Conversations with Prieska Outland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Prieska Outland.

Hi Prieska, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia, with Liberian roots, and my journey has been anything but traditional. Growing up, I always knew I was creative, ambitious, and meant to do something impactful, but like many people, I had to go through life experiences that helped shape who I am today.

I earned my degree in Accounting from Georgia State University and initially pursued a corporate career while simultaneously building businesses on the side. I’ve always believed in creating multiple streams of income and not relying on just one path for success.

One of my first major entrepreneurial ventures was a jewelry business called Feisty Jewels. Interestingly, the business originally started because I needed a new car. I began selling jewelry out of the trunk of my car and saved consistently until I was able to purchase the vehicle I wanted. A few months later, I was unexpectedly laid off from my accounting job, and what initially started as a side hustle quickly became my safety net.

I eventually expanded the business into a jewelry kiosk and ran it full-time until I secured another corporate accounting position. Even then, I continued balancing both worlds — working my corporate job during the day, then heading to my kiosk afterward to close up shop. It was exhausting at times, but it taught me discipline, resilience, resourcefulness, and how to bet on myself even when life felt uncertain.

Deep down, though, I knew my true passions were creativity, acting, wellness, and inspiring others. I wanted more freedom to pursue purpose-driven work instead of constantly living in survival mode.

Then life took an unexpected turn.
Believe it or not, I received a flight attendant interview opportunity with Delta Air Lines and didn’t even remember applying for the position. Still, I decided to go for it. I made it all the way to the face-to-face interview before ultimately being rejected. Surprisingly, I wasn’t devastated. Something inside me told me that one “no” could never determine my destiny.

The same day, I applied to American Airlines. Two days later, I received a web interview with US Airways, and shortly afterward I was flown to Dallas/Fort Worth for a face-to-face interview where I received a conditional job offer pending completion of flight attendant training. A couple months later, I entered flight school, successfully completed the program, and earned my wings.

Looking back, I truly believe aviation was part of my purpose.

Being a flight attendant forced me to step outside of my comfort zone, explore the world, meet people from all walks of life, and unlock an entirely different level of creativity within myself. Aviation gave me flexibility, freedom, and perspective. It allowed me to continue building businesses, pursue entertainment and motivational speaking, invest in real estate, and most importantly, evolve into a more confident and purpose-driven version of myself.

After more than a decade in aviation, I also witnessed firsthand the physical and mental challenges flight crews face daily — long hours, burnout, stress, loneliness, and constantly being in service to others while neglecting themselves. That experience inspired me to create the Flight Crew Kickball Classic™ (FCKC), a national wellness and community initiative designed to bring together flight attendants, pilots, and aviation professionals through fitness, friendly competition, connection, and purpose.

At the core of everything I do is my F.I.T. philosophy: Focused, Invested, Transformed. I believe transformation starts with mindset, discipline, self-investment, and the willingness to evolve through adversity instead of giving up.

Today, I continue building businesses, developing entertainment projects, creating motivational content, and using my platform to encourage people to become the best version of themselves mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially. My journey is still unfolding, but one thing I’ve learned is that purpose often reveals itself through the challenges we overcome and the courage to keep going anyway

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Like many entrepreneurs and creatives, there were seasons where the journey felt lonely, uncertain, and emotionally exhausting.

One thing people often don’t realize is that when you’re grounded in your truth and naturally optimistic, you don’t always broadcast your struggles to the world. For a long time, I was the person others leaned on during difficult times, but I often handled my own challenges privately. I’ve never been someone who likes to sit in negativity or constantly relive hard moments. I prefer to acknowledge the problem, learn from it, and move forward.

There were moments where I felt like I couldn’t fully depend on others emotionally because sometimes when you share struggles with the wrong people, they continue attaching you to that version of yourself long after you’ve mentally moved on. So instead, I spent a lot of time praying, reflecting, and asking God for guidance while quietly figuring things out one step at a time.

One of the hardest yet most transformative periods of my life came during COVID when I was furloughed from aviation for five months. I remember sitting alone at home watching the news every day feeling overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty. Eventually, I made a conscious decision to turn the television off and stop feeding fear. I told myself I was going to move forward no matter what.

Thankfully, I had also spent years believing in financial preparedness and multiple streams of income. I’ve always believed that part of true wellness is not just being mentally, spiritually, and physically strong, but financially disciplined as well. Because of that mindset, I had savings in place and had built additional income streams before the furlough ever happened, which gave me a level of peace and stability during uncertain times.

Ironically, those five months ended up transforming my life.

Instead of dwelling on uncertainty, I focused on growth. I deepened my knowledge of real estate investing, which ultimately became one of the streams of income that helped sustain me during that season. I also became an online Zumba and fitness instructor through Zoom, using wellness and motivation to help encourage others during an incredibly difficult time in the world. Helping others stay mentally and physically strong actually made me stronger in the process.

During that same period, I was blessed with a lead role in an action film, “Meet The Snows”, that filmed over the course of two months. What initially felt like devastation slowly became an opportunity for reinvention, creativity, and self-discovery.

I didn’t tell many people I had been furloughed because I didn’t want fear, panic, or negativity distracting me from my purpose. Instead, I chose to stay focused, create action plans, strengthen my mindset, and build a new normal for myself centered around growth and possibility.

One thing I also remember during that season was encouraging many of my coworkers who had been furloughed alongside me. While fear and uncertainty were everywhere, I kept telling them not to lose faith — that we were going to get our jobs back sooner rather than later. I would always say “P.U.S.H. — Pray Until Something Happens.”

