Climbers Like Me: Yasmin

Tell us about yourself - who are you and what do you love doing?

Hi! I’m Yasmin, also known as @the.climb.to.healthy on Instagram. I’m a Trainee Child and Educational Psychologist based in London. In my spare time I love cuddling my cats and climbing…and I’m also known for my ability to have a nap pretty much anywhere!

Give us three words that you identify with most?

Commitment. Adventure. Acceptance.

What brings you the most joy outdoors?

Of course, there’s that feeling of climbing on the rock, feeling the breeze, hearing the stillness of the world and being at one with nature…but I would say it is the sharing that with others that brings me the most joy. The staff at all the indoor centres I climb at always comment that I bring/teach someone new each time, and I have particularly loved watching my friends and my fiancé fall in love with climbing and the outdoors as much as I have.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

I think unlearning some deeply ingrained societal views about others but mostly about myself. I genuinely believed that as someone with a bigger body and chronic health conditions, I ‘shouldn’t’ and ‘couldn’t’ be a climber. Being part of the climbing community has helped me challenge those views, but also to spread the word that climbing is for EVERYONE. I have become so passionate about advocating for this concept and am proud to be a Board Member and the Diversity and Inclusion Lead for All in Beta (@all_in_beta) who are using their platform to do exactly this. I have also found my ‘place’ in the climbing community within Paraclimbing London (@paraclimbinglondon) and would like to thank them for always supporting my aforementioned process of unlearning.

If you could share a core value or abiding principle with others, what would it be?

Understanding and acceptance. Everyone has their challenges, and what you see on the outside most certainly will not depict what is going on for someone on the inside. Welcome everyone to climbing with open arms, cheer them on however high or low the grade of what they are climbing is, and remember that quote from Alex Lowe - “The best climber is the one having the most fun”.

Tell us one small change we can make as individuals to help our community?

Stay curious- always ask yourself, “Why do I hold this belief and is it a helpful one? And, if not, how can I go about challenging it?”. And always remember, a small change can make a big difference :)

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Thanks for reading! We hope that eventually, everyone coming to this series will be able to see themselves represented in some way. If you can't yet, then maybe it's your turn to share your story and inspire others - get in touch.