Alethia Austin has spent more than two decades in skydiving — but her story starts long before the first jump. In this episode of the Hard Deck Podcast, Mark sits down with Alethia Austin, owner and publisher of Skydive Mag, international freefly and angle coach, creator of the LSD Camps, world-record skydiver, organizer, mentor, and one of the people helping shape the next generation of the sport. Alethia shares how growing up in rural Oregon, navigating poverty and a difficult childhood, and eventually building a career in the music industry helped shape the independence and perspective she carries today. We follow her journey from Los Angeles and music supervision to Amsterdam, yoga, Skydive Spain, international coaching, and eventually taking over one of the largest global media platforms in skydiving. But this conversation goes well beyond flying. Mark and Alethia get into the role of humility in high performance, why experienced skydivers eventually realize how much they still don’t know, the importance of physical and mental longevity, plant medicine and healing, meditation, strength training, AI-generated “slop,” protecting authentic human voices, and why doing difficult things can be one of the greatest sources of joy in life. They also discuss where skydiving is headed — including safety, social media, attracting new jumpers, the responsibility of the industry’s governing bodies, and Alethia’s vision for the future of Skydive Mag. Alethia’s philosophy is simple but powerful: stay curious, protect your health, tell the truth, and never stop being a student. In this episode: Taking over Skydive Mag and finding new voices in skydivingWhy humility increases with experienceThe different phases skydivers go through as they progressGrowing up in poverty and learning independence earlyHealing trauma and finding gratitude in difficult experiencesAyahuasca, meditation, therapy, and personal growthUsing AI without outsourcing your own thinkingWhy authentic human storytelling matters more in the age of AIAlethia’s career in the music industry and work on The Great DebatersMoving to Europe and discovering yoga and international skydivingBuilding LSD Camps and becoming an international organizerMarketing Skydive Spain and helping rebrand three European drop zonesWhy strength training matters for skydiversDifferences Alethia sees coaching male and female athletesThe future of skydiving participation and cultureSafety, aircraft accidents, demo incidents, and how the sport is portrayed onlineWhy Alethia believes reciprocity has shaped some of the biggest opportunities of her lifeWhat it means to become a lifelong student Learn more about Alethia and read Skydive Mag at SkydiveMag.com.
