Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know

Erica: I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum. We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it.

Erica: This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com. Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone.

Erica: Are you ready to conquer the summits of resilience and achievement? Today, we are thrilled to have a guest who doesn't just climb mountains, she breaks records and redefines what's possible. Join us as we ascend into the whiz turned mountaineer, sharing her wisdom on overcoming life's challenges and reaching new heights. Fasten your seat belt, because this episode is an adventure that you are not going to want to miss.

Erica: Today, I am so excited because we have, for the first time ever on this podcast, a world record holder. Welcome, Jenn Drummond, to the podcast From Now to Next. Jenn, how are you?

Jenn: I'm fantastic. Thanks for having me today.

Erica: Oh, and for those of you who don't know, we are living in the land of who knows what's going on, because it is that holiday week between Christmas and New Year's where nobody knows what we're supposed to be doing. Are we setting goals for New Year's? Are we diving into the chocolate that we got over the holidays? So, Jenn, what are you doing this week?

Jenn: Oh, I am bustling kids everywhere. Right? They're all home. My kids are aged 17 to 11. The ski hill does not have the snow that we are hoping.

Jenn: So it's trying to figure out what activities we can do to stay busy and off of electronics.

Erica: Yes, I did see on the news this morning that it is like a record for how little snow we got this year, which is just crazy to me. And I live in North Carolina, and it was 60 degrees this morning. Wild.

Erica: So, Jenn, kick it off. Who are you? What do you do?

Jenn: Yeah. What don't we do as moms here, right? I mean, everything. So I am a mountaineer.

Jenn: I started becoming a mountaineer after I got into a horrific car crash in 2018. Prior to that, I was a financial advisor. I own an investment firm that white labels a platform for institutions. And so I was working in that field, kinda hired myself out of a job so I could be a stay at home mom. That was needed for a while, obviously, because the kids were little and chaos was our norm.

Jenn: But then when they got to college, I was kinda stuck. Like, what am I supposed to be doing? This isn't really my jam. I kinda feel guilty, because it isn't. It was just this weird limbo stage, and I had told myself, hey.

Jenn: Once my kids get to college, then I can get back to me. Luckily, a car accident did not take my life, but woke me up to the fact that, hey, life is limited. I should not be waiting for any time frame to do something. Now is now.

Jenn: So that launched this mountaineering pursuit, just finished it in June. I have a book coming out, going on speaking stages, all the things.

Erica: That is amazing, and that is a lot. And I would love for you to tell everybody what the heck a mountaineer is.

Jenn: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. So a mountaineer is an athlete that climbs mountains. So I was turning 40 in 2020. I was looking at my bucket list of things I wanted to do. I'm like, I'm gonna climb a mountain for my fortieth birthday. So I asked friends, what mountain should I climb?

Jenn: They're like, you should climb this mountain named Ama Dablam. I hadn't heard of it, but if you've seen a Paramount Pictures movie, it's the mountain in the logo. So my friends are like, every time you go to the movies, you'll be like, I climbed that mountain. I'm like, okay, that sounds perfect.

Jenn: So I was training for that. COVID happened, became a homeschool teacher because school shut down. And one of my kids was struggling with his homework one day. I'm like, listen, buddy, we do hard things.

Jenn: You've got this. And he looks at me and he goes, if we do hard things, why are you climbing a mountain called I'm a Dumb Blonde instead of a real mountain like Mount Everest? I'm like, Ama Dablam, honey, not I'm a Dumb Blonde, but thank you, finish your homework and we'll look at Everest.

Jenn: So he did, and we did, and he went to bed. And I'm like, you know what, this kid thinks Everest is the hardest mountain in the whole world. I'm gonna climb it, and I'm gonna show him that whatever our Everest is, we're capable of summiting. So I called the coach, kinda half hoping he's like, I can't get you ready. Absolute opposite.

Jenn: He's like, for sure, you'll be ready by next season, you're an athlete growing up, no problem. And so then I started training for Everest, and he gives me this book about becoming an uphill athlete. So I'm reading the book, and in the front of it, there was a lady who got a Guinness World Record for doing something in the Alps.

