HER STORY

Amanda Beard was just 14 years-old the first time she made an appearance in the Olympic Games and walked away as the second youngest swimmer in history to medal with one gold and two silvers. Over the course of the next twelve years she would be the recipient of eight USA Swimming National Titles, hold the FINA World Record and World Champion title for the 200-meter breaststroke, make three more appearances in the Olympic Games–accumulating another gold, two more silvers and a bronze–and serve as the USA Olympic Swimming Team Captain twice, thus carving her name deeply into the face of sports history.

Almost eclipsing her incredible athletic achievements, Amanda’s celebrity status has allowed her to enjoy immense success as a brand representative as well as a nonprofit advisor and has frequently put her in the spotlight as a model and correspondent for print and television media outlets worldwide. She has graced the pages of countless sports and lifestyle magazines and been a guest and host on numerous national TV shows.

Amanda became a first time co-author in 2012 with the release of the autobiographical New York Times Bestseller In the Water They Can't See You Cry. She used the personal recount as an opportunity to share aspects of her life previously kept private and in doing so managed to connect deeply with a new audience. She currently shares her story of professional and personal triumph via motivational speaking engagements and passes on her swimming expertise as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona.

Amanda’s most recent entrepreneurial endeavor was as Co-Founder of Beard Swim Co. (Absorbed by Emler Swim School), a learn-to-swim program with a philosophy that the ability to swim is one of the greatest gifts you can give a child. Keeping kids water safe is a mission that has become even closer to Amanda’s heart since having children of her own.

She is married to photographer Sacha Brown, with whom she has a son Blaise and a daughter Doone.

SWIMMING AChieveMENTS

1996 ATLANTA OLYMPIC GAMES Gold Medal / 400 Medley • Silver Medal / 200m Breast • Silver Medal / 100m Breast

2000 SYDNEY OLYMPIC GAMES Bronze Medal / 200m Breast

2004 ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES Gold Medal / 200m Breast • Silver Medal / 200m Individual Medley • Silver Medal / 400m Medley Relay • Swim Team Captain

2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES Swim Team Captain

2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Gold Medal / 200 Breast • Silver Medal / 100 Breast • Silver Medal / 400 Medley Relay

1997 SHORT COURSE WORLDS Silver Medal / 400 Medley Relay

2002 SHORT COURSE WORLDS Silver Medal / 400 Medley Relay

2004 SHORT COURSE WORLDS Silver Medal / 200 Breast • Silver Medal / 400 Medley Relay

1995 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS Bronze Medal / 200 Breast • Bronze Medal / 100 Breast • Silver Medal / 400 Medley Relay

2002 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS Gold Medal / 200 Breast • Gold Medal / 100 Breast • Silver Medal / 400 Medley Relay

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Recipient of eight National Titles

WWA WORLD RECORD HOLDER

WOMEN'S 200M BREASTSTROKE • (TIED) July 25, 2003 – (HELD THROUGH) July 10, 2004 • (BROKEN) July 12, 2004 – (HELD THROUGH) July 29, 2005

AWARDS

Beyond the podiums and record boards, Amanda Beard’s influence on the sport of swimming has been honored again and again by the communities and institutions that shaped her. Her career achievements and lasting impact have earned her Swimming World’s American Swimmer of the Year twice, a Golden Goggles Female Race of the Year, and induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Amanda has also been celebrated closer to home, with induction into both the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, honoring a career that began in Southern California and matured into a lifelong connection with the Wildcats. These honors reflect not just performance, but leadership, longevity, and the standard she set for the generations that followed.

NCAA DIVISION I Coaching

After a legendary international career and a lifetime in the pool, Amanda Beard returned to where so much of her swimming journey took shape — the University of Arizona. In June 2023, she rejoined the Wildcats as an assistant coach on the men’s and women’s swimming & diving staff, helping guide Arizona’s next generation of collegiate athletes.  

Amanda’s role at Arizona blends elite experience with genuine mentorship — drawing on her time at the same program as a student-athlete and her decades of competition, and technique-teaching, experience. Her presence energizes both practices and meets, inspiring swimmers to chase excellence in the water and resilience in life.

PARTNERSHIPS, Speaking, and ADVOCACY

Red Bull, Oakley, Speedo, Budweiser, Maytag, Cheribundi, Oroweat, Aqua Sphere, Athena, EarPro, Mission Athletecare, Penta, Softcup, Jim Henson’s The Muppets (PSA), WildAid (PSA), Hope Floats Foundation, PETA, CDC, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Defenders of Wildlife, Safe Kids, Swim Across America, World Waterpark Association, The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection, Disney, ESPN, VISA, Phillips 66, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes and Noble, Mutual of Omaha, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, DICK's Sporting Goods, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC), University of Arizona (U of A), Orange Coast College, Manhattan College, Binghamton University, Children's Hospital of Orange County, MultiCare, Health System, New England Women in Banking

MEDIA APPEARANCES

TELEVISION • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Last Call with Carson Daly, Good Morning America*, Today*, Dr. Phil, Celebrity Wife Swap, Marie (Osmond), Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Girls Next Door, FOX Sports / The Best Damn Sports Show Period*, The O’Reilly Factor*, The Kelly File, FOX News, FOX Business, Jim Rome is Burning, CNN, ESPN The Body Issue, New York Daily News, MTV’s Real World, Access Hollywood*, Entertainment Tonight*, Pac 12 Network*

PRINT / WEB • Vanity Fair, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, People, Outside, In Style, New York Times, Sports Illustrated Kids, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, ESPN The Magazine, FHM / Cover Appearance, Maxim, Shape, Self, Health & Fitness, Fitness, Women’s Fitness, Men’s Fitness, On Fitness, Triathlete / Cover Appearance, Hers

*Multiple appearances and/or correspondence work.

CO-AUTHOR

New York Times Bestseller In the Water They Can’t See You Cry

In this raw, candid, and ultimately uplifting memoir, Amanda reveals the emotional reality behind the medals, the glamour, and the fame. From her rise as a record-breaking teen athlete to her battles with clinical depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and unhealthy relationships, she shares the deeply personal journey of growing up — and at times drowning — in the public eye.  

With stunning vulnerability, Amanda describes how the pool became both sanctuary and camouflage — a place where she could hide pain and tears beneath her goggles. Through hard-earned self-reflection, the love of her family, and the joy of motherhood, she ultimately finds a strength that reaches far beyond her athletic achievements.

In the Water They Can’t See You Cry isn’t just a sports memoir — it’s a story of resilience, self-discovery, and the power of learning to live bravely both in and out of the water.

CO-FOUNDER

After retiring from elite competition, Amanda Beard turned her lifelong passion for swimming into something deeply personal and life-changing: she co-founded Beard Swim Co., a learn-to-swim school rooted in her belief that the ability to swim is one of the greatest gifts you can give a child.  

Launched in 2017 in Gig Harbor, Washington, Beard Swim Co. quickly became known for its emphasis on water safety, confidence-building, and strong technique — from first splashes to advanced stroke development. Under Amanda’s leadership as owner and head instructor, the school helped countless children and adults grow more comfortable and capable in the water, expanding access to vital skills and inspiring a lifelong love for swimming.  

More than just lessons, Beard Swim Co. embodied Amanda’s mission to remove barriers to swim education and make water safety a priority for families everywhere — a mission she continues to champion in her coaching and community work. (Beard Swim Co. was absorbed by, and Amanda partnered with, Emler Swim School in 2025.)

Social Media

Amanda collaborates selectively but welcomes inquiries for brand partnerships, media appearances, speaking engagements, corporate partnerships, impact and advocacy work, and bookings aligned in value and purpose.