EP 103: Mina Leslie-Wujastyk — Chasing Flow State, The Role of Cleverness in Climbing, and Becoming a Mom

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk is a professional climber from the UK. She is also a writer, speaker, and co-host of the Curious Climber Podcast along with Hazel Findlay. We talked about her early life, impermanence, flow state, learning to try really hard, how she made the switch from hard boulders to hard sport routes, what sets high-level climbers apart, and the decision to become a mom.Check out Athletic Greens!athleticgreens.com/NUGGETUse the link above to get a free year supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs!Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Bryan Fast, Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, and Scott DonahueBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/mina-leslie-wujastykNuggets:0:05:52 – Baby life0:09:40 – How Mina and I met, and her road trip to the US in 20120:14:18 – Mina at age 25, and competing on the World Cup circuit0:18:10 – Project mentality, quick sends, and unfinished business0:21:02 – Patron question from Konstantinos, and Mina’s first gym and early climbing mentors0:24:27 – Living in India as a kid and how that shaped Mina’s worldview0:30:28 – Impermanence, and the lesson Mina learned from her dad as an early teenager0:33:09 – Being exposed to both indoor and outdoor climbing as a kid0:35:22 – Doing both route climbing and bouldering as a teenager, bouldering as social-climbing, and making the British team0:38:03 – Mina’s first trip to Rocklands South Africa and more about her road trip around the US0:40:14 – Bouldering in the South East (US) and climbing in the Red River Gorge0:42:01 – Loving climbing, pushing too hard, and crashing0:47:52 – The challenge makes the experience0:51:55 – Flow and highballing0:58:16 – How climbing ethics shape our experience1:00:43 – Why do we seek flow?1:03:12 – Tapping into our most primal selves1:04:46 – An excerpt from Mina’s article: ‘Pushing It’, and British ascents1:08:11 – Learning to try really hard, and the yin and the yang1:12:52 – Unfinished business1:16:28 – ‘Just Do It’1:19:27 – What lead Mina to shift her focus to sport climbing1:22:44 – Climbing the 70m ‘Totally Free 2’ in one pitch, and stashing candy in her sports bra1:28:48 – How aerobic capacity training (Aero Cap) helped her transition to sport climbing1:35:19 – What sets high-level boulders apart, and how good tactics make the difference1:40:25 – What specific tactics Mina learned from her partner David, and a funny story1:45:35 – What sets high-level sport climbers apart, and Mina’s experience on ‘Nordic Plumber’1:49:20 – “Climbing isn’t just about being fit and strong, it’s about being clever and creative”1:50:54 – Mina’s thoughts on returning to ‘Rainshadow’, and two bad accidents1:57:52 – The decision to have a kid2:03:52 – RED-S, and how her recovery led to the decision to have Isaac2:07:26 – The best surprises with becoming a mom, and the miracle of pregnancy2:11:13 – Question from Anna about training during pregnancy2:15:58 – Studying nutrition, and thoughts on nutrition during pregnancy2:18:22 – What led to starting The Curious Climber Podcast, and recommended episodes (linked in show notes)2:23:54 – Wrap up