Episode 41 — Emily Harrington on Climbing, Overcoming Fear, and Navigating Motherhood

Episode 41 — Emily Harrington on Climbing, Overcoming Fear, and Navigating Motherhood

Five time national sports climbing champion, and revered mountaineer, Emily Harrington talks with Chloe Aftel about how competitive climbing has shaped her perspective on life, the world, and her personal truths. Inseparable from her multiple titles that include the phrase, “first woman to,” Harrington discusses her journey in the sport, from starting as a young girl scaling man-made walls to finding herself in life or death moments atop the world’s highest peaks. Along with a superhero-like physicality, Harrington describes how important problem solving, risk-analysis, and intelligent decision making is for the successful climber, and how she has integrated these skills into her adult life. She speaks glowingly of the climbing community, spotlighting camaraderie, an appreciation for the natural world, and a zeal for exploration as key to the life of an adventurer. Unique to Harrington, and developed by a career of taking risks and conquering them, she shares her philosophy on fear, and how this philosophy has changed since starting her family. Through it all, Harrington’s awe-inspiring accomplishments combined with her belief in the value of facing challenges head-on will certainly leave a lasting impression on anyone hesitant to take their next seismic leap. Moments to look forward to in the episode:  * Harrington shares the personal struggles she faced as a woman being in a weight to strength dependent sport and the perspective shift that helped her overcome them  * She dives into the process of competitive climbing, emphasizing what fuels her passion for the sport while clarifying the difference between technical and dynamic climbing styles  * She discusses how her priorities and relationship to high risk climbing has changed following having a child, and how she navigates being a mother and an adventurer Emily Harrington is an American professional rock climber and mountaineer born in Boulder, Colorado in 1986. As a youngster, Harrington was ripe with competitive drive, leading her to develop her skills as a climber at a young age. Finding competitive success in the sport, she started as a member of the USA Junior Climbing Team in 1998. At age 16, Harrington won her first of four USA Climbing Adult National Championship in sport climbing. In 2003, she began her studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she graduated with a degree in International Affairs with an emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa. In between her studies, in 2005, Harrington placed second at the IFSC World Championships. Upon graduating in 2008, Harrington transitioned into professional outdoor climbing, where she has since cemented herself in the world of mountaineering, having achieved the first individual free climb of the American Way route on Pik Slesova in Kyrgyzstan, among other accomplishments. Now, Harrington lives in Tahoe with her husband Adrian Ballinger and their four year old child. She is currently working with Zgirls [https://zgirls.org/girlclimber] as a co-leader for a program that empowers middle school girls at the intersection of rock climbing and mental health.  Chloe Aftel [https://www.chloeaftel.com/] has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between [https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween], is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

Episode 40 — Lucinda Williams on The Act of Creation, Success, and The Political Landscape

Three time Grammy award-winning singer songwriter, and creator of over a dozen acclaimed albums, Lucinda Williams [https://open.spotify.com/artist/60ht0hWRy1yjUDfNsLuHuP?si=vr9NUSCgTmSXqxVyQbNhMQ] sits down with Chloe Aftel to chronicle her journey in music, from being emotionally taken by the folk music of the 1960s, to creating her most recent album, “World’s Gone Wrong,” [https://www.lucindawilliams.com/] which responds directly to the current American political landscape. Shining through Williams’ anecdotes is an artistic integrity and self-honesty that has simultaneously created friction in her career, and pushed her to take her own gravel road to pioneer the Americana genre. From being inspired to write meaningful songs by Bob Dylan, to now performing with him on the world’s grandest stages, Williams meditates on how she maintains a healthy dynamic between her art, ego, and success. With passion, she makes it clear that politics and real life are never separate from her music, and makes a call for the necessity of civic engagement to counteract the growing trend towards apathy. It is this gusto and Williams’ buoyant spirit that reminds us that although there will never be a world without tears, we are all on Earth together.  Highlights:  * Williams discusses the impact her parents had on her music, and how the rebel spirit she learned from them continues to persist in her today  * She pinpoints the enduring themes of her work, and the critiques she received from the industry for being an artist that grapples with sorrow  * She reflects on the most difficult parts of performing, and how she’s improved as a singer songwriter with a growing audience  * She discusses her relationship to her guitar, and the hurdles she’s had to overcome now that she performs without it  Biographies:  Lucinda Williams [https://open.spotify.com/artist/60ht0hWRy1yjUDfNsLuHuP?si=vr9NUSCgTmSXqxVyQbNhMQ] is a Grammy award-winning American singer-songwriter with over 700,000 monthly listeners on music streaming services. Born in 1953 in Lake Charles, Louisiana to a father who wrote poetry and taught creative writing and a mother who spent long hours at the piano, Williams developed her love for writing and music as a young girl. By 1980 she had released two albums, “Ramblin on My Mind” [https://open.spotify.com/album/3HzbLgbtdRrFRyujsDZrmj?si=k52OypZuSOeLbvri1FpSnA] https://open.spotify.com/album/3HzbLgbtdRrFRyujsDZrmj?si=k52OypZuSOeLbvri1FpSnA(1979) and “Happy Woman Blues” [https://open.spotify.com/album/2jxxEF2IMr312jmiY9B8eb?si=qbQnBruARz-ck4I3lajhGQ](1980) to some critical buzz. However, it was the release of her third album, titled “Lucinda Williams” [https://open.spotify.com/album/4BEDvBtVumNz9YaFQaNXDa?si=5fM1RJMTTB-Ce9KEfFYm5Q] in 1988 that brought her tender heart into the national spotlight. In 1998, Williams broke through commercially with the release of “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, [https://open.spotify.com/album/3iC6dJobZulVXp0F4Bojig?si=0dunnQXaQmiICsCs1yq43A]” a genre bending album that carved out her unique style—one she says can be found in the crack between rock and country—and earned her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her most recent album, “World’s Gone Wrong,” [https://www.lucindawilliams.com/](2026) was created in response to the chaotic socio-political landscape of contemporary America. The album, once again, proves Williams’ masterful ability to marry hard truths with a voice evocative of a warm fire on a frigid day, motivating anyone listening to think about their civic role, and drop a few tears. Chloe Aftel [https://www.chloeaftel.com/] has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between [https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween], is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

