Writer and hiker Cara Benson joins us for a deeply personal conversation about grief, addiction, healing, and the solace found in wild places. We explore how hiking helped us navigate profound loss, what it means to keep moving forward when life shatters, and how nature can offer connection, perspective, and comfort when words fail. We also answer a Dear Sugar letter from a woman searching for meaning after a lifetime of caring for everyone but herself.

Writer and hiker Cara Benson joins us for a deeply personal conversation about grief, addiction, healing, and the solace found in wild places. We explore how hiking helped us navigate profound loss, what it means to keep moving forward when life shatters, and how nature can offer connection, perspective, and comfort when words fail. We also answer a Dear Sugar letter from a woman searching for meaning after a lifetime of caring for everyone but herself.

From the bestselling author of Wild and co-host of the beloved Dear Sugars podcast, Cheryl Strayed returns with a new kind of journey.

In Mind Over Mountain with Cheryl Strayed, Cheryl sits down with athletes and adventurers from the most high-adrenaline corners of the world (climbers, surfers, ultramarathoners and more) to discuss the inner landscapes that inspired these extraordinary feats, and give advice to listeners on how they too can face seemingly insurmountable moments in their own lives.

From the bestselling author of Wild and co-host of the beloved Dear Sugars podcast, Cheryl Strayed returns with a new kind of journey.
In Mind Over Mountain with Cheryl Strayed, Cheryl sits down with athletes and adventurers from the most high-adrenaline corners of the world (climbers, surfers, ultramarathoners and more) to discuss the inner landscapes that inspired these extraordinary feats, and give advice to listeners on how they too can face seemingly insurmountable moments in their own lives.

Mind Over Mountain

Walking through Loss with Author and Hiker Cara Benson

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a9e2daf4-6835-44f0-be70-b473012d5cf7/transcript

Mount Everest record-holder Lhakpa Sherpa has spent her life climbing—mountains, barriers, and her way through extraordinary hardship. We talk about becoming the first Nepali woman to summit Everest and return safely, what the mountain has taught her about resilience, and why she has returned eleven times—more than any other woman in the world. Lhakpa also reflects on the difficult chapters of her life captured in Lucy Walker’s documentary Mountain Queen, and the strength it took to build a new life for herself and her daughters. We also answer a Dear Sugar letter about finding the courage to take a leap when fear tells you to stay where you are.

Mount Everest record-holder Lhakpa Sherpa has spent her life climbing&mdash;mountains, barriers, and her way through extraordinary hardship. We talk about becoming the first Nepali woman to summit Everest and return safely, what the mountain has taught her about resilience, and why she has returned eleven times&mdash;more than any other woman in the world. Lhakpa also reflects on the difficult chapters of her life captured in Lucy Walker&rsquo;s documentary Mountain Queen, and the strength it took to build a new life for herself and her daughters. We also answer a Dear Sugar letter about finding the courage to take a leap when fear tells you to stay where you are.

The Mountain Is My Teacher: Everest Record-Holder Lhakpa Sherpa on Resilience

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/08388458-62cb-410b-b3c3-b4dc015a5a3a/transcript

High diver Molly Carlson knows what it means to be afraid and do it anyway. We talk about her journey from perfectionism and an eating disorder to finding joy in her sport again, how she learned to trust herself at the edge of a 27-meter platform, and why falling short of her Olympic dream ultimately helped her find a better path. We also answer a Dear Sugar letter about what it really means to love yourself.

High diver Molly Carlson knows what it means to be afraid and do it anyway. We talk about her journey from perfectionism and an eating disorder to finding joy in her sport again, how she learned to trust herself at the edge of a 27-meter platform, and why falling short of her Olympic dream ultimately helped her find a better path. We also answer a Dear Sugar letter about what it really means to love yourself.

High Diver Molly Carlson on Being Scared and Doing It Anyway

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9291f9b7-5cfb-417a-aa02-b4d50155548c/transcript

After watching the profoundly moving documentary Row of Life, I knew I wanted to talk with its director, Soraya Simi. The film follows Paralympian and 14-time Guinness World Record holder Angela Madsen as she attempts a solo row from Los Angeles to Hawaii—and the devastating loss that transforms her journey into something much larger. Soraya and I talk about Angela’s extraordinary appetite for life, the love story between Angela and her partner Deb, and what it means to tell an athlete’s story when there is no traditional triumphant ending. We explore why films like Row of Life matter: because the stories we preserve shape our understanding of courage, disability, athleticism, love, grief, and what it means to live a big life.

After watching the profoundly moving documentary Row of Life, I knew I wanted to talk with its director, Soraya Simi. The film follows Paralympian and 14-time Guinness World Record holder Angela Madsen as she attempts a solo row from Los Angeles to Hawaii&mdash;and the devastating loss that transforms her journey into something much larger. Soraya and I talk about Angela&rsquo;s extraordinary appetite for life, the love story between Angela and her partner Deb, and what it means to tell an athlete&rsquo;s story when there is no traditional triumphant ending. We explore why films like Row of Life matter: because the stories we preserve shape our understanding of courage, disability, athleticism, love, grief, and what it means to live a big life.

A Monument to Paralympian Angela Madsen: Row of Life Director Soraya Simi

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bbaa4166-6356-42b6-9eb1-b4ce013692ad/transcript

Walking through Loss with Author and Hiker Cara Benson

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