83. Nina Williams, Pro Rock Climber
Hurdle with Emily Abbate
iHeartPodcasts
4.9 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 18 November 2019
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nina Williams didn’t exactly have a smooth start to her climbing career. At age 13, she felt an intense, overwhelming pressure to win. That, plus a lack of confidence, lead her to cheat in a series of climbing competitions. She reflects on the #hurdlemoment of getting caught as “lucky,” saying that she wouldn't be the climber she is today if she had stayed in that dark place. In episode 83, the fan of highball bouldering talks about how she moved forward and the beautiful lessons she learned about self-doubt and failure in the process. We also chat about how she musters up the courage to climb 40- and 50-foot rocks without a rope, how climbing grades work, and the admirable way she shoves fear to the side to overcome big challenges. Huge thanks to The North Face for connecting us!
SOCIAL
@sheneenagins
@thenorthface
@hurdlepodcast
@emilyabbate
OFFERS
Athletic Greens | Head to athleticgreens.com/hurdle to get 20 free travel packs ($79 value) with your first purchase, no code necessary.
WHOOP | Head to whoop.com to get a free WHOOP band plus 15 percent off any membership by entering the code "hurdle" at checkout.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey guys, Emily Abadi here with episode 83 of hurdle, a podcast that talks to everyone from |
| 0:07.0 | entrepreneurs to top CEOs and athletes about how they've gotten through tough times, |
| 0:11.7 | hurdles of sorts, by leaning in to wellness. I'm fresh back this week from Denver, where I can't |
| 0:18.8 | believe I'm saying this is my first time hanging out in the city. |
| 0:21.4 | Absolutely stunning. I did things like running and hiking and I drink craft beers and I ate |
| 0:27.3 | all the ice cream and just did all the things you're supposed to do in the mile high city. |
| 0:32.2 | I also had the opportunity to sit down with Nina Williams. She's a pro climber for the North Face, and she specializes |
| 0:39.3 | in a type of climbing called high balling, which is essentially bouldering, but just climbing really, |
| 0:46.2 | really high boulders. More on the craziness that is her passion in just a little bit. Before I get to it |
| 0:53.6 | today, quick shout out to my sponsor, Whoop. |
| 0:56.5 | Everywhere I go lately, someone is asking me about the Whoop strap. |
| 1:00.1 | It's either like I've seen it or tell me more about it or what does that thing track that |
| 1:04.5 | your Apple Watch doesn't? |
| 1:05.9 | And the answer to that question is a lot of things. |
| 1:08.4 | Whoop gives you in-depth data that you can't find anywhere else on things like strain and |
| 1:13.5 | sleep and recovery. |
| 1:15.0 | They are offering hurdle listeners a really awesome deal. |
| 1:18.2 | It's a free whoop strap 3.0 and 15% off any membership at their website. |
| 1:24.7 | Just head on over to whoop.com. |
| 1:26.5 | That's w-h-o-o-op.com. Use the code hurdle at checkout to get |
| 1:31.9 | 15% off any membership, a free whoop strap, and optimize the way you train. Second shout out of |
| 1:38.8 | the day to athletic greens with 12 servings of fruits and vegetables, I feel like shaking up the greens |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.