Episode 06 — Resilience, Motherhood & Real Estate Success: Summer Andersen

Some stories don't fit neatly into a career profile. In Episode 6 of The Success Blueprint Podcast, Jason Grider and Morgan Peterson sit down with Summer Andersen, one of the top listing agents on the Grider & Peterson team in Idaho Falls — a woman who built a successful real estate career while navigating some of the hardest circumstances imaginable, and who shows up to the office with more joy and energy than almost anyone around her.

Summer grew up in St. Anthony, Idaho, attended ISU, and spent nine years as a stay-at-home mom before life made the decision for her. In January 2018, eight weeks after her daughter Lake was born, Summer's husband Adam was killed in an avalanche while snowmobiling in Island Park. She was left with a newborn, a six-year-old, and a middle son, Atlas, who is severely autistic — no income, no career, and a provider and partner gone without warning.

What happened next is the kind of story that makes you rethink everything you've ever complained about. A friend called during COVID and said, "Have you thought about real estate?" Summer looked up the classes, drove her kids to St. Anthony every evening so she could attend, got her license, saw a Facebook post from Morgan Peterson saying the team was hiring, called him out of the blue, and was completely honest: "I don't know what I can do for you. I have my hands full and I will never be a nine-to-five agent." Morgan said they'd figure it out together. Five years later she's still here and has never considered leaving.

Her first six months were rocky — she was half in, half out, and everyone including Summer wasn't sure it would work. Then one New Year's she made a decision: all in or all out. She hired a nanny, found a coach, got to the office, and within the first half of that year had already hit her full-year goal. She went on to become one of the top listing agents in East Idaho, shadowingJason Grider to learn the craft, building a reputation among clients so strong that when Jason followed up on her early transactions the feedback was never about the deal — it was always just "we love Summer."

This episode is deeply personal in a way that few conversations are. Summer talks about the moment four or five days after Adam's funeral when she stood in her messy house, surrounded by casseroles and laundry she'd been folding when she got the news, and made a decision out loud that became the foundation of everything: "I refuse to live a sad life." She talks about Atlas and the financial terror of raising a severely autistic child as a single parent — and how that fear became the fuel that drove her into real estate and kept her there when things were hard. She talks about grief in waves, the power of therapy, and how her daughter Lake recently sat playing with the dog and said unprompted, "I love my life" — words that were her husband's signature phrase.

She also shares the story of the nonprofit she started in Adam's memory. He and his group had no avalanche safety gear the day he died — no beacons, no airbag packs, nothing. When he was buried under the snow they couldn't find him. Search and rescue had to call Summer and tell her they couldn't continue until morning because the snow was too unstable. That night — described as the most excruciating of her life — was what lit the fire. Within two weeks of the funeral, she and Steve Dutcher at Action Motorsports in Idaho Falls had organized a fundraiser, raised enough to purchase a full fleet of avalanche safety packs, earned Forest Service approval for warning signs in Island Park and Swan Valley, and made the gear available for free rental to anyone who couldn't afford their own. The program is still running today.

For buyers and sellers in East Idaho who want to know who they're working with, for agents considering what it really looks like to join a team that supports the whole person, or for anyone who needs to hear that you can do hard things even when you don't feel like you can — this episode is one you won't forget.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Growing up in St. Anthony, Idaho and the path to real estate
• Losing her husband Adam in an avalanche eight weeks after her daughter was born
• Raising three kids alone — including a son with severe autism — as the motivation behind everything
• How a phone call during COVID led to getting her real estate license
• Finding Grider & Peterson through a Facebook post and what the first conversation with Morgan was like
• The "all in or all out" decision that changed everything
• Working with a coach who held her accountable for personal goals, not just production numbers
• The connection between personal balance and business performance
• How Summer became a top listing agent in East Idaho and why listings suit her better than buyers
• Shifting to part-time without her business collapsing — and why she made that choice
• "I refuse to live a sad life" — the affirmation born four days after Adam's funeral
• Starting a nonprofit to promote avalanche safety in Island Park and Swan Valley
• Free avalanche gear rentals at Action Motorsports and the legacy of Adam's story
• What she wants her kids to understand about doing hard things
• Therapy, grief, and the long work of finding peace

Referenced or related resources:

• Action Motorsports — Idaho Falls
• Idaho Avalanche Center — Safety Forecasts
• American Avalanche Association — Safety Education
• Summer Andersen — Agent Profile
• Grider & Peterson Team
• Join Our Team
• Selling Your Home in East Idaho
• Connect with Grider & Peterson
• The Success Blueprint Podcast — All Episodes

Transcript

Jason: We're back with The Success Blueprint. I'm Jason. There's Morgan. And we're here with Summer today. Summer has been on our team for five years — time flies when you're having fun. She is a fantastic agent, and as far as success goes, we think she is one of the best examples of what real estate can and should be. Hard work, perseverance, everything. We're excited to hear her story. Hey, Summer.

