Find Your Inspiration

I became aware of Diana Nyad back in 2009 while I was training for my first triathlon, an Ironman distance. On a random Saturday afternoon, I stumbled across a documentary about Diana on a show called "Art of The Athlete." You see, I do not enjoy swimming, so when I read that the program was about an endurance swimmer, I was glued to the TV! Finally, I was going to tap into someone's passion for swimming and figure out how to "enjoy" this insanely long swim. Well, that didn't happen! Actually, I felt ridiculous that I was complaining about a 2.4 mile swim when here was a woman who attempted to swim from Cuba to Key West. Needless to say, I still loathe getting into the pool counting lap after lap, but what I did learn, regardless of whether I was swimming, running, or starting a business, was to not give up when things got tough...as Diana would say...find a way.

I had the pleasure of meeting Diana Nyad a couple of years later in 2011. After our meeting, my colleague at the time asked me what I thought of her. I replied, "it's a shame not everyone will get to know her." Some people may only get to see Diana as an endurance swimmer. I got to know Diana as the woman whose inspiration is only matched by her wit (yes, she is very funny!) and whose passion in life is to help others achieve their dreams.

On September 2, 2013, at the age of 64 and after four failed attempts, Diana accomplished her dream of swimming the 110 miles from Cuba to Key West. It's a reminder to all of us that age is not an excuse to not do something. Age is a number we are all assigned to. It's up to us to determine what we are going to do with it. Diana did something with her number...something remarkable.