Podcast

Jay Louie (they/them) is a licensed psychotherapist. With the AMGA SPI cert, they plan to take climbing therapy outdoors. They believe moving and intimate contact with nature is essential to healing. As a queer person who grew up in multilingual immigrant communities in Hong Kong, the US, Canada, and Central America, Jay is especially resourced to support queer, trans, and or BIPOC folks. They know that the outdoors isn’t always safe or welcoming, and want to be part of the change.

Kelly Khiew is an AMGA Assistant Rock Guide. Born and raised in Singapore, she runs a guide service, The Bivy Taiwan Rock Guides.
Starting 2018 she has run women’s climbing clinics every year to foster a community of strong, independent and confident female climbers in southeast Asia.

Josie McKee has been working in climbing industry for more than 15 years. She has spent years in Yosemite. She worked for YOSAR, sent gnarly routes and went fast on big walls.
 
Right now she lives in Lander, and has her own business called the Mind Athlete. She coaches people to harness stress and turn it into something beautiful for their own climbing.

Kat McKittens is an outdoorsy, nerdy extrovert who thrives on bringing energy and helping others. She has worked as a part of the climbing industry for over a decade. She started her career in climbing as a competition climbing coach and had trained athletes at the national level. Her love for the outdoors brought her to guiding. She currently holds her AMGA SPI certification.

Mia is an IFMGA / AMGA Mountain Guide, an AIARE Instructor, a fully certified PSIA Ski Instructor.

Mia loves giving her clients “wings” in order to accomplish whatever goals they set out for themselves. She also enjoys mentoring aspiring guides because she appreciated all the help and encouragements she gained from the community along the way and loves to pay it forward.

Mia’s secret for preventing burn-out is to diversify the terrains she guides. You can find her on rock, snow, and ice in CO, UT, and WY.

Selena is an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor and Apprentice Rock Guide. As a climber of color and a single mother, Selena is intimately aware of the barriers to entry to the outdoor spaces. She enjoys mentoring women in her community and looks forward to continual involvement educating, empowering and making the outdoors an inclusive and accessible space for all.

Aimee Barnes started guiding in1985 and is a legend in the guiding world. Her love towards guiding and her dedication to hard work is infectious. Aimee is also an advocate of education and mentorship. She has run the all-women Guide Protrack in City of Rocks for about 10 years. Both newer and seasoned female guides have benefited and learned much from the Protrack and built and grown their own network of support.

Miranda Oakley is a bad-ass climber and is best known for her free and speed ascents on big wall routes in Yosemite. Miranda is an AMGA Rock Guide. She guides in Yosemite and teaches classes near Bishop. In 2022 she has embarked on another big adventure in life – having a child. In this episode we had a great conversation about the new life, her climbing and guiding, the adjustments she made, and her outlook on the next steps.

Elaina is an AMGA Rock Guide, Apprentice Alpine Guide, and AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Provider Trainer as well as a Level 2 IRATA/SPRAT Rope Access Technician.
 
She owns New River Mountain Guides and splits her time guiding in New River Gorge in summer and Red Rock Canyon in the rest of the year. She is currently a board member of the AMGA.

Tracy Martin is an AMGA certified Rock Guide, an artist, an entrepreneur, and if you want to get married in Vegas she can marry you in Red Rock Canyon.

She has quite a slash career.