EP 140: Tommy Caldwell — Undone Lines on El Cap, Father-Son Relationships, and Exploring the Limits of Human Endurance

Michelle LeBlanc returns to the podcast to talk about her annual Project Pride event in Squamish, B.C. (August 29-30, 2025). She shared her personal story and why she started Project Pride, and we talked about cultural and political pendulum swings, sensationalism in the media, and what to expect if you attend her upcoming event.You can buy tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/project-pride-squamish-2025-tickets-1415859827859?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAad_JFGfbgS_SEWNkjXVlG2Me2S_7YVmPskjfFcyihN-BBdKJmCPsrNv0NDu1w_aem_uC2R3rhGN0dtaZ3DICGmSwShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/michelle-leblanc-returnsNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:01:38) – Not queer enough(00:08:08) – Project Pride(00:23:12) – Instagram comments(00:34:00) – Meeting in the middle(00:38:47) – The pendulum swing(00:53:38) – Labels(00:57:18) – Sensationalism(01:02:01) – Upcoming event(01:11:45) – Stay sane

10 Juli 1h 15min

Alex Bridgewater (M.S. in Sports Psychology) returns to the podcast to discuss tools that can help elevate your climbing performance. We talked about finding your values, the dark side of expectations, a framework for working toward goals, how to develop confidence, building awareness, whether climbing is separate from life, the cost of masochism, acceptance, unhooking, mindfulness practice, and much more. You can work with Alex at innersourceperformancepsychology.comMad Rock:madrock.comUse code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.Rúngne:rungne.info/nuggetUse code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.YouTube Videos:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingCheck out my latest training tip videos and be sure to subscribe!The NUG:frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nugBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/alex-bridgewater-returnsNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:01:38) – Graduate school(00:10:21) – Psychology for climbers(00:18:54) – Finding your values(00:28:52) – Expectations(00:38:27) – WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan)(01:07:07) – Manifesting flexibility(01:16:24) – Confidence(01:20:37) – Building awareness(01:32:43) – Is climbing separate from life?(01:43:32) – What is the cost?(01:54:37) – We’re not professional athletes(02:00:36) – Many different selves(02:08:32) – Acceptance(02:14:57) – Unhooking(02:18:38) – Mindfulness practice(02:35:53) – Alex’s practices(02:43:06) – Alex’s coaching offerings

7 Juli 2h 47min

What if you could eat the healthiest meat on the planet while helping the environment? Jake Muise is the CEO and founder of Maui Nui Venison, and joins me to talk about sustainable food and the future of nutrient density. We talked about the overpopulation of Axis deer in Hawaii, the cyclical die-off they experience without predation, solving complex problems, the secret to sustaining high-level output, harvesting at night, nutrition of place, sharing with community, and much more.Maui Nui Venison (The Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet)mauinuivenison.com/stevenChilipad (Don’t Lose Sleep this Summer)Get 20% off any Chilipad sleep systemNADS (Organic Cotton Underwear)Use code STEVEN for 15% offSupport Something Different on Patreonpatreon.com/somethingdiffpodTimestamps:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:04) – Axis deer(00:05:18) – A food resource(00:07:53) – Volleyball & performance(00:12:04) – Jake’s intro to hunting(00:13:34) – Drought & die-off(00:17:00) – Tracking animals & finding balance(00:31:02) – Paying cattle ranchers(00:37:45) – Harvesting at night(00:47:55) – Nutrition of place(00:55:02) – The future of nutrient density(00:57:17) – Sustaining high-level output(01:02:10) – Sharing with community(01:07:55) – Hope for the future(01:12:26) – Wrap up

