May 27, 2025 • 26 mins
It started as girl talk… and turned into one of the most honest, powerful conversations we’ve had on this show.
In this episode, Carly sits down with Athena Brownson, former professional skier turned real estate powerhouse, as she opens up about the journey from chasing air in halfpipes to battling chronic illness and redefining what it means to thrive.
Athena shares her hard-earned wisdom on resilience, identity shifts, and the power of building a life (and business) around what truly matters.
If you've ever faced a setback that rocked your world—or are in one right now—this is the episode your heart needs.
Being a solopreneur is awesome but it’s not easy. It's hard to get noticed. Most business advice is for bigger companies, and you're all alone...until now. LifeStarr's SoloSuite Intro gives you free education, community, and tools to build a thriving one-person business. So, if you are lacking direction, having a hard time generating leads, or are having trouble keeping up with everything you have to do, or even just lonely running a company of one, be sure to check out LifeStarr Intro!
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Episode Transcript
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Carly Ries (00:00):
What happens when a fearless pro skier turned top
(00:03):
real estate agent gets hit witha life altering chronic illness?
Well, you get a master class intrue resilience. This week, I
flew solo and I sat down withAthena Brownson, who opens up
about her wild ride from 300 ayear to battling Lyme disease,
losing her identity, andrebuilding a life and business
with deeper purpose, discipline,and heart. She shares powerful
(00:26):
lessons on grace and theroutines that carry us through
life's curveballs. If you haveever struggled with a setback
that rocked your world, thisepisode is for you.
You're listening to the AspiringSolopreneur, the podcast for
those just taking the bold stepor even just thinking about
taking that step into the worldof solo entrepreneurship. My
(00:47):
name is Carly Ries, and mycohost Joe Rando and I are your
guides navigating this crazy butawesome journey as a company of
one. We take pride in being partof LifeStarr, a digital hub
dedicated to all aspects ofsolopreneurship that has
empowered and educated countlesssolopreneurs looking to build a
business that resonates withtheir life's ambitions. We help
(01:09):
people work to live, not live towork. And if you're looking for
a get rich quick scheme, this isnot the show for you.
So if you're eager to gainvaluable insights from industry
experts on running a businessthe right way the first time
around or want to learn from themissteps of solopreneurs who've
paved the way before you, thenstick around. We've got your
back because flying solo inbusiness doesn't mean you're
(01:30):
alone. Athena, it's so funny. Ihad to hit record intentionally
because you and I were chattingoff line and I felt like it
could have taken up the wholehour.
Athena Brownson (01:40):
I think it could go all day, maybe not even
just the hour.
Carly Ries (01:44):
Yes. Listeners, this is what happens when Joe Rando
is under the weather and heleaves girl talk for run wild.
Athena Brownson (01:52):
And you know, it's his loss because he just
misses some great time to chatwith a couple of great ladies,
Carly Ries (02:00):
Exactly. And one of the things that he wished he was
on here for that you and I weretalking about off line, is that
he and his family, they actuallydealt with a crazy battle with
Lyme disease, and the wholepurpose of this episode is kind
of resilience and bouncing back.And I really want you to tell
your story from your skiingdays, and then your bout with
(02:21):
Lyme disease, and how thatchronic illness really redefined
your approach to resilience andsuccess.
Athena Brownson (02:27):
Oh my goodness. It has been, it feels like it's
been many lives at this point.And I would love to speak with
him about his family's journeywith Lyme disease because it is,
something that affects people sodifferently, and we'll get into
that. But really when I think ofresilience, and I think of grit
(02:50):
and discipline, and all of thetools that we, in our in our
adult lives, unfortunately, lifedoesn't ever go to plan. Like,
there are going to be bad thingsor unfortunate circumstances
that we stumble upon, and it'snot until we're in those that we
really understand what we'remade of, you know, what our
(03:15):
resilience levels are, if/ howwe can get ourselves through
challenges.
And when I look at my story, Ireally believe that it started
in my very young days as aprofessional skier. So as I
mentioned to you, I grew up in alittle mountain town called
Breckenridge in Colorado. I'm inDenver now. Where, I was able to
(03:39):
leave school every day at10:30AM, ski for the rest of the
day. It counted as my likehealth and PE credits. I had a
dad that was a professionalskier and a real estate
developer. And honestly, Iwanted nothing to do with real
estate because it's what he did.I wanted to forge my own path.
(04:01):
But when it came to skiing, allI wanted was to you know, kind
of follow in his footsteps. So Ilearned how to ski when I
learned how to walk.
I was two years old. And by thetime I was 15, I'd become a
pretty accomplished downhillskier, but I switched over to
freestyle skiing. So those arethose crazy people that you see
(04:24):
going through the half pipe andcatching huge air out of it, and
going down courses, hitting hugejumps. That was me. I definitely
was young and fearless.
I think about it now and all itdoes is make my joints hurt.
