A Mother's Support by Sasha DiGiulian
In my memoir, Take The Lead, as well as in my every day life, my mom is a pivotal constant. She didn’t have a background in climbing, but she dove head first to learn everything she could about the sport in order to support me. She didn’t know much about it except for that it seemed like a fun birthday party activity for my brother when he was turning 8. When it turned out that climbing was my passion — and without knowing — would play a pivotal role within the trajectory of my life — my mom sought out opportunities to enable me to have access to doing something that I loved to do.
She supported me, and learned about this new world. Dove in to the deep end with me — learning how to hold the rope — literally — for me, to help me in my pursuit. My mom believed in me, and gave me the freedom and support to explore my potential. She has taught me the value of being who I am, living by integrity, and boldly going after my wildest dreams.
Below is an excerpt from my book talking about my relationship with my mother. I hope you will check out the book for the full story, but in the meantime, know how important a mother’s support is!
Book Excerpt:
We hit fourteen cities in fourteen days. Each night I spoke for about thirty minutes and then showed The Trilogy film (also about thirty minutes). Afterward I talked about my favorite climbs and what went into accomplishing my goals. My whole life I’d been pushing past my comfort zone. My message to my audiences, which included a surprising number of climbers and nonclimbers, was that they could do the same—they could choose their own paths and dedicate themselves to their passions.
After the first night I told Mom that she didn’t need to sit through each presentation, but she insisted on coming every night. I have to admit, it was reassuring to see her during my halftime break while the film showed. She’d bring snacks to the green room and sit and chill with me. When I was done, we’d discuss the evening. She would highlight something that she liked in particular and make suggestions for the next evening, like, “When you talk about São Tomé, why don’t you tell that story about how you would bathe,” or “I love that photo of you hanging off the side of the cliff on slide sixteen!” I was reminded of what a good time Mom and I used to have when we were on the competition circuit. It also hit me on a deeply visceral level how she had always been my biggest ally, since the beginning.
My mom spent more hours belaying than most people I know, including professional climbers. She belayed me from the time I was seven years old until I graduated from high school, and then she continued to belay me when I visited from college, and even on Era Vella, one of my first female ascents. It’s only in the last few years that I began to truly appreciate the fact that I never felt the need to hide anything from her. She knows me better than anyone.
Sasha DiGiulian is the most decorated female climber in the world, constantly pushing the boundaries of what most thought possible. She started climbing at the young age of 6 and took the sport by storm, quickly growing into one of its most famous faces. Over the course of her career, she has been Female Overall World Champion twice, the undefeated Pan-American Champion for a 10-year span, and 3-time US National Champion. She was the first North American woman and third woman in the World to climb a grade 5.14d, (9a), and traveled to over 50 countries while accomplishing 30+ First and First Female Ascents.
As a woman making a career within a traditionally male dominated space, Sasha stands for equality in sport, access, pay, and treatment of female athletes. She is the founder of Female Focused Adventures, a production company that centers around storytelling in the female adventure space and empowering female content creators, striving to bolster the access and experiences of other women in the outdoors.
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*Excerpt from Take the Lead: Hanging On, Letting Go, and Conquering Life's Hardest Climbs by Sasha DiGiulian. Copyright © 2023 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.