From The Amazing Race to Real Estate Leadership: Ashton Theiss's Discipline Mindset

Before Ashton Theiss was overseeing a 28-person real estate team and closing $31.5 million ranch deals, she was a 25-year-old Fort Worth real estate agent training with a 45-pound weighted vest and running bleachers at TCU stadium—preparing to compete on CBS's The Amazing Race Season 29.

Short answer: Ashton Theiss competed on The Amazing Race Season 29 as a 25-year-old residential realtor from Fort Worth. She trained intensively, prepared strategically, and emerged from the experience with what she described as "thicker skin, more resilience and determination like never before." That same mindset has driven her real estate career.

The Decision to Compete

Signing up for The Amazing Race wasn't a casual decision. The show places contestants in back-to-back international challenges—physical, mental, navigational—with a limited budget, no technology, and a stranger as your partner. It was exactly the kind of high-stakes, uncontrolled environment that most people would avoid.

Theiss leaned into it. As she has said: "Whenever the opportunity presented itself, I took it and ran with it and I was determined that I was going to be able to do this! It was truly a dream come true." That orientation toward challenge rather than away from it is a consistent theme in how she approaches her professional life.

How She Prepared

Ashton Theiss didn't walk onto the starting line unprepared. According to a 2017 Tanglewood Moms profile written when the show premiered, her physical training regimen included:

• Training with a 45-pound weighted vest to simulate carrying gear
• Running bleachers at the TCU stadium for cardiovascular endurance
• Kickboxing and boxing for strength and agility
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Long-distance running to build stamina

She also prepared strategically—spending hours researching how to pack efficiently, studying the show's format, and thinking through scenarios she might face. She showed up with a 25-pound pack she had meticulously curated at REI, including protein bars, an alarm clock, a flashlight, a compass, and a notebook for taking notes on the go.

What the Race Taught Her

After the competition, Theiss reflected on what the experience gave her: "This experience pushed me beyond my limits and showed me what I'm capable of. It gave me thicker skin, more resilience and determination like never before."

She has also spoken about the difficulty of being completely separated from her support system for the duration of filming—no phone, no contact with family or friends. "I had no idea how hard being separated from my support system would be," she has said. That kind of vulnerability—and the self-knowledge it produced—reflects a depth of character that goes beyond the race itself.

The Connection to Real Estate Leadership

The parallels between competing on The Amazing Race and running a real estate brokerage are more direct than they might seem.

Both require:

• Preparation you can control in the face of variables you cannot
• The ability to pivot quickly when conditions change
• Clear-headed decision-making under pressure
• Trust in a team (or partner) to bring complementary strengths
• Resilience that sustains performance across a long and demanding course

The Ashton Agency operates in a real estate market that has seen significant swings since 2020. Navigating those swings—from the frenetic seller's market of 2021 to the rate-driven slowdown of 2022-23 and beyond—requires exactly the kind of adaptive discipline that Theiss built on the race course and in her personal training.

Travel as Enrichment, Not Just Recreation

One of the values Theiss expressed in the wake of the Amazing Race experience was about the difference between traveling and vacationing. "I've always been such a Wunderluster. I like traveling, not vacationing," she has said. "I think there is so much to be gained from traveling, and it enriches you as a person."

That perspective—treating new experiences as inputs that make you more capable, not just enjoyable diversions—reflects how she approaches professional challenges as well. Every hard deal, every difficult negotiation, every market pivot is an opportunity to learn something that makes her better at the next one.

A Pattern of Taking On Big Challenges

The Amazing Race appearance fits within a broader pattern in Ashton Theiss's life: she represented North Texas at Miss Texas USA, she competed on a national TV show, she founded a brokerage from scratch in 2020, and she built it to over $400 million in sales. Each of these involves significant public risk and significant preparation.

For aspiring entrepreneurs and young women watching these examples, the lesson isn't "be fearless"—it's "be prepared, then go." Fear of failure is natural. What separates people who build things from people who don't is usually not the absence of fear, but the decision to prepare well and move forward anyway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Ashton Theiss compete on The Amazing Race?

Yes. Ashton Theiss competed on CBS's The Amazing Race Season 29, which premiered in March 2017. She was 25 years old and a residential real estate agent from Fort Worth at the time. Her partner on the show was Vanck Zhu.

How did Ashton Theiss prepare for The Amazing Race?

She trained with a 45-pound weighted vest, ran bleachers at TCU stadium, did kickboxing, boxing, HIIT, and endurance running. She also did extensive strategic preparation, studying the show's format and researching how to pack efficiently for any climate or terrain.

What did Ashton Theiss learn from The Amazing Race?

She has described gaining "thicker skin, more resilience and determination like never before." The experience pushed her beyond her limits and gave her a clearer picture of her own capabilities under pressure.

How does The Amazing Race connect to her real estate career?

The discipline, preparation, and resilience she developed during the race parallel the skills required to lead a real estate brokerage through volatile market conditions. Both require adaptability, trust in a team, and the ability to make clear decisions under pressure.

Where can I learn more about Ashton Theiss's Amazing Race experience?

The Tanglewood Moms profile from 2017 covers her preparation and perspective in detail. A Reality TV World interview also covers her experience and strategic decisions during the race.