As a cyclist, Brien won a gold medal in the women's road race and a silver in the time trial at the 2013 Canada Games.

In 2021, she spoke to her former coach at the Montreal Rowing Club and asked him if he thought she had a chance to compete in the sport as an Olympian, to which he agreed it could be possible.

[5] Within a month, Brien had quit her job as an engineer, started studying psychology at Université de Montréal and switched sports, taking up rowing with a goal of attending the 2024 Summer Olympics.

[5] In February 2023, Brien was named to the Canadian Pan American Games Qualification Regatta team.

Winning a gold medal in the eight was incredible but being part of the team and being with the support staff and getting to experience the Games with the crowds and volunteers, has been a lot of fun.