Denisa Krásná – Flow, Fear, and Female Adventure: Redefining Women's Stories in Extreme Sports

What does it mean to challenge the limits of both body and mind—and to redefine what success looks like along the way? Denisa Krásná, scholar, author, and adventurer from the Czech Republic, takes us on a journey into the world of women in extreme sports. From her early days trekking with her parents to highlining hundreds of meters above the ground, Denisa has always been drawn to adventure, isolation, and pushing herself beyond comfort. She co-edited Flow: Women's Counternarratives from Rivers, Rock, and Sky, an inspiring anthology celebrating diverse women's voices in adventure sports—whitewater kayaking, climbing, mountaineering, and highlining—challenging stereotypes and redefining what it means to be successful in the outdoors. In this episode, we explore: Denisa's path from scholar to adventurer and author How fear, frustration, and failure can become tools for growth The mental game behind highlining and extreme sports Stories of resilience, creativity, and empowerment from women across the globe Why inclusivity, mentorship, and community are key to thriving in adventure sports Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast, a woman seeking inspiration, or simply curious about the stories behind extreme adventure, Denisa's insights will leave you reflecting on your own limits—and inspired to push past them. Tune in for a conversation about courage, flow, and the power of women redefining adventure on their own terms. *** 🎙️ New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries. 💪 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. 🙏 Your support makes a difference. 💖 Thank you x *** Show notes Who is Denisa Growing up and living in the Czech Republic  Working as a scholar at university  Loving research and writing about her adventure  Writing books and academic articles Her early years growing up  Travelling with her parents all the time Going on trekking adventures around the world from places like  lapland to Nepal  Her love for being outdoors and being isolated  Being introverted  Wanting to talk to adults and discuss ideas  Her passion for reading, researching and academics  Being active every single day New Book: Flow: Women's Counternarratives from Rivers, Rock, and Sky How the book came about with her friend Alena Rainsberry  Getting a grant to work on outdoor counternarratives  Being do-ers  and getting things done Reaching out to potential authors  The gap in the literature  What does counternarratives mean? What the typical story of success currently is in outdoor sports Wanting to show that success is something that should be defined by the individual - it should be fluid. Including stories from professional athletes who define success in the more conventional way  Representation of women in adventure stories  The stories that resonated and made her think in a different way Why every story can make you think  The unique view of Rae Raptor aka Cheryll Glotfelty  The advantages that her age gives her from money and time  Talking about fear and how fear manifests in so many different ways  Rocky Mountain Books Denisa view on fear and how she experiences it  Why her view on fear is very rational and being able to distinguish between the objective and subjective fear Highlining and slacklining  Her journey into highlining  Buying a slackline during covid Why the improvements were related to the frequency of training  Having quick initial progress Being introduced to the local slacklining community and getting a mentor The state of flow  Why flow is also a word game and why it has multiple meanings The photo on the cover of FLOW - with Brenda Gor  What free style highlining is and how it is different from walkers The mental side of highlining  - zoning out  The importance of preparing before you even get on the line  Using rituals to get mentally into the right state of mind  The number one cause of death in highlining  Human mistakes and how it can happen to experienced professionals  Why it's good to be slightly afraid  Always respect that you are doing an extreme sport  Why the mental game is different for everybody  Needing to take a few steps to get into the mental zone  Specific training needed for the sport  Frustration with slacking and not seeing progress  Why you should't give up when you first start Why the start can be very painful Why you need to trust the process  Focus on the positive things Don't lean into the frustration  Needing to work on the mental side of highlining  Walking 200m lines and falling once at the end on the seemingly easy part The struggle at the end  Fighting the doubts in her mind  Why these sports are like a mirror into our inner selves  Flow, Fear, Frustration, Falling - dealing with a sense of Failure  The lessons learned from failure - Dorothea Hamilton  Women being framed as too ambitious and that being seen as a negative  Climbing half dome with Alena Rainsberry Why it was amazing and traumatic!  How to connect with Denisa Final words of advice for other women who want to take on more adventure sports Why it's important to find people to do the activity with, people who support you and people who motivate you.  Reading memoirs written by other women    Social Media Website: www.riversrocksky.com Instagram: @vegi.deni.slacks Book: Flow: Women's Counternarratives from Rivers, Rock, and Sky