EP 157: Jeannie Wall — Getting Stronger in Her 50s, the Value of Doing Challenging Things, and Slowing Down to Go Fast

Jeannie Wall (aka “The Energizer Bunny”) is a world-class skier, life-long mountain athlete, and obsessed climber. She cofounded Broad Beta to cultivate a community for women and genderqueer folks to share their stories of outdoor adventures in the mountains. We talked about lessons from her upbringing, the importance of partnerships and mentorship in climbing, slowing down to go fast, engaging with the edge of our comfort zone, ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and much more!

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jeannie-wall

Nuggets:

0:08:38 – Overview of our conversation, and growing up as the youngest of 11 children

0:14:22 – Baggage and benefits from her upbringing, and being competitive as a racer

0:16:52 – The chapter of life that Jeannie is in now, and learning patience

0:19:22 – Competing at the Olympic Trials for nordic skiing, and why she doesn’t miss competing and racing

0:23:58 – Shifting toward climbing, and how she has changed in her 50s

0:25:38 – Examples of people climbing hard in their 60s, and Jeannie’s hut ski trip

0:28:07 – Why Jeannie finally got hooked on climbing

0:34:12 – Getting Swine Flu, dealing with chronic fatigue for two years, and finding a different path in climbing

0:36:14 – “If you wanna go fast, you have to go slow most of the time.”

0:41:31 – How media influences us in climbing, and giving the last 10% to be excellent at something

0:47:02 – My inner tension with bouldering, the role of mentorship, and Jeannie’s story of climbing Fitz Roy

0:54:42 – Challenge and risk as key parts of the human experience

1:01:18 – “If we’re not learning are we really happy?”

1:05:25 – Engaging with the edge of our comfort zone

1:07:13 – The pressure to be someone other than who you are

1:12:33 – The value of pursuing your passion

1:15:05 – Wildness, and why Jeannie and Leslie started Broad Beta

1:24:20 – Heroes, looking at the whole person, and the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things

1:28:42 – Why stories are so powerful

1:33:02 – Sharing the whole story, and Jeannie’s menopause article

1:38:09 – Jeannie’s vision for Broad Beta

1:45:12 – Where to find Broad Beta

1:47:10 – Wrap up and final questions