Just thinking about it. But Iwent pro at the age of 15. And
(04:48):
basically that means I wasgaining sponsorship. So I was
getting paid to wear differentpeople's, you know, Under Armour
for clothing and skull candy forheadphones, and the list goes
on.
So at 15, I had thisopportunity. And that really
enabled me to start travelingthe world to ski. So I skied
(05:10):
about 300 days a year. Now Ishould say in my ten years of
being a professional, I blew myknee nine times. I had two neck
surgeries.
I broke just about everythingyou could break. So if I wasn't
skiing, I was rehabbing aninjury. But what I had that I
(05:31):
never appreciated at the time,and as I think many of us take a
lot of things for granted, Itook for granted the fact that I
was being trained by some of themost elite level coaches in the
world. And even as a youngwoman, I was held to such a high
level of accountability that itwas in to me, it was frustrating
(05:56):
at the time. It was if you'retwo minutes late for practice,
you're doing burpees all day.
Or you know, if you're notlistening to the coach and
taking feedback, you're gonnahike the mountain. Whatever it
may be, there was always, alevel of accountability. I don't
know if discipline's the rightword because they were really
(06:17):
strengthening me. I saw it asdiscipline for messing up. But
what they were doing unknowinglyto myself was showing me my
toolkit for resilience andteaching me that if I could push
through my mind telling me noand keep going, that I could
(06:38):
accomplish so much more.
And they taught me visualizationwhich is something that, I
remember so clearly just sittingat the top of runs, visualizing
what my perfect run would be andstomping every trick that I was
trying. And I knew that if Ineeded to try a new trick,
(07:01):
because usually it's gonna be onsnow if you need to try
something new. That if I couldland it in my head, that I would
land it on snow. And these toolsthat they gave me, of course, I
didn't recognize whatsoever atthe time. But fast forward to
finishing college, retiring fromfrom skiing, which was a
(07:25):
complete identity crisis, theage of 24.
I'm like, wait, all I was wasskiing. I did that 300 days a
year. Like who am I? So that wasa really, rude awakening in
terms of just really findingmyself at a young age. But about
(07:45):
a year and a half into being aninterior designer, I was
realizing that the athlete inme, being a solo athlete and
being an only child, that Ineeded to be an entrepreneur.
I needed to be in charge of myown success, and know that if I
(08:06):
put in this much effort, theoutput is going to be
equivalent. And not buildingsomeone else's dreams, but
building my own. I just didn'tknow what that looked like. I
had a dear friend suggest realestate. I immediately was turned
off.
I was like, no realtors arecorny car salesman I don't want
anything to do with it. She'slike, you couldn't be more
(08:29):
wrong. Sit down with the ownerof my company and just chat with
him. And I did. And he taught mewhat relational relationship
based business is.
So I had the good fortune ofmentoring under him and finding
an amazing coach my first yearin real estate. So right as I
started to get my momentum, andI truly believe that coaching
(08:54):
and mentorship in any businessis one of the best gifts you can
give yourself because we don'tknow what we don't know. So if
you're going about, yourbusiness the same way you always
do, you don't even know whereyour blind spots are. And I
think we need people from theoutside looking in saying, hey,
(09:17):
this is where you need toimprove, this is where you can
delegate. And I needed that.
But I kinda got to the top of mygame. I was about two and a half
years into real estate and Ineeded one final neck surgery.
And it was a very minor one. Imean, I say minor, but I was
getting discs, new discs put inmy neck. And when I started
(09:41):
recovering from this necksurgery, you know, I went in the
same very healthy, very fitadult that I was as a skier.
And when I was recovering fromsurgery, I started getting all
these really weird infection,like GI infections. And my
(10:01):
fatigue levels were justskyrocketing. Brain fog. And I'd
never experienced anything likethis before. I really used to be
the energizer bunny, and I thinkI could, you know, ski for
twelve hours and hit the gym andgo out and hang out with friends
and do it all again the nextday. I think about that now and
(10:23):
I just wanna like hide under apillow. But truly, my world got
completely flipped upside downreally quickly. And I was
fortunate enough to have adoctor that said, look, I think
we should test you for Lymedisease. I looked at him and
told him he was crazy that I'dnever even seen a tick before,
(10:46):
let alone, seen a tick bite. ButI had traveled the world.
So it was a you know, it was apossibility that of course I
could have been bit at any timein the last fifteen, twenty
years. And Lyme kinda laysdormant in your system. So it
waits for your immune system tobe lowered. And then all of a
(11:08):
sudden when like a neck surgery,my immune system's weakened. And
then it can take over.
And it affects everyonedifferently. It attacks whatever
your genetic weaknesses are. Soit can turn up like psychiatric
issues for one person.
(11:29):
It can look like rheumatoidarthritis. For me, it turned
into several autoimmunediseases. The worst of which
basically, is that my own bodyattacks the sheathing around my
nerves. So I am constantly inincredible amounts of pain. And
the stories that I could tellyou of the last ten years would
(11:51):
take ten hours probably, so I'llsave you.