Jenn: And I was talking to my coach one day feeling down about this homeschooling thing. I'm like, listen, if I got a Guinness World Record, my kids would think I'm the coolest mom in the whole world. I am not a cool mom right now, homeschooling not working out for us at all. And my coach kinda laughed. He's like, I'll think of something.

Jenn: I'm like, okay, whatever. So he calls me back a few weeks later and he's like, Jenn, I have the perfect world record. I think you should be the first female to climb the seven second summits. I'm like, that sounds like a tongue twister, I don't even know what you're saying. He's like, the second summits are the second highest point on each of the seven continents.

Jenn: And before you boo boo that, just know that they're harder than the first seven. They've only been done by one male, so you'd be the second human, first woman to do it. And he goes, think about it, seven continents, seven mountains, seven children, it sounds like a jackpot. I'm like, it does. I haven't really slept in a tent before or climbed a mountain, but we'll figure this out.

Jenn: And, you know, when you get those whole body yeses that don't make sense, I'm that person that's gonna say, let's try it, and here we are. So I wasn't always a mountain athlete, mountain athlete's kind of a new thing, but so many people refer to me as that now. And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna roll with it, see how it feels.

Erica: Yeah, so from a time span perspective, I mean, that is not a lot of time here. We're looking at maybe three years. You did all of this?

Jenn: I did it in two and a half years.

Erica: Wow, that is insane.

Jenn: Yeah, and I didn't summit all of them the first time. Right? Some of them took a couple times because weather and things like that just didn't cooperate.

Erica: And so I've gotta jump to this. Now you've done this, and you've come back to this kid who was like, you're gonna climb I'm a Dumb Blonde mountain. What does he say?

Jenn: Oh, this is classic. So I just summit, right? Like I fly home, it's a long flight, right? I get off the plane. My kids are meeting me at the airport, which is super cute.

Jenn: And they're like, congrats mom. And I've given everybody a hug. I'm like, thank you so much, I love you guys, I've missed you. And my son goes, mom, you have bad breath. I'm like, yeah, I was on an airplane for hours, jerk.

Jenn: Of course I have bad breath, I was like, what do you expect. That's motherhood in a nutshell. Like, we're amazing, and then we're normal human within seconds.

Erica: I was gonna say, leave it to a kid to really bring you back down to earth in a nanosecond.

Jenn: A nanosecond, a 100%.

Erica: Oh my gosh. So talk to me about your book that is coming out, because I'm super excited. You can preorder it now, but it is called Breakproof, Seven Strategies to Build Resilience and Achieve Your Life.

Jenn: Yes. Okay, so I was halfway through this pursuit, and I went out to lunch with a friend. And I'm telling him stories and everything that's going on. He's like, you need to write a book. I don't even like mountaineering, and I love these stories, they're fascinating.

Jenn: And it was interesting, I'm like, okay, I'll think about it. And I thought about how much building a business, setting goals, and climbing mountains all had similar themes and metaphors. I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna tie this into setting goals on how you achieve them and bring the reader to the mountain, so they get that experience of, like, when it's life or death and this thing comes up, and then allow them to look at some of those lessons and be like, oh, this is how this applies to my own life, whatever metaphorical mountain I'm climbing here, and how I can get to the top and not compromise on my goals.

Erica: I love it, I love it. And when is it gonna be ready to launch?

Jenn: Releases January 9th. So please order.

Erica: Yes. Those preorders are important. I already have mine in, so everybody else follow suit.

Jenn: I love it, I love it, thank you.

Erica: So let's talk sticky floors, Jenn. And when you hear those sticky floors, the limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors that keep women stuck, how does that relate into all of the things that you think about when you talk about building resilience?

Jenn: Yeah, here's the thing, you never get rid of them. Okay? So they're just gonna manifest and show up in different ways, and they get creative. And you need to just identify, like, wait a minute, why am I believing this? Is this the only truth?

