida swim - CNN.com
Diana Nyad on Monday became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, willing her way to a Key West beach just before 2 p.m. ET.
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Diana Nyad on epic swim: My mantra was "find a way" - CBS News
Long-distance swimmer says she suffered through the entire swim, but says that's why people are relating to her -- because "all of us suffer" in our lives.
Diana Nyad's Cuba to Florida swim breaks one record - CNN.com
Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad was better than halfway across the strait separating Cuba from the Florida Keys on Sunday afternoon, her support team ...
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