Melissa Arnot Reid

I have.

I have.

Yeah, it's a lot of walking uphill slowly. And you all just clap for that.

Yeah, it's a lot of walking uphill slowly. And you all just clap for that.

I mean, it's really like your experience, but everything is harder.

I mean, it's really like your experience, but everything is harder.

Six beers with lunch, 100%, yeah.

Six beers with lunch, 100%, yeah.

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think that there's this idea that when you go and you get that achievement and you receive those accolades, you want to go back and do it again.

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think that there's this idea that when you go and you get that achievement and you receive those accolades, you want to go back and do it again.

but it also feels pretty empty.

but it also feels pretty empty.

And that's a weird sort of dichotomy.

And that's a weird sort of dichotomy.

I mean, it's never enough.

I mean, it's never enough.

You're not supposed to. You're not supposed to. We're not supposed to live at those very high altitudes, and it feels like you shouldn't be there. Everything is really, really hard. Everything takes a long time to do, and it is pretty, but you kind of... That's you right there. Yeah, so that's just below... Also, you know what?

You're not supposed to. You're not supposed to. We're not supposed to live at those very high altitudes, and it feels like you shouldn't be there. Everything is really, really hard. Everything takes a long time to do, and it is pretty, but you kind of... That's you right there. Yeah, so that's just below... Also, you know what?

It literally could be.

It literally could be.

Just below the summit of Everest without oxygen.

Just below the summit of Everest without oxygen.

I do, I like to think I do, but I mean, don't give me a test.

I do, I like to think I do, but I mean, don't give me a test.

Thank you. Yeah. It's not a book about Everest. It happens to take place on Everest. And my career on Everest has really been about achievement and standing on a summit and receiving the accolades of that. And I've always wanted to explain to people, like, there's so much more. And it's not all summits. And it's actually a lot of dark descent. And I wanted a chance to explain that to people.

Thank you. Yeah. It's not a book about Everest. It happens to take place on Everest. And my career on Everest has really been about achievement and standing on a summit and receiving the accolades of that. And I've always wanted to explain to people, like, there's so much more. And it's not all summits. And it's actually a lot of dark descent. And I wanted a chance to explain that to people.

And the idea that we can be really flawed and still be deserving of achieving great things. Um, yeah.

And the idea that we can be really flawed and still be deserving of achieving great things. Um, yeah.

It's called running away.

It's called running away.

Yeah, I mean, it's a really wild thing when going to some of the most deadly places in the world starts to feel more safe than just being in your regular life. And now I can say, like, that's probably not healthy. Therapy would have been cheaper, but I went to Everest instead.

Yeah, I mean, it's a really wild thing when going to some of the most deadly places in the world starts to feel more safe than just being in your regular life. And now I can say, like, that's probably not healthy. Therapy would have been cheaper, but I went to Everest instead.

You know, the climbing cliches abound, so bear with me here. But, you know, it is a forever journey. There is no neat and tidy summit that we arrive on and we're just enough and then we just have the rest of our life. It's just kind of a continuous forever climb. And I'm on that climb. And it's actually weirdly more hard and also more rewarding than climbing Everest, for sure.

You know, the climbing cliches abound, so bear with me here. But, you know, it is a forever journey. There is no neat and tidy summit that we arrive on and we're just enough and then we just have the rest of our life. It's just kind of a continuous forever climb. And I'm on that climb. And it's actually weirdly more hard and also more rewarding than climbing Everest, for sure.

Yeah, yeah. It was for me in that era of my life. And I wrote an essay about that marriage was my Everest. And it was kind of like the only honest thing I said at that time. And it felt like, oh, this is a joke and people will laugh. And then really I was like, no, no, no. It's much, much harder to be married than it is to climb Everest. And such an unhealed way to live.

Yeah, yeah. It was for me in that era of my life. And I wrote an essay about that marriage was my Everest. And it was kind of like the only honest thing I said at that time. And it felt like, oh, this is a joke and people will laugh. And then really I was like, no, no, no. It's much, much harder to be married than it is to climb Everest. And such an unhealed way to live.