Jenn: Is there another option? And so an example would be, the crazy thing is, if a mom is listening, she'll understand, my fear of climbing Everest wasn't climbing Everest. I'll be fine on the mountain, I'm fit, I know what I'm doing. My fear was, are my kids gonna be okay? How are my kids gonna be with me gone that long and all this kind of stuff?

Jenn: And so my biggest thing was, like, I can't climb Everest right now, I have kids at home, they need me to be here. And the first problem was that a typical expedition to climb Everest is eight weeks long. Okay, eight weeks is a long time to be gone.

Jenn: So I'm sitting here thinking, okay, what's my workaround, what's my workaround? And I live in Park City, Utah, we have a lot of endurance athletes, we're at elevation. And I was talking to my doctor, and my doctor's like, you know, there's those machines and rooms and things that you can do that simulate a higher oxygen or lower oxygenated environment, why don't you look into one of those, because then you can acclimatize at home and cut down the amount of time you're gone.

Jenn: It's like football players do it when they go play in Denver, right, the teams need to be used to that less oxygen to perform. I'm like, oh, okay. So I got a hold of this company that I had no idea existed. I bought this tent that I slept in that went on top of my bed.

Jenn: My Everest expedition was three weeks instead of eight. So three weeks is long, but not eight weeks. I'm like, you know what, I can do three weeks, they'll be fine for three weeks. So then I set up help at home.

Jenn: Grandma comes, everybody's around. And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna go to the school, and I'm gonna tell the school that I'm gonna be gone, because, you know, when parents are gone, kids are a little squirrely sometimes. So I go to the school and I say, hey, can you offer my kids a little bit of grace, I'm gonna be gone, here's what's going on. Just wanna have you have some behind the scenes knowledge so that you can help with my kids.

Jenn: And the teacher, bless her heart, was, oh my gosh, this is amazing, why don't you come into the school and teach all the kids about goal setting. So I went into the school, we taught the kids about goal setting. They had little hikers that they colored in that said, here's what my Everest goal is. And their goals were, like, make the travel soccer team, ski a black diamond ski run, fun kids stuff.

Jenn: And then in the front of the school, we put this huge mountain, which represented Mount Everest, and we had a little climber, which was me, and I had a tracking device on me, so the kids could track where I was on the mountain every single day. And at Everest Base Camp you have Wi-Fi, so I could Zoom call into the classroom, I could Zoom call home, do video conferencing, answer questions that the kids had. And so now all of a sudden my whole school is climbing Everest with me. Right?

Jenn: And it was just this magical experience that if I would've subscribed to this is impossible because my kids will be damaged, that whole thing wouldn't have happened.

Erica: Hey there, listeners. If you have ever felt like you're stuck in a place, held back by self doubt, perfectionism, or that pesky inner critic, you're not alone. We all face those sticky floors that keep us from reaching the heights we dream of. But guess what? It's time to shatter those limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities.

Erica: My book, Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, is your ultimate guide to smashing through barriers, overcoming limiting beliefs, and stepping into your full potential. This book has been endorsed by none other than the great Mel Robbins, best selling author and motivational powerhouse. It's also been featured in Success Magazine, so you know it's packed with insights that work. Inside, you'll find real life sticky floor stories, practical strategies to help you navigate your own sticky floor moments, and a whole lot of inspiration to keep you climbing. This isn't just a book.

Erica: It's your road map to success, confidence, and freedom. Grab your copy of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors today at www.ericaandersonrooney.com. Whether you're in the boardroom, the classroom, or just starting out, this book is for you because no one, and I mean no one, deserves to stay stuck, no one deserves to feel small, and you have glass ceilings to shatter. Let's do this.

Erica: I love that, because that is a blocker for so many moms, and I know it's something that I struggle with even when I'm going on a work trip for like seven days. So I can't imagine, right now I'm imagining eight weeks, and you're like, okay, from eight to three, not so bad. But really it was about enlisting that community aspect of it for you to challenge that belief of they're not going to be okay. And then you incorporated the entire school in this climb.

