rock climbing Archives - Page 6 of 12

November 15, 2021December 12, 2021

EP 13: Mike Doyle: Remote Work and the Climbing Life

Now seems as good a time as any to welcome back climber and software engineer Mike Doyle. Mike appeared on Clipping Chains for a written interview in February of 2020. At the time, I was curious as to how he managed to climb at an elite level while juggling a very demanding remote job. Mike was still managing to travel to multiple places a year for months at a time, taking his full-time+ job along with him.

After the arrival of the pandemic and surge in remote work, Mike’s original interview feels so much more relevant. In the intervening time, my wife and I have also experienced living and working while traveling, so my thoughts on this lifestyle have evolved dramatically. With all this in mind, the timing feels right to have Mike on for a deeper dive on the realities of the remote work lifestyle.

November 1, 2021October 31, 2021

EP 12: Paige Claassen: “This Was a Big One for Me”

I’m happy to announce that today’s guest is pro climber and all-around genuine person, Paige Claassen. Paige is one of the top sport climbers in America and the world, having sent multiple 5.14+ routes, including her latest send of Dreamcatcher, a 5.14d in Squamish, British Columbia.

Pro climbers are paid in large part to climb, at least for a portion of their life. But Paige does so much more than climb. She’s worked insane hours at a packhouse in Namibia harvesting grapes, she founded and promoted nonprofit projects across the globe, and she’s heavily involved in making a more equitable world.

That said, despite all these achievements, Paige admittedly struggles at times with issues we all face: self-disappointment, a hesitation to celebrate victories, and a feeling that the anticipation of the thing is greater than the thing. Paige is learning to recognize wins and take compliments, with simple refrains, like, “this is a big one for me.” Her thoughts here gave me a lot of room for self-reflection.

October 25, 2021October 25, 2021

Shades of Grey: How to Enjoy Life and Have Money

So many of us in the outdoor world choose a life and career path guided by a seemingly unavoidable fork in the road. Do we choose a safe path, paved with a steady paycheck and a retirement plan? Or do we cobble together whatever it takes to make it work, focusing on experience and patching the inevitable cracks as we go? Today we examine the completely accessible and exciting grey area between these two black and white choices. We can have money and still enjoy life.

October 18, 2021October 18, 2021

EP 10: Mark Anderson: The Seasons of Life

I’m very pleased to welcome back to Clipping Chains Mark Anderson, an elite-level climber, father, husband, training enthusiast, and now-former full-time engineer and manager. Mark and his family have recently achieved financial independence, allowing Mark to step away from his career and focus first on family, and perhaps surprisingly, climbing as a distant second priority.

October 11, 2021October 10, 2021

EP 9: Your Questions Answered: Volume 3

This week I decided to dig through the digital mail bag for some questions.

In this podcast episode, we take a dive on how to spend retirement money early, how to live off investment income, recommended index funds, life on the road, climbing with a significant other who doesn’t partake, taxes, spot-on recession predictions, and so much more!

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021

EP 8: Becky Switzer: This is Real Life

I want to welcome back to Clipping Chains Becky Switzer, a Bozeman, Montana-based climber who delivered a great written interview about a year ago. When I first met Becky in summer of 2020, I was living out of a tiny A-frame camper with my wife and dog. We were passing through Bozeman, and I remembered someone I sort of knew from Instagram who might help me with some local beta: Becky Switzer. I asked if she’d be willing to meet for coffee, and much to my surprise, she was. This was the first pre-interview discussion where I wished I was recording. It was during this conversation that I resolved to eventually start a podcast, and over a year later, here we are.

September 20, 2021September 19, 2021

EP 7: Luke Mehall: The Dirtbag Dream is Not Enough

Today I’m happy to welcome climber, author, and founder of the Climbing Zine, Luke Mehall. Luke is the kind of climber I thought I would never reach with a platform focused on saving, investing, and financial wellness. Luke existed for many years as a self-proclaimed hand-to-mouth dirtbag. He lived on the road for months at a time, barely making ends meet. But as Luke puts it, “the dirtbag dream is not enough.”

At a low point in his life, Luke started publishing stories about the climbing life that didn’t have a home in the major publications. The Climbing Zine was born, which has now grown into a thriving business and paved a path for Luke’s personal and creative freedom. Now he’s turning his focus to expanding the business and facing all the real-life adult stuff so many of us will find familiar: buying a home, saving for the future, and generally evolving with the roller coaster ride that is the modern world.

September 6, 2021September 5, 2021

EP 5: Diana Crabtree Green: Pay Yourself First

Today I bring you a discussion with Diana Crabtree Green, a rock climber and now part-time Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than twenty years of experience in personal finance and tax.

Diana is another one of these climbers that I didn’t think existed in large numbers when I started this project three years ago: Diana and her husband could technically be retired in her 40s. But they both continue to work, at least part time. We’ll discuss why they’ve chosen this balanced approach.

Learn how outdoor enthusiasts are primed to get the ball rolling.

August 23, 2021August 22, 2021

EP 3: Chris Mamula: One Bite at a Time

Today I’m excited to bring you an interview with writer and outdoor enthusiast Chris Mamula. Chris is a well-known figure in the personal finance community, particularly the Financial Independence community.

Chris worked as a physical therapist before achieving financial independence and leaving his career in 2017 at age 41. Shortly thereafter, Chris—along with his wife and daughter—moved across the country from Pennsylvania to Ogden, UT, where they now reside.

While Chris and his family yearned for an adventurous life out west, he’s been candid about the challenges of changing too much too soon. We discuss those challenges and how he’s worked through them. We also discuss financial and lifestyle choices that are unique to the outdoor community. Finally, we address the importance of options and flexibility for an unknown future.

Plus much more!

August 4, 2021August 9, 2021

EP 1 🎙: Mike Tritt: Rocking in the Free World

Today I’m very happy to bring you a live, in-the-flesh interview with Mike Tritt, a Denver-based climber who achieved financial independence and retired from his mechanical engineering job at age 35.

Mike now climbs full-time and supports his fiancée Suzanna in her career, which she has chosen to continue pursuing. In this interview we discuss how Mike juggled climbing with a career and then walked away from mandatory work in his 30s. We address how Mike is striking a balance between a home-based relationship and the desire for long trips on the road. Finally, we take on the subject of purpose in life without traditional work. Plus, so much more!