Karly Rager is a structural engineer turned climbing coach, and the founder of Project Direct Coaching. We talked about Karly’s background and what led her to start her own coaching business, being a female in two male-dominated industries, mental strategies for developing focus and overcoming fear, transitioning between climbing disciplines, using injuries as opportunities, cultivating longevity in our climbing, valuing coaches more highly, and much more.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/karly-rager
Nuggets:
0:06:11 – Literature, poetry, and public speaking
0:10:07 – Engineering school, and rediscovering art
0:11:37 – Karly’s background, studying engineering and working as a structural engineer, and discovering climbing
0:15:48 – How climbing connects with the engineering and the artistic parts of the brain
0:19:11 – Mentoring friends, and becoming a climbing coach
0:21:52 – Mental strategies for developing focus, and being an observer of your own mind
0:25:53 – Making mental training measurable, and mindfulness practice
0:28:31 – Starting her coaching business (Project Direct), and figuring out which lever to pull
0:31:58 – Developing skills, emersion, and learning vs. performing
0:36:41 – The “Trenches of Transition”, and my (Steven’s) transition from Smith Rock to steep cave climbing
0:39:26 – Having different grade pyramids for different styles of climbing
0:43:51 – Karly’s 4 Pillars, and questions to ask yourself if you are considering getting a coach
0:48:24 – How to get initial coaching experience, Karly’s leap from engineering to coaching, and recommended certifications for climbing coaches
0:53:43 – Stacking her resume, and being female in a male-dominated engineering world
0:58:23 – Being scrutinized as a female climbing coach, standing up for herself, and letting her guard down
1:01:49 – Using respectful language, and Karly’s tip of pretending your email is addressed to a male recipient
1:07:18 – Setbacks in climbing, breaking her leg, and the finite number of tears we have to cry
1:14:30 – My (Steven’s) first finger injury, and the wisdom I got from my roommate
1:17:45 – Using injuries as an opportunity
1:22:47 – My (Steven’s) favorite climbing areas right now, and favorite crags in St. George, UT
1:26:45 – New rock types take time
1:33:01 – Trying to onsight ‘The Rainbow Wall’
1:40:41 – Placing more value on ourselves as climbers and coaches, and being paid based on the scarcity of our skills
1:48:12 – How we value overworking in western society, and why we should be encouraged (and paid well) to do work we enjoy
1:52:56 – Karly’s “zone of genius”
1:54:51 – Cultivating longevity
1:59:36 – The eye contact drill
2:01:50 – Give each skill 8-10 weeks of focus
2:02:35 – Our body’s ability to remember skills and movements
2:04:51 – Different learning styles, using imagery, and using video as a tool
2:12:22 – Karly’s strategies for keeping her coaching businesses sustainable, having set days for specific tasks, and taking time off
2:20:13 – Making coaching more accessible while paying coaches well, and other ways to pay it forward
2:28:00 – Being a mentor and a mentee
2:30:33 – How Karly is currently being a mentee
2:33:46 – Karly’s hope for the climbing industry
EP 119: Carrie Cooper — Thinking of Ourselves as Athletes, Research in Climbing, and Mobility and Warming Up
EP 118: Chad Andrews Interviews Steven Dimmitt — Repost from the Clipping Chains Podcast
Follow-Up. Joe Kinder — Sending 'Mamajamma', and What I Learned from 5 Weeks of Projecting with Joe (Teaser)
EP 117: Yves Gravelle — Lessons From Grip Sports, Basing Your Training on the Demands of Your Goal, and Top 3 Finger Training Methods
EP 116: Paul Robinson — Coming Back From Injuries, Opening Up About Autism, and Working Boulders Top Down
Steven's Blog: Mar '22
Reflections: Mina
Announcing "Reflections" and "Steven's Blog"
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — Hueco 2022 Debrief (Teaser)
EP 115: Jordan Cannon — The Triple Crown in Yosemite, Big Wall Pooping Stories, and How to Build the Skills to Climb El Capitan
EP 114: Q&A 5 — My Current Finger Training Routine, How to Deal With Bad Body Image, and Golden Nuggets for Newer Climbers
EP 113: Ned Feehally — Beastmaking, Long-Term Finger Training, and Climbing With Ankle Weights
Follow-Up: Steve McClure — Sending ‘Lexicon’ E11, Projecting Tips, and How to Enjoy a Long Life of Climbing (Teaser)
EP 112: Favia Dubyk — Specializing in Lowball Roof Bouldering, Surviving Cancer, and Learning How to Dyno
EP 111: Jerry Moffatt — Being a “Crag Rat”, Developing Your Mental Game, and What the Top Climbers Have in Common
EP 110: “The Verm” Returns — Life Lessons at Age 62, Fun Facts About Birds, and Injury Stories
Follow-Up: Josh Wharton — Attempting to Flash 'Freerider' on El Cap (Teaser)
EP 109: Martin Keller — How to Train on Rock, Your Subconscious Brain, and Lessons from 150+ Days on a Boulder
EP 108: John Sherman — Hueco Tanks in the 80s, Highballing Before Crash Pads, and Adding Layers to the Bouldering Experience
EP 107: Tim Emmett — How to Climb Harder After 40, The Magic Formula for Climbing 9a, and Life Philosophies
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