The climbing community is always there to support you when you do well but will never think less of you if you don’t.

A common concern among women who train in climbing gyms is fear of embarrassment. We don’t want to work on our weaknesses or try problems that are hard for us because we don’t want other people to see us fail. Here is a tidbit of insight for you: no one cares. This may seem harsh but it’ll be like a massive weight off your chest once you begin to accept it. Even if you have the most wild, spastic fall of your entire life and people laugh, forget about it and move on. What people will remember is your resilience and ability to move forward. The climbing community is always there to support you when you do well but will never think less of you if you don’t. Don’t be afraid of failing in front of other people. We are all climbing up fake rock faces, trying to defy gravity and no one sends every time.

These are diff icult tasks, I know. I still struggle constantly to maintain these attitudes. We all have down days, selfconscious days and days when nothing seems possible. But it’s all about turning those bad days into productive ones. So the next time you’re in the gym, don’t ogle the shirtless dude because his back muscles look really nice, use it as motivation to go and get them for yourself. Perfect your superstar glare. Chalk up those gorgeously calloused hands then unleash your power from the start holds all the way to the finish. But don’t start demanding that people brush holds for you. No one likes a prima donna.