EP 58: Carlos Tkacz
March 08, 2021
Carlos Tkacz is a teacher, author, and lover of literature. He also lives in a van and climbs V13. We talked about many things, including a reading list given to him by his friend, impactful quotes, lessons learned from students, starting climbing in his 20’s and discovering training, writing a training book, self-publishing sci-fi novels, public speaking advice, and sharing ideas.
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Carlos’ Training Book:
Carlos’ Sci-fi Novels:
Related Podcast Episodes:
Quotes:
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” - James Baldwin
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring” - Alexander Pope
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” - Aristotle
The Reading List:
Books/Essays Mentioned:
Collected Essays by James Baldwin
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
The Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez
The Revolution of Everyday Life by Raoul Vaneigem
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Practically Speaking (Textbook) by J. Dan Rothwell
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
The Global Imagination of 1968 by George Katsiaficas
In Defense of Anarchism by Robert Paul Wolff
Films Mentioned:
Jimmy Webb flashing everything in Rocklands
Instagram Posts:
Other Resources:
Boulders Mentioned:
‘Turbulence’ V12, Leavenworth, WA
‘Raging Bull’ V7, Leavenworth, WA
‘Diabolique’ V13, Hueco Tanks, TX
‘Dissin Euros’ V6, Pine Mountain, CA
‘Tequila Sunrise’ V11/12, Hueco Tanks, TX
Carlos’ Links:
Nuggets:
2:35 – The record button
3:37 – Stickers and paintings
6:37 – Books from the reading list
11:16 – James Baldwin quote
12:38 – How Carlos uses Instagram
16:16 – ‘Turbulence’ and East of Eden
22:45 – Plans to go back to school for a Ph.D. in Literature, and living in a world of stories
26:18 – The moment Carlos knew he wanted to be a teacher
31:01 – Teaching Communication 101
34:54 – Public speaking advice #1, and the fight or flight response
38:38 – Public speaking advice #2
39:17 – “Drink deep or not at all.”
43:02 – Zen Buddhism, and being skeptical of little enlightenments
44:11 – “The sign of a true education is to be able to entertain an idea without believing it.”
47:50 – Mr. Ruff, and writing an editorial about gay marriage
49:33 – Two great stickers
49:54 – Living on public land in Bishop and taking a year off
52:05 – Quarentraining, and social connection through climbing
56:20 – Sending ‘Diabolique’ and becoming a climber at age 23
59:01 – Resonating with Patxi Usobiaga’s masochism in ‘Progression’
1:02:43 – Carlos’ climbing progression, ups and downs, and the broken pinky story
1:07:04 – Shifting to focusing on bouldering
1:08:03 – Early training iterations, Taco Bell + bananas, and moving the pieces around
1:11:20 – Writing a training book on accident
1:14:50 – The Japanese team, and top outdoor boulderers
1:17:25 – Jimmy Webb, gymnastics, survivorship bias, and structure as a tool for resilience
1:20:43 – Overview of ‘Training 102’ and Carlos training philosophy
1:27:31 – Drills, and higher intensity core exercises
1:30:17 – Rotating exercises and addressing weaknesses, and programming
1:32:39 – Training friends and testimonials
1:35:33 – What a typical week of training looks like, climb outside, and how Carlos trains within a year
1:38:35 – The nutrition chapter, eating disorders, Carlos’ experience with vegetarianism and veganism, and his current way of eating
1:41:36 – Eating the same thing every day
1:42:49 – Planning nutrition, eating more, and becoming more flexible
1:45:37 – The food industry and the unique challenge of balancing a healthy outlook on food and weight
1:46:25 – The ‘Light’ documentary, and finding the line
1:47:47 – Scarcity vs. opulence, discipline as a path to freedom, and Carlos’ upbringing
1:59:26 – Carlos’ Sci-fi novels, and writing a thousand words per day
2:04:03 – Two different types of creatives, and using his first few books as practice
2:05:05 – Plot overview of The Void Within
2:10:07 – Star Trek vs. Star Wars, Captain Pips, and Carlos’ conversion story and swearing off violence
2:11:51 – Losing the mental battle in Hueco, and making a trip to Roy
2:14:52 – Gratitude
2:17:00 – Excited with sharing ideas with students
2:20:40 – Where to connect with Carlos