ASTRONAUT AMBITION
Brie, the Astronaut Trainer
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
INSIDE THE PSYCHE OF AN ASTRONAUT TRAINER
As an Astronaut Trainer, my job is to challenge you to reach your goals. I get to know who you are. What are your strengths, your weaknesses, what makes you uncomfortable, and ultimately how much I can push you before you nearly break, only to build you back up again stronger than before. Do YOU know all of this about yourself?
To me, space is the ultimate catalyst for (both inward and outward) transformative growth. My teaching philosophy is centered around the “Hero’s Journey” method – simply stated, when you undergo an uncomfortable challenge, a “shift” occurs, that releases self-imposed limitations and transforms your perspective on yourself and on the world. I’ve found this to be true in myself, of my students I teach, and ensure it is designed into every fitness, space training, retreat or adventure program I create. I believe adventure IS the solution for holistic mind, body, and soul transformative growth that will ultimately launch you – upward!
My curiosity for exploration started early – probably around 5 months old on my first overseas trip to Europe where I continue to visit to this day. Growing up, my parents took me camping every weekend and on many trips with them, but it was my first SCUBA lesson in the Bahamas at age 14 where I became enthralled in the microcosm WORLD of colorful symbiotic diversity that I began to see everything was connected and it was all made accessible by gear and an adventurous spirit. Recalling back, even my first book purchase request to my father was “the world of Jacques Cousteau” ($50 at the time!) and soon after it was Wyland – the artist that captures sea AND space majestically. To this day, the realms of sea, space, and spirt continue to fascinate me.
By age 26, I had traveled quite a bit, finished college (biology), and entered the training simulation world of human performance in extreme environments – basically trying to understand the limits of top fighter pilots and used technology that simulated air and sea environments to properly train them. In less than a year, my company grew to include spaceflight – and I volunteered to spearhead the budding new space division. I was sent to NASA to “figure things out” and got myself trained in as many training activities that I could find. Around this time, the XPrize had also just been awarded, setting off a continuing chain reaction of events for me (and the entire commercial space industry) that had led us to today – where I have now trained several hundreds of people for commercial spaceflights, designed globally recognized space preparation programs, and am currently leading the training programming and facility design for the next generation astronaut training campus – which will enable modern-day space explorers everywhere to take part in astronaut training and access space for the first time in history.
Saying yes to adventure is the start of any journey. So…who’s ready to become transformed?
XO, Brie
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, it is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
– Marianne Willamson
How to “Hero Journey” the SHIT out of your Life
Here is a cliff notes version to help you live your life to the fullest! First, go look up the Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell (there is a short YouTube video on it if you like). Second, decide to embark on an adventure! (this can be big or small). Third, go find a mentor /teacher/ guru (Yes, like Yoda) to motivate you. You can ask friends for help, send an email, stalk someone’s profile, or sign up for a retreat or class!
Forth, go on your journey, do that class, and keep an open mind – no judgment! (TIP – the more often you go out of your comfort zone and the more receptive to failure and judgement you are, the greater your transformation potential is!) Finally, five – discover who you really are through your unique adventure. (Then just keep going down Alice’s rabbit hole as far as you like with more adventures, learning, etc.!)
Adventures Around the Globe
