Diana Nyad and Pushing the Boundaries of What’s Possible

Author. Accomplished swimmer. Motivational speaker. Diana Nyad has a wide range of accomplishments befitting of her unique experiences in life. Becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage is just one example of how Nyad faces challenges head-on. 

Following her appearance at this year’s WEX SPARK, we invited Diana Nyad onto Benefits to share her insight on perseverance and what it means for today’s human resources teams. Watch the video below for her full Benefits interview for a glimpse of her appearance.

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‘Grab the tiger by the tail’

Why swim from Cuba to Florida? Or why swim around Manhattan? For Diana Nyad, it’s simply her desire to be “awake and alert” for every moment of her life. 

“Swimming isn’t really the point,” Nyad said. “But I did pick something. … I believe in the courage to fail. I believe in shooting for the stars. I’m not afraid to fail. I’ve tried many things that I’ve failed at. I don’t care, because in chasing that almost impossible dream, I’ve had to dig down. Everyone around me had to dig down and find that impossible grit.”

Maximizing team performance

On a recent Benefits episode, our own Jess Almlie shared her five-step process to improving team performance. Diana Nyad’s experience in working with many different organizations has given her a unique perspective on what separates the very best HR teams from the rest. 

“The ones that I know who have been very purposeful and successful have almost taken on the role of psychologist,” Nyad said. “So they sit down with someone. ‘Are you having family problems? I know you don’t want to talk about it, but that’s probably at the root of what’s happening here at the office.’”

Interested in hearing more about Diana Nyad’s experience?

Watch the video above for more from Diana Nyad’s Benefits appearance. Or check out her website to learn more about her journey. 

The information in this blog post is for educational purposes only. It is not legal or tax advice. For legal or tax advice, you should consult your own counsel.