Carly Ries (11:54):
Is that in present day too? looks so legit. you're
so put together
Athena Brownson (12:01):
That's what is crazy about chronic illness and
invisible illness is that youknow, and part of my toolkit for
kind of getting myself goingwhen I don't feel well. Like I
woke up this morning and feltlike every bone in my body was
broken. I was like, I can'tmove. But I know that if I put
(12:24):
on some of my favorite musicsuper loud, if I just get myself
to the shower, if I can getmyself from the shower to go put
on my makeup, which I call mywar paint, it like, these are
the steps that help get me intoa place where even when my body
is not well or does not feelgood, I'm able to still show up.
(12:48):
And unfortunately, one of themost difficult parts of getting
sick was learning that I had nodelegation skills whatsoever.
Coming from, again, being a oneperson show athlete, and as an
only child. I realized that Ineeded help. I think one of the
(13:11):
greatest gifts we can giveourselves is to learn what we
excel at, and where our time isbest spent. And the activities
that are not necessarily onesthat you should be putting your
energy into, are things that youcan give someone else an
opportunity that loves thosethings to take over.
(13:34):
But I had to learn how todelegate unfortunately, and it
took a while. And I'm stilllearning. But yeah, I mean, I'd
say my pain levels, I've gonethrough every treatment you
could imagine in the last eightyears. I get four plasma
transfusions a month currently.I just got the port out of my
chest and into my arm, which isreally exciting because I don't
(13:57):
have tubes hanging out of mychest.
But it's an every single daybattle. And the loss of identity
in going from being aprofessional athlete to
basically, trying to convincemyself that I could get up was
(14:19):
really challenging. And it'sbeen a huge huge journey. Sorry.
I'm talking so much.
Carly Ries (14:26):
That's why we had you on the show. Question for
you is, so for the first part ofyour life was skiing. And I'd
imagine when you're goingthrough all of these
debilitating symptoms andtroubleshooting, just everything
under the sun, like, you say youput on your war paint, you say
(14:46):
if I can get it from this, butthere has to be a why behind it.
Like, how did you rediscoverthat when you shifted to the new
identity? And for people thatmaybe they don't have Lyme
disease, but they are juststruggling in life, how can they
develop that why and then use itto move them forward?
Athena Brownson (15:04):
honestly that has been my biggest, the thing
that has kept me going. I trulybelieve that life never goes to
plan like I said, and we allface different forms of
adversity in our lives. But it'snever, the easy times in our
lives that we look back and wesay, oh my gosh, I grew so much
(15:28):
from that. It's from thedifficult times. So then it's a
matter of, okay, I know that Iam, facing adversity, in the
midst of adversity, what am Igonna do to not let myself get
stuck in the mud?
And for me, I have had theprivilege of having a very
(15:49):
strong why. And that is trulybeing able to create lifelong
relationships with my clients.my clients end up becoming my
family. I stay in touch withthem forever. If they ever need
anything home related, they knowthat I'm there for them.
And forming these relationships,I'm such a relational person,
(16:13):
it's what keeps me getting outof bed in the morning. I also
started developing properties.So being a Colorado native,
being able to have a positiveimpact on the footprint of the
city, and what type ofproperties are being developed.
And just really being consciousof what I'm creating because I
(16:38):
think there's so much buildingout there that's just a little
bit disappointing. those havebeen my whys.
Carly Ries (16:47):
I was gonna start laughing because earlier you
said I turned into my dad from ascheme standpoint but I'm not So
rook's on you.
Athena Brownson (16:58):
you know, he grew up telling me a Frank Zappa
lyric that's in ten years,you'll be just like your
parents. And I look at myselfand I look at my parents, and I
am like the perfect combinationof the two of them. And I
honestly wouldn't change it forthe world. I I appreciate it so
much now, and he's been a hugeforce in helping me gain my
(17:20):
footing in the world ofdevelopment. Because you know,
he pretty much built most ofBreckenridge.
He knows what he's doing. I'vebeen figuring it out. But when
we're in the midst of adversity,I think as humans we have a
tendency to over complicateeverything. So whether it's how
(17:42):
we're approaching our business,everything. So whether it's how
we're approaching our business,relationships, we overthink
things, and it really comes downto finding what routines are
your like saving grace.
What are your go to's for whenthings are not going right? Do
you journal? Do you write outaffirmations? Do you do your
(18:04):
goals in the present tense? Doyou have a therapist maybe?
Like do you blast music to getyourself out of bed and convince
yourself that you can keepgoing? what are the habits, the
rituals, the routines that youcan build into your life that
are just gonna be, you know, I'ma big atomic habits fan, like
(18:27):
that book is one of myfavorites. And if we can just
focus on trying to be 1% betterevery day, then that is the
greatest gift you can giveyourself, especially when you're
going through something reallychallenging.
