Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - Diana Nyad on Living a Motion-Picture-Worthy Life

Episode Date: January 5, 2024

In honor of the Golden Globes this Sunday, Nicole is sharing an interview with the woman behind one of the most acclaimed films of the year: Diana Nyad. Diana was the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida, swimming over 100 miles in fifty-three hours... in her sixties— which is now the subject of Netflix's film NYAD. Diana joined Nely Galán on the MNN podcast Money Maker and shared the stories behind how she built up her determination, fearlessness and passion for life. This conversation is filled with lessons anyone can use (at any age!) to follow their biggest dreams. Never miss an episode and subscribe to Money Maker here.

I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. But I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start, or even too complicated, if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full-time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you.

I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at airbnb.com slash host. One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no

maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits

apply. Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details. I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. It's time for some money rehab. In honor of the Golden Globes on Sunday, I'm sharing an interview with the woman behind one of the films nominated this weekend, Diana Nyad. Diana was the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida, swimming over 100 miles in 53 hours. And she did it at 64 years old. Nellie Galan talked with Diana on the MNN pod Moneymaker all about what the movie did and didn't get right and the specific lessons she has for reaching your goals at any age.

Welcome to Moneymaker, the podcast that gives you the tools to enrich your life in every sense of the word. I'm your host, Nelly Galan. Let's get started. Diana Nyad, that movie, Nyad, made me cry hysterically. And as someone who has lived through it with you, knowing that it was going to happen, how proud are you to see all your life's work on screen in such a beautiful way? Well, it's funny. You just used two words to what I'm feeling, excited and proud. And the truth is the latter is more the case.

I think that Bonnie and I, all the way through this process from years ago, when it was just executive producers and film financiers meeting with me about my life and my book, and then Bonnie became part of the meetings, we always felt very grounded. We didn't feel ever that we were going to jump out of our skins as to what was happening. Although I will say the day we found out Annette Bening had accepted the role, and the next day found out Jodie Foster had accepted the role. Now, then we were jumping out of our skin. OK, I admit to that.

But right now, I think the word, the grounding, deep word is proud. How many people do extraordinary things and do they get their stories to come to the magic of movies? Because you know me, Nellie. I've told my story to you. I've told my story on an off-Broadway show, a memoir that did pretty well and is out again now, Find a Way is the title of it. But nothing, nothing can come up to the reach and the drama and the inspiration that a major motion picture with all these world class artists. I mentioned the two actresses, but let's let's just directors, directors, the cinematographer, the composer.

We could go down the line. Everyone who made this film are at a world-class level and nothing, nothing can reach the public and touch the public like a beautifully done, executed motion picture. And that's what this is. Let me just tell you that I watched it with all the women in my building and we were hysterical crying, hysterical, hysterical, like boogers coming out the whole nine yards because The movie I and you're right movies bring everything to our you know climax and the whole thing When when in fact, it's like it took you so many years and so much stuff But the whole thing of just it's never too late. It's never too late. Don't give up. It's never too late it was just so amazing, Diana. And I really want to

go back because I tell everybody that I'm so blessed that I had the gift of when my book came out, I was on a book tour and I was at, I happened to be at the same place as you speaking in New Mexico. And I heard you speak and I just thought, oh my God, that woman is so inspirational. And then I happened to get booked on a flight where you and I sat next to each other. Yeah. And we started speaking in Spanish and you're so into Cubanos and we became friends. And then I interviewed you. And I remember you walked to my house like 20 miles.

You're so committed to walking. And we'll talk about that too. But the conversations that we have had have been all about long-term gratification. Your whole life has been about long-term gratification. I don't think people realize when you are the kind of athlete that you are, that that requires a lifetime of work and that nothing has really come easily to you. And I want you to talk about that because again, when you now see this, I saw that the ladies got nominated for the Golden Globes. I'm sure they'll be nominated for the Oscar because they did an unbelievable job.