Jenn: Right, which was so cool, because now my kids realize, hey, I have more than my mom that cares about me, that's cheering me on, that's paying attention to what's going on in my life. And one of the principles is big mountains take big teams. So if you're a person that's listening right now and you have a big goal in front of you, you are gonna take a big team to get to that goal, to make that happen so that you have energy and are enjoying the pursuit and are not run down and exhausted because you can't do it all.

Erica: Yeah, so one thing I wanna dive into, this is a big goal and a big dream that you had. Was there any point where you felt like you weren't going to accomplish it?

Jenn: Oh yes, oh my gosh, yes, of course. Well, one, I was on a mountain, you did see some video we have of the first thing, I mean, I did not belong out there. I didn't know how to put tent poles together. Everybody was making fun of me.

Jenn: I'm like, funny, funny, wait till I'm done with this thing, you jerks. But there's so much new and so much overwhelm, and I kept thinking to myself, I paid for this, I paid to be in this painful spot in freezing weather, peeing in a hole, and eating food that's freeze dried. What is wrong with me? Why do I even wanna do this?

Jenn: But the thing is, my why was so much bigger than whatever pain I was going through at that minute or moment or whatever. And that's the truth of it all. Whenever we're struggling, the storm isn't forever, right? The storm's gonna eventually end.

Jenn: So if, when the storm ends, is my thing still important? And it was. It was really important for me to show moms globally, like, we matter. Things that get us excited matter.

Jenn: And guess what, our kids are watching. And so if we don't show them how to do life with excitement and thrill and the ups and downs of chasing a goal and seeing the failures and working through them, who is, who's gonna teach them that stuff? And I looked at my kids and I realized, if I don't show them how to be excited and happy at 40, who's gonna show them? They're gonna get to 40 and they're gonna be miserable.

Jenn: You just don't wanna put your life on hold for everybody else, that's a bad message to give. And I kept looking at it from the lens of my children, if they're watching, if they were me, what would I want them to do? And a lot of times, I'd want them to keep going forward, because that's where life is lived.

Erica: Well, and this message is so important right now, because we are living with a generation, especially of women, who were told that we could have it all, do it all, be it all, but we were never really taught how. Because when you look at our parents, it's such a generational shift. So you've got women out here who are trying to climb the corporate ladder and achieve great success, but then they're struggling with how do I balance this with my home life. What advice would you give these women so that they can, air quote, have it all?

Jenn: Yeah, I mean, it's a lot of conversation, right, and it's a lot of trial and error. So for example, on a quarterly basis I'm looking at my calendar, sometimes more frequently, but no less than quarterly. And I'm looking at where I'm spending my time, what's going on, what's the cost, because it's really easy for us to evaluate financial costs, but there's things like emotional costs and health costs and these different spiritual costs that we need to pay attention to that maybe are not as clear.

Jenn: And here's an example. I'm in a good position because I owned a business and I have financial resources, so I definitely understand I'm in a different position than some. But when I would look at my calendar on a quarterly basis, I'd say, okay, what's a $20 task that I'm spending time on that doesn't make sense for me to spend time on? My kids don't care who folded laundry.

Jenn: They also don't care who made dinner. Okay? And at first I'm like, you know what, I am in the car all the time, I'm gonna hire somebody to help drive. So I hire somebody to help drive, and then I realized quickly, a lot of conversations happen in the car.

Jenn: And so now I was missing all these downloads and experiences with my kids, because, actually, that's when I had them cornered and we had one on one time. So I quickly said, never mind, we're not doing this, I'm not outsourcing the driving, I'm gonna take the driving back over. But I'm gonna put groceries on auto order, and I'm gonna have, on Mondays we do pasta, on Tuesdays we do tacos, on Wednesdays we do, so then everything just became streamlined and easier, and it was just, there's more bandwidth to do things that mattered.

