Episode Intro:

Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast, Happy Wednesday. This is your host Ting Ting from sunny Las Vegas. Today's guest is Kelly Fields.

Kelly was exploring, scaling mountains, and trad climbing with her family all over the country from the tender age of two. She got her first climbing job in a gym when she was 13. When she was 18 she began her apprenticeship with Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides and found her calling as a climbing guide.

At one point she proposed a women's only course to the guide service and soon realized not only was there a need for that, but she also felt empowered by teaching other women and seeing them grow. She then founded Athena Rock Climbing in 2012 with the goal of hosting climbing events designed to help woman advance their skills. Now Kelly lives her dream guiding year round - half year on the east coast and half year in Joshua Tree.

Kelly described how working for multiple guide services and operating her own business, has been scary at times, but overall a fulfilling journey. Guiding has been Kelly's only means to support herself since 18 and from our conversations I could sense clearly her devotion to climbing and, in her words, "helping others see a different way to live lives."

We talked about the ups and downs as a guide and as a business owner, her passion towards creating space for woman climbers, how proud she was to assemble an all-female guide team and to apply all she learned from climbing to the real world. There are still uncertainties and there will be difficulties and it is not that Kelly doesn't have fear but I know she will stay calm and keep pushing forward. Listening to her stories give me courage and I believe you'll gain strength from this episode as well.

Kelly's link:

www.athenarockclimbing.com

Things We Talked About:

• Created work for herself when women tended to get less work than male colleagues
• What women's only courses meant to Kelly
• Started her own business. And business names carry power
• From working for multiple guide services to working only for herself
• A push from her life coach
• Established her footing in Joshua Tree
• Compare the pros and cons working for other guide services and working for her own
• Athena Rock Climbing course offering
• Mentorship programs developed by Kelly and Athena Rock Climbing
• Are women underperforming? Should women "brag"?
• PCGI and AMGA certifications
• The guiding eco system in Joshua Tree
• Kelly believes in free market and friendly competitions but also worries that the vibe of Joshua Tree guiding would change
• The cost of a guide service; the cost of being a guide
• How did Kelly start guiding?
• Kelly's view in job security
• Kelly's proudest moments
• What Kelly wished listeners to take away