Carly Ries (18:44):
I was gonna ask, because you're talking about the
routines and everything, andlooking at setbacks as learning
tools and building blocks. Butwhen you're in the thick of it,
it's kinda hard to see setbacksas learning tools. You're just
like ridiculous, you're just ina bad mental state. So how do
you reframe your mindset so thatyou can get to the point where
(19:05):
you look at them as buildingblocks and learning tools
Athena Brownson (19:09):
I think that's time, honestly. I think it's
really important, you know. Iwent through years of anger and
sadness, and mourning the lifethat I once had, because it
really was a complete shift inmy life, and who I had always
(19:30):
been. It was devastating to becompletely honest. So I think
it's crucial for people to feelwhat they need to feel.
And, there are going to befeelings of anger and sadness
and bouts of depressionpotentially. But the key is to
(19:50):
not get stuck in that mud, Ilike to say. if you can take,
when you feel like you've gottenpast the worst of the pain or
suffering or whatever it is thatyou're going through. If you can
say, okay, I'm just gonna startby doing one thing a day that
(20:13):
brings me joy. Or one thing aday that helps me to recenter
myself.
Whether again, journaling,meditating, talking to someone.
I think the biggest issue withgoals a lot of times and you
know, with getting throughthings is that it feels like an
(20:35):
insurmountable huge task. And ifyou can break it up and just say
you know what, I'm gonna startwith one small activity that I
know is good for me or brings mejoy, working out. Like whatever
it may be, just start small Andthen make that a habit that
(20:55):
becomes your fuel. And when youstart to see the impact that
habits can have on your mentalstate, you'll want to start
adding on other little habits.
And before you know it, you havecreated beautiful routines in
your life that help you stay ina head space of empowerment. And
(21:20):
like, I can do this. I thinkthat it is really difficult to
look inward at the time of goingthrough something difficult and
say, you know, what am Ilearning from this? I don't even
know that that's possible. Ithink everything that I've
learned through my journey, Ilook back and realize that
(21:43):
because I did certainactivities, it helped grow an
entirely different part of methan I ever had focused on
before.
So rather than shifting like,okay I have to figure out what
I'm supposed to learn from this.I personally don't know if
that's possible. But what I doknow is that when you make small
(22:06):
positive changes and then startto habitualize them, that is
gonna end up making you acompletely different person when
you come out of this for thebetter. And I think that's where
we should focus. Not on the hugeoverwhelming picture.
Carly Ries (22:26):
Well, so let me ask you. what would you say the
biggest lesson you've learnedhas been through all of this?
And how it's helped you thrivethrough all of your adversity?
Athena Brownson (22:36):
I would say that the biggest thing I've
learned is that you, as humans,I don't believe we're made to
get through things alone. I cansay for a fact that I would not
be able to continue running mybusiness or functioning
whatsoever, or not fall on adeep hole of depression, if I
(22:59):
didn't have a really strongincredible tribe around me. And
unfortunately, you know, whenyou're going through difficult
things, you really do learn whoyour people are. Because the
superficial acquaintances willkind of, weed themselves out.
And that's a painful process initself.
(23:20):
But understanding who the peopleare that you can rely on that
have your back authentically,and both in work and in your
personal life. Because truly, ascorny as it is, teamwork makes
the dream work.
Carly Ries (23:39):
Well, it's so funny to piggyback off of that. Our
favorite quote is flying solo inbusiness doesn't mean you're
alone. we just say that time andtime again.
Athena Brownson (23:47):
I love it.
Carly Ries (23:48):
and then on that note, we ask all of our guests
this question. So I have to askyou, what is your favorite
quote?
Yes.
Athena Brownson (23:57):
So you're not gonna be surprised because it's
pretty in line with what I'mtalking about. And it's success
is the sum of small efforts doneday in and day out. So it really
is like atomic habits. How can Ibe the best version of myself
today? And how can I make surethat I'm showing up as that
(24:18):
person?
Carly Ries (24:19):
Yes. Listeners, go check that book out if you
haven't. That's a good one.Wonderful. Well, Athena, you are
just so inspirational. Yourstory, just think can motivate
so many of our listeners.
And I think it's one that peopleneed to hear. Because sometimes,
I mean, people only see, peoplepost on Instagram or social or
whatever, and it's looks sowonderful, but everybody has
(24:43):
something. And everybody has astory and a history.
Athena Brownson (24:45):
Exactly.
Carly Ries (24:47):
Thank you for just sharing everything and being
vulnerable. where can peoplefind you if they wanna learn
more?
Athena Brownson (24:52):
Thank you for having me and for the
opportunity. I love connecting.if you go to my website, you can
find all my social, my phonenumber, Instagram, email, and
that's justwww.athenabrownsonrealtor.com
Carly Ries (25:14):
I'll include it in the show notes.
Athena Brownson (25:16):
What are the show notes? So yeah. Please, go
to the show notes. Obviously,like and subscribe, guys. This
is a great podcast.
Carly Ries (25:23):
Thank you.
Athena Brownson (25:23):
And I'm just so grateful to be here. So thank
you.
