Mickie began her professional wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in June 2002, where she gained national attention. When asked to describe Mickie James in three words, the trio of smart, beautiful and talented quickly comes to mind.. There is one thing Mickie likes almost as much as being a WWE Diva, however: horses. Mickie has ridden since age 11, when her grandmother bought her a horse named Rhapsody. She spent hours on her grandmother’s farm with Rhapsody and her other horses even to this day, and when her days of being a Diva wind down, she holds aspirations to own a farm and become an equine trainer.