Sunday Pick: How free solo climber Alex Honnold faces fear

Published: Aug. 4, 2024, 6:05 a.m.

Each Sunday, TED shares an episode of another podcast we think you'll love, handpicked for you\u2026 by us. Today we're sharing a special episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant, a podcast about what makes the greatest minds tick.\xa0

In 2017, Alex Honnold did what even the world\u2019s best rock climbers thought was impossible. He climbed to the top of El Capitan -- a granite rock mountain more than 3,000 feet high -- without a rope, harness, or net. His audacious feat was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary \u201cFree Solo,\u201d and it left Adam with some burning questions about what we can learn from his unique approach to managing fear. Alex opens up about how he regulates his emotions when he\u2019s hanging on by just a few fingers, what still scares him, and how he stays motivated to pursue ambitious goals. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/RWAG2