Summer: Thanks so much for having me. This is so fun.

Jason: Take us back — give us a little background on who you are.

Summer: Sure. My name is Summer Andersen. I was born and raised in Idaho — grew up in St. Anthony, went to college at ISU, and kind of ended up settling in Idaho Falls. I've got three beautiful kids who keep me very, very busy. Started real estate five years ago. This was the first team I joined and I never left. Really glad I did.

Jason: We are too. What drew you to real estate in the first place?

Summer: I didn't really know what the job was when I started. We had a really good friend who was an agent and I'd talked to him a little bit, but I didn't fully understand what it actually involved until I was in it. And then I was like, "Oh no, what have I done?"

When I started, I was trying to balance home life and work, and I think for the first six months all three of us — me included — weren't sure if it was going to work. Then I remember around New Year's I was like: I'm either all in or I'm out. I can't keep doing this half in, half out. So I got a coach, dove in, and it was a really good decision.

Morgan: I remember having a conversation with you at Mattie Worton's cabin up in Island Park where you laid out what you wanted and what your goals were. I thought: she's got it all together, she knows what she wants and she's going for it.

Summer: It took me a long time to get there, though. That was the hard part. I just didn't know what I wanted from it. And the question you guys always push new agents on — what's your why — I kept coming up blank. I didn't know why I was doing it. It was hard. Once I was able to really pinpoint that, everything took off. But finding that took a while.

Morgan: And when we talked about goals, a big piece of it was Atlas.

Summer: Yeah. For those who don't know, I'm a single mom, and my middle son Atlas — he's now eleven and a half — is severely autistic. The thing that keeps me up at night is thinking about what happens to him if I'm not able to take care of him, or if something happens to me. The fear of him ending up in a bad situation without anyone to look after him — that was the financial motivator I needed. Atlas runs my life. He's why I do pretty much everything I do.

Jason: Walk us back to before real estate. Where did your story start?

Summer: I grew up in St. Anthony, graduated high school, took what I thought was a gap year that turned into about a year and a half. I worked in motorsports — sold parts and safety gear at dealerships — which, looking back, was completely random but built relationships that ended up mattering a lot later. Then I went to ISU, met my husband Adam, got married at twenty-two, had my oldest son Dash, and graduated with a degree in mass communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Right out of college I had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom, which I was incredibly grateful for. I did that for nine years. Then in 2018, eight weeks after my daughter Lake was born, Adam was killed in an avalanche while snowmobiling in Island Park.

I found myself with a newborn, a special needs son, and a six-year-old. Adam was our provider, our protector, everything. And I was just — what am I going to do?

Then COVID hit while I was still figuring things out. Lake got old enough for daycare and I thought, okay, she can go, I need to figure out my life because I'm floundering. And then a friend called me out of the blue and said, "I was just thinking — you would be so good at real estate. Have you ever thought about taking the classes?" That was literally how it started.

I got off the phone, looked up the classes. They were still holding in-person classes during COVID at a hotel, everyone socially distanced, masks on. I couldn't find childcare so I'd drive the kids to St. Anthony every evening for class, drive back, go to class, drive back to pick them up and come home. Did that every night for a couple of weeks and got my license. Once I was in the classes I thought, I actually kind of like this. This is interesting.

Then I saw Morgan had posted on Facebook that the team was looking to hire. I called him up, told him who I was, and was completely upfront: "I don't know what I can do for you. I have my hands completely full at home. I will never be your nine-to-five agent who's always available." And he was so good about it. He said, "We completely understand. Come in and let's talk about what else we can do — not just real estate, but what other goals can we help you work toward?" That was exactly what I was looking for. I needed support, and I've never had a lot of it navigating life as a widowed single mom. I've felt very alone in a lot of ways. This team has been a beautiful thing for me. I've had to call and say I can't get somewhere, I blew a tire, whatever — and no one on this team has ever once said sorry, you're out of luck.

Morgan: When you came in and we chatted, something about that day stuck with me and I've never been able to shake it. Adam passed away January 10th. I only met him once or twice, but I've always remembered that date. I don't know why. And when you came in and we talked, I just thought — I'm going to need this person. And I have. And when my dad passed away, you were one of the people I was able to talk to about it. It came full circle.

Summer: I genuinely believe this is where I was meant to land, for so many reasons. I've met incredible people and I don't regret any of it. Agents jump around a lot — new teams, better splits, different caps — and I'm like, no, this is home. You guys have earned my trust over and over and I can't imagine finding anything like what you've built here.

Morgan: Don't ever feel like you're the only one benefiting, because we have definitely benefited from you being on this team. The joy, the energy, everything you bring with everything you've been through — it's incredible. Jason and I have talked about it multiple times. Someone who's carried what you've carried and still shows up the way you do — we look up to that.

