The Nugget Climbing Podcast EP 27: Audrey Sniezek — Corporate Work, Starting A Gym, and Telling Yourself You Belong
Audrey Sniezek is a software engineer for Microsoft and a former professional climber. We talked about her beginnings in both computer science and climbing, becoming a morning person, her 4 a.m. warmup routine, starting a climbing gym near the Red River Gorge, coaching in China, self-talk for confidence, and her most recent 5.14a.
Support on Patreon:
Show Notes:
http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/audrey-sniezek
Nuggets:
1:58 – Peanut butter sandwiches, being a finisher of things, the lunch crux, and dry salads
5:48 – Timex computers, studying computer science, and turning down Microsoft
10:22 – Temporary job with Microsoft, REI, and “is there any climbing in Washington?”
12:43 – Bigger and scarier, improving by climbing a lot, lead climbing and pushing personal boundaries
14:21 – Flexibility with work, squeezing in climbing, and “I’m only as transparent as I need to be.”
16:03 – Alpine style sport climbing, and becoming a morning person
17:55 – Audrey’s morning warmup routine
20:58 – Making the most of morning sessions, swapping days, and finding a COVID pandemic buddy
23:45 – Waking up extra early to send ‘Lost Horizons’, and commuting to and from climbing
25:41 – The corporate boomerang, living in a van to climb full time, preferring to stay places longer, and Audrey’s current trifecta
28:58 – Fitness training, healthcare, why Audrey came back to a corporate job after freelancing, and building trust to achieve a better work/life balance
34:11 – A shift in company culture due to COVID
37:15 – A home in Vegas, and starting a gym in near the Red River Gorge
40:34 – Starting a computer science program at the Beattyville high school, and how the Beattyville climbing gym came to be
45:22 – Audrey’s vision for the gym, old-school setting, and watching the kids climb
47:28 – William’s stroke
49:37 – How Audrey uses the Beattyville gym and how she balances climbing and training in general
51:50 – Living in China and accidentally becoming a climbing coach
56:53 – Splitting up training and coaching, the language barrier, a teary-eyed farewell, and Audrey’s training legacy
1:00:20 – Audrey’s training session breakdown, Tabata style warmup, technique drills, going back to fundamentals, and training power on easy climbs
1:03:56 – Why Audrey doesn’t do much Moonboarding or hangboarding
1:05:39 – Recent finger injury, slowly getting back into the swing, and missing the “try hard”
1:08:02 – What factors help Audrey “bring it”
1:08:40 – ‘The Sickness’
1:13:48 – ‘Black Plague’, linkups, milking climbs for all they’re worth, and new projects
1:16:39 – Four-year gap between 5.14s, competing in the world cups, and a hamstring injury
1:18:51 – How Audrey sent ‘The Sickness’ without any specific prep
1:20:50 – Trying a 5.14 at Mt. Potosi
1:23:39 – Goals and dreams
1:26:05 – ‘Dr. Evil’, funky beta, and a surprise send
1:31:03 – “The only thing stopping me is me.”
1:33:32 – 5.14 (or 5.15) in her 50s, “am I a machine”, and trying things sooner rather than later
1:34:32 – How’s Audrey training changed in her 40s, her own fitness and training resources
1:36:57 – What Audrey wishes she had known in her 20’s, confidence, and “I belong here”
1:39:45 – Self-talk, the piece of paper, and “I’m capable.”
1:41:43 – Low confidence, building yourself up, and reminding yourself that you create your results
1:42:41 – Gratitude, heartbreak, and community
1:45:06 – The victory cone