Climbing was never so much about overpowering or conquering, even the very first time when

I trek to the base of Everest and I came across the Himalayas, that possibly was the

beginning of my healing.

It was the very first time that I saw my place in the universe and being like so tiny,

such a little miniature.

I felt I had bump into something that was stronger and more powerful than me or than

any human.

Sylvia Vasquez-Levato, Summited Mount Everest in 2016.

She's the first Peruvian woman to climb Everest and the first openly gay woman to climb

the tallest mountain on each continent known as the Seven Summits.

Her trip up to the world's tallest mountain was part of an incredible journey toward healing,

from sexual abuse when she was a child and from alcoholism as an adult.

As she climbed, she learned to let go of a dark past and instead embrace a world of hope.

I'm Shelby Stanger and this is wild ideas worth living.

Sylvia Vasquez-Levato's memoir and the shadow of the mountain details her childhood

in Lima, Peru, her immigration to the U.S. and eventually her climb up Everest.

The book is being made into a major motion picture starring Selena Gomez.

Sylvia didn't climb on Everest by herself.

She hiked the 80 miles from Lucla to Everest Base Camp with five other climbers, three

Nepali's and two Americans, all survivors of sexual abuse.

The group came together as part of Sylvia's non-profit, Courageous Girls, which aims to

empower survivors and help them heal by guiding them to Everest Base Camp.

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