Intense green ❇️ This pink gold timepiece, worn by our One of Not Many Talent @coryrichards, features complications that assist the daily life of the traveler: a dual time zone combined with a day-night indicator and a date hand. Its self-winding movement offers a power reserve of nearly 3 days. To accentuate the intensity of this new colour on the Overseas dual time, meticulous care has been lavished on the finishing touches. Against a translucent lacquered backdrop playing on depth effects, the centre is graced with sunburst satin-brushing, while the flange is delicately velvet-finished. 🗺️ Travel companion of @coryrichards #VacheronConstantin #OneOfNotMany #vacheron #thehourlounge #watches #watch #watchesofinstagram #horology #watchoftheday #instawatch #geneva #swissmade #swisswatch
I identified as an alcoholic for a decade. And here are some of my thoughts… As always, I’d love to know your thoughts below. 👇
To the oldest part of our brain, the experience of climbing is interpreted as an act of survival and survival is stressful work. The sympathetic nervous system fires up and we step into fight, flight, or freeze and choose to fight. We fight gravity. We fight fear. We fight with our muscles and every cell of our body. We fight with our conscious and subconscious minds alike and the whole game is learning to manage the stress response and ultimately work in tandem with our brain and body in pursuit of a goal. In that way, it becomes an act of mindfulness because in order to survive, we’re forced to distill order from chaos and focus on the now. The discomfort of it all is offset by the highs that come with it. It’s beautiful and breathtaking and life-affirming in a way that few other sports can ever be. The conscious mind colors the experience with all sorts of stories and little self-deceptions about what we’re doing and why. But to the ancient part of the brain, it’s all the same thing; in that five-hundred-million-year-old piece of the mind, there is no poetry or story and we can tell no lies to escape the fact that the neurobiological basis of climbing is sim-ple: Don’t die. Chaos is what I know best. – an excerpt from my memoir, The Color of Everything, coming out next week. Link to pre-order in my bio!
To the oldest part of our brain, the experience of climbing is interpreted as an act of survival and survival is stressful work. The sympathetic nervous system fires up and we step into fight, flight, or freeze and choose to fight. We fight gravity. We fight fear. We fight with our muscles and every cell of our body. We fight with our conscious and subconscious minds alike and the whole game is learning to manage the stress response and ultimately work in tandem with our brain and body in pursuit of a goal. In that way, it becomes an act of mindfulness because in order to survive, we’re forced to distill order from chaos and focus on the now. The discomfort of it all is offset by the highs that come with it. It’s beautiful and breathtaking and life-affirming in a way that few other sports can ever be. The conscious mind colors the experience with all sorts of stories and little self-deceptions about what we’re doing and why. But to the ancient part of the brain, it’s all the same thing; in that five-hundred-million-year-old piece of the mind, there is no poetry or story and we can tell no lies to escape the fact that the neurobiological basis of climbing is sim-ple: Don’t die. Chaos is what I know best. – an excerpt from my memoir, The Color of Everything, coming out next week. Link to pre-order in my bio!
It’s been a moment since I shared some photos, so here are two from the archives. Shot on assignment for National Geographic Magazine in 2015. Okavango source story profiling the source of the Okavango’s water in the Angolan highlands. The team, lead by Steven Boyes PhD traveled over 1,000 miles by Mekoro doing a mega transect of the Okavango’s source and its ultimate outlet in the delta.
It’s been a moment since I shared some photos, so here are two from the archives. Shot on assignment for National Geographic Magazine in 2015. Okavango source story profiling the source of the Okavango’s water in the Angolan highlands. The team, lead by Steven Boyes PhD traveled over 1,000 miles by Mekoro doing a mega transect of the Okavango’s source and its ultimate outlet in the delta.
Everything is not f*cked. Our minds have a tendency to magnify and even fabricate the possibilities of terrible things. And in no way am I saying that there aren’t awful, awful things happening in the world today, or that I don’t live from a place of privilege. But, the world, in many metrics, is better than it has ever been. Even beyond numbers, most of us in our own lives, despite hardships, are okay. Everything is not f*cked. And I’d like to choose the story that there remains an unshakeable hope for humanity yet.
I need your help!! It’s the final push before my book releases on July 9th. The reality is, pre-sales matter for books (it’s a weird metric, but true). You guys have truly been so supportive and as a thank you to those who have bought the book (and maybe encouragement if you haven’t yet), I’m doing a giveaway of one of my prints. All you have to do, is pre-order my book and send me proof of purchase (if you’ve already pre-ordered, don’t worry, you’re included, too). To enter, DM me proof of purchase and send this post to a friend. One book purchase is one entry. Giveaway will be open until June 21, 9PM PST. This unfortunately is for US residents only. 🙏 Thank you, guys. Over the past few months, I went from sharing my photos to sharing a lot more of myself on here which I know was a change. I’m so grateful for the support you all have given me in showing more of myself on the other side of the lens. It truly means the world to me. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram.
