Ep 29: Shawna West

Beyond The Rock

Shawna grew up in the flat plains of the Texas and Oklahoma State borderline. The only outdoor activities available were the kind that required level ground with little to no change in elevation. Think soccer, baseball, softball, disc golf, football, and long distance road cycling. Shawna was first introduced to climbing in the Wichita Mountains in central Oklahoma and then again on an adventure trip in the Colorado Rockies with Outward Bound. Though she fell in love with the sport, climbing did not become a part of her daily physical vocabulary until she moved to Austin in 2005. There, she started working at the local climbing gym and climbing the local crags. In- between 2005 and today, Shawna tried her hand at the luthier trade, she became a middle school language arts teacher, she then became a dyslexia specialist while simultaneously working as a stunt professional AND thrashing her way through graduate school until finally settling on a career as a school counselor and LPCA candidate. Shawna kept climbing as much as she could in order to keep her sanity intact! Did Shawna enjoy blissful, uninterrupted climbing for the last sixteen years, of course not, but after surgery, injuries, sicknesses, and grad school, she always found a way to come back to climbing. Shawna describes herself as a happy little local climber. Now that she’s older, traveling for climbing trips has become difficult but she plans on changing that. In the meantime, she is determined to find pleasure and peace in the local rock. During the weekdays, Shawna can be found climbing at the local gyms, or taking walks or riding her bicycle on her neighborhood trails. On the weekends, she likes to climb outside whenever possible. If she’s not climbing, Shawna can be found glued to her sewing machine, working in the yard, napping with her pets, paddle boarding, instructing rally racing driving courses, or volunteering for a local children’s trauma clinic. As you can see, she likes to stay busy.

Hosts

Emilie Hernandez

@em.hernandez

@texasladycrushers

TxLC Website

[email protected]

Jeremy Arntz

@sleepeatclimbrepeat

@all_in_beta

@beyondtherockpodcast