Jenn: I'm also the mom, FYI, that when my kid had a soccer game, I would be at the soccer game with a 12 inch step and a backpack full of water bottles, and I would be doing my step ups on that thing for an hour and a half, because it allowed me to watch his game, it allowed me to train. Was the training ideal? No, but it was better than a zero, and you have to figure out where you're gonna do better than a zero.

Erica: I love this. So you're at a soccer game, you bring your step and a backpack that is loaded down. I'm just imagining you and your, over in the corner of the field just going. How many looks did you get from the other moms about how crazy you were?

Jenn: Oh yeah, right, like, of course you have hate at first. Like, I don't know if it's necessarily hate, but they're just like, why can't you be sitting here doing the game, drinking a coffee with me, watching this? And I just couldn't, because I had bigger goals. I didn't have the same thing that they had.

Jenn: And then I'll be honest with you, by the end of the season, there's a couple moms that use that time to exercise with me. Like, hey, if you're gonna do it, I'm gonna do it. I'm like, awesome, the more the merrier. And you just realize that your story, your pursuits, are different than everybody else's.

Jenn: They're gonna look different. And sometimes you vibe your tribe when you step into what you're doing, and some girls join me. So thank you, ladies who did.

Erica: Vibe your tribe, y'all, I wrote that one down, because that is good as gold. But what I also love to note about when you are going outside of everyone else's comfort zone, right, which is sitting at the soccer game, drinking your coffee, doing your normal routine, anyone who's doing more than you will never talk trash about you, right, that is the truth. So all of those moms who might just be sitting there drinking their coffee, judging, and giving you some side eye, don't worry about them.

Erica: They're not doing more than you, you are doing the most. And then I would love to know, out of all of your strategies in this book for building resilience and achieving your life goals, which one stands out to you as the most pivotal during all of your climbs?

Jenn: Yeah, I mean, for me personally, it's the one I hit on a little bit earlier, the big mountains take big teams, just because I think we're taught to do it all. Our media plays to the supermom, and that's worshiped and all that kind of stuff. And so it's hard to ask for help, because sometimes we don't even know. You're sitting here thinking, I have a thousand things, if I was organized enough, you could help me, I'm so overwhelmed, I don't even know how to have you help me.

Jenn: And so I had that, I was so overwhelmed, I didn't even know what to do. So I had one of my helpers sit with me, and I said, okay, here's a thousand things. And then she, from another perspective, said, okay, here's things that I can take, here's things that bundle, let's find somebody that can do this thing. She could help organize it better than I could, because I was in it.

Jenn: So if you're in it and you feel overwhelmed, you don't even know where to ask for help, breathe a minute, give yourself a little bit of time, have somebody else sit there and brainstorm with you, and problem solve together. We love to help each other. I love it when someone asks me, hey, can you help?

Erica: I heard one time somebody said, when you don't ask for help or allow others to help you, you are denying them the privilege of being in service.

Jenn: Yeah, a 100%. And I know it gets weird at first, right, and it's vulnerable at first, because other people get to see your behind the scenes. And the behind the scenes is where laundry's all over the floor and the kitty litter hasn't been emptied, and all the stuff that you just wish everything was perfect and then you can come over, but that's not reality. And so it's just learning how to embrace, this is the mess that we're in.

Erica: This is the mess. I do have one question, because you have big, big, hairy, audacious goals, let's be clear, right, like, I don't think the even above average woman is saying, I'm a go climb these summits. How do you encourage, or rather, how can women encourage themselves to dream bigger dreams?

Jenn: Yeah, well, like, even listen to my dream. My dream was, okay, I survive a car accident, I make this bucket list of things I wanna do, see, and experience after that car accident, because I didn't even know who I was. If you ask me what I wanted to eat for dinner, I wouldn't even be able to tell you, because all I did is eat leftovers.

Jenn: And so I started really figuring out who I was again. Do I like this? Do I not like this? Is this something that gets me excited? Is this something that takes my energy?

Jenn: So I spent a year doing that, and on my list was climb a mountain. My son upped that to Everest. My coach upped that to a world record. Okay?