Episode 39 - Historian Ashley Farmer on Black power, remarkable women & the legacy of America

Ashley has spent her career researching and considering the Black revolutionary women of the last century. Her most recent tome is Queen Mother about Audley Moore. With Chloe, she goes in depth about not only who these women were and how they navigated the times during which they existed, but at what cost was their activism and how their lives inform our present world. Moving through the challenges of motherhood, the tools of white control, and possibilities of Black sovereignty, Ashley broadens our understanding of historical context and explains her style of writing usable history. Highlights * How to understand possibility of America being a failed experiment for Black people * How to create meaningful, painstakingly accurate biographies of marginalized leaders * What it means to think in the longue durée  Dr. Ashley D. Farmer is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Numerous schools and foundations, including the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Whiting Foundation, have supported her research.  Farmer is also a co-editor of the Black Power Series [https://www.blackpowerseries.com/] published with NYU Press and the Black Women’s History Series [https://uncpress.org/black-womens-history-series-incubator/], published with UNC Press. Dr. Farmer earned a BA from Spelman College, an MA in History, and a PhD in African American Studies from Harvard University.  Chloe Aftel [https://www.chloeaftel.com/] has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19’s impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel’s first book, Outside & In Between [https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween], is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

Episode 38 — Novelist Marilynne Robinson on Writing, Memory, and Truth with host Chloe Aftel

American novelist and essayist Marilynn Robinson sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss the idea of writing as a practice of honesty, reflection, and attention to lived experience while allowing both real life and remembrance to help shape narratives. Robinson emphasizes the importance of truth in writing and frames her approach as taking in the world around you, and translating it into words. She views simplicity not as a limitation, but as a discipline that requires careful attention and sincerity. They also discuss the relationship between memory and storytelling, and how personal history informs perspective. Robinson reflects on writing as an ongoing practice, emphasizing that the act itself holds just as much value as the final outcome. Highlights: * Marilynn Robinson discusses her approach to writing, speaking about how evocation and lived experience informs a narrative * She describes the act of writing as an act of reflection rather than performance, requiring honesty on behalf of the writer * She discusses her perspective on simplicity in writing, viewing it as a way to make stories more accessible Biographies: Marilynn Robinson is an American Novelist born in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1943. She studied at Pembroke College for her undergraduate and later received her PhD in English from the University of Washington in 1977. She speaks about writing as an ongoing process of observance, remembrance, and expression, viewing it not as something to perfect, but something to practice. To her, writing is a way to process life, make sense of events and emotions, and preserve them in a form that remains both accessible and genuine. Her body of work highlights the value of authenticity and attentiveness in both writing and life, with some of her notable pieces include Housekeeping (1980), Gilead (2004),and Home (2008). She has won thePulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2009, National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 2004 & 2015, PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay in 1999 and others. Chloe Aftel [https://www.chloeaftel.com/] has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19’s impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel’s first book, Outside & In Between [https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween], is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

Episode 37 — In Conversation with Acclaimed Writer Nana Ama; Immigration, Perspective and Truth

Ghanaian American writer Meri Nana-Ama Danquah sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss immigration, mental health, and self preservation. They talk about Danquah’s experience having learned about her undocumented status as an adult, and how that severely impacted not only her life, but her mental health. She remarks on the irony of the fact that though she was highly regarded and often asked to speak on issues of mental health, she wasn’t able to speak on one of the key causes of her own depression due to the danger it would put her in. They discuss her writing process, noting that she writes about her experiences not to ruminate but to give other people the opportunity to understand and dissect what it means to exist as a person whose identity and life experience is inherently intersectional. Highlights: * Danquah talks about her own experience being an immigrant who spent many years of her life undocumented and how though the modern day anti immigrant rhetoric is both frightening and harmful, it’s also something that has always existed * They discuss her writing, with her stating that she believes that writing involves both responsibility and a willingness to tell the truth * They talk about California Proposition 187, an initiative that passed in 1994 that aimed to prohibit undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare, social services, and education * Danquah discusses the suicide rates amongst activists and stresses the importance of self preservation and self care, and how community building is an inherent part of that * Danquah brings up the topic of gender identity and healthcare, going into depth about her own experiences with menopause, endometriosis, and the stigma that surrounds those topics Biographies: Meri Nana-Ama Danquah is an acclaimed Ghanaian American author, editor, journalist, and public speaker who is best known for her memoir entitled Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression. Born on September 13, 1967 in Accra, Ghana, Danquah would immigrate to the United States at the age of six, three years after her mother had immigrated. She eventually learned as a young adult that she was undocumented, despite having come legally. After coming to terms with this information and following the birth of her daughter, Danquah relocated to Washington DC where she would then come to understand that she had been suffering from clinical depression, something she would start exploring more in her writing. She went on to be chosen by the National Health Association to act as spokesperson for their campaign on Clinical Depression. She then went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts degree from Bennington College and has taught at various universities across the globe. Chloe Aftel [https://www.chloeaftel.com/] has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between [https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween], is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].