Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is the first openly lesbian woman to climb the famous Seven Summits, a bucket list of the highest mountain on every continent. But while preparing for the seventh summit, a peak that has eluded her climb after climb, she realizes that she can’t charge forward with the same conquering mentality. Denali — the highest mountain peak in North America — leads her to discover the importance of self-compassion over the desire for conquest when dealing with life’s greatest obstacles.

You can purchase her new memoir, In the Shadow of the Mountain, which further explores her journey to the Seven Summits and the trauma that it unpacks, here: https://amzn.to/3uaJh2b

Listen to Donald Miralle’s episode of Meditative Story, “Where the water takes me": https://listen.meditativestory.com/DonaldMiralleSilviaep

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

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