The #1 Google search IN THE WORLD Sept 23-24, 2011, was 62-year-old Diana Nyad’s valiant attempt to swim the seemingly impossible 103 miles between Cuba and Florida, without a shark cage. 1.3 million Twitter fans followed Diana as she lived out the message of living life large and chasing our dreams, no matter our age.
Despite potentially deadly Box Jellyfish stings, Diana courageously continued toward the other shore for 41 long hours, eventually compromised by the physical effects of the stings. Diana is not one to quit. Come summer, 2012, she intends to plunge off the Cuban shore again…..this time making it all the way across.
Back in the 1970’s, Diana Nyad was 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, have led to inductions to many Halls of Fame, such as the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Diana became a prominent sports broadcaster, filing compelling reports for National Public Radio, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Fox Sports, and The New York Times. Diana owns a fitness business, BravaBody.com, with best friend Bonnie Stoll. She has written three books and speaks French and Spanish fluently.
Diana has also earned the reputation of a uniquely passionate and entertaining public speaker. Standing ovations erupt every time she connects with an audience.
Diana is heard by eight million people each week on National Public Radio. She is a columnist each Thursday on “All Things Considered” and is the sports business reporter for the award-winning show “Marketplace”.
On television, you can now see Diana on the prestigious CBS News Sunday Morning program as well as CBS Early Morning where she delivers thought-provoking commentary.
Previously, Diana was the Senior Correspondent for FOX SPORTS NEWS for five years (1996-2001), investigating stories such as the use of performance enhancing drugs by athletes and reporting live from such sporting events as the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Prior to Fox (1994-1996), Diana was host of all foreign documentaries on the “Outdoor Life Network”, traveling to Africa, for instance, for part of the series “The Great Cats of the World”.
From 1989-1992, Diana hosted her own show on CNBC, “One on One with Diana Nyad” where she interviewed the likes of Ed Bradley and Julia Child and where she garnered a reputation as a skilled and passionate interviewer.
While an announcer with ABC’s Wide World of Sports (1980-88), Diana covered three Olympic Games, the New York City Marathon, the Ironman, and dozens of other events around the globe. Capitalizing on her background as an adventurer extraordinaire, she swam with 100-ton “Right” whales in Patagonia, kayaked over 40-foot waterfalls in Borneo, and biked the length of Vietnam .
Diana has written three books, “Other Shores”, “Basic Training”, and “The Keyshawn Johnson Story”. She also writes for The New York Times, Newsweek, and other publications.
Diana and her best friend Bonnie Stoll (former #3 in the world on the Pro Racquetball Tour) have launched a fitness movement for women over 40 called BravaBody. The first BravaBody DVD (“the small space workout”) is designed for hotel rooms, apartments, home rug areas and requires no equipment whatsoever, not even sneakers.
Over the past twenty years, Diana has earned a reputation as a riveting public speaker. She combines her talent for dramatic story-telling with a natural sense of humor and a charismatic stage presence. She never uses notes -- she speaks from her heart and her audiences are both riveted and inspired.
