Meet Kathy

“I have always had a passion for new experiences and challenge,” said Kathy O’Brien.  “Travel is always in my blood but new experience is the root of it.”

Kathy O’Brien’s experiences around the world as a contestant on CBS’ Survivor were a continuation of her love for adventure. O’Brien was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and moved on to live in Boston, Charlotte, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and San Diego.  She attended four years at Rhode Island School of Design.

O’Brien has called Vermont home for the past 20 years, along with her son Patrick. She currently works as a real estate agent with Lang McLaughry Spera in South Burlington, Vermont. She enjoys helping her clients find their special slice of Vermont and working together as a team to find a good home and quality of life. “Vermont is such a unique place to live that I take great pride in connecting my clients with their new life in this incredible state,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien has always been a self-starter. For ten years she ran two of her own small businesses: a unique paper, gifts and art products store and an event-planning business. O’Brien sold the businesses and went into real estate.  She saw this career move as a way to provide a more secure lifestyle for her son, Patrick.

O’Brien competed and finished third place on CBS’ Survivor: Marquesas in 2001.  Two years later, she went back to compete again against former Survivor contestants in Survivor All Star. Survivor changed the course of O’Brien’s life. Prior to Survivor Marquesas, O’Brien says she was good at putting on a tough exterior but was actually feeling extremely alone. At 47, O’Brien realized she needed more and needed to follow her heart and her dreams.

Auditioning and competing on Survivor pulled her out of a rut. She discovered her own strength, courage, perseverance and insight. She became empowered. O’Brien now tells her story to women across America through speaking engagements. She wants women to learn what a liberating and empowering feeling it is take risks.

Since returning from Survivor, O’Brien began a foundation to help women gain self-confidence through outdoor adventures, challenges and risk taking called The Real Foundation.  Most recently, she has co-founded a new business, R3, to encourage and inspire corporate teams and individuals through an outdoor adventure testing their skills of communication, consideration and cooperation.

O’Brien’s love for the outdoors is evident in the hobbies she has chosen. She loves to hike, ski, sail, road bike and mountain bike. In 1998, O’Brien biked across the United States for the American Lung Association as a dedication to her father. She biked for 48 days from Seattle to Washington, D. C., and raised over four million dollars.