It all seems like fast, but it's been rather slow and a lifetime of work. And can you talk about that? I guess if we took anybody who has reached some level of accomplishment or big levels of accomplishment like you, we could go back and look at people like Steve Jobs. We could look at Michelle Obama, Roger Federer in tennis. Nobody, nobody gets to where they're going overnight. We all need success. It takes some some talent, hopefully, at each one of us at what we do. takes some talent, hopefully, at each one of us at what we do. It takes some surrounding ourselves with a good team, no matter how solitary. And my point was this sport is a great example of

that. I never, ever would have reached that other shore without Bonnie and without those 39 other crafted individuals who helped solve all the problems that we were going through. But you know what? That's been me since I've been a kid. For some reason, I've been very attracted to epic. I want to see something that's so grand that it could never be achieved overnight. As a matter of fact, I don't mind, Nellie, envisioning things that are probably so grand they're impossible. I think there's something to the courage to fail. If you are willing to shoot that high, shoot for the stars, something that is going to take everything you are, all your potential, all your physical, mental, emotional, social contact potential, then you're probably going to fail. And that was the story. It always amazes me that

you could take such an extreme eccentric endeavor as swimming from Cuba to Florida is. That's why not many people have even tried it. It is a bear out there of a long list of obstacles you're coming upon. But look at the whole world responding to this movie, as they did to The Real Swim 10 years ago, because those people aren't going to swim from Cuba to Florida, but they're facing epic challenges and dreams. People write, hundreds and hundreds of people are writing me and Bonnie talking about their cancer situations, their relationship situations, their losses in life, and their dreams. People who have just taken that novel, they always believed they had in them, but the children came, then taking care of the parents came, the bankruptcy came, and they

stuffed that novel into the back of a drawer and they're writing me to say, you know what? It's not too late. I'm going to drag that novel out. And a woman wrote us the other day to say her husband has stage four pancreatic cancer. We all know what that means. We all know that that's not going to probably end up well, but she said, you gave both me and my husband the courage to say, what more? How can we extend our precious time together? Maybe we can find something new that will just give us a few more months. So how could that mean any more to me, Nellie, than to be in my story, to be inspiring? And how could it reach any more people than through this movie? But you know what?

Seeing the movie, new things came up for me that I had never asked you. I really wanted to ask you because that part of the movie, they did a fast edit. What you had to do to get your body back in shape, what you had to eat, that whole thing about like in the beginning, you couldn't even do a couple of laps and then you have to do hours and hours and hours. I mean, the decision to show up so that the opportunity could possibly happen. When it's almost impossible age, what chronology wise, what did you have to do to completely shift where you were to where you needed to be? Yeah, it's the word commitment. When we commit, if you're going to commit to your partner, your business, your dream, whatever it is, again, you may not make it there. And I must say, I know it's an old cliche that it's the journey that's more what life is all about than

the destination. That's what the Greeks, the ancient Greeks wrote all about. It's that journey where you learn from life and you discover who you are. And I must say that I went down to Mexico very early in the decision. I was 60 already. I had not made that swim back at age 28, but it was exciting to me connecting the two countries, Cuba and Florida. I got to meet President Obama in the Oval Office after the swim and a president I truly admire. And he said that, look, you just committed yourself to something so difficult and so important that you have now shown the whole world that you left one shore and shortly thereafter reached the other shore. You showed us how to make that gesture toward that other shore. And he said, in my presidency, that's what I want to happen. I want to commit myself to having Cuba and America come back together. We all know that he made steps in that right direction. And another president came in and undid all that,

unfortunately. But I went to Mexico for an early training swim. You're right. In the beginning, I started with a few minutes. I thought, wow, these shoulders are never going to be able to do this. And I kept with it, came with, then I went to Mexico to do it in the Sea of Cortez, which is beautiful, but a little chilly. And I did an eight hour swim there. And when I got out, I was freezing. I was sitting with a towel. I was drinking a hot cup of water. And I looked at myself and I said, if you want to do this right now, right today, while you're freezing and you're not feeling well, you're going to commit. Today is the day that you're freezing and you're not feeling well, you're gonna commit. Today is the day that you're making a contract with yourself that there will be no negative thinking.

