She Explores

The Curvy Kili Crew


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For International Women's Day, 20 plus-size women hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. Each had a different reason and background, but they came together to take up space on the highest mountain in Africa. One goal? To normalize fat hiking around the world. Diandra Oliver brought along a recorder to share the seven-day trek with us.

Woman featured in this episode: Diandra Oliver, Autumn Stofflet, Eve, Sharon ‘Shazz’ Nderitu, and Deb Malkin

Hosted by Gale Straub

Sponsored by Merrell, ThirdLove, and GreenerWays Organic

In this episode you'll hear

  • Why Diandra Oliver wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro
  • How the stakes feel higher when society's expectations don't align
  • with your own
  • Why reaching the summit was the main goal but why we might want to
  • re-think summit culture
  • The challenges of finding gear
  • The shared experiences and bonding found in group activities (and it
  • was typically harder for Diandra)
  • The biodiversity of Mount Kilimanjaro
  • Sounds and stories from the trail
  • What acclimatization feels like
  • Why self-care is important
  • How standing on the top of the mountain felt
  • Why sometimes a sign is not a summit
  • Resources

    • Curvy Kili Crew Instagram
    • WHOA Travel
    • Take the Extended Apparel Sizing Quiz
    • Diandra Oliver's Blog Sink Ships & Instagram
    • Sharon "Shazz" Nderitu: Instagram
    • Deb Malkin: Instagram
    • Eve: Instagram
    • Autumn Stofflet: Instagram
    • Glamour Article
    • Adrienne Maree Brown, author of Emergent Strategy
    • Sponsor Websites and Codes

      • Merrell: Learn more about the Ontario Waterproof Mid hiking shoes by visiting Merrell.com
      • ThirdLove: Get 15% off your first order by heading to Thirdlove.com/explore
      • GreenerWays Organic: Find GreenerWays Organic on Amazon or by heading to their website
      • Enjoy this episode? Rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. It’ll help other people find us.

        Music is by Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere and Kai Engel using a Creative Commons Attribution license.

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        She ExploresBy Ravel Media

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