Strong Mind29 Maj 2025

The Cost of Winning: Shauna Coxsey opens up about mindset, mental health, motherhood and her time at the top

Shauna Coxsey is one of the most decorated climbers of her generation, but this conversation goes far beyond competition results. We explore her journey through high-performance sport, injury, identity, mental health, and motherhood. Shauna shares her experiences with anxiety, disordered eating, and the often unseen challenges of life as a professional athlete, including supporting her husband through depression, being dropped by her main sponsor and coming back postpartum. It’s an honest and thoughtful conversation about values, positivity, life-philosophy, vulnerability, and what it means to stay true to yourself, on and off the wall.

If you are having a hard time, there's help available. Check out http://findahelpline.com to be directed to your country's helpline.

If you’d like help working on your mindset, check out our free mindset workbook and guided reflection.

And don’t forget to check out our Thought of the Week newsletter for regular insights on mindset, fear and performance in climbing.

You can find these through the link below:

👉 https://linktr.ee/strong.mind

Timestamps:

00:02:22 - Hazel’s take on some of the themes in the conversation

00:04:27 - Shauna’s climbing beginnings

00:08:27 - Choosing the path of a professional athlete

00:14:14 - Are you naturally competitive?

00:15:39 - Balancing personal motivation in competition

00:20:18 - When winning isn’t enough

00:26:40 - Shauna's doubts about competition climbing

00:28:16 - Injuries and the body’s messages

00:32:07 - The Olympic mindset

00:38:10 - The tension between performance and well-being

00:40:56 - Speaking out about mental health on social media

00:51:06 - Shauna and Ned’s story and relationship

00:58:24 - Struggles with depression and anxiety and sharing these topics publicly

01:05:07 - Managing anxiety today

01:11:04 - Mental health perspectives and real life

01:20:19 - Eating disorders in climbing

01:36:36 - Motherhood

01:45:32 - Adidas dropping Shauna

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