Show Notes:

Laurie’s Links:

• @laurie_wattclimbs
• https://linktr.ee/Laurie_Watt
• https://www.mooneymountainguides.com/

Episode Intro:

Dear guests of the Female Guides Requested Podcast, Happy Wednesday! This is your host, Ting Ting, from Las Vegas. On the first episode of the new year, 2025, we have Laurie Watt as our guest. Laurie has just been awarded the “Best Guide of the Year” by the AMGA.

Laurie fell in love with hiking and skiing in the mountains as a kid, but it wasn’t until she had sent her kids off to college that she was able to fully embrace mountain life. While raising her family, she also cultivated a 32-year career in physical therapy. In 2006, she moved to Switzerland with her family for her husband’s job. Living in the Alps quickly reminded Laurie of her love for adventuring in the mountains. After returning to the States in 2011, she expanded her skill set to rock and ice climbing. Once the kids were off to college, Laurie decided to make a major career change and committed to becoming a guide. Through training, mentorship, and many days out, she is progressing through the American Mountain Guides Association’s rock, ice, and alpine disciplines.

Laurie works full-time as a guide for Mooney Mountain Guides in New Hampshire, guiding rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering. In the summers, she travels to the Pacific Northwest and guides on the glaciers of Mt. Baker. She offers women-centered programming in rock, ice, and mountaineering. In addition, Laurie also works as a climbing coach for the Holderness School Climbing Team.

In this episode, we dive deep into how Laurie cultivated a great mentorship from the side of a mentee, how she challenged the common narrative on aging and used the life skills she accumulated from being a PT and a mom to enrich guiding, and how she sustained the physically demanding guiding career.

Things We Talked about:

• Came in guiding late around age 50
• had been living a “normal” life – college, job, family until the “pivotal” moment to regain the love of the mountains
• back to the States went straight towards Mt Washington in winter
• why does Laurie enjoy hardship?
• when was the seed of becoming a guide planted?
• what were the biggest doubts back then on career change?
• what did she need as a mentee?
• self awareness versus self perception
• deep discussion on mentorship
• might be late on the guiding profession but all the experiences accumulated beforehand were still valuable
• skills Laurie didn’t think useful but turned out to be very useful in guiding?
• how to stay employed as a guide in Northeast
• taking care of a guide’s body
• making guiding sustainable
• was guiding the way she thought?
• what kind of guiding does Laurie do?
• how did the family react to her career change?
• the narrative of aging
• best guide tool: listening

Show Notes:

Joann’s Links:

• Ladies Weekend Out (website)
• Golden State Guiding (website)
• Sierra Mountain Center (website)
• The Mountain Guides Red Rock branch
• Joann’s instagram

Episode Intro:

Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast,

Happy Wednesday and Merry Christmas! This is your host, Ting Ting, from Las Vegas. Today, our guest is Joann Garbarini, who also goes by Jo. We worked together on a Ladies Weekend Out event back in March 2024, but it wasn’t until months later that I finally got a chance to sit down with her and learn about her stories.

Jo grew up on the East Coast and began climbing in The Shawangunk Mountains as a teenager. She has been hiking and rock climbing for over 20 years all around the United States, Canada, and Europe. Jo spends her time bouncing back and forth between The Eastern Sierra and Red Rock. She loves living and guiding in these places because of the access to climbing. During the warmer months, she loves climbing long alpine routes in the backcountry. As the weather gets colder and snow appears, you can find her climbing in the Owens River Gorge in Bishop or on sandstone in Red Rock.

Joann is a certified Wilderness First Responder, holds an AIARE Avalanche Level 1 certificate, and has been trained by the AMGA as an Apprentice Rock Guide. Jo loves guiding clients and sharing her passion for the outdoors with them.

Jo started her career path as a high school teacher and is now transitioning to holding just two jobs—a realtor and a guide. She has found a great balance between these two professions, which leaves her enough energy and time to stay healthy and enjoy her own climbing.

Things We Talked about:

• Jo’s playgrounds nowadays
• Born and Raised in the East Coast. Got into climbing in high school and was mentored by a good friend’s stepdad
• Moved to CA looking for better weather to play in the mountains
• Stopped climbing for a while due to unfriendly atmosphere at the first gym she went to
• Picked up climbing again due to a supportive Meetup group
• From weekend warriors to living in Bishop
• Teacher, realtor, guide – wearing many hats
• enjoy working with motivated people
• was afraid that guiding full time might lead to burnout
• how to balance between two jobs, injury prevention, personal climbing and logevity
• next step to advance her career
• great experience in her AMGA Rock Guide Course
• challenges and rewards in guiding
• guiding is like running a business

https://femaleguidesrequested.com/podcast/ep-39-genevive-walker-stay-true/

Show Notes:

Genevive’s Links:

• Website
• Instrgram
• Race to Survive Alaska
• Finding Balance Off the Scale

Episode Intro:

Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast, happy Wednesday! This is your host, Ting Ting, from Las Vegas. Today, our guest is Genevive Walker. I first learned her name a few years ago when she stirred up a heated discussion on route names. This discussion quickly led to real actions within the climbing community to change inappropriate route names. I was thrilled that, through a mutual friend, I could invite her to talk about her life stories on the show.

Genevive Walker is a professional rock climber, rock climbing guide, and active lifestyle model with a passion for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoor industry. She began climbing in the Shawangunk Mountains in 2012, sparking her love for steep routes, roofs, and anything that requires kneebar trickery. After seven years in the sport, she started her career as a Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) certified by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). Being part of the first all-female SPI cohort in 2018 opened her eyes to the disparities and inequalities within the climbing industry and ignited her mission to build community and offer representation for BIPOC climbers. Genevive is an athlete for Mountain Hardwear, DMM, Sterling Rope, and Gnarly Nutrition. She was also an athlete on Race to Survive: Alaska along with climber Favia Dubyk.

I had so much fun chatting with Genevive. In this episode, you can hear laughter from beginning to end. We talked about how Genevive found climbing and guiding, how her family views her current lifestyle, what kind of guiding excites her the most, and how she manages social media. We also touched on more serious topics such as fear and her battle with disordered eating. Now, please enjoy this delightful conversation with Genevive Walker.

Things We Talked about:

• Before Genevive found climbing
• How does Genevive’s family views her current lifestyle?
• Climbing let Genevive find another way to enjoy life
• Genevive started as a trad climber because that was the only thing available
• When did Genevive have the thought to become a guide?
• Took the first all Women’s SPI course sponsored by the AMGA, Brown Girls Climb, and Flash Foxy
• Keep expectation low and keep surprise herself
• The guiding life
• Love to work with women and climbers of color and that’s the reason she loves guiding
• Gunks, current status
• Route name debate and a movement to change route names
• Identity as a climber, model, and guide
• Excitement led to more work opportunities
• Eating disorder
• Wanting to fit in?
• The social media
• Mentorship with the ProTrack
• Partnership with Favia Dubyk
• Fear Talk