I’ve talked about them on here before and talk about them in my book. While they aren’t for everyone and I can only speak to my own experience, psychedelics have been an incredibly powerful tool in my healing journey. Also, a shout out to my dear friend and psychedelic assisted therapist, @lauren.taus – I’ve learned a lot about psychedelics from her and she has a plethora of educational resources on her page to check out.
Narcissism… it’s being talked about a lot right now. It’s something I touch on in my memoir when I’m recounting the story of my divorce. I want to re-iterate what I say in the video; I’m not robbing anyone of their experience. There is absolutely real pain and harm caused by being in relationships with narcissists and/or toxic people. The honest truth is that during the time period of my divorce, I certainly showed a lot of traits and behaviors characteristic of narcissistic personality disorder (or NPD). It’s important to recognize though, that we all possesses narcissistic traits and sometimes and in some periods of our lives, in unhealthy amounts. This doesn’t always equate to having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Labels can often provide a framework for understanding and processing our pain. On the flip side, overusing the label ‘narcissist’ can undermine its significance and even sometimes sidestep our own accountability. Curious to hear your thoughts below 👇
A reading from #thecolorofeverything that comes towards the end of the book (don’t worry, no spoilers!). Writing this memoir and sharing my story has been a lot of self-reflection. And one of the lessons is that there is a lot of power in the way we tell our story to ourselves and to others. As always, would love to hear your thoughts below. If you’d like to pre order the book, you can find the link in my bio (and if you want to enter the giveaway, scroll a few posts back to learn more). Eternally grateful and couldn’t have done any of this without your support. 🙏
For me, there is a difference between being a victim and living in victimhood. I wrestle with it because it seems that in some ways our culture rewards victimhood. That said, people ARE victims at times…of violence, abuse, racism, sexism, xenophobia, war, and natural disasters. So once something happens, how do not let ourselves be defined by it? Again, I wrestle. I’ve talked about the idea of identifying with labels over the last few weeks. But I want to be clear that labels can also be useful for a time. They are helpful for giving us a framework for understanding some of the things that may have happened to us. They give our pain a voice. They lend clarity to the hurt and confusion that the world deals out. It feels safe. But it isn’t freedom. I don’t have an answer. I guess in my experience, as I moved through and processed all the hard and scary shit I’d been through, I started to see how identifying with it was keeping me trapped. In some ways, even being a ‘survivor’ keeps us tethered to trauma. After I exhausted the story, the only option left was to let the story go. It all just became stuff that happened. Honestly, I lived in victimhood for far too long because it felt safe…but fuck freedom feels good. THOUGHTS?
A follow up on some thoughts about #psychedelics. I shared that they have been powerful tools for me, but that’s the key word – they are tools. Psychedelics don’t magically “heal you” – they can often expedite thoughts and processes in that journey, but they are not the healing itself. You still have to take what you’ve learned and integrate it into your life.
Writing this book has been one of the most memorable adventures in my life. As the release date is quickly approaching (July 9!!), these moments of reading it out loud have felt simultaneously surreal and exciting, and I’ve even found myself, perhaps, a bit nervous. In the myriad of those feelings, the one I overwhelmingly experience and continuously come back to, is pure gratitude for the open minds and support I’ve received over the past few months from you. Every message, comment, DM, and story you share with me has left me with an incredible amount of gratitude for these moments of connection with you, however big or small. As always, I’d love to hear any of your comments or thoughts about this passage below 👇 P.S. If you haven’t yet pre-ordered The Color of Everything to enter the giveaway to win a print of mine, it’s not too late (link in bio). Pre-orders mean everything in book performance so if you’re thinking of reading it, every single one helps. 🙏
What is my book is really about? Yes, it’s filled with adventures and climbs. It’s also sharing the story of my trauma and mental health. But, even that isn’t the punchline or even what I’m passionate about. So, what is it really about? Letting it go. It’s a story of letting go to find my freedom and peace. This clip is a continuation on an earlier conversation about trauma. While I share a lot about trauma and the different tools and therapies and meds etc., my book isn’t about trauma. It’s about the internal journey of being able to let it go. It’s a privileged place to be able to let go of trauma and the stories we tell ourselves about it. And it’s not to say that I’m done doing the work or that life won’t throw more curveballs at me. I recognize all of those things. But what I am saying is that – there is a freedom I have found in being able to let go of some of the trauma and stories I’ve carried for so long. So wherever you are in your healing journey…Keep going.