Carly Ries (25:27):
Yes. And listeners, I couldn't have said it better
myself. Please like andsubscribe, share it with a
friend, and we will see you nextweek on The Aspiring
Solopreneur. You may be goingsolo in business, but that
doesn't mean you're alone. Infact, millions of people are in
your shoes, running a one personbusiness and figuring it out as
they go.
So why not connect with them andlearn from each other's
(25:49):
successes and failures? AtLifeStarr, we're creating a one
person business community whereyou can go to meet and get
advice from other solopreneurs.Be sure to join in on the
conversations atcommunity.lifestarr.com.
What happens when a fearless pro skier turned top
(00:03):
real estate agent gets hit witha life altering chronic illness?
Well, you get a master class intrue resilience. This week, I
flew solo and I sat down withAthena Brownson, who opens up
about her wild ride from 300 ayear to battling Lyme disease,
losing her identity, andrebuilding a life and business
with deeper purpose, discipline,and heart. She shares powerful
(00:26):
lessons on grace and theroutines that carry us through
life's curveballs. If you haveever struggled with a setback
that rocked your world, thisepisode is for you.
You're listening to the AspiringSolopreneur, the podcast for
those just taking the bold stepor even just thinking about
taking that step into the worldof solo entrepreneurship. My
(00:47):
name is Carly Ries, and mycohost Joe Rando and I are your
guides navigating this crazy butawesome journey as a company of
one. We take pride in being partof LifeStarr, a digital hub
dedicated to all aspects ofsolopreneurship that has
empowered and educated countlesssolopreneurs looking to build a
business that resonates withtheir life's ambitions. We help
(01:09):
people work to live, not live towork. And if you're looking for
a get rich quick scheme, this isnot the show for you.
So if you're eager to gainvaluable insights from industry
experts on running a businessthe right way the first time
around or want to learn from themissteps of solopreneurs who've
paved the way before you, thenstick around. We've got your
back because flying solo inbusiness doesn't mean you're
(01:30):
alone. Athena, it's so funny. Ihad to hit record intentionally
because you and I were chattingoff line and I felt like it
could have taken up the wholehour.
Athena Brownson (01:40):
I think it could go all day, maybe not even
just the hour.
Carly Ries (01:44):
Yes. Listeners, this is what happens when Joe Rando
is under the weather and heleaves girl talk for run wild.
Athena Brownson (01:52):
And you know, it's his loss because he just
misses some great time to chatwith a couple of great ladies,
Carly Ries (02:00):
Exactly. And one of the things that he wished he was
on here for that you and I weretalking about off line, is that
he and his family, they actuallydealt with a crazy battle with
Lyme disease, and the wholepurpose of this episode is kind
of resilience and bouncing back.And I really want you to tell
your story from your skiingdays, and then your bout with
(02:21):
Lyme disease, and how thatchronic illness really redefined
your approach to resilience andsuccess.
Athena Brownson (02:27):
Oh my goodness. It has been, it feels like it's
been many lives at this point.And I would love to speak with
him about his family's journeywith Lyme disease because it is,
something that affects people sodifferently, and we'll get into
that. But really when I think ofresilience, and I think of grit
(02:50):
and discipline, and all of thetools that we, in our in our
adult lives, unfortunately, lifedoesn't ever go to plan. Like,
there are going to be bad thingsor unfortunate circumstances
that we stumble upon, and it'snot until we're in those that we
really understand what we'remade of, you know, what our
(03:15):
resilience levels are, if/ howwe can get ourselves through
challenges.
And when I look at my story, Ireally believe that it started
in my very young days as aprofessional skier. So as I
mentioned to you, I grew up in alittle mountain town called
Breckenridge in Colorado. I'm inDenver now. Where, I was able to
(03:39):
leave school every day at10:30AM, ski for the rest of the
day. It counted as my likehealth and PE credits. I had a
dad that was a professionalskier and a real estate
developer. And honestly, Iwanted nothing to do with real
estate because it's what he did.I wanted to forge my own path.
(04:01):
But when it came to skiing, allI wanted was to you know, kind
of follow in his footsteps. So Ilearned how to ski when I
learned how to walk.
I was two years old. And by thetime I was 15, I'd become a
pretty accomplished downhillskier, but I switched over to
freestyle skiing. So those arethose crazy people that you see
(04:24):
going through the half pipe andcatching huge air out of it, and
going down courses, hitting hugejumps. That was me. I definitely
was young and fearless.
I think about it now and all itdoes is make my joints hurt.
Just thinking about it. But Iwent pro at the age of 15. And
(04:48):
basically that means I wasgaining sponsorship. So I was
getting paid to wear differentpeople's, you know, Under Armour
for clothing and skull candy forheadphones, and the list goes
on.
So at 15, I had thisopportunity. And that really
enabled me to start travelingthe world to ski. So I skied
(05:10):
about 300 days a year. Now Ishould say in my ten years of
being a professional, I blew myknee nine times. I had two neck
surgeries.
