How free solo climber Alex Honnold faces fear

ReThinking

TED

Society & Culture, Organizational Psychology, Worklife Podcasts, Adam Grant, Rethinking Podcast, Ted Podcast Adam Grant, Ted Talks, Adam Grant Podcasts

4.7 • 626 Ratings

🗓️ 20 September 2022

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2017, Alex Honnold did what even the world’s best rock climbers thought was impossible. He climbed to the top of El Capitan– a granite rock mountain more than 3,000 feet high– without a rope, harness, or net. His audacious feat was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” and it left Adam with some burning questions about what we can learn from his unique approach to managing fear. Alex opens up about how he regulates his emotions when he’s hanging on by just a few fingers, what still scares him, and how he stays motivated to pursue ambitious goals. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/RWAG2

ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Claire worked in the marketing department for an up-and-coming artisan bakery.
0:05.0	Unfortunately, the artisan bakery in question was so up-and-coming.
0:10.0	Nobody actually knew it existed.
0:13.0	But then she had the really good idea to use Canva to create a business plan.
0:18.0	It looked good, really, really good. Their investors thought so too.
0:23.7	And now their hotcakes are selling like, well, exactly. Thanks, Canber. Michael Lewis here.
0:32.6	My bestselling book The Big Short tells the story of the buildup and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008.
0:40.3	A decade ago, the Big Short was made into an Academy Award-winning movie.
0:44.3	And now I'm bringing it to you for the first time as an audiobook narrated by yours truly.
0:49.3	The Big Short's story, what it means to bet against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked
0:55.1	financial system, is as relevant today as it's ever been. Get the big short now at pushkin.fm slash
1:01.6	audiobooks or wherever audiobooks are sold.
1:12.7	Hey everyone, it's Adam Grant. Welcome back to rethinking, my podcast on the science of what makes us tick.
1:18.3	I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating people
1:23.2	to explore how they think and what we should all rethink.
1:28.3	Today's guest is Alex Honnold.
1:30.9	You probably recognize him from the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.
1:35.2	He's that climber who did the unthinkable in 2018.
1:38.5	When he climbed El Capitan, a 3,000-foot rock wall in Yosemite National Park,
1:46.2	without any ropes.
1:50.6	However insane, it looks and sounds, extremely insane.
1:54.0	Someone who does something that dangerous with such excellence has a lot to teach us about rethinking our own fears and goals.
	...

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