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 skydiving
• Why humility increases with experience
• The different phases skydivers go through as they progress
• Growing up in poverty and learning independence early
• Healing trauma and finding gratitude in difficult experiences
• Ayahuasca, meditation, therapy, and personal growth
• Using AI without outsourcing your own thinking
• Why authentic human storytelling matters more in the age of AI
• Alethia’s career in the music industry and work on The Great Debaters
• Moving to Europe and discovering yoga and international skydiving
• Building LSD Camps and becoming an international organizer
• Marketing Skydive Spain and helping rebrand three European drop zones
• Why strength training matters for skydivers
• Differences Alethia sees coaching male and female athletes
• The future of skydiving participation and culture
• Safety, aircraft accidents, demo incidents, and how the sport is portrayed online
• Why Alethia believes reciprocity has shaped some of the biggest opportunities of her life
• What it means to become a lifelong student

Learn more about Alethia and read Skydive Mag at SkydiveMag.com.