There will be no going back. There will be no doubts in your mind. You are going to do this and you're gonna go full forward with the right team and the right spirit and the right commitment. So you had to change everything about your life and you just did it and you failed a few times. It didn't work. How do you not give up? And, and I didn't even know more

detail about Bonnie because the other thing that the movie makes very clear is that we all need a coach and a mentor because there are times when we want to give up. And also Bonnie's dedication to you was unbelievable. But how do you just not give up when you're not doing it? How do you not just say, I can't, I don't know. I don't even know what happened in your brain. I really don't. I'll tell you why. And it's fairly easy to understand. And that is that on the four long attempts when we didn't make it, so one was 51 hours, one was 48 hours. As we maybe overused the word in my interview with you, it's an epic endeavor. But on every one, it wasn't that, oh, things aren't working. When you're out against big mother nature on steroids, you're going up Everest and a 90 mile an hour wind comes in. You don't say, oh, I'm not strong enough and I'm not fit

enough. You cannot beat that mother nature. You're going to die. So you turn around, you go back down and you say, this is not my day. We're going to come back another day. So the four times that we didn't make it, it was never a matter of my giving up, my raising my hand in the water saying, Bonnie, I bitten off more than I can chew. This is too much. I didn't train enough. No. Every time I stood on that shore in Havana, I was ready. I was ready to give it

everything. And there was no stone unturned in the preparation, but mother nature was on steroids four times. And maybe that's the reason our team finally made it across because we were the ones who were willing to come back over and over again and learn. Every expedition learns. You go to snowshoe across Antarctica and you don't make it and blizzards come in. You find out next time a better way to get through those blizzards or a better way to predict them. We learned, our team was on a scientific learning curve,

data and intel. And every time we had more, we had more to bring to it. And on the fifth time, we got more, we had more to bring to it. And on the fifth time, we got more luck. And we deserve to get luck because we went back over and over and found a mask for me to wear to keep the jellyfish stings away. That was hard to swim in. It's got a little small mouth, unlike your actual mouth that you can maneuver in waves. This one had a small opening. And when I would get hit by a wave, I was swallowed all that salt water.

I'd vomit into the mask. And now I have to take the mask off by myself, by the way, can't have help, get it cleaned up. So it was a hardship to go back with what we knew we needed, but we knew what we needed. So we never felt like you had just said it wasn't working. Why did you go back? If it wasn't working, plenty was working. It was mother nature that would just the elements. So that's a good, that's a good metaphor for life because there are problems

that you have that are, that you create. And then there's problems that happen to you like a pandemic or like, it's not you, it's something outside of you. And it is, problems that happen to you, like a pandemic or like, it's not you. It's something outside of you. And it is, there is something to be said for really being able to separate those things and not become a victim. Like it's something that you've done or it's something that you're doing wrong. It's something that happens outside of you. When I was out there and I was told that 51 hours that one time, 2012, by our navigator

and by Bonnie, they had been meeting and knew what was happening and they're in touch with the Miami Weather Service and everything. And they just said, we are now in eight to 10 foot seas. They're going to get bigger. The forecast that we had didn't hold and it's disappointing, but it's not our fault. It's mother nature is bigger than we are. Let's pack it up and we'll come back another day. Wow. And just to bring this down to earth for like normal mortal women who at 60, let's say are saying, Oh my God, I feel like I have no energy anymore. I just, I menopause. I feel like crap. I've gained weight, blah, blah, blah.

