Travis Tameirao is a 33-year-old from Rhode Island. On August 13, 2018, his life changed in a freak accident in the climbing gym. Three years and a dozen surgeries later, Travis miraculously returned to climbing and sent his first V10 and V11. We talked about his accident, getting a full knee replacement, how he made a full recovery, his incredible wife Katie, why he swims four times per week, treating yourself like you have the V17 gene, taking responsibility for your life, the interplay of luck and hard work, and much more.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/travis-tameirao
Nuggets:
0:00:00 – Intro/Ads
0:07:14 – Having a son at 19, semi-pro boxing and bartending to make ends meet, and getting into climbing
0:13:31 – Maintaining his own identity once he became a dad
0:15:40 – Getting obsessed with climbing, and being reckless out of ignorance
0:24:51 – The full story of Travis’ accident on August 13th, 2018
0:35:20 – Getting his knee reconstructed in December 2019, and losing his Tibial Plateau
0:38:31 – The possibility of amputation, and choosing an experimental procedure
0:44:18 – Living in constant pain, surgery as a trauma, and holding onto hope
0:47:21 – Having a full knee replacement, and feeling like he was given a death sentence
0:49:52 – The limitations of Western medicine
0:51:55 – Waking up without pain
0:53:56 – The gift of walking, and reclaiming his life
0:56:55 – Working on regaining his range of motion, and reconnecting with climbing
1:05:05 – Getting hurt again sport climbing in Rumney
1:09:39 – Losing friends and community during his recovery, and proposing to his wife Katie
1:17:40 – The first time he asked Katie out
1:20:57 – Gratitude for Katie, and being with a partner through the hard times
1:23:41 – Hiking around Mont Blanc on their honeymoon
1:26:39 – Focusing on work while he was recovering, and appreciation for the support
1:27:40 – Regaining his full range of motion, and climbing his first V10 outside
1:31:42 – Mr. Miyagi and the pistol squat
1:33:04 – Climbing his first V11, leaving areas better than you found them, and finding boulders in Rhode Island
1:36:22 – “Don’t get injured”, learning how to fall, and being unsure of the takeaway
1:38:33 – The guy in the wheelchair, and wondering if he is blowing his second chance
1:43:01 – Choosing to live a rich and passionate life, the fountain of youth, and facing mortality
1:48:10 – A backlog of games and books, and wanting to live forever
1:54:19 – Accepting support from Katie, hard conversations, and the transition in their relationship after his recovery
2:03:08 – Mothers and empty nests, Travis’ parents relationship, and the feeling of firsts
2:07:45 – What climbing means to Travis now, and why Travis swims 4 days per week
2:10:46 – Long-term climbing goals, and sponsoring himself
2:14:43 – Growing up a block away from his wife, and all of the things climbing has brought him
2:17:24 – Treating yourself like you have the V17 gene
2:19:15 – How Travis made a full recovery when many others didn’t, drawing inspiration from anime, and being the main character in your own story
2:26:43 – Taking the wheel, and advocating for yourself
2:32:14 – Sharing his story, and being a resource
2:36:46 – Kind words about the podcast
2:39:58 – Luck and hard work
2:42:26 – More kind words
2:45:32 – Iontophoresis
2:47:01 – Wrap up and Travis’ phone number
EP 222: Paul Houghoughi — How to Bulletproof Your Knees, Strengthen Your Shoulders, and Maintain a Happy Neck
EXTRA: Keenan Takahashi — Mustache Q&A, Highballing Near Misses, and Japanese Climbing Culture
EP 221: Keenan Takahashi — ‘The Gold Standard’, Learning From Limit Moves, and the Origin Story of ANTIGRAV
EP 220: Alannah Yip (Olympian) — Alopecia, Finding Power Beyond Hair Loss, and Her Fight Against Disordered Eating
EP 219: Fitz Cahall (The Dirtbag Diaries, Climbing Gold) — A Lifetime of Storytelling, Taking Authorship of Your Time, and Being Pro But Not Fancy
EP 218: Mat Wright — Sending One of the World's Hardest Trad Climbs, 'Rhapsody' E11
EP 217: A Masterclass in Relieving Stress, Sleeping Better, & Improving Focus Using Self-Hypnosis — Dr. David Spiegel (Stanford Psychiatrist)
EXTRA: Maddy Cope — A Masterclass in Endurance Training
EP 216: Maddy Cope — Erase Your Bucket List, Embrace Discomfort, and Discover the Joy of Missing Out
EP 215: Nathan Williams — Lessons From 100+ Days on a V17, the Simplest Way to Get Strong Fingers, and Static Shenanigans
EP 214: How to Find Contentment in Your Climbing, Banish Shame, and Send Harder Than Ever — Neely Quinn (TrainingBeta, Life Coach)
EP 213: Simon Lorenzi — Three V17s, the Fascinating Story Behind ‘Soudain Seul’, and Dream V18 Projects
EP 212: Filmmaker Carlos Mason on Creating SENDING — A Look Behind the Scenes at One of My Favorite Climbing Films
EP 211: Davis Ngo (dr.climb) — Blowing Up on Instagram, Why Pro Climbers Deserve to Get Paid, and Overcoming Fear After Injury
EP 210: Stefano Ghisolfi — Chasing the Impossible, Using Humor to Send, and Two Drills for Legendary Endurance
EP 209: Graham Zimmerman — Going to the Mountains to Learn, the 100-Year Plan, and Imperfect Advocacy
EP 208: Jesse Grupper — Optimistic Training, Last Place to Olympian, and Leveling Up His Bouldering
SEND ALERT: Will Bosi — ‘Return of the Sleepwalker’ V17, and What He Plans to Try Next!
EP 207: Paul Houghoughi (The Climbing Physio) — How to Rehab Finger Injuries, Build Bulletproof Wrists & Elbows, and Never Get Injured Again
EP 206: Building a Perfect Replica of ‘The Big Island’ V15, Training on Your Projects, and the Ideal Circuit — Charlie Schreiber Returns
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