Acceptance
Out There
Willow Belden
4.6 • 608 Ratings
🗓️ 25 June 2020
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Growing up in an emotionally abusive household, Meg Atteberry yearned for her parents' approval. But no matter how hard she tried, the message was always the same: you are not enough. The emotional scars from her upbringing lingered long into adulthood.
Then one day, Meg took a dangerous fall while rock climbing.
The brush with death resulted in fresh trauma. But in the aftermath of the accident, something surprising started to happen.
On this episode, Meg shares the story of how a freak accident changed her relationship with climbing, and with her parents.
Support Out There
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors. |
| 0:09.7 | So can we talk about mosquitoes for a moment? Every summer, when the bugs get bad, I go through this routine. |
| 0:17.8 | First, I try citronella oil or some other natural repellent, and it smells nice, |
| 0:23.5 | but usually it doesn't work very well. So then I switch to Diet, which does work, but it's nasty, |
| 0:30.1 | and it destroys my bike shorts, and I hate putting it on. So that's been the song and dance for |
| 0:35.0 | most of my life. But last year, a friend introduced me to a repellent called pecaridin. |
| 0:43.3 | It's just as effective as d'e, if not more so, but it's so much nicer to wear, and it doesn't |
| 0:48.8 | eat through your gear. |
| 0:50.8 | Pecarotin is made by Sawyer, a company that specializes in products meant to keep you safe while you enjoy the outdoors. |
| 0:58.3 | Sawyer is one of our sponsors for this episode, and they have a deal for you. |
| 1:02.4 | You can get 25% off your entire order at Sawyersafe Travel.com when you enter the promo code O.T. Pod 25. That's Sawyersafeetravel.com promo code O.T. Pod 25. |
| 1:20.1 | And we have a link to that on our website as well. |
| 1:32.0 | Many of us get outdoors to reflect on our lives. |
| 1:38.4 | Nature is a kind of escape, a sanctuary where we can leave behind the stressors of everyday life. |
| 1:43.6 | But what happens when the thing you've come to rely on for peace and reflection becomes a place of trauma? |
| 1:47.0 | On this episode, writer Meg Ataberry shares a story about a freak climbing accident. |
| 1:54.0 | It's a story about being betrayed by the thing you love, and it's about shifting the way you relate to both your favorite pastime and your parents. |
| 2:06.6 | I'll let Meg take it from here. |
| 2:13.6 | One of the most vivid memories I have from the fall is looking at my waist and watching |
| 2:18.3 | the alpine draw extend. I stared at the thin strip of nylon that was supposed to keep me safe, |
| 2:25.5 | and thought to myself, that shouldn't be happening right now. You're going to hit the ground. |
| 2:39.0 | It's kind of surprising that I took up rock climbing in the first place. I'm absolutely terrified of heights, and I have been for a very long time. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Willow Belden, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Willow Belden and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.