1 Juli 1h 15min

Yuji Hirayama is a Japanese professional climber and a living legend. We talked about visualizing his onsight attempt on The Salathe, channeling support into power, Daniel Woods, Mount Kinabalu, Japanese vs. Western culture, quitting school to climb, owning climbing gyms, how to stay 9a fit in your 50s, the secret to staying young, and much more.Rúngne:rungne.info/nuggetUse code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.Chilipad:checkout.sleep.meUse this link for 20% off any of Chilipad's sleep cooling systems.Mad Rock:madrock.comUse code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.YouTube Videos:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingCheck out my latest training tip videos and be sure to subscribe!Become a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/yuji-hirayamaNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:10) – The Professionals film(00:12:30) – Attempting to onsight the Salathe(00:22:04) – Channeling support into power(00:30:26) – Challenge, change, & Daniel Woods(00:36:53) – Mount Kinabalu(00:50:23) – How Yuji has changed(00:57:15) – Why Yuji climbs(01:03:40) – Japanese vs. Western culture(01:09:35) – Yuji’s parents(01:11:58) – Early climbing(01:14:22) – Running(01:19:05) – Quitting school to climb(01:24:20) – Who inspires Yuji(01:28:02) – How climbing has changed(01:31:16) – Owning gyms(01:40:33) – Karaoke(01:41:18) – Wine, Dine, & Climb(01:43:07) – Staying 9a fit in your 50s(01:47:03) – Japanese focus on hard climbing(01:48:54) – The next trip(01:51:33) – The secret to staying young(01:55:32) – Wrap up

23 Juni 1h 57min

Eric Edmeades is often referred to as the “Indiana Jones” of the professional speaking world. He has been traveling to Africa to visit the Hadza, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer groups, since 2007. We talked about rites of passage, how ancestral living solved his health issues, lessons from his time with the Hadza, how to overcome evolutionary mismatch in Western society, founding WILDFIT, and much more. You can learn more about Eric at eric.eeMaui Nui Venison (The Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet)mauinuivenison.com/stevenChilipad (Don’t Lose Sleep this Summer)Get 20% off any Chilipad sleep systemHeadspace (Meditation App)Try it for Free for 14 DaysSupport Something Different on Patreonpatreon.com/somethingdiffpodTimestamps:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:40) – Homeless as a teenager(00:07:06) – Rites of passage(00:16:31) – Building resiliance(00:20:48) – Health journey(00:27:32) – The US medical system(00:30:54) – Changing his diet(00:34:54) – The Hadza (Hadzabe Tribe)(00:39:19) – Evolutionary mismatch(00:44:53) – What the Hadza eat(00:53:06) – Healthy kids(00:59:02) – Food psychology(01:02:05) – Should we eat like the Hadza?(01:11:53) – Frightened primates(01:19:11) – 3 seasons of eating(01:31:20) – Winter for the Hadza(01:33:10) – Vegetables & tubers(01:37:58) – The evolution gap(01:41:26) – Movement & the lymphatic system(01:46:23) – Executive function(01:51:28) – What life’s about(01:57:13) – Contentment(02:04:36) – Rest & leasure(02:07:07) – Unconditional love(02:10:02) – WILDFIT(02:17:00) – How to connect with Eric(02:19:09) – Be the captain

16 Juni 2h 23min

Seneida Biendarra is the 2023 US National Champion in the women’s B2 (severely blind) category. We talked about losing her vision as a teenager, her current visual experience, creating mental maps of the world, finding freedom in risk, designing outdoor gear, the world of paraclimbing and the adaptive community, sight guiding, the empathy gun, embracing chapters in life, and much more.Arc’teryx:Women’s climbing clothingMen’s climbing clothingCheck out the NEW Kragg Collection.Mad Rock:madrock.comUse code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.Rúngne:rungne.info/nuggetUse code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.Become a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/seneida-biendarraNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:00) – 1950s appliances(00:05:08) – A fresh start(00:07:49) – Seneida’s visual experience(00:10:00) – Losing vision(00:17:02) – The map(00:19:38) – Visual experience continued(00:23:35) – An invisible disability(00:25:56) – Daily living vs. climbing(00:29:44) – Meeting other blind climbers(00:36:08) – Crashes(00:39:34) – Risk & freedom(00:44:48) – Early climbing(00:48:32) – An onsight philosophy(00:52:19) – Visualization(00:55:09) – Lights out(01:01:49) – Accessibility tools & basketball(01:05:59) – Designing gear(01:13:06) – Parents & childhood(01:17:08) – Backpacking(01:19:21) – Daily living continued(01:28:55) – Nate(01:31:10) – Sight Guiding(01:37:40) – The world of paraclimbing(01:41:28) – 2028 Olympics(01:46:09) – Identity & community(01:49:51) – Mourning, normalizing, & sympathy(01:53:31) – How to be a supportive sighted person(01:56:25) – Empathy gun(02:01:09) – Parts of ourselves(02:04:45) – Interpersonal bonds(02:12:39) – Embracing chapters(02:18:53) – Self-driving taxis(02:21:55) – Spotlighting the adaptive community(02:26:12) – “You belong more than you think you do.”(02:29:45) – New designs