Jason: So walk me through the shift. You were part-time, struggling to find your footing, and then something changed. What happened?

Summer: I'm not sure there was one specific moment that tipped the scale. I think I just finally made up my mind. Once I decide something, that's what I'm doing — it's just how I'm wired. I gave myself six months. I was going to push really hard for six months and see what I was capable of. I got lucky right off the bat — two weeks in I had my first contract. If I'd gone six months without a sale, I probably would have walked away. But that momentum was motivating. I hired a nanny, got my kids figured out, and buckled down.

Getting a coach was huge — Andrea. She kept me accountable for calls, appointments, all of it. But the best part was she kept me accountable for my personal life on the same page. "Did you take your kids to do this this weekend? Did you plan that trip? Because that goal matters as much as making all these calls." That was the ticket for me. I'd told everyone from the start — I have to have balance. Someone who would hold me to that on both sides, not just the production numbers, was everything.

Over the last five years I've always been able to tell when I'm happier at home, my business is flourishing. That connection never fails. If business is slow, I ask myself: what do I need to focus on personally to get that energy back? It always works that way.

Jason: What did you discover when you went fully in?

Summer: That I had to learn to sit still — which I still struggle with. I am always moving, always going. Sitting at a desk going through leads, making calls, doing mailers — practicing that was genuinely hard for me. Setting goals, breaking them down into small steps, time blocking, saying no to things — like I remember early on I was getting lunch invitations from every lender and title rep in town. I came into your office and said, "Everyone wants to go to lunch all the time." And you said, "You can say no." And I was like — is that an option? So I started saying no. Now I joke with the few people I do make time for: you made the cut. Not everyone else made the cut.

Jason: So what were your actual real estate goals?

Summer: Financially, there was a number I needed to hit that would justify being away from my kids — if I couldn't hit it, it wasn't worth the sacrifice. For production, I thought: if I can sell one house a month I'm killing it. Before the first half of my first real year, I'd already hit my yearly goal. I had to keep pushing that number up. I'm not competitive with other people — I just want everyone to win. But for my own goals, that was incredibly motivating.

Jason: You eventually shifted to the listing side. How did that happen?

Summer: You came to me and said: I see what you're doing, you're working hard, and if you focused on listings you'd have a little more freedom because buyer's work means showing houses at night and on weekends. I was like, yes please. I hated getting home at 8 PM and barely seeing the kids before bed. Listings became my bread and butter. I do both now, but listings are still my favorite.

Jason: What is it about listings over buyer work?

Summer: I know people say buyers are easier because everyone's happy — look at this house, you get the keys, congratulations. But the emotional side of listings is what I like. People selling because of a divorce, selling a family home they're leaving, going through something hard — they're anxious, sometimes sad. I've been to closings where people are crying. But helping them through that and having them feel like I genuinely took care of them — that's what's most satisfying to me. I never want to feel like a salesperson, and I never want my clients to feel like I'm selling them something. I just want to take care of them.

Jason shadowed me — or I shadowed Jason — for a few months before I went out on my own on listings. He's an incredible teacher. I remember going to my first listing appointment alone and texting him like, are you sure you don't want to come? But I had the best foundation. When Jason followed up with those first clients, they never talked about the transaction — it was just "we love Summer."

Jason: What do you think separates you from agents who fall behind or can't make it?

Summer: Patience and perseverance. Real estate is variable income — sometimes you're killing it, sometimes nothing is moving. If you cannot learn to ride those waves emotionally and financially, you'll never last. The emotional part is the hardest because when things slow down, you start feeling down about everything, and then your energy tanks, and then business gets slower, and it just spirals. I've learned over the years that slow periods are an opportunity to put more focus on my home life, on doing something for myself, knowing it will come back up. It always does. I'm not in a panic when I'm slow. A bummer? Yes. Panic? No.

Jason: Where does that grit come from?

Summer: Honestly? Probably just from Adam dying. I've had to figure everything out on my own and I don't have time to waste. Time is my most precious commodity — more important to me than money, because I never have enough of it. When I'm not with my kids, it costs me financially. Someone else is with them and I'm paying for that. So if I'm going to be doing something, it has to matter. That's not grit as much as it's just time conservation. Either do it or don't.

Jason: What are the most important life lessons you want your kids to take from watching you?

Summer: You can do hard things. Even when it feels impossible, there is always a way through. I pray every day that they look back on their childhood and think: Mom had a lot going on, she went to work, she took care of Atlas, and she still showed up for us and we had a good childhood. I hope that seeing what I did gives them the confidence to go through difficult things themselves. Everyone's going to face something hard. It's different for everyone but no one escapes it.

Morgan: The mindset piece is something you've talked about since really early on. Tell them about the moment where "I refuse to live a sad life" came from.

