Diana Nyad
GET UPDATES FROM Diana Nyad
 
In the 1970’s, Diana Nyad earned her reputation as the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world. Her world records, such as circling Manhattan Island and crossing the 102.5 miles between the Bahamas and Florida, were cause for Diana’s induction to many Halls of Fame, including the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Through the next three decades, Diana became a prominent sports journalist and broadcaster, filing compelling reports for National Public Radio, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Fox Sports, USA Network, The New York Times, among other national media outlets.
Diana also owns a fitness business, BravaBody.com, with best friend Bonnie Stoll.
She has also written three books and speaks French and Spanish fluently.

In 2011, after more than 30 years out of the water, Diana once again captured the world’s attention with her gutsy attempts to become the first person to ever swim from Cuba to Florida without aid of a shark cage. Some 1.3 million fans watched as Diana bravely swam some 40 hours (two separate times), once in August, once in September, both times foiled by Mother Nature. Her drive toward Xtreme Dreams has inspired many to live their own lives with similar passion.

Blog Entries by Diana Nyad

My Dream to Swim From Cuba to Florida Is Back On!

(48) Comments | Posted March 7, 2012 | 9:33 AM

2012-03-07-dianaswims.jpg

It's official, the Xtreme Dream 2012 is on! This summer, I will make the swim from Cuba to Florida, where I will finally crawl up on that shore. I'm a little bit afraid. The pressure's on. This time I've got to make it....
Read Post

The 5th World Conference on Women and Sport

(0) Comments | Posted February 22, 2012 | 8:18 AM

The 5th World Conference on Women and Sport took place in Los Angeles over the past few days. Dignitaries from the International Olympic Committee, the London Olympic Games, and sports organizing bodies from all over the world were here, with the focus on women athletes and their issues...

Read Post

The Longest Swim -- The Story

(0) Comments | Posted February 7, 2012 | 4:02 PM

There's a new interview with me running on most NPR stations as of last week. The show is called The Story. The host is Dick Gordon. As is true with most NPR programming, The Story allows some breathing room. I spoke with Dick for some 45 minutes. He was vastly curious,...

Read Post

Tim Tebow: Separation of Church and Sport

(1935) Comments | Posted January 27, 2012 | 12:45 PM

Now that the Tim Tebow show is over for this season, I have observed enough to take a stand on his proselytizing on the field.

As a football player, he's a force. A bold leader, a positive burst of energy, an agile and powerful runner, even if he's not yet...

Read Post

Drinking the Kool-Aid That Is TEDMED

(1) Comments | Posted January 27, 2012 | 10:53 AM


If you haven't yet sipped the TED Kool-Aid, get yourself a straw. I've been a public speaker for 35 years now but hit the Mt. Everest of conferences when I spoke for the TEDMED group this past October. The concept is 50 speakers -- the most forward-thinking mavericks on our planet. Each one gets only 15 minutes. Each one is unique, powerful and leaves your mind significantly expanded.  The TED folks launched my speech on YouTube this week. There have been thousands of inspired responses.

Trust me. Get your straw ready and immerse yourself in the exciting zeitgeist of TED.

For more by Diana Nyad, click here.

For more on TED 2011, click here.

For more on success and motivation, click

Read Post

High-Flying Superstar Sarah Burke Dead at 29

(30) Comments | Posted January 20, 2012 | 1:25 PM

World champion freestyle skier Sarah Burke, only 29 years old, has died of massive brain injuries, suffered just a few days ago while training for the upcoming X Games.

Sarah came to our Billie Jean King Women's Sports Foundation black-tie dinner in New York most Octobers over recent years. Her bold passion for her sport, and insistence that women in her sport be included in the Olympics (a crusade she single-handedly fought and won) was palpable. Finally, after winning 4 X Games gold medals, Sarah was primed to fulfill her long-term vision and win Olympic gold in Sochi, Russia, 2014. That dream is not to be fulfilled.

I will remember Sarah as a huge smile and constantly open personality, to go along with that fighting spirit. She knew each of the 100 athletes at the end of our weekends in New York, could recall their sports stats, the names of their parents and children and dogs. There was no doubt that we were going to witness the high-flying, maverick super-piper on the gold medal stand in Sochi.

May the magnanimous soul and champion spirit of the ebullient and talented Sarah Burke rest in peace...

Read Post

Enraptured by Catherine Opie's Incredible Eye

(2) Comments | Posted December 9, 2011 | 3:36 PM

Catherine Opie is one of today's most renowned and revered fine arts photographers in the world. Just four years ago, at the outrageously young age of 46, Opie's entire body of work was installed and celebrated in a mammoth, four-story show at the famous Guggenheim Museum...

Read Post

Penn State Shocker. Really?

(56) Comments | Posted December 1, 2011 | 12:16 PM

Details of the Penn State sex abuse case have horrified us. And when ongoing Grand Jury probes and many more graphic accounts of a coach allegedly engaged in acts of sodomy and oral sex with minors emerge, a collective disgust will once again sweep the nation. The mainline story is...

Read Post

The Uniqueness of Steve Jobs

(77) Comments | Posted October 6, 2011 | 1:55 PM

2011-10-06-IMG_3501.jpg


With millions of others today, I am both burdened with sadness and lifted with inspiration as we stand in awe and applaud the uniqueness of Steve Jobs. Like the other geniuses and visionaries of various eras... Aristotle, Einstein... Jobs was a Thinker...

Read Post