Francis Sanzaro: Zen in Imperfect Conditions (in Life and Climbing)

Author, philosopher, and long time climber Francis Sanzaro is back on the pod to dive into how to manage your mindset (for both climbing and life) during times of loss, grief, overwhelm, or even just less than perfect conditions. 

Francis is the author of The Zen of Climbing, a must read for any climber seeking to develop a stronger mindset toward climbing. His first episode on First Ascent Pod can be heard here. 

We’ll cover: 

• Navigating grief with a zen approach
• How deep emotions like grief and loss can affect you as a climber 
• Jay’s experience trying Francis’s zen approach to climbing in Killer Cave 
• Why you need to stop waiting for a flow state in order to climb
• The surprising mindset approach of a pro climber  
• Why you need to get past chasing a dopamine hit to heighten your performance

Check out all of Francis’s incredible writing at www.fsanzaro.com

Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon. For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here:  https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay can be found at @jayknower. 

Disclaimer: 

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.