On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know world-renowned climber and author, Margo Talbot.

Growing up on the east coast of Canada in New Brunswick, Margo was raised in what she describes as a chaotic family environment.  It was this environment, often devoid of love and compassion, that led Margo to start dreaming of a new life. But as a teenager, a new life meant hanging out away from home, oftentimes on the streets, and eventually using drugs and alcohol.

By the time Margo had become a young adult, she was fully-immersed in a toxic world mixed with chronic depression and drug addiction.  She even ended up in jail. For a lot of people, this would have been a hopeless situation.

But when Margo was 28 years old, in the midst of a highly-abusive and toxic relationship, she discovered climbing - and for her, this was the catalyst that would change her life forever.  Climbing gave Margo a release, and power, that she’d never before experienced - and within a few years, she was able to harness this new found passion, to kick her addiction, and move forward on a path to healthy living.

Since that time, Margo has forged a life that is inspiring to say the least.  In addition to being a world-renowned ice climber, she also runs a successful landscaping business, gives motivational talks to businesses and people around the world, and recently wrote a book chronicling her life called All That Glitters: A Climber's Journey Through Addiction and Depression.  

I recently got a chance to have a candid and heartfelt conversation with Margo, and although we talked about climbing, we also talked about the important moments and relationships in her life, and the personal journey that got her to where she is today.

Music by Evan Phillips

Links:
Margo Talbot (website)
Ken Wallator (Rock & Ice)
Karen McNeil
Warren Macdonald
The Firn Line (website)
Patreon

Sponsors:
Alaska Rock Gym
The Hoarding Marmot
Declination Roasting