Like, actually, a couple times I got broken up with on Everest. Like, I like to do things more than once, you know?

Like, actually, a couple times I got broken up with on Everest. Like, I like to do things more than once, you know?

No, no, we go back, yeah. We go back.

No, no, we go back, yeah. We go back.

We go back, we make new memories, and then you take those forward.

We go back, we make new memories, and then you take those forward.

It's like the silliest thing ever. You know, you have to climb almost to the summit three times just to get there once. And so you go up, let your body adjust to the altitude, then go back down.

It's like the silliest thing ever. You know, you have to climb almost to the summit three times just to get there once. And so you go up, let your body adjust to the altitude, then go back down.

Honestly. Yeah.

Honestly. Yeah.

Yeah, and so you just allow your body to adjust, so it takes a really long time. I was just saying I've spent a total of a year on Everest of my life, like an actual year. That's so cool. Yeah, I know.

Yeah, and so you just allow your body to adjust, so it takes a really long time. I was just saying I've spent a total of a year on Everest of my life, like an actual year. That's so cool. Yeah, I know.

Yeah, so I co-founded a nonprofit that provides financial support, vocational training, small business grants to the families of high-altitude workers, primarily Sherpa in Nepal. Okay, and...

Yeah, so I co-founded a nonprofit that provides financial support, vocational training, small business grants to the families of high-altitude workers, primarily Sherpa in Nepal. Okay, and...

It's the infrastructure. You know, it's a human infrastructure of real people whose job it is to make climbing Everest possible. And they don't have an amazing support system when things go wrong. And so our nonprofit provides as much support as we possibly can to the families when something happens.

It's the infrastructure. You know, it's a human infrastructure of real people whose job it is to make climbing Everest possible. And they don't have an amazing support system when things go wrong. And so our nonprofit provides as much support as we possibly can to the families when something happens.

Things go wrong.

Things go wrong.

I've seen some shit up there, for sure. Yeah, it's not theoretical.

I've seen some shit up there, for sure. Yeah, it's not theoretical.

Honestly. It says probably something about people who climb at high altitude and pass frozen bodies and then act like that's normal later. Like, that's not normal. It's really, really weird. And it's not normal.

Honestly. It says probably something about people who climb at high altitude and pass frozen bodies and then act like that's normal later. Like, that's not normal. It's really, really weird. And it's not normal.

It depends on how hard your childhood was, really. Yeah, I was gonna say. Yeah, do we have to have a traumatic childhood? Yeah, it's really helpful to have had a pretty hard upbringing, because, you know, then you feel like you deserve to suffer, and you're probably more willing to do it.

It depends on how hard your childhood was, really. Yeah, I was gonna say. Yeah, do we have to have a traumatic childhood? Yeah, it's really helpful to have had a pretty hard upbringing, because, you know, then you feel like you deserve to suffer, and you're probably more willing to do it.

You know, very honestly, no. I think that everything that happens prepares you for what's coming next, and I wouldn't have survived some of the things that came next if I didn't start out the way that I did.

You know, very honestly, no. I think that everything that happens prepares you for what's coming next, and I wouldn't have survived some of the things that came next if I didn't start out the way that I did.

Oh, don't, girl. Just don't.

Oh, don't, girl. Just don't.

Yeah, I think one of the things that's been the most helpful in my life and helped me survive in so many different scenarios is this really lack of rigidity towards things. So I try to continuously be flexible, willing to change, pretty focused, but not rigid.

Yeah, I think one of the things that's been the most helpful in my life and helped me survive in so many different scenarios is this really lack of rigidity towards things. So I try to continuously be flexible, willing to change, pretty focused, but not rigid.

Nature does not favor the rigid.

Nature does not favor the rigid.

You're going to die.

You're going to die.

It is unavoidable.

It is unavoidable.

It's just important to, you know, again, acknowledge, focus, but don't be so rigid.

It's just important to, you know, again, acknowledge, focus, but don't be so rigid.