I broke just about everythingyou could break. So if I wasn't
skiing, I was rehabbing aninjury. But what I had that I
(05:31):
never appreciated at the time,and as I think many of us take a
lot of things for granted, Itook for granted the fact that I
was being trained by some of themost elite level coaches in the
world. And even as a youngwoman, I was held to such a high
level of accountability that itwas in to me, it was frustrating
(05:56):
at the time. It was if you'retwo minutes late for practice,
you're doing burpees all day.
Or you know, if you're notlistening to the coach and
taking feedback, you're gonnahike the mountain. Whatever it
may be, there was always, alevel of accountability. I don't
know if discipline's the rightword because they were really
(06:17):
strengthening me. I saw it asdiscipline for messing up. But
what they were doing unknowinglyto myself was showing me my
toolkit for resilience andteaching me that if I could push
through my mind telling me noand keep going, that I could
(06:38):
accomplish so much more.
And they taught me visualizationwhich is something that, I
remember so clearly just sittingat the top of runs, visualizing
what my perfect run would be andstomping every trick that I was
trying. And I knew that if Ineeded to try a new trick,
(07:01):
because usually it's gonna be onsnow if you need to try
something new. That if I couldland it in my head, that I would
land it on snow. And these toolsthat they gave me, of course, I
didn't recognize whatsoever atthe time. But fast forward to
finishing college, retiring fromfrom skiing, which was a
(07:25):
complete identity crisis, theage of 24.
I'm like, wait, all I was wasskiing. I did that 300 days a
year. Like who am I? So that wasa really, rude awakening in
terms of just really findingmyself at a young age. But about
(07:45):
a year and a half into being aninterior designer, I was
realizing that the athlete inme, being a solo athlete and
being an only child, that Ineeded to be an entrepreneur.
I needed to be in charge of myown success, and know that if I
(08:06):
put in this much effort, theoutput is going to be
equivalent. And not buildingsomeone else's dreams, but
building my own. I just didn'tknow what that looked like. I
had a dear friend suggest realestate. I immediately was turned
off.
I was like, no realtors arecorny car salesman I don't want
anything to do with it. She'slike, you couldn't be more
(08:29):
wrong. Sit down with the ownerof my company and just chat with
him. And I did. And he taught mewhat relational relationship
based business is.
So I had the good fortune ofmentoring under him and finding
an amazing coach my first yearin real estate. So right as I
started to get my momentum, andI truly believe that coaching
(08:54):
and mentorship in any businessis one of the best gifts you can
give yourself because we don'tknow what we don't know. So if
you're going about, yourbusiness the same way you always
do, you don't even know whereyour blind spots are. And I
think we need people from theoutside looking in saying, hey,
(09:17):
this is where you need toimprove, this is where you can
delegate. And I needed that.
But I kinda got to the top of mygame. I was about two and a half
years into real estate and Ineeded one final neck surgery.
And it was a very minor one. Imean, I say minor, but I was
getting discs, new discs put inmy neck. And when I started
(09:41):
recovering from this necksurgery, you know, I went in the
same very healthy, very fitadult that I was as a skier.
And when I was recovering fromsurgery, I started getting all
these really weird infection,like GI infections. And my
(10:01):
fatigue levels were justskyrocketing. Brain fog. And I'd
never experienced anything likethis before. I really used to be
the energizer bunny, and I thinkI could, you know, ski for
twelve hours and hit the gym andgo out and hang out with friends
and do it all again the nextday. I think about that now and
(10:23):
I just wanna like hide under apillow. But truly, my world got
completely flipped upside downreally quickly. And I was
fortunate enough to have adoctor that said, look, I think
we should test you for Lymedisease. I looked at him and
told him he was crazy that I'dnever even seen a tick before,
(10:46):
let alone, seen a tick bite. ButI had traveled the world.
So it was a you know, it was apossibility that of course I
could have been bit at any timein the last fifteen, twenty
years. And Lyme kinda laysdormant in your system. So it
waits for your immune system tobe lowered. And then all of a
(11:08):
sudden when like a neck surgery,my immune system's weakened. And
then it can take over.
And it affects everyonedifferently. It attacks whatever
your genetic weaknesses are. Soit can turn up like psychiatric
issues for one person.
(11:29):
It can look like rheumatoidarthritis. For me, it turned
into several autoimmunediseases. The worst of which
basically, is that my own bodyattacks the sheathing around my
nerves. So I am constantly inincredible amounts of pain. And
the stories that I could tellyou of the last ten years would
(11:51):
take ten hours probably, so I'llsave you.
Carly Ries (11:54):
Is that in present day too? looks so legit. you're
so put together
Athena Brownson (12:01):
That's what is crazy about chronic illness and
invisible illness is that youknow, and part of my toolkit for
kind of getting myself goingwhen I don't feel well. Like I
woke up this morning and feltlike every bone in my body was
broken. I was like, I can'tmove. But I know that if I put
(12:24):
on some of my favorite musicsuper loud, if I just get myself
to the shower, if I can getmyself from the shower to go put
on my makeup, which I call mywar paint, it like, these are
the steps that help get me intoa place where even when my body
is not well or does not feelgood, I'm able to still show up.
