Circle Up!

In this episode, Kyra and Allison tackle the tricky and taboo topic of eating disorders in climbing and sports in general. They talk from their personal experiences from being in the sport and from each of their unique experiences of struggling or not struggling with their relationship with food. **Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders**

In this episode, Allison and Kyra share their own thoughts and struggles with fear, both mentally and physically. Starting with the fear of failure in competition then into how to overcome (or not) fear while outdoor bouldering and lead climbing. Hopefully this conversation helps show that fear is a major factor of even a professional climber's struggle with any climb.

Kyra and Allison recap the recent big competition for US competitors: National Team Trials. Allison was a commentator for the livestream of this event while Kyra competed to clinch a spot on the World Cup team this year. After a trying couple years after the Olympics, Kyra was able to implement some big mindset changes and found that curiosity was key for her success at this competition.

Kyra and Allison use this episode to talk about a topic that comes up every month... every month. Periods. As something that 50% of the population deals with on a monthly basis, they try to have an open dialogue about their own trials and troubles that go along with being a professional athlete and the menstrual cycle. Some bonus embarrassing stories are shared by both. Even if you don't get a period yourself--this is a great listen to try and educate yourself on something your loved one/friends/coworkers/training partners go through!

Allison and Kyra talk about their personal experiences with comparing themselves to others in the gym and in competition. Most of the time unavoidable, comparison can lead you down a spiraling mental pathway, but there are techniques you can use to turn those negative emotions into at least neutral learning experiences, if not positive motivation.

In this episode Kyra and Allison do their best to explain how the olympic qualification pathways work for Paris 2024! They also go on many tangents including some thoughts about the future of routesetting and the pros and cons of the new Boulder + Lead format.

Allison and Kyra talk the delicate balance of school and climbing and what they did to strike the right balance. This also relates to work, social life, and any other major life activities that you're trying to juggle all at once. Take a listen to hear about their past, present, and future balancing acts and hopefully get some good advice on how to find whats right for you.

Kyra brings in two very special guests for this episode while Allison is away on vacation--her parents! This episode is a little different, but full of interesting insights into Kyra's childhood, lessons learned from her parents that she's taken into adulthood, and what it was like being a parent of an elite athlete.

In this episode, Kyra and Allison talk about drug testing and what it's like being an athlete that's in the testing pool of USADA/WADA. They work to clear up some common misconceptions they've heard about drug testing and how the process works. In the second half of the episode, listen to them share some never-before-heard stories about their climbing related tattoos.

Kyra and Allison talk about their new years resolutions and how to set reasonable goals for yourself to stay motivated. They also share some stories about diet culture and their views on what healthy food goals should be. Then they go into how to make the most of any gym, whether its a "good gym" or not.

In this episode Kyra interviews Allison about her experiences since taking a step back from competing and instead focusing on outdoor climbing. Listen to Allison talk about her experience with projecting a v14 (8B+) and how she's worked on her mental space to be able to project at her limit. Allison was the first Canadian woman to successfully complete a v13 (8B) then later a v14 (8B+). She is one of the few female climbers in the world to complete a climb of that difficulty.

In this episode, the cohosts Allison Vest and Kyra Condie switch roles and have Allison interview Kyra about her time at leading up to the Olympics and competing there. The unique perspective that Allison brings as Kyra's friend while interviewing means the questions are insightful and unlike anything Kyra has talked about in previous interviews.

Listen to Kyra and Allison talk similarities and differences between their training programs. They cover how they each warm up, how their training suits their strengths and needs, and what they do in a typical climbing session.

Listen to Kyra and Allison recount some of their favorite World Cup memories while also giving some insight into what its like behind-the-scenes at a Bouldering World Cup.

Kyra and Allison talk about Kyra's upcoming competition, how they both mentally prepare for big events, and what role body image and nutrition play in athletics.

Welcome to Episode 1--In this episode Allison and Kyra introduce the idea behind the podcast before diving into social media, intense training environments, body image, and some of the mental techniques they use to deal with those stresses! Enjoy!