Summer: It was four or five days after Adam's funeral. My house was a disaster — laundry I'd been folding when I got the news still on the floor, food people had brought over everywhere, kids' toys all over. My mom was with me. And I just kind of broke down and borderline screamed at her to put a sign on the door because I needed to get the house in order. And in the middle of it I just started saying it: "I refuse to live a sad life." Just kept saying it over and over. Because it felt too dark to find any light in. But I was like — this is not the life I want for me or for my kids.

I don't know what happened in that moment, but I turned on music, cleaned the house, and my mom just stood there in shock asking if I was okay. I said no, but I will not live this way. That became something I said to myself constantly: I refuse to live a sad life.

Another one I held onto: I refuse to let this destroy or define me. I gave a news interview after the accident and said it a couple of times. Looking back now — my kids are happy, healthy, thriving. You're not destroyed. This hasn't defined you.

Affirmations only work if you actually believe them. If you're just saying words, it's empty. But if it's something in your soul — it works. And my kids have felt that. My daughter Lake was just playing with the dog the other day, not talking to anyone, and she said out loud: "I love my life." And I stopped and stared at her. Because that was Adam's thing — he would randomly say it all the time, just sitting on the couch eating Oreos: "I love my life." She looked at me like, why are you looking at me like that? And I said: oh, sweetie, you remind me of someone I used to know. That was everything.

Jason: Therapy has been a big part of your journey too.

Summer: Instrumental. For me and my kids both. Grief therapy specifically has been so important. I think so many people are hesitant to seek help or they try once, don't click with a therapist, and give up instead of finding one that fits. But honestly, I think counseling is the best form of self-care available. Having an objective person to give you honest feedback, help you set goals, and work through the things you can't say to your family or friends — that's irreplaceable. The deepest, darkest thoughts that you'd never say out loud to people you know — that space matters.

And grief specifically just keeps coming. It comes in waves and they're always there. The farther out from the trauma I get, the more I've had to learn to do a self-check-in: why am I feeling this way today? What's happening? I've learned to identify what a grief wave looks like for me, and that awareness has changed everything. It's not always the obvious dates — sometimes it's just a Wednesday, and your kids do something cute, and the person you most want to share it with is gone.

Jason: I want to make sure we get to the nonprofit before we close. Walk us through that.

Summer: When Adam was killed, he and his entire group had no avalanche safety gear. No airbag packs, no beacons, no probes, nothing. When the avalanche happened, they couldn't find him because nobody had any equipment. Even when search and rescue arrived, the snow was too unstable and it was too dark to continue. They called me to say they'd have to come back in the morning.

That was the most excruciating night of my life. Being told they had to leave him there — knowing they couldn't risk other lives — is something I'll never forget.

The next morning, before the search had even formally started, the search and rescue dog found him. He hadn't been buried far under the snow — right near where they'd had a fire set up. And knowing that — if they had just had the equipment — who knows what the outcome would have been. I don't know if he would have survived. But that night would have been different. My family wouldn't have had to go through that.

That lit a fire in me. I grew up selling avalanche safety gear in motorsports — I knew exactly what the equipment was and what it cost. And cost is why most people don't have it. An airbag pack, shovel, probe, and beacon runs around a thousand dollars. People know they should have it and they don't.

About a week after the funeral, I was talking to my neighbors and longtime friends at Action Motorsports — Steve Dutcher and his team. I said, "What if I just bought some beacons with my own money and people could rent them?" Two weeks later, Steve had organized a full open house fundraiser. We raised enough money to purchase a fleet of complete packs. News outlets reached out, people donated from everywhere. We also got approval from the Forest Service to put up avalanche warning signs in Island Park and in the Swan Valley area — places that needed them badly. Several people died that year locally from avalanche accidents. Those signs are still up. All the packs are still available at Action Motorsports in Idaho Falls — completely free to rent. We were also able to sponsor scholarships for people to take avalanche safety courses.

I always said: if one person comes home who wouldn't have otherwise, this is worth every bit of effort. And people have come to me and said, "I heard your story and I ride differently now." That was everything.

As time has passed, it's actually become harder for me emotionally to engage with the avalanche content — watching rescue videos, hearing the stories. Grief is strange that way. So I've had to set boundaries. I attend what I can and step back from what I can't. Steve and the Action team handle most of it now. They've been extraordinary. The program runs without me needing to be hands-on, and I'm genuinely grateful for that. If anyone wants to support or donate, the best place is through Action Motorsports directly — just ask for Steve Dutcher.

Jason: Summer, thank you. For taking a chance on us, for being a great friend, for being an amazing agent, and for just being one of those people we can count on. I look up to you more than you know.

Summer: Thank you guys for believing in me and giving me space here. You've changed my life in a lot of ways. I'm very, very grateful.

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