The Importance of Mental Health in Ice Climbing

In this interview I talk with professional ice and mixed climber, Majka Burhardt, about her new book, More. In it, she describes the transition she went through from being a full-time pro climber to having twins and balancing her life with her two children as a new part of it.

The book is a compilation of letters she wrote to her kids through the first 6 years of their lives about the emotional rollercoaster she went on trying to balance it all. Not only is Majka a climber and a mother, she also founded an international non-profit called Legado that works with indigenous cultures to make sure they have what they need for their communities and their environments to thrive. We discuss how she makes time for all of the things she juggles in her life so successfully.

We talk about how motherhood changed her life as a climber, how it affected her relationship with her husband, and how she’s grown from it. We talk about how female climbers have very few rolemodels for how to be a climber and a mother and make it all work, and we talk about how her parenting style is so different from what she received as a child (it’s really quite progressive).

This was a super inspirational conversation, and if you’re a parent or an aspiring parent, Majka’s wise words will likely resonate with you.