Hazel Findlay has been at
the forefront of climbing for nearly three decades, starting her journey at just six years old on the limestone cliffs of Pembrokeshire, Wales. A former British junior champion, Hazel made a bold decision at the age of sixteen to leave behind competitive climbing in favor of pursuing professional rock climbing. Since then, she has made history, becoming the first woman to climb a British trad route at v15, the first British woman to sport climb 8c, and the first woman to free climb (climb without ropes) El Capitan in Yosemite—a feat she has now accomplished four times. She has been the first to ascend climbs in some of the world’s most remote and challenging locations, including Greenland’s big walls.
While Hazel’s achievements in climbing are legendary, she is equally passionate about the mental side of the sport. With a deep interest in psychology, Hazel trained as a coach to help others overcome the psychological barriers that often accompany climbing and other high-performance activities. Through her company, Strong Mind, Hazel offers a range of online courses and resources aimed at helping individuals manage fear, build resilience, and perform at their best. Her coaching has proven invaluable to climbers looking to push their limits, but it has also extended to other industries, where Hazel works as a speaker and corporate trainer, teaching mindset and flow techniques to organizations seeking to improve team performance. Through both her personal accomplishments and her deep desire to assist others mentally, Hazel continues to inspire me to reach new heights, both mentally and physically.
clothing production in India. Though still a high school student, Felder began to devise the clothing brand Bearbottom Clothing as a solution to fill the void of quality jobs and basic necessities like clothing. In 2014 Felder launched his brand and immediately gained significant traction on account of Bearbottom’s sustainability and heart-warming mission. His mission was to produce sustainable menswear that was also ethically made. He planned to create this impact by donating a school meal and clothing to children in Bangladesh for every purchase made. He was extremely successful in creating this impact as he has now donated over 700,000 meals and 100,000 pairs of shorts to Bearbottom partner communities. This is incredibly inspiring to me, as Felder used his creativity and innovative mind to love people well. Everything about Bearbottom is ultimately driven by a desire to create a positive impact in communities that are in need. What a wonderful mission and quality product.
Understanding her customers’ desire to own her ceramic creations, she created Grumpy Kid Studio; a fully functioning pottery business that is distinctively trade-marked by little grumpy faces on each piece. On account of launching this business and growing her outreach beyond social media users, Zhu’s pieces are now displayed in houses across the world and her brand has grown exponentially. Garbo Zhu is especially inspiring to me, as a young creative who deeply loves fashion and art, because she built a space where the two can coexist. Additionally, I am also encouraged to explore the ways I can use my creative drive to connect to a niche group of art and fashion lovers.
