Swimming UPstream: My Journey from Adversity to Hope, Inspiration and a BIG LIFE with Winter the Dolphin

(B&W version) Let the IRONMAN Triathlon and Winter the Dolphin show you how to swim upstream and alter the trajectory of your life. No more small thinking. No more fear of taking the BIG step. No more comparing yourself to anyone else. Get to your BIG LIFE! This book was written for one specific purpose: to show you how to throw off the shackles of your past and find the BIG LIFE that lies waiting.

After a career of inspiring millions with these two worldwide phenomena, two-time CEO David Yates recounts his experiences in the newly released book, Swimming UPstream. You will learn the power of overcoming, putting the small thinkers behind you, thinking big and setting yourself up for success on your life’s journey.

Born to a severely schizophrenic mother, David suffered through a troubled childhood. As a young teen, David was on anti-psychotic medication with his life barreling toward disaster, fearing he would descend into a life of mental illness like his mother. With the help of a strong faith in God and key mentors in his life, David was able to climb his way out of darkness to lead a BIG LIFE, eventually reaching millions with life-changing hope, including Winter the Dolphin’s inspiring story. Through the narrative of David’s life story, you will see how you can turn your detours and valleys into real opportunities.

David’s journey of faith will encourage you, make you laugh and have you yearning to find your own BIG LIFE. You’ll cry tears of happiness as you read the real life stories of the many children and wounded soldiers, some suicidal, which David worked with during his years as the CEO of the IRONMAN Triathlon company (IRONMAN Group) and then Clearwater Marine Aquarium where the Dolphin Tale movies were created and filmed. Swimming UPstream will embolden you to overcome your past and swim against the currents to lead your BIG LIFE, throwing off the shackles of your past via the narrative of Yates’ life. If you’re looking to get unstuck or want to shift to BIG thinking, Swimming UPstream was written just for you. You’ll experience lessons from overcoming individuals, with classic self-help techniques, grounded in relentless faith. This is your time …

David Yates was born in Texas in 1959, and was raised in Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa, with his five siblings. His father was a physician. After graduation from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1985 with a business degree, David went to work for Arthur Young & Company, a Big-Eight accounting firm. In 1987, he was hired by a private group of companies located in Florida. In 1989, this group purchased the rights to the IRONMAN Triathlon events and brand and he became the Executive VP in 1989 and moved to CEO in 1992. During his tenure, the IRONMAN brand was established as a legitimate multi-million dollar international sports brand, with TV packages on NBC and ESPN, and many international media outlets.Yates joined Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) in 2006 as its CEO. He assumed this position at a time when CMA was on the verge of insolvency, and created a vision, business model and an award-winning management team that has successfully resurrected CMA into a thriving global organization. When Winter the disabled dolphin came to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Yates had the foresight to see her story of survival as an inspiration to others. He initiated a marketing and media plan that promoted the story worldwide and attracted the attention of animal lovers and individuals with life challenges, who would learn from her story. This story has been told in nearly all major national and international media outlets, including NBC's Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, BBC, CNN and thousands of others. Winter's story has also been featured in magazines such as People, Reader's Digest, Time and Women's World. Yates' unwavering vision has come to fruition and drawn an unparalleled amount of tourists to the Clearwater, Florida area to see Winter and learn more about her story and CMA's mission. These initiatives and the increase in attendance have created a multi-billion dollar economic impact for hotels, restaurants and other attractions in the Clearwater Beach area and Statewide. Yates left CMA in 2020 after completing an $80 million new facility, and he is now executive producing multiple family and faith-based film.Yates has produced a documentary on Winter's story and has helped produce six books about her. Yates is also Co-Producer/Executive Producer of the #1 box office hit Dolphin Tale and its sequel, Dolphin Tale 2, the Warner Bros.-based Alcon Entertainment major motion pictures that star Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Austin Highsmith and Austin Stowell. Yates also directed and wrote the documentary "Winter, the Dolphin That Can", and directs the current web series Winter the Dolphin, Saving Winter. Yates and his wife Joan reside in Palm Harbor, Florida and have four grown children.Awards/recognition: -3 Sports Emmy Awards - IRONMAN NBC Shows-3 International Monitor Awards - IRONMAN NBC Shows-Governor's Business Ambassador Award (Florida)-Tampa Bay Business Journal Nonprofit of the Year-Tampa Bay Business Journal Top Management Team-Achievement Award - Florida Motion Picture & Television Association-Tourism Person of the Year - Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce-Tourism Person of the Year - Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce-Nonprofit National Turnaround Award - Turnaround Management Association-Legends Award - Film Florida