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Life After Survivor

Monkton, Vermont - September 26, 2002

Watching Survivor is a little different for Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien and her son Pat. That's because as a former Survivor Cast member, Kathy watches with an insiders eye.

Life after Survivor is a much different existence for Kathy, the Monkton Real Estate Agent now spends her time away from work talking to school and business groups. She's also starting an organization with other former Survivors that brings business groups out into the wilderness to show executives there's more to life than money.

"How to get from point A to Z," Kathy explains. "And at point Z there is going to be a climax, they won't win a million bucks, but they're gonna come out of it thinking different thoughts."

Kathy is also focused on her charity. The Real Foundation is designed to help women climb out of a rut and change their lives by boosting their self confidence.

"I've contacted outward bound, and we are launching the first grant money from the foundation," she says, "and we're going to have two women and maybe more go through an outward bound experience."

Kathy still receives daily e-mail from fans of the show, as strangers from around the world have proposed marriage and passed on kind words. She also hears from people on the street who watched the show, and feel like they know her.

"Everybody comes up and they touch you," she says with a chuckle, "which is interesting, but that's because I bared by soul on the show, so people will come up, they'll give me a hug, which is interesting, 'Kathy, how are you, it's so good to see you again,' I don't know them from Adam and they give me a big old heartfelt hug."

But even though Kathy has enjoyed the fame that came from the show, she also says it can't go away soon enough.

"I am ready for it to be done, I love going to talk to kids, and I love going to talk to groups about the insight part of it, but it's pop culture, 'oh my god it's Kathy,' you know, it's time, it's done."

Mark Bosma - Channel 3 News