Jenn: So I think a lot of times it is, we do something that we like, or we think we're gonna like. I'm gonna go climb a mountain. And then when we start doing steps into that path, other doors open, other opportunities show up, and then you can start seeing what those are and leaning into those or leaning away from those depending on what your interest is. So I wouldn't get so hung up in the beginning of what's this huge crazy thing I'm gonna do.

Jenn: I think the first place to start is, what do I like? What recharges my batteries? What makes me happy? And then see what unfolds from those doors.

Erica: And would you say, you used this term earlier which I loved, was the whole body yes. What is that, and how did that play into kind of coming up with this big dream?

Jenn: Yeah, okay, so I was new to mountain biking, and this coach was like, listen, it's either a hell yes or it's a no. Because when you go on these, do you go around these, I don't know, these bumps or these berms or over these logs, if you have that second where you're like, oh, I'm not gonna make it, you're not gonna make it. And so if you see it, you have to go or fail, because otherwise you're gonna be hurt.

Jenn: And I love that experience, because, one, I gotta feel it in my body. And then I started realizing, I don't want that, life is short, I don't have time unless it's a whole body yes. And so you start training your body when people ask you things like, hey, do you wanna do this, and if there's hesitation, that's a no. But think of how many times we still say yes when we kinda get the hesitation.

Jenn: And so I've trained myself to be like, oh my gosh, this is exciting, I don't know why it's exciting, I don't need to know right now, but I know that my whole body is really interested, so I'm gonna lean into that. And learning how to read our bodies and understand what's the hell yes.

Erica: I love that you have to really tune in and get to know yourself. Well, Jenn, one of the questions I ask everyone on the podcast, it's the one I love to end with, is what is that one piece of advice? You've given out a ton today, a ton of gems that we're all gonna be able to use. But what is that one piece of advice you would give to Jenn recovering from the car accident, knowing everything you know now?

Jenn: Yeah, you know, I still do it, I do trigger meditations. So a trigger meditation is something that you do frequently throughout the day that causes you to pause. For example, mine right now is every single time I touch the doorknob, I stop and I reconnect to myself.

Jenn: I'm like, am I getting into the flow of life and getting out of who I am? I take a few deep breaths and I reconnect. And just that little pause has caused me to realize, like, no, I'm not doing this, or I'm gonna make sure I slow down later on, or I'm getting too fast out of my body. And so it can be setting an alarm on your phone to go off multiple times a day that causes you to just pause for a second, reconnect to yourself.

Jenn: It can be something like every single time you open the door, or go to the bathroom, or get a drink of tea, whatever that is. These triggers give us the pause to give us the awareness to check in with ourselves and make sure that we're living from an authentic heart.

Erica: Yes, and especially if you're busy, especially if you have kids, we can get to running around like a chicken with our heads cut off. So that cause for pause, I love it. Well, Jenn, thank you so much for joining us today.

Erica: I cannot wait for your book to come out. January 9th, it is gonna be here so quickly. Where can people find your book?

Jenn: Yes, so Amazon.com is probably the best place. Otherwise your online retailers will have it. If you check out my website, jendrummond.com, you can also find a link to purchase it there. And then everybody who's listening today, I have this little video of the Milky Way going over Everest Base Camp.

Jenn: And it just reminds me, when I get overwhelmed, how insignificantly significant I am. So if you text the word Everest to the number 33777, you will get that video to be able to keep on your phone. It's super cool, highly recommend it.

Erica: Oh, I'm gonna do that as soon as we hang up. Thank you so much, Jenn, it was amazing today.

Jenn: Thank you.

Erica: A massive thank you to Jenn Drummond for taking us on this crazy journey from the financial peaks to the literal summits of the world. Now remember, resilience is the ultimate key to conquering your Everest. So today, I am going to challenge you, what is your Everest goal? Also, don't forget to preorder Jenn's upcoming book, Breakproof, Seven Strategies to Build Resilience and Achieve Your Life Goals, releasing on January 9th.

Erica: So grab it today, the link is in the show notes. And until next time, stop putting a ceiling on what is possible and start breaking through it.