On episode 84 of the Explore Your Core Podcast, I am joined by Ange Malysheva, a climbing instructor and guide from the Blue Mountains. Ange’s passion for the mountains and rocks seeps into every part of her life and she is not only pushing her boundaries in the climbing space but also bringing women’s empowerment into the space with an initiative called RAWQ that helps build skill, knowledge and confidence.

Her connection to climbing started in her 20’s when she felt like something had been missing. She first got into hiking, and while travelling and couch surfing, came across a climber who introduced her to the world of climbing and eventually got into mountaineering, canyoning and guiding.

“I think it was the feeling of flow, I just remember not thinking about anything else and just being in it.”

On the podcast, we talk about connection and how the vulnerability in climbing allows for deep and quick connections to be formed, as well as the mindset of fear and dealing with stressful situations. We also talk about the climbing initiative RAWQ (Rescue and Adventure climbing for Women and Queer) and how that came to be.

“I remember hitting my head against this wall, like I would love to be able to do that, but I don’t know how and I don’t know where to start.”

Ange talks about what she has learnt from bringing RAWQ to life, her years of adventuring and pushing her limits.

“I think it’s really important for people to know that we all fail and that’s how we build our confidence, by failing time and time again and learning.”

Listen to the full episode on Substack, Spotify or Apple Podcast. You can follow Ange on socials and find out more about RAWQ here.Subscribe to stay up to date with new episodes.Until next episode,- Explore Your Core

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