9 Juni 2h 31min

Brendan Baars is a boulderer from Grand Rapids, MI, who has spent the past seven years developing a new bouldering area called The Nooks in Ontario, Canada. We talked about what a day of developing looks like, his go-to gear, how his big toe saved his life, the untapped potential in Canada, the reward of establishing and sharing new climbs, undone projects, the logistics of visiting The Nooks, his upcoming film The Developer, and much more.Mad Rock:madrock.comUse code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.Rúngne:rungne.info/nuggetUse code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.Arc’teryx:Women’s climbing clothingMen’s climbing clothingCheck out the NEW Kragg Collection.The GRINDS Program:thenuggetclimbing.comEnter your email to get a free PDF and log sheetBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingWe are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy and Mark and Julie CalhounShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/brendan-baarsNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:10) – Capentry(00:05:52) – Steven’s cabin(00:07:06) – Intro to climbing(00:10:03) – Weekend warrior(00:17:14) – Discovering The Nooks(00:20:51) – Goldmine(00:23:12) – “This is sick”(00:28:50) – Years of potential(00:34:47) – Summer & bugs(00:38:22) – Weather(00:40:01) – A new avenue & a sacrifice(00:50:02) – Sharing The Nooks(00:55:10) – A day of developing(00:57:01) – Custom backpack(01:01:51) – Big Toe(01:09:07) – Rope systems & ladders(01:12:30) – The Developer film(01:18:25) – Rock type & style(01:20:47) – Elliot Lake(01:33:39) – Logistics & amenities(01:36:42) – Guidebook & KAYA(01:39:06) – The Croc Block(01:41:54) – Top Nooks Boulders(01:47:56) – Hard projects(01:51:31) – More Nooks info(01:54:38) – The Canadian frontier(01:57:43) – Wrap up + EXTRA teaser

27 Maj 2h 3min

Steven Bergey started climbing at 31 and climbed his first V11 outside within four years. We talked about his projecting approach, the “outdoor gear”, suspending your disbelief until the magic happens, his diet and sleep routines, tips for climbing at night, the pivotal moments that change our lives forever, and more.The GRINDS Program 👉 thenuggetclimbing.comThe NUG 👉 frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nugBecome a Patron for a chance to be featured in the next Patron Spotlight! 👉 patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingWe are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy and Mark and Julie CalhounShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/steven-bergeyNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:03:24) – When to call it on a project(00:08:40) – Summer mode(00:10:27) – The Martin Keller approach(00:14:34) – Steven’s approach(00:17:53) – The outdoor gear(00:24:10) – Anthem(00:29:26) – Adapting to fingery climbing(00:33:26) – Diet(00:37:16) – Thoughts on keto & carnivore(00:42:38) – Still improving(00:43:59) – TB2(00:49:35) – More about diet(00:58:12) – Sleep(01:02:20) – Snacking & when he climbs(01:03:36) – Work & night climbing(01:09:08) – Light tips(01:11:49) – Tea & coffee(01:15:59) – Put in the time(01:18:56) – Suspend your disbelief(01:21:16) – Pivotal moments(01:28:59) – Wrap up

22 Maj 1h 33min