(12:48):
And unfortunately, one of themost difficult parts of getting
sick was learning that I had nodelegation skills whatsoever.
Coming from, again, being a oneperson show athlete, and as an
only child. I realized that Ineeded help. I think one of the
(13:11):
greatest gifts we can giveourselves is to learn what we
excel at, and where our time isbest spent. And the activities
that are not necessarily onesthat you should be putting your
energy into, are things that youcan give someone else an
opportunity that loves thosethings to take over.
(13:34):
But I had to learn how todelegate unfortunately, and it
took a while. And I'm stilllearning. But yeah, I mean, I'd
say my pain levels, I've gonethrough every treatment you
could imagine in the last eightyears. I get four plasma
transfusions a month currently.I just got the port out of my
chest and into my arm, which isreally exciting because I don't
(13:57):
have tubes hanging out of mychest.
But it's an every single daybattle. And the loss of identity
in going from being aprofessional athlete to
basically, trying to convincemyself that I could get up was
(14:19):
really challenging. And it'sbeen a huge huge journey. Sorry.
I'm talking so much.
Carly Ries (14:26):
That's why we had you on the show. Question for
you is, so for the first part ofyour life was skiing. And I'd
imagine when you're goingthrough all of these
debilitating symptoms andtroubleshooting, just everything
under the sun, like, you say youput on your war paint, you say
(14:46):
if I can get it from this, butthere has to be a why behind it.
Like, how did you rediscoverthat when you shifted to the new
identity? And for people thatmaybe they don't have Lyme
disease, but they are juststruggling in life, how can they
develop that why and then use itto move them forward?
Athena Brownson (15:04):
honestly that has been my biggest, the thing
that has kept me going. I trulybelieve that life never goes to
plan like I said, and we allface different forms of
adversity in our lives. But it'snever, the easy times in our
lives that we look back and wesay, oh my gosh, I grew so much
(15:28):
from that. It's from thedifficult times. So then it's a
matter of, okay, I know that Iam, facing adversity, in the
midst of adversity, what am Igonna do to not let myself get
stuck in the mud?
And for me, I have had theprivilege of having a very
(15:49):
strong why. And that is trulybeing able to create lifelong
relationships with my clients.my clients end up becoming my
family. I stay in touch withthem forever. If they ever need
anything home related, they knowthat I'm there for them.
And forming these relationships,I'm such a relational person,
(16:13):
it's what keeps me getting outof bed in the morning. I also
started developing properties.So being a Colorado native,
being able to have a positiveimpact on the footprint of the
city, and what type ofproperties are being developed.
And just really being consciousof what I'm creating because I
(16:38):
think there's so much buildingout there that's just a little
bit disappointing. those havebeen my whys.
Carly Ries (16:47):
I was gonna start laughing because earlier you
said I turned into my dad from ascheme standpoint but I'm not So
rook's on you.
Athena Brownson (16:58):
you know, he grew up telling me a Frank Zappa
lyric that's in ten years,you'll be just like your
parents. And I look at myselfand I look at my parents, and I
am like the perfect combinationof the two of them. And I
honestly wouldn't change it forthe world. I I appreciate it so
much now, and he's been a hugeforce in helping me gain my
(17:20):
footing in the world ofdevelopment. Because you know,
he pretty much built most ofBreckenridge.
He knows what he's doing. I'vebeen figuring it out. But when
we're in the midst of adversity,I think as humans we have a
tendency to over complicateeverything. So whether it's how
(17:42):
we're approaching our business,everything. So whether it's how
we're approaching our business,relationships, we overthink
things, and it really comes downto finding what routines are
your like saving grace.
What are your go to's for whenthings are not going right? Do
you journal? Do you write outaffirmations? Do you do your
(18:04):
goals in the present tense? Doyou have a therapist maybe?
Like do you blast music to getyourself out of bed and convince
yourself that you can keepgoing? what are the habits, the
rituals, the routines that youcan build into your life that
are just gonna be, you know, I'ma big atomic habits fan, like
(18:27):
that book is one of myfavorites. And if we can just
focus on trying to be 1% betterevery day, then that is the
greatest gift you can giveyourself, especially when you're
going through something reallychallenging.
Carly Ries (18:44):
I was gonna ask, because you're talking about the
routines and everything, andlooking at setbacks as learning
tools and building blocks. Butwhen you're in the thick of it,
it's kinda hard to see setbacksas learning tools. You're just
like ridiculous, you're just ina bad mental state. So how do
you reframe your mindset so thatyou can get to the point where
(19:05):
you look at them as buildingblocks and learning tools
Athena Brownson (19:09):
I think that's time, honestly. I think it's
really important, you know. Iwent through years of anger and
sadness, and mourning the lifethat I once had, because it
really was a complete shift inmy life, and who I had always
(19:30):
been. It was devastating to becompletely honest. So I think
it's crucial for people to feelwhat they need to feel.
