The Interview Series (Written Interviews) Archives - Page 3 of 4

September 30, 2019October 1, 2019

Paige Claassen: Making a Difference

I’m very pleased to bring you an interview with one of my favorite climbers, Paige Claassen. Paige is an absolute crusher in the world of sport climbing, having climbed a number of notable nails-hard 5.14+ test-piece routes (Necessary Evil, VRG; Just Do It, Smith Rock), capped with her recent send of Algorithm (5.14c/d) in the Fins, Idaho.

But as usual, this isn’t really a climbing website and we’re not really here to talk about Paige’s climbing (don’t worry, we will a bit).

August 26, 2019October 17, 2019

Chelsea Murn: Wellness for All

This week I’m happy to bring you a conversation with Chelsea Murn, a 28-year-old climber, health coach, and dog-mom from Spokane, Washington.

I don’t exactly remember how, but I stumbled on to Chelsea’s profile on social media (Instagram actually). Over the months I’ve noticed that she has a drive to be more than just a typical psyched climber. She’s working to build a career around her passions of nutrition and health. But Chelsea fully recognizes that doing so requires a careful balancing act with a properly paying day job and her own climbing performance objectives. Many of you out there are trying to navigate that balance.

I also couldn’t help but notice Chelsea’s occasional discussions of money online. As we’ll touch on below, Chelsea is living a life familiar to millions of young (and old) Americans, and she’s taking action to gain the upper hand:

July 15, 2019August 6, 2019

Rob Pizem: Fighting the Good Fight

For those of you new to this site, The Interview Series is a way to highlight those in the world of climbing who view life through a different lens. These folks have found a way to balance life’s passions amidst a whirlwind schedule of family and work obligations, not stopping to consider the easy way out. Rob Pizem does it. And then he does more.

June 24, 2019August 6, 2019

Dave MacLeod: Life Outside the Box, Part 2

Ok folks, we’re back with Part 2 of the interview with Dave MacLeod. If you haven’t already checked out Part 1, please do so here.

June 17, 2019August 6, 2019

Dave MacLeod: Life Outside the Box, Part 1

Today I’m thrilled to bring you the first in a two-part series from the climbing and training legend, Dave MacLeod. Dave has an impressive and varied climbing resume, including countless top-tier first ascents, F9a sport routes (5.14d), V15 boulders, Scottish XII mixed routes, and E11 trad. Dave is nails strong — mentally and physically — and that’s no accident of good fortune. In this interview, Dave offers a glimpse into what makes him tick, and why it’s essential to live life outside the box if we desire exceptional results.

April 15, 2019August 9, 2021

Reader Case Study: Maximize Adventure or Career?

Full disclosure, I’m posting this week’s case study as an interview, but no one is being interviewed here. This post is the amalgamation of several email discussions I’ve had with readers in the last two to three months. The premise is this: folks out there know some form of career is necessary, but they’re overwhelmed by the idea of 40+ years of something that isn’t the dream job. Oh yeah, and they’re obsessed with rock climbing.

I’m going to outline below the basic way we’ve structured our lives to be career-focused for only a small portion of our adult lives. From there, we’re free to pursue whatever it is that gets us giddy (which can still be a career).

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019

Tara Kerzhner: Lights, Cameras…Kittens?

Howdy folks, we’re back on the interview wagon again after a couple of weeks of “you’re spending too much” rants. I feel better, thanks for asking. This week we are once again going to focus on the lifestyle of folks in the climbing industry, and the financial implications for building a sustainable life in a world where money most certainly does not grow on trees. As usual, I reached out to someone whose work I respect, the very talented photographer, filmmaker, and climber Tara Kerzhner. Not only does she do exceptional work behind the lens, she has a unique character that makes her stand out — particularly a running theme of cats, which permeates her online persona.

February 25, 2019March 6, 2021

Jonathan Siegrist: Life After Professional Climbing

If you’ve been in this climbing world for more than a few days, you know that my guest interview today, Jonathan Siegrist, needs no introduction. He’s simply one of the world’s top climbers, and he’s crushed it in all major facets of this game we play — sport, bouldering, and trad.

We’re going to mix things up this week and feature Jonathan not because he’s pursuing a life of financial independence or running a business, but because he works damn hard and is a man with a plan. He is laser focused on his goals, but he knows there will be more to life than professional climbing. There’s not much luck in this story.

January 14, 2019January 13, 2019

Kris Hampton: Popping Your Comfort Bubble

Kris Hampton is a hustler in the modern world of climbing. For decades he’s kept himself close to the action—not only with his own impressive climbing achievements—but, more importantly, his intense presence as a figure in the climbing world. Kris challenges the status quo and wants you to get uncomfortable. As such, he makes for an interesting guest interview. After all, we want to look at this life differently, right?

December 31, 2018December 30, 2018

Getting Down with Charlie “Brown”

Charlie is indeed his first name, but I playfully made up the “Brown” part. Isn’t that fun?! Charlie has asked to remain partially anonymous (as we do here), because he’s discussing some stuff that his bosses might not like. We get it — nothing says I want a big bonus this year like “save money, retire early, blah, blah” on the internet.

The real Charlie Brown is kind of a downer, but not this Charlie. He and his wife are gaming out their life, and that’s pretty cool.