I look at it for myself. Even I moved to Miami to help my parents. I was in an okay shape, but not great shape. But because I was so stressed out about my parents, I started working out two hours a day and I cannot believe my body. I go, I didn't think I was going to have a better body than when I was 17 at this age. So I know I didn't even, I didn't realize you really can turn back time. If you do all the right things, can you tell women, what are some of those right things that for you are not even a sacrifice at this point, because you are just so, you're such

a healthy person. Look at you and look at your, I mean, I don't think people realize how old you are now because you don't remotely look your age. Yeah, I'm 74. And look, what can I do about it? Every minute I worry about the vanity of wrinkles coming to my face or gravity affecting my skin, every minute I worry and become anxiety ridden about all that. I've just missed a minute of living. So I just can't worry about it. And I'll tell you, it's easy. I don't care what age you are or what kind of shape you're in. It's easy to come to the realization that Nellie, when you go to your pillow tonight and go to sleep, and when I go to my pillow tonight and go to sleep, this day is over for us. This day, we will never get to live again.

I wake up every morning. I couldn't feel better. I feel I'm full of energy and vitality and agility and strength. And it's because I believed in that. Don't let any day go by with regrets, physically, emotionally, mentally. And I've started that when I was five or six years old. And so I think that's at the crux of it. It's not like getting in the weeds of what do you eat and what time do you eat?

Do you drink any alcohol or just a little alcohol on weekends? That's all like details. What you get to is, I don't want to go to sleep tonight with regrets of how I'm living my life. Because it's easy to figure out that the way you spend your time, the way you spend this day is the way you've decided to spend your life. So it's heavy. And you can't dictate to anybody else. You can't guilt or shame anybody else, but you can say to them like Mary Oliver, that's the famous quote in the movie. That's the quote that moved me when I was 60 to come back to this swim. As she said, tell me, what do you plan to do with this one wild and precious life of yours? Each one of us has a wildlife and sometimes we get some bad

luck within that life, but mostly it's our decisions as to what we're going to do with it. And that includes, do you want to feel well? Do you want to feel fantastic every single day? I know I do. Also, you are very intentional about the people you have around you, that they are motivators. And let's talk about that too, because so many people surround themselves with people that bring them down. And how do we choose people that we can elevate and that can elevate us? And that's very clear in the movie. I wouldn't say I've been too good at this my whole life. I've spent, I'm one of those people that if I go to a gathering and let's just say

there are a hundred people at the gathering and it seems very quickly that I'm getting along with everybody that people like me and, and I like them. There's a meeting of the minds and we're having fun, but there's one, there's one grouchy one who just doesn't like me for some reason. But there's one, there's one grouchy one who just doesn't like me for some reason, won't give me the time of day. I used to spend the entire party focusing on that person. I don't care about all the others that I'm really having a connection with. I'm going to go over, I'm going to make that person like me and respond to me. I don't do that anymore. There are 8 billion people on planet Earth.

are 8 billion people on planet earth and I want to surround myself and connect with the people whose values I admire and who have a positive spirit, who want to live life with a laugh every now and then and an appreciation of each other. So I have learned, and it wasn't my natural instinct, I've learned to walk away from people who are downers and people who just are not chasing that lack of regrets in their lives. That's not the kind of people. Life's too short. I don't want to be around them. I wish them well. I don't speak against them. I don't feel bitter about people who aren't drawn to me. I just let go and surround myself with people who like me want to live the most joyous lives they can. Diana, one thing that the movie didn't mention that you and I've talked about in the past is that the thing that brought you, one of the things that brought you to wanting

to do this incredible feat of swimming from Cuba to Key West was your mother's death when she was still a young woman. And that and that's what kind of propelled you thinking, what are my regrets? And I've I had three girlfriends die a few years ago. And I remember thinking I have to change my life because I saw things that they had left undone. Can you talk a little bit about about your mom and that that period of your life? Yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't have called her young. My mom was 82 when she died.

