Dian Nissen

Nissen began her involvement with sports and fitness at an early age, becoming an AAU All-American (Amateur Athletic Union) by the time she was 16. She was the 1976 U.S. Women's Trampoline champion in all three trampoline events: Individual Trampoline, Synchronized Trampoline, and Double Mini-Trampoline. At the age of 15, she placed 4th at the 1976 Trampoline World Championships in Tulsa Oklahoma. To date, no other U.S. woman has placed higher than Dian Nissen at the Trampoline World Championships for the Individual Trampoline event. Nissen's playful sobriquet, Trampoline Diva, embodies her lifelong association with the trampoline beginning with her early childhood and continuing through to her years as a world-class trampolinist, national champion, trampoline safety expert, trampoline coach, trampoline entertainer, fitness trampoline Master Trainer, and safety expert on the trampoline park industry.

Dian Nissen (born January 1981) is a multiple world-title trampoline athlete and competitor, multiple U.S. Women’s Trampoline champion, AAU All-American, health and fitness expert, and entrepreneur. She is the daughter of George Nissen, the inventor of the modern-day trampoline.

Recognizing that seniors in general were under-served by the fitness industry, she founded Ageless Fitness in 1994. Nissen then expanded her mission to help people of all ages and abilities improve their fitness and health through exercise and education. She also presented workshops, master classes, instructor training, and mentored teachers. Her company is also involved in exercise video production and distribution. The first exercise video series in which she produced and starred in was geared towards older adults and those needing a lighter and gentler form of movement. The video, Fresh Start (1994), included her father, George Nissen, and her mother, Annie Nissen as part of the cast. Nissen is a Telly Award and National Mature Media Award winner for two of her older adult exercise videos. She is a Pilates professional and faculty member of Balanced Body Education that provides Pilates instructor training worldwide. She is also certified and trained in Pilates through Polestar Education, Physical Mind Institute, and Stott Pilates. Some of her specialty training and qualifications in Pilates include Studio series, Mat, Auxiliary Equipment, Props, Rehabilitation, Post‐Rehabilitation, Allegro Reformer, Osteoporosis, Pre‐ and Post‐Natal and Menopause, and Balanced Body Barre.

George Nissen promoted the sport of trampolining believing that one day it could become an Olympic sport. For decades, George endured naysayers that claimed "it would be the year 2000" before trampolining would make it to the Olympics. Ironically, the cynics were correct; trampolining debuted as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Australia. At 86 years old, George attended the 2000 Olympics accompanied by his daughter Dian Nissen. Eight years later, George was able to travel to Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Olympics, with his daughter and grandson.

Nissen continues to bear the torch that her father, George Nissen, carried for his entire life—promoting the joy of jumping on trampolines.

Nissen was one of the first fitness professionals to independently produce, distribute and star in a Pilates exercise video. Her first Pilates video, Mind Body Matwork, was cutting-edge at the time and consisted of elegant and effective movements evolved from the work of Joseph Pilates. The video was one of the first to incorporate the use of an elastic band to simulate moves that are also performed on the centerpiece of Pilates equipment—the Reformer. The video quickly became a bestseller on Amazon.com. Nissen is recognized as one of the foremost Pilates instructors in the U.S. Her exercise instruction is based on sound biomechanics and current knowledge of exercise physiology, producing safe and effective exercise routines.