"I'll Find a Way or Make One": Dana Mathewson's Story of Grit and Greatness

"I'll Find a Way or Make One": Dana Mathewson's Story of Grit and Greatness Champion wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson shares her remarkable journey from diagnosis with transverse myelitis at age 10 to becoming America's most accomplished wheelchair tennis player. With candid humor, Dana discusses her initial reluctance toward adaptive sports and how her mother's persistence led her to the court. Her impressive career includes reaching World No. 7 in singles, World No. 4 in doubles, and becoming the first American wheelchair tennis player to win a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. Dana reveals the competitive spirit and "bulldog mentality" that fueled her success, along with cherished memories from the Paralympic Games. Now navigating retirement—a transition she describes as an athlete's "first death"—Dana is embracing new roles in coaching and philanthropy while discovering her identity beyond competition. Her guiding philosophy, "I'll find a way or make one," has applications far beyond tennis, offering listeners powerful insights on resilience, problem-solving, and finding your path when life presents unexpected challenges.

You can listen to "I'll Find a Way or Make One": Dana Mathewson's Story of Grit and Greatness online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

"I'll Find a Way or Make One": Dana Mathewson's Story of Grit and Greatness is an episode from The Sport Fuels Life Podcast by sportfuelslife.

This episode is 25:21 long.

This episode was published on May 20, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Sport Fuels Life Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.