And, there are going to befeelings of anger and sadness
and bouts of depressionpotentially. But the key is to
(19:50):
not get stuck in that mud, Ilike to say. if you can take,
when you feel like you've gottenpast the worst of the pain or
suffering or whatever it is thatyou're going through. If you can
say, okay, I'm just gonna startby doing one thing a day that
(20:13):
brings me joy. Or one thing aday that helps me to recenter
myself.
Whether again, journaling,meditating, talking to someone.
I think the biggest issue withgoals a lot of times and you
know, with getting throughthings is that it feels like an
(20:35):
insurmountable huge task. And ifyou can break it up and just say
you know what, I'm gonna startwith one small activity that I
know is good for me or brings mejoy, working out. Like whatever
it may be, just start small Andthen make that a habit that
(20:55):
becomes your fuel. And when youstart to see the impact that
habits can have on your mentalstate, you'll want to start
adding on other little habits.
And before you know it, you havecreated beautiful routines in
your life that help you stay ina head space of empowerment. And
(21:20):
like, I can do this. I thinkthat it is really difficult to
look inward at the time of goingthrough something difficult and
say, you know, what am Ilearning from this? I don't even
know that that's possible. Ithink everything that I've
learned through my journey, Ilook back and realize that
(21:43):
because I did certainactivities, it helped grow an
entirely different part of methan I ever had focused on
before.
So rather than shifting like,okay I have to figure out what
I'm supposed to learn from this.I personally don't know if
that's possible. But what I doknow is that when you make small
(22:06):
positive changes and then startto habitualize them, that is
gonna end up making you acompletely different person when
you come out of this for thebetter. And I think that's where
we should focus. Not on the hugeoverwhelming picture.
Carly Ries (22:26):
Well, so let me ask you. what would you say the
biggest lesson you've learnedhas been through all of this?
And how it's helped you thrivethrough all of your adversity?
Athena Brownson (22:36):
I would say that the biggest thing I've
learned is that you, as humans,I don't believe we're made to
get through things alone. I cansay for a fact that I would not
be able to continue running mybusiness or functioning
whatsoever, or not fall on adeep hole of depression, if I
(22:59):
didn't have a really strongincredible tribe around me. And
unfortunately, you know, whenyou're going through difficult
things, you really do learn whoyour people are. Because the
superficial acquaintances willkind of, weed themselves out.
And that's a painful process initself.
(23:20):
But understanding who the peopleare that you can rely on that
have your back authentically,and both in work and in your
personal life. Because truly, ascorny as it is, teamwork makes
the dream work.
Carly Ries (23:39):
Well, it's so funny to piggyback off of that. Our
favorite quote is flying solo inbusiness doesn't mean you're
alone. we just say that time andtime again.
Athena Brownson (23:47):
I love it.
Carly Ries (23:48):
and then on that note, we ask all of our guests
this question. So I have to askyou, what is your favorite
quote?
Yes.
Athena Brownson (23:57):
So you're not gonna be surprised because it's
pretty in line with what I'mtalking about. And it's success
is the sum of small efforts doneday in and day out. So it really
is like atomic habits. How can Ibe the best version of myself
today? And how can I make surethat I'm showing up as that
(24:18):
person?
Carly Ries (24:19):
Yes. Listeners, go check that book out if you
haven't. That's a good one.Wonderful. Well, Athena, you are
just so inspirational. Yourstory, just think can motivate
so many of our listeners.
And I think it's one that peopleneed to hear. Because sometimes,
I mean, people only see, peoplepost on Instagram or social or
whatever, and it's looks sowonderful, but everybody has
(24:43):
something. And everybody has astory and a history.
Athena Brownson (24:45):
Exactly.
Carly Ries (24:47):
Thank you for just sharing everything and being
vulnerable. where can peoplefind you if they wanna learn
more?
Athena Brownson (24:52):
Thank you for having me and for the
opportunity. I love connecting.if you go to my website, you can
find all my social, my phonenumber, Instagram, email, and
that's justwww.athenabrownsonrealtor.com
Carly Ries (25:14):
I'll include it in the show notes.
Athena Brownson (25:16):
What are the show notes? So yeah. Please, go
to the show notes. Obviously,like and subscribe, guys. This
is a great podcast.
Carly Ries (25:23):
Thank you.
Athena Brownson (25:23):
And I'm just so grateful to be here. So thank
you.
Carly Ries (25:27):
Yes. And listeners, I couldn't have said it better
myself. Please like andsubscribe, share it with a
friend, and we will see you nextweek on The Aspiring
Solopreneur. You may be goingsolo in business, but that
doesn't mean you're alone. Infact, millions of people are in
your shoes, running a one personbusiness and figuring it out as
they go.
So why not connect with them andlearn from each other's
(25:49):
successes and failures? AtLifeStarr, we're creating a one
person business community whereyou can go to meet and get
advice from other solopreneurs.Be sure to join in on the
conversations atcommunity.lifestarr.com.
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