Episodes Feed
EP 124: Karly Rager
Karly Rager is a structural engineer turned climbing coach, and the founder of Project Direct Coaching. We talked about Karly’s background and what led her to start her own coaching business, being a female in two male-dominated industries, mental strategies for developing focus and overcoming fear, transitioning between climbing disciplines, using injuries as opportunities, cultivating longevity in our climbing, valuing coaches more highly, and much more.
EP 121: Carol Simpson
Carol Simpson is a 77-year-old rock climber and yoga instructor from Lone Pine, CA. We talked about growing up in the South in the 1950s, identifying as a “tomboy”, feeling pressure to be feminine as a teenager, embracing athletics in her 30s, discovering climbing at age 42, sending her first 5.12a at age 53, yoga as the fountain of youth, and ageism in climbing.
*I loved this conversation. If you enjoy exploring different perspectives from your own, and hearing about others’ lived experiences, don’t skip this episode.
EP 120: Lea Volpe
Lea Volpe is a paraclimber for Great Britain and a 2x medalist at the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships. Lea holds down a 9-5 job working in health policy, coaches junior athletes, and is essentially a professional climber on the side. We talked about paraclimbing competitions, being diagnosed with Ataxia, how we perceive wheelchairs, empathy in coaching, and much more.
EP 116: Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson is one of the top boulderers in the world and has been climbing at a V15 level for more than a decade. We talked about building his new house, recovering from neck surgery, his recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, climbing 1000+ V11s or harder, his analogy of climbing as a book, hardest FAs, trying to climb V16, travel routines, filmmaking, and much more.
EP 112: Favia Dubyk
Dr. Favia Dubyk is a pathologist, cancer survivor, Ninja Warrior, cat lover, and badass boulderer. We talked about the connective tissue disorder that led her to specialize in lowball roof climbing, what it was like to go through cancer and chemotherapy, how she became one of the strongest people in the world at pull-ups, learning how to dyno, and her current V13 lowball roof project.
EP 110: “The Verm” Returns
This is round 2 with John Sherman aka “The Verm”. We sat in the desert near Hueco Tanks and chatted over a few beers. We talked about ‘Wheatiesgate’ and the lost art of heckling, finding and developing areas before the internet, dealing with aging, photographing and studying birds, life lessons, injury stories, and John’s favorite beers.
*I recommend listening to my first episode with Verm (EP 108) before this episode.
EP 103: Mina Leslie-Wujastyk
Mina Leslie-Wujastyk is a professional climber from the UK. She is also a writer, speaker, and co-host of the Curious Climber Podcast along with Hazel Findlay. We talked about her early life, impermanence, flow state, learning to try really hard, how she made the switch from hard boulders to hard sport routes, what sets high-level climbers apart, and the decision to become a mom.
EP 101: Nina Caprez
Nina Caprez is a professional rock climber from Switzerland, who is known for her many impressive ascents of hard multi-pitch climbs. We talked about her current trip to Greece and her newest passion project, trying to free climb ‘The Nose’ with Lynn Hill, why failing on the route was a gift, and about softening and leaning into womanness.
EP 96: Joe Kinder
Joe Kinder is one of the hardest-working route developers in North America. We talked about his recent ascent of ‘Kinder Cakes’ 5.15a in Rifle, CO, putting up routes in mediocre rock, leaving a legacy through route development, his love of projecting, current training approach, fashion influences, creating LOV, and his experience with cancellation and rebuilding a new life.
EP 95: Tyler Algeo
Tyler Algeo is a Canadian who moved to Africa and started a climbing gym, with the goal of creating a socio-economically inclusive climbing community in Malawi. We talked about learning to climb in Ireland, living in Africa, founding Climb Malawi, adopting and raising his two black sons, Tyler’s work with The Climbing Initiative, and creating a better world through climbing.
EP 93: Tom Herbert (Part 2)
This is part 2 of my conversation with Tom Herbert. Tom shared some clarifications about part 1, we talked about the nervous system and the mind-body connection, how to relax before a session to improve your performance and power, how to turn off in the evenings to optimize recovery, and Tom shared about his childhood and ongoing struggle with anxiety from a chronic bladder issue.
EP 91: Craig DeMartino
Craig DeMartino is a rock climber, motivational speaker, and teacher. His life changed in 2002 when he took a 100-foot ground fall. We talked about Craig’s accident and recovery, the decision to amputate his leg, climbing harder than ever after the accident, doing El Cap in a day, dealing with chronic pain, teaching adaptive climbing, and embracing a new normal.
EP 87: Alita Contreras
Alejandra (Alita) Contreras is a half Colombian half Venezualan professional rock climber, coach, and translator. We talked about the economic situation in Venezuela and why she moved to Colombia six years ago, about living in Germany and translating training books by Udo Neumann, about coaching women, our global climbing family, and her current 5.14a project.
EP 86: Dylan Barks
Dylan Barks is an elite-level boulder and sport climber, and a dark horse in the climbing scene. He sent ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’, his first V16, just two weeks after this interview. We talked about how Dylan uses a spray wall for 95% of his training, how he prepares for both bouldering and sport climbing trips, and about recovering from an eating disorder to climb his hardest ever.
EP 75: John Long
John Long is an American rock climber and author, and one of the original “Stonemasters”. We talked about his early climbing at Tahquitz and Suicide Rock, life in Yosemite in the early 70s, climbing The Nose in a day with Bridwell and Westbay, most humbling moments, John’s new book Icarus Syndrome, and his recent article about alcoholism and drug abuse in climbing.
EP 64: Christophe Bichet
Christophe Bichet is a world-class rock climber and a motivational speaker. He was born with a rare blood disorder called Fanconi Anemia and is also a cancer survivor. We talked about climbing as a metaphor for life, finding your “why”, learning new skills, how to achieve world-class endurance without training endurance, and holding on and letting go.
EP 59: My Eating Disorder
In this solo episode, I share my experience with an eating disorder. I talk about how an inaccurate DEXA scan and a desire to climb harder spiraled into body dysmorphia, failure, and shame. I also talk about what led me out of it, reframing the way I think about weight, key lessons and takeaways, where I am at now with weight and diet, and how I plan to move forward.
EP 58: Carlos Tkacz
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.
EP 55: Kai Lightner
Kai Lightner is a professional climber and the founder of Climbing for Change. We talked about how Kai discovered climbing, his reflections on an eating disorder, the importance of flexibility for tall climbers, early racist encounters, starting a non-profit to help open doors for other people, and some of Kai’s favorite training music.
EP 49: Darek Krol
Darek Krol was known by many as the “Mayor of Rifle”. He managed to climb 400+ of Rifle’s roughly 500 routes in his 23 years in the canyon. Darek was killed in an avalanche shortly after this interview. We talked about his love of climbing, about stewardship, and about his close friend, the late Dave Pegg. Darek was well-loved, and he will be deeply missed.