Janet Carbin is a family woman through and through. The 59-year-old Floridian has not only a sturdy family tree, including three kids and one grandkid, but also leads a “beach family” of lifeguards every day. Janet has shown remarkable tenacity in her 41 years in the lifeguard chair, rebuilding her life after a failed marriage and overcoming obstacles to become one of the few female chief lifeguards in the state. But one question is resonating in her head as she sets off to begin Survivor. Can a person who puts their life on the line to save others thrive in an inherently selfish game?

Read on for my interview with Janet, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other on-set tidbits. Survivor: Island of the Idols premieres on September 25 with a special 90-minute premiere on CBS.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Survivor Season 39

Tell me about yourself.

I’m a 59-year-old mother and grandmother. I’m a chief lifeguard, going into my 41st year. My job is not a job; it’s a passion. The ocean was always part of my family. My father was a lifeguard; my brother was a lifeguard. I was the first woman lifeguard in my town, and one of the few in the state. I don’t know if there are any other female chief lifeguards.

What was it like breaking through those barriers?

It was difficult in some ways. I believe age and gender don’t matter. It matters whether you can do the job, whether you’ve earned it. I don’t want anything given to me because I’m a girl. I earned my spot. I did what I needed to do and then some. Same thing here. I don’t want anyone saying, “Oh, she’s old, she can’t do it.” No, I’ll kick your ass. (Laughs.)

So what brings you from the Atlantic to the Pacific to play Survivor?

I’ve always dreamed of it. I haven’t missed an episode. I’ve applied a few times, then I gave up. And that’s when they called me. (Laughs.)

What do you think people are going to perceive you as?

I think they’re going to see me as a person not my age. They’re going to see me as a competitor, a strong woman. They’re going to see the things I can do. That’s going to be my selling point and make me likable to my tribe members.

Talk to me about your family life.

I’m married to John, the love of my life and the most awesome man in the whole world. It’s my second marriage. I have three children. The first two were from a previous marriage, who John adopted and raised, and we have a biological daughter. My two girls were Division 1 scholarship swimmers. They were guards and college swimmers. Salt runs through our veins. My youngest daughter, who just turned 25, is still a lifeguard. She’s in grad school to become a therapist.

My mom has turned 90 and has been living with us for 22 years. My husband’s been taking care of her. And I have a granddaughter by my oldest daughter named Charlie who’s three. She calls me every day. If she can’t get me, she just says, “Grandma’s swimming. I’m calling Pa.” (Laughs.)

Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor Season 39

Well, grandma’s about to be swimming for 39 days!

(Laughs.) Yeah. I told my son I was going to a lifeguard convention; I couldn’t tell him. I’m expecting another grandchild in August. I won’t know the gender, since they’ll find out while I’m here. Everybody who says being a grandparent is unlike anything is right. It is awesome.

Is there anything from your home life that you’re going to bring into the unconventional family of a tribe?

I’m taking things more so from my beach family. And they are my family. They were kids when they came to me, and now they have kids. And now all those kids are being raised on the beach. My heart sings. I’m still connected with the lifeguards I started in ’78 with. It’s a culture; it’s a lifestyle.

What is that culture exactly?

We watch people and deal with people of all ages. I’ll sit on a lifeguard stand with 17-year-olds and I’ll sit with my friend who’s 60. There’s no age; there’s just who you are and what you do. We teach; it’s a passing down of lifeguard stories. You’re sitting on a stand with another human being. You learn how to talk. It’s tradition for the old guys to teach the young guys, to take them on the boats and show them the waves. The culture keeps going and going. I can make one call today if I needed help and get five lifeguards there. That’s how we are.

What do you desire in an alliance partner?

I think I already know where I’m going. I’m looking for somebody who’s open-minded. Someone who can look at a situation and see how people are relating. I don’t want it to be obvious. I want to find a person who’s probably most unlike me, because they’d never suspect it. The undercover duo.

You wrote that one of your pet peeves is laziness. How is that going to affect the way you view camp life?

I’m really going to make sure I do not get on somebody for being lazy. That’s something I’ll have to work on. They’ll dig their own hole if they’re lazy, and I’m going to let that fly. I’m not going to try to help them. If you’re lazy, then you deserve to be voted out.

Are you going to try to pursue a leadership position in the game?

No, unless I’m forced into that situation. I lead by example. I’m not an authoritative leader; I hate that. Everything my guards do, I do. My leadership style is more, “You want to build the fire? Let’s go do that.” I try to bring people in. I’m going to try to do it on the outliers a little bit, more interpersonal with one or two people. I don’t want to be like, “Okay everybody! This is what we’re going to do.”

Give me some Survivor players you resonate with.

This is going to sound weird, but I really like Spencer Bledsoe. I think he played a tough, smart game. He could look three steps down the road. He knew what he had to do, whether he was able to do it or not. And he did everything in his power. If he couldn’t do something physically, he tried to align with someone who could. I wished Spencer could have won. My basic problem is that Colby Donaldson didn’t win and Tina Wesson did. I could see myself being like him, where I would give the game away because of ethics. I don’t want to do that, because it’s a game. But in my real life, I would.

What line will you not cross morally in the game?

I won’t kill anybody. (Laughs.) I will do what I have to do to win the game. Because it’s a game; it’s not my real life. And my goal is to remember that. In my real life, I would sacrifice myself and not tell people, because someone could die. Nobody’s going to die out here. If I win this game, I can make my children’s lives a lot better.

You wrote in your bio you were inspired by Tina Turner. What about her inspires you?

I had a very crazy upbringing. My first marriage was not good at all. I walked away from that marriage with my car, about $35 in my pocket, and my two kids. She inspired me. I really started living after that. I didn’t care how I was going to do it.

Related: Jeff Probst Picks His Top 10 Survivor Winners of All Time

What’s your biggest Survivor fear?

Getting blindsided for something stupid, because I tried too hard or stepped up as a leader. My biggest fear is if I don’t read the situation well enough and adjust my behavior. And I’m an old woman. They don’t have a good history on Survivor. I hope to break that mold. I’m not a mama type. I play with the kids. (Laughs.) I just don’t want to be stigmatized. I want to be given a chance. If I get voted out, if I want it to be for a good, not stupid, reason.

Which is more important to your game: Strategy or social?

Strategy. Strategy’s how you’re going to win. Everybody says I have a strong social game, but I don’t think I do. I like everybody, and that’s my problem. I like unique people, and that can be bad.

When you’re at your lowest low, what’s one memory you’ll pull from to boost your spirits?

I’m a lifeguard. I’ve been in torrential hurricanes, washouts. I can still see Rob Zubko’s face and my daughter Jessie washing out. I’ve got Diana Stritsky on the stand; we’re clearing the beach and pulling people in. So many lifeguard stories. It makes me say, “Suck it up, buttercup. It depends on you.” (Laughs.)

If you could bring one celebrity or fictional character out as your loved one, who would you pick?

Pink! I love Pink because she’s a tough woman, yet is compassionate to people who are different. Her little girl was picked on, and the song “Run” is about her. She’s a hero of mine also. I like how she really reaches out to people. That would kick ass if she came.

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