Here’s another snippet from my chat about medications and mental health. Unfortunately, stigma still surrounds mental health conditions and medication. There’s a misconception that mental health issues, because they manifest as behavior, are simply a matter of personal choice. While choices affect behavior, it’s unfair to reduce mental health disorders to just mere decisions. This, combined with the trend of only wanting “natural” remedies, has skewed our view of medication in mental health treatment into a negative light. I’m not a doctor, and I can’t give medical advice, but I can share my lived experience. Medication saves lives. Natural tools like psychedelics hold promise and have helped me, but we lack the comprehensive knowledge and protocol to use them as full treatments. By sharing our experiences and stories, we can help eliminate shame and stigma. I will continue to take my medication. By continuing to share my journey with bipolar 2 and the treatments I’ve used, I hope to chip away at the stigma surrounding mental health and medication. No matter where you are in your mental health journey, know there’s no shame in seeking the help and tools you need. Thank you all for being on this journey with me. I love you.
A student struggling with his practice once asked the zen master Shunryu Suzuki to explain Buddhism as simply as possible. Suzuki thought for a moment, then he responded: everything changes. This is part two of my conversation with Cory Richards about his memoir, The Color of Everything. Cory is bipolar and at different moments in his life he has been famous, homeless, institutionalized and an addict. He has climbed Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, he won the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award and he has traveled the planet adventuring and shooting for @natgeo. Then he started over as a writer. Healthy, sick, good, bad, rich, poor, famous, homeless. Everything changes. A great book is one you can’t put down that you miss when it’s over. The Color of Everything is such a book and I highly recommend reading it. This episode is brought to you by The Better Lab. Good sleep amplifies health, wellness and performance. Getting good sleep can be hard and many people struggle to consistently take the actions that support solid sleep. That’s why I co-founded The Better Lab, the app that helps active people like you to mindfully build conscious, science-backed practices to sleep better that stick. It’s just what works to help you get great sleep and you can get started today at www.thebetterlab.io and the app is live in the Apple App Store. Check it out and send a DM to @hardwaypod to let me know what you think. Choose the Hard Way is the podcast about how hard things build stronger humans who have more fun. The purpose of this podcast is not for you to envy, admire or imitate the stories people like Cory share here. This podcast is here to hopefully inspire and empower you to fully embrace being the writer of your own story. It’s a great one, you’re the author and you bring it into being every moment. Find Cory @coryrichards on Instagram and find the link to pre-order The Color of Everything in bio.
Life rarely presents us with situations that are purely black and white. Duality and polarity serve as bumpers, guiding us through life’s complexities. Identifying too strongly with one side can create conflict, but this conflict can be a conduit for growth. The middle ground is often misunderstood, seen as ambiguity or lack of courage. However, it takes immense introspection and bravery to acknowledge that both sides have merit. Embracing the middle doesn’t mean avoiding commitment but rather understanding and appreciating the nuances of different perspectives. In the end, it’s in the shades of grey that we find true beauty, exploration, and growth.
One of the last book reports before The Color of Everything comes out. And to wrap up our book reports, I’ve chosen one of my favorite memoirs, Open by Andre Agassi. A good memoir isn’t necessarily about what the person is doing. Rather it’s about how what they’re doing is changing them. So even though you’ll never catch me in a ball sport, I could relate to the journey in this memoir. Fantastic read and a memoir that influenced my own. Curious if you all have read any of the books in the book report series and which one you liked the most.
Another passage from the “Color of Everything,” coming out July 9th! It comes from my time at Gasherbrum II, the 13th highest mountain in the world. These are the last few days to pre-order (link in bio!) and be entered into the print giveaway (check out a few posts back). Pre-orders are everything and every single one counts. I appreciate you so much for being on this journey with me. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
The Bible of trauma in many ways, today’s book report is on “The Body Keeps Score” by Bessel van der Kolk. We tend to use the word “PTSD” too much these days; again, it’s a very specific diagnosis. While we don’t all have this diagnosis, what we all have is trauma. He points out in this book that everyone experiences trauma; it’s a part of life. Trauma reshapes us on a cellular level, our brain, and our bodies. He explores what trauma is, how it changes us, and also offers some insight on solutions for the maladaptive behaviors because of trauma. It informed a lot of how I talk about trauma in my memoir and is just generally a fabulous read.
Couldn’t be more excited for you @jesslisacamacho Sure is fun to watch you shine ✨ Congratulations…you earned it darlin’
Couldn’t be more excited for you @jesslisacamacho Sure is fun to watch you shine ✨ Congratulations…you earned it darlin’
Couldn’t be more excited for you @jesslisacamacho Sure is fun to watch you shine ✨ Congratulations…you earned it darlin’
