She finished second in the 200-meter breaststroke finals at 2:26.50, qualifying her for the Pan Pac team to represent the United States later in the month.

During the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Amanda Beard signed up for her two signature events, the 100- and the 200-meter breaststroke.

[9] Her modeling work has included appearances in FHM,[10] the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and the July 2007 issue of Playboy magazine, in which she posed nude.

Amanda placed eighth in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Celebrity car race in 2006.

[13] In 2008, Beard participated in an anti-fur campaign for the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

[21] After achieving an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona, Beard began to struggle with body dysmorphic disorder.

[17] Stress from wearing a swimsuit in front of others as well as seeing the photo-shopping process of her ads caused Beard to desire having a body which matched that in her photos.

"[22] Beard released an autobiography on April 3, 2012, entitled In the Water They Can't See You Cry: A Memoir.

[23] She explains the title's significance as the sensation of putting her face in the water while swimming to hide any tears she shed into her goggles.

[22] The book cites her parents' divorce at the age of 12 as the beginning of her personal struggles,[17] as well as her perfectionist nature.