So you could say that's a fine age to pass away, really. But the point was that I really, as we're talking about health now and living a healthy lifestyle, when my mom died, I was turning 60. And I couldn't say to myself, wow, I better get my nutrition together. I better get my anxiety level and my sleep, my quality sleep together. I didn't feel like I could change anything in terms of my health and my longevity. And so what it really did more was it shocked me to think that, wait a second, we all know how fast 22 years go by. You have children. When your son was born, you couldn't imagine him to be where he is today. It is 20. It just happens like a snap of a finger. My genes are my mom's genes, even though I've kept very fit and healthy my whole life. But I was thinking, what if?

What if I only have 22 years to live? And I started not being as attracted to that wonderful sports announcing job I had all those years, 30 years from age 30 to 60, traipsing around the world to the Tour de France, to the U.S. National Tennis Championships, the wonderful athlete who played Superman on the big screen. And then in a heartbeat, falling from his horse, went from Superman to a quadriplegic. And watching Chris, with all his bravery, sit in that respirator machine of his and not be able to move anything from his jaw down. And not be able to move anything from his jaw down. And him saying to me, Diana, don't leave any regrets behind. You have no idea.

That's when I started rummaging around my office. And I found the Mary Oliver poem. Tell me what you're doing with this one wild and precious life of yours. So those three things happened all at once. And I happily gave up my sports broadcasting career. That was the way I made my living. I thought, I don't care. I'm going to go broke, but I'm going to do what I want with this one wild and precious life of mine. So you stopped watching and reporting others do, and you decided I'm going to do. That's it. Even if no one believes I can decided I'm going to do. That's it.

Even if no one believes I can, I'm going to do it. That's it. I told, when I sat down, I told Bonnie first. I told my other best friend, Candace, next. I told my ex-partner, Nina, next. And I told my sister and my nephew, five people. And I said, I don't care if only the five of you are on that beach when I make it across. I don't care if it's something that doesn't catch the world's attention. A lot's happened in this

sport since I was in it 35 years ago. It could be nobody will care about this at all. But if the five of you are on that beach, then that's what I'm swimming toward is you. My five closest people, it was easy to say goodbye to that sportscasting career. It really was. Wow, Diana. Hold on to your wallets. Money Rehab will be right back. I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash, but I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start or even too complicated if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high

quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you. I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. One of the most stressful periods of

my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story.

Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime. Feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply.

Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in Spot Me and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details. And now for some more money rehab. We have to talk about your passion project and your legacy, which is Everwalk, which, you know, I love madly. And I stood up and said, I want to be on that board because I think Everwalk is the way for everybody to be able to join your mission and their own mission in a way that's accessible. Can you talk about why you decided to do Everwalk and what is it? accessible. Can you talk about why you decided to do Everwalk and what is it? Yeah. Bonnie and I, after 2013, which is when we finished the swim, we wanted to lend this feeling we have of crossing the curvature of the earth. That's what we did out in the ocean. And we took in the stars at night.

And if we were next to the shore, St. Martin, the island, we took in the trees and we took in the stars at night. And if we were next to the shore, St. Martin, the island, we took in the trees and we took in planet Earth with tremendous awe that you can't do sitting, eating dinner at home. You're not going to be filled with the awe of this blue jewel of a planet of ours. And we thought we can't take millions of people out to the ocean, the middle of the ocean. It's not accessible. What is accessible? Walking. Almost everyone can walk, even if it's just to go down the street to get the newspaper in the morning. And here you are, you're covering the curvature of the earth. It might just be a mile. We've done walks that are 20 miles a day from Boston up to Maine with EverWalk. So we started this national walking initiative called EverWalk. Ever meaning everybody, every day, every day for the rest of your life, just be an EverWalker. And we've got

thousands of people following us, walking with us. This coming spring, it'll be one of our, I think it's our ninth big long walk. We're going to be walking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm going, I'm going. And Nelly's walking with us. Yay. You know what? It's fascinating because since I feel like also you've created a vibe in the United States that people have in Europe with the Camino in Spain and in France, that you want people to also see the country, see our parks, see these places like the Blue Mountains. And since I've been on a walk with you, I know that it's also like for me, I didn't think what was going to happen happened, which is I'm walking with other people and you start sharing your life and your regrets and your stories are complete strangers.

