How Motherhood Changed Pro Ice Climber Majka Burhardt’s Relationship to Risk, Adventure, and Philanthropy
Raising tiny humans is, for many people, the ultimate life trade-off. What happens when you’re a professional athlete, traveling the world and pushing your body, who then finds out you’re pregnant– with twins?!
Majka Burhardt (she/her) is a professional climber, social entrepreneur, author, filmmaker, and mother of twins. She’s also the Founder and Executive Director of Legado, an international organization that supports indigenous communities to build healthy communities and landscapes.
Majka wrote the book “More: Life on the Edge of Adventure and Motherhood,” a collection of notes, letters, and messages to her twins from pregnancy through toddlerhood. The book touches on countless trade-offs that we touch on in this episode.
We talk about...
Majka’s journey to parenthood as an athlete
How Majka always thought it'd be fun to be pregnant, but was still uncertain about having kids
The parallels of being an athlete and pregnancy: seeing what our bodies can do, seeking new skills, embracing challenges
How Majka thought she'd be a pregnant warrior athlete goddess, but that didn't go as expected
Getting pregnant and being hell bent on things not changing, then realizing that athletic goals and priorities would have to shift during pregnancy, though nothing is forever
Feeling like she got pregnant at the wrong time of year for her sport and passion
Stepping back from climbing every day, but still being a climber during pregnancy
How motherhood affected Majka’s ice climbing skills: more gratitude and efficiency, less extreme overhanging moves
Shifting identities through matresence
The idea of going climbing vs. being a climber
Stopping breastfeeding because she wanted to go to Africa for work, which was a hard but needed decision
How sometimes ice climbing is just ice climbing, and other times it comes with a bunch of thoughts about parenting
Wanting to be a high level athlete AND there for her kids, and how she juggles that duality
How she didn't plan to write a book, but her collection of notes and audio recordings made sense to become a book to start needed conversations
Body image as a mom and athlete
Gaining 70 lbs. after having a six pack and having a different body after pregnancy and birth
Ignoring body image issues by putting them on a different shelf in her brain
Getting stoked that she weighed more than her husband during pregnancy since it meant she was doing her job
Having more body image issues now, many years after pregnancy, than she did earlier
Normalizing body image issues and conversations, and learning empathy and understanding since you never know another mother's story
Partners in parenting and expectations on moms
How fathers can have such different experiences than mothers that it feels unfair
Talking about parental issues before they matter: practice before you don't have time to do so!
Communicating with your co-parent when things really suck (and not "I'll just handle it myself")
How gender norms and expectations might look like they're improving, but when you experience parenthood you discover how entrenched they are
Public outrage and judgment when women pursue outdoor adventure
Creating a family culture of loving time outdoors
Taking her kids ice climbing, skating, swimming, throwing rocks, and canoeing, and creating a family culture of loving the outdoors while keeping them as safe as possible
Getting pushback from family and the world by taking children on outdoor adventures
How we can teach kids to be resilient, rather than just safe, since they'll encounter risks every day
Giving up time ice climbing in order to take her kids downhill skiing -- it sucks, but it's also rewarding
Restructuring her work so she has time to share outdoor sports with her kids
Juggling passions and priorities across kids, work, and fun
Life is messier than anyone wants to admit
The urge to do it all and do it all well
"Do I belong in anything if I‘m doing everything?!"
Becoming passionate about parenting is badass
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Music: The Kind of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins
Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.