The Valley Breeze
- Constance Stowers
- Feb 4
- 4 min read
LINCOLN – It’s been three years since Connie Stowers took her last sip of alcohol and laced up a pair of roller skates for the first time. After falling hard and picking herself back up – literally and figuratively – Stowers is skating through life, and inspiring others to do the same.
Known to her 98,000 Instagram followers as “The Realeskater,” Stowers, of Lincoln, exudes energy and positivity, but she emphasized that it hasn’t always been smooth-skating.
For her, the path to self discovery, freedom, and inner happiness was one that was risky, uncertain, and totally worth it, said Stowers, and it all started in the rollerskating rink.
“During COVID, rollerskating kind of blew up, and I was watching all these TikToks of people rollerskating, and I thought, ‘these women look so free. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would totally try it,” she said.
By March 2022, Stowers said skating had become a distant thought, as she underwent three major life changes: she became a mom, was in the middle of divorce, and was attempting to switch careers, while using alcohol to cope with it all.
“I felt stuck, and I felt like I was losing myself. The story being written was not what I wanted, not what I imagined. I realized no one was coming to save me, and I had to make tough decisions and invest in me,” Stowers told The Breeze. “That’s when I decided to quit drinking.”
Thirty days into sobriety, Stowers said she felt like she had no hobbies or interests to fill her newfound extra time. She stated that she envisioned a version of herself as fun, energetic, brave, free, helps others, and unapologetically herself, without needing alcohol.
That’s when Stowers came across a screenshot she had taken years prior. It was a post from United Skates of America advertising an adult skating night on Thursdays. She described it as serendipity when she looked at the calendar, and, sure enough, it was a Thursday.
Even though she had never even tried on a pair of skates before, Stowers joked that she expected to be a professional, gliding through the rink. She laughed as she recounted “repeatedly falling on her a — instead.”
“I was nearly 300 pounds, I hadn’t done this before, I didn’t know anyone, I was nervous to try something new, and scared of getting hurt. I fell, and I kept falling, but I didn’t care. I absolutely loved it. As a kid, I always dreamed of flying, and when I skate, I feel like I am,” said Stowers.
A twirl!
Stowers said she’s always dreamt of flying, and when she skates, she feels like she is.
She explained that unlike other sports, skating has no time clock, no beginning and end, and no pressure to compete with anyone else. Instead, Stowers and the other members of her skating community just show up, let loose, and have fun.
Over the next year, Stowers dedicated herself to healing. Emotionally, she was thriving, but financially, she said she was hitting “rock bottom” and was just two months away from being “dead broke.”
In June 2023, she redirected her energy into real estate, specializing in what she calls the “Five Ds” of divorce, disability, diapers, death, and downsizing.
As she built her business, she also chronicled her journey, both in skating and in life, on Instagram. For more than a year, she posted daily, gaining little traction.
Frustrated and ready to quit, Stowers said she asked for a sign to keep going. She said that very night, she attended a work event where five people told her they loved her content.
“I almost gave up. I was posting every single day, and I was really putting myself out there, and nothing was happening,” she said. “But I always tell people when you’re at the end of your rope, ready to throw in the towel, that’s when you’re about to break through and achieve something great.”
Shortly following that party, Stowers had her first viral moment, and gained 20,000 followers overnight.
Fast-forward to this month, and Stowers said she’s proud of her thriving career in real estate, her amazing relationship with her daughter, her upcoming YouTube docuseries, and the fact that she gets a platform to inspire nearly 100,000 people to make changes and live their authentic lives.
Not only has her story reached many followers, but it’s also caught the attention of women’s empowerment expos, and major media outlets such as Today and The Daily Mail.
Stowers said she always had the desire to help and encourage others, and she’s in disbelief that this manifestation is now her reality.
“I want people to see me, and to realize that it’s never too late to try something new, and that we can do scary things, we can break that mold, and we can succeed,” she said. “I want everyone to put on that pair of skates, whatever that may mean to you.”
When speaking of actual rollerskating, Stowers urged skaters to put on all the protective gear, from a helmet to wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads, and to have no fear.
She said the same applies to life; “protect yourself to an extent, but don’t let fear get in the way. Instead, use that fear to propel yourself forward, to learn, grow, and prove to yourself that you’re stronger, better, smarter and more capable than you know.”
To learn more about Stowers, her personal journey, her real estate business, and her upcoming YouTube docuseries, follow therealeskater on Instagram and Facebook.
Sofia Barr - Valley Breeze Staff Writer
By SOFIA BARR Valley Breeze Staff Writer sofia@valleybreeze.com Mar 20, 2025
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