You're walking together and looking at the beautiful city. And in my case, I did a walk with you in Los Angeles and it was like, I'm discovering LA again. And I'm speaking to these incredible women and men, and we're telling our stories and we are forgetting to stop and smell the roses and, and at the same time do exercise and be alive and walking. And it was pretty amazing. It's everything. We love walking with you. And it's so great you're coming to North Carolina.

I think something you said is important, which didn't happen during swimming, and that is that it's a community thing. You really do. You're not sitting looking at a screen in an office. You're not sitting with walls impeding your imagination. You're out in the open. And all of a sudden, like my ex-partner's son I was walking with the other day, and he's a quiet kid and he doesn't really share his innermost feelings. But here we are on a walk And he just came out with it. He just told me all the things that he's worried about and that he wants his future to be. That never would have happened sitting and eating dinner or sitting in front of our screens. And many humans throughout history, going back to Thoreau and Virginia Woolf and all kinds of famous people have been walkers. That's where they think. That's where they do their thinking along with the endorphins that come with just moving. So I have to ask you a little bit of a Hollywood

question because seeing the movie and seeing Annette Benny play you and knowing that she said that she's, she learned to swim for a year and try to get your strokes. And then she was freaking out about getting herself back in a bathing suit. It sounds like she went through a lot too, to embody you. And I don't know, but I felt like she captured your essence so well. And so incredibly for you to watch it, to see her process, what do you make of all that? What an actor has to do to embody another human being. And for you to watch someone embodying you, I just can't even imagine. Yeah. Honestly, as my good friend, I would share with you that it's complicated because it's only two hours of a movie. It's not a documentary. They are not trying to capture every nuance and they can't take 74 year old person who's been through a lot,

who is a lot and capture all of that. That's not their goal. And it's not what they did. Annette, let's just start with the swimming because the other embodying a person is deeper than that. But Annette grew up in San Diego and she was very familiar with the ocean. She wasn't afraid of it. She worked in college on a dive boat. So she was out and she could jive in the water and help people and live on the water. But she was never a swimmer. She was never on a team. She never swam laps where you've got to develop the muscles and the technique to move forward through. And the ocean is a lot tougher than a pool. And every day, every day for a year, Annette swam. She had an Olympic swimmer as her real coach, Radha Owen, who was with her every day, showing her to get your elbows up high and grasp the water with a full hand, not fingers spread and all the things you need to know. Annette is very tender about when

I was invited to go swim with her the first time. She said she was nervous. She was just so worried she was going to look like a failure and quite the contrary. I came to tears because she came, she took her robe off and she had on the bathing suit, the very bathing suit that I swam in across the ocean. And so we had matching bathing suits at the end of the film. I don't know if you noticed it in all the... I did. Yeah. So some people don't know what that is. But at the end of the film, because I got to swim with her on set in the Dominican Republic, they have some shots of us just going, gliding right next to each other. And you know what? I liken it to, Nellie, Bradley Cooper, evidently, never played a lick of guitar in his entire life. He was not a singer at all.

His friends didn't know him as like the guy who stands up and sings karaoke at parties. And he came to be so dedicated to that role in A Star is Born that he got on stage and performed live for real with Lady Gaga, one of our great artists. He did it. Annette Bening, to my mind, it's just as strong what she did. She became a swimmer. She developed the shoulders, the lats, the triceps. She developed a stroke. They use documentary footage from the documentary on me, which is called The Other Shore. That's a different film. And that's to be found out there these days too. That was done 10 years ago. They use some footage of that. And Bonnie and I, when we sit watching the film,

we know just when it's me and we know just when it's Annette. But they spliced them together all the way through. And Annette did it. She became that athlete, that swimmer. She dedicated herself to it. And I know she and Jodi are just grounded, non-superficial types. They don't talk about awards. But in our hearts, we hope they win the Golden Globes, the Oscars.