Many of us stood in agreement, stayed hopeful, and continued pushing forward despite not knowing what the future held. Sure enough, months later, we were back in the skies again.

That season taught me that some of life’s greatest obstacles can also become the foundation for transformation. Looking back now, I can honestly say that once I stopped operating from fear and truly got F.I.T. — Focused, Invested, and Transformed — my life began changing in ways I never imagined.

Many of the obstacles I once questioned were actually preparing me for the work I’m doing today: encouraging others to stay resilient, evolve through adversity, and become the best version of themselves mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Professionally, I wear many hats, but everything I do is ultimately connected through purpose, creativity, wellness, and transformation.

I’m a flight attendant, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, actress, producer, real estate investor, fitness enthusiast, and the founder and visionary of the Flight Crew Kickball Classic™ (FCKC), a national wellness and community initiative designed to promote the mental and physical wellness of flights attendants and pilots through fitness, connection, friendly competition, and purpose-driven impact.

I’m also the creator of the F.I.T. philosophy, which stands for Focused, Invested, and Transformed. It’s a lifestyle mindset centered around becoming the best version of yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially. That philosophy has influenced every area of my life — from entrepreneurship and wellness to aviation, speaking, and personal development.

Over the years, I’ve built businesses in multiple industries, including jewelry, real estate, wellness, and entertainment. I’m also the author of my first guided journal on Amazon, “Pure Awesome-ness”, which was created to encourage self-reflection, confidence, positivity, and personal growth.

Creativity and storytelling have always been major parts of who I am. In addition to acting and modeling, I’ve written, produced, and starred in my own short films, including Just Right and The Perfect Man. Many people also recognize me from modeling, including being featured as Jet Beauty of the Week and a PZI Jeans Ambassador which was a huge accomplishment and confidence boost for me early in my journey.

People who know me personally also know me for my passion for dance, fitness and self-discipline. Health and wellness have consistently been part of my lifestyle for years, long before it became trendy online. Fitness has always been more than physical appearance to me — it’s mental strength, emotional release, confidence, consistency, and transformation.

One of my friends jokingly gave me the nickname “Slash” because I do a little bit of everything, and honestly, it stuck. We laugh about it, but in many ways it reflects my journey. I’ve never wanted to limit myself to one lane or one title. I believe people are capable of evolving into multiple versions of themselves throughout life.

What I’m most proud of is my ability to continuously reinvent myself while remaining authentic to who I am. I think what sets me apart is my ability to combine creativity, resilience, business, wellness, and purpose into one vision. I’ve experienced corporate life, entrepreneurship, entertainment, aviation, fitness, and personal reinvention firsthand, which allows me to connect with people from many different walks of life.

At my core, I want people to understand that transformation is possible no matter where you start. A lot of my work — whether through speaking, fitness, aviation wellness initiatives, writing, filmmaking, or storytelling — is centered around helping people evolve, believe in themselves, and realize they are capable of more than they think.

Right now, much of my focus is dedicated to growing the Flight Crew Kickball Classic™ into a meaningful movement within the aviation community while continuing to build projects that inspire, entertain, and positively impact others.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I would say resilience, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and patience have been the qualities most responsible for my success.

Life has taught me that things will not always go according to plan. I’ve experienced rejection, uncertainty, career changes, financial risks, emotional challenges, and moments where I had to completely reinvent myself. Through all of it, I learned how to stay grounded, adjust, and keep moving forward instead of allowing temporary setbacks to define me.

I’ve also learned the importance of emotional intelligence and patience, especially when dealing with difficult situations or people. Not everything deserves a reaction, and sometimes protecting your peace, staying disciplined, and responding with wisdom instead of emotion is what truly helps you grow.

Another quality that has helped me tremendously is my willingness to evolve. I’ve never been afraid to step outside of my comfort zone or pursue different passions. Whether it was transitioning from accounting into aviation, entrepreneurship, acting, fitness, real estate, or motivational speaking, I’ve learned that growth requires courage, flexibility, and faith in yourself.

Most importantly, I try to remain authentic. I don’t believe success is about pretending life is perfect. To me, success is about continuing to grow through every experience while inspiring others to do the same.

That mindset ultimately became the foundation of my F.I.T. philosophy — being Focused, Invested, and Transformed — because real transformation happens through consistency, self-discipline, faith, and the willingness to keep going even when life feels uncertain.

Pricing:

• Flight Crew Kickball Classic™ (FCKC) Player Registration: $100 per player (includes tournament participation, team jersey/uniform package, and charitable contribution)
• Vendor Opportunities for Flight Crew Kickball Classic™: Starting at $150 for approved vendors
• Sponsorship & Partnership Opportunities for Flight Crew Kickball Classic™: Custom packages availableMore information available at: https://flightcrewkickballclassic.com/
• Motivational Speaking, Wellness Engagements, Brand Collaborations & Media Appearances: Pricing varies depending on event type, audience size, travel requirements, and campaign scope
• • Upcoming Speaking Engagement: CHOICES Youth & Parent Conference in Jonesboro, GA on Saturday, May 30, 2026 — Admission starts at $15 via Eventbrite

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flightcrewkickballclassic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieskaoutlandofficial?igsh=amd6YngxM2I4amdn&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrieskaOutland
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prieska-outland-5a1a543b6?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@prieskaoutland?si=GIDYRLe4CCXIi33x
• Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/choices-youth-and-parent-conference-tickets-1985198820111?aff=ebdssbdestsearch