We hope they win all of it because they deserve it, those two. They deserve it. I was going to say about capturing a person. It's not easy. I'm like everybody else. I'm complex and I'm not just that person that the writer of this movie and the directors and the producers and Annette pursued, which is put blinders on. You are fiercely unafraid to chase after this difficult, maybe impossible, dangerous mission. And you don't have time to be charismatic or to be friendly or to be funny.

This is going to be just straightforward, fierce dedication. I understand that that's not the whole me. I know, I know. That movie presented only eight people on our team because of space of shooting and finances. So we understand that there were 40 people on that team and they stayed with us with not one cent of payment being made to any of them they stayed with us for four years in this modern era of chasing this dream and they wouldn't have if i had been that caustic and that not even knowing who they are so i had to forgive a movie a movie needs a little drama that's it i had i forgave all that because look at it's it's it does capture an essence of dedication and commitment. And Bonnie got very good during the strike. She

was representing because Jodi and Annette nor I could be with the film. And a lot of people after screening, Bonnie would answer questions on stage with the directors, et cetera. And a couple of people would say to Bonnie, hey, Bonnie, does Diana like the film? And Bonnie would take, she got good at this. She would take a slow look up because my name was like in 50 foot letters. It's the name of the movie right above her. And she would say, yeah, she does. She really likes it. So believe me, I could put all that, Annette Bening playing me, Jodie Foster in our movie the a movie of that people get they just say I'm so inspired I wish I wish I could be that persistent at something so I'm honored about the whole thing I and having my name having how often do you get the movie name But amazing, amazing. Okay, one last question. Okay. What, any epic, more goals left in this incredible life of yours?

Yeah, I am brewing on something. I mean, you could say it's smaller, but I've never written a children's book and I'm just writing my first one now. So you wouldn't call that epic, but just as I was always saying on the beach and elsewhere, you're never too old to chase your dreams. The name of this book is you're never too young to chase your dreams. And it's to encourage a nine, 10 year old.

You don't have to wait till you're out of college, but if you have the skills and the desire to do something right now, you go ahead and do it. So it's a fictional book, but I guess I would say, for instance, Serena Williams, let's just take Serena Williams as an example. I'm not gonna comment on Serena's life and how happy she is at the moment, but children and a husband

and a multimillion dollar businesses and being a hero and well-known all around the world. I'm sure that Serena lives a very good life. And I bet you, she would say though, that she'll never have that drama that she had that night at the U.S. Open, her last match with thousands of people bowing down to her and millions more around the world. So sports is a tragedy to it that you retire when you're young. And I'm lucky I got a second wave. I got to be 64 when I retired. I got a taste of that drama again. But you probably never feel anything quite that high octane. Once you once you've felt it in a in a sports world yeah that's that is and you're

right that there's like little deaths in sports because you're you you leave before you you wish you could leave right but your body or your timing is that diana and i i love you so much i am such a big fan of yours i think you should have your own TV show and we're going to talk about that later. I think you are just the most inspirational person that every person needs to hear. And I am just I am, everybody has to see

the movie. It is the best movie of the year. You're going to cry. You're going to be inspired. It's going to be life-changing. I guarantee it. Thank you so much. Nelly Galan, te amo. And I love everything right back at you, all the people you inspire. And I just, I just love you. I love your spirit. I love your positiveness. And we're lucky to have you in this world, Nelly.

Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan Lavoie. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your money questions, moneyrehab at moneynewsnetwork.com to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me. And follow us on Instagram at Money News and TikTok at Money News Network for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you. No, seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make.