When Fear No Longer Stands in the Way

Last year I barely remember what I did for New Year’s Eve. However, I do remember I was still fairly new to the west coast and finally gaining some advance outdoor experience. I'd met some amazing women who were a lot like me and preferred sleeping outside and spending the day hiking 20+ miles. In 2018 I tested myself of my capabilities and pushed myself to achieve what others may have thought I wasn't capable of. I hiked some of the most challenging trails I’ve done in years, I started a blog, and began writing again. I secured two jobs in my dream destination and dream role. I also gained confidence, discovered my passions, and developed stronger relationships with my female friends.

Here are some things I learned this year:

A goal without being proactive is just a dream.

I truly believe that people can do anything they set their mind to. I know, I know - that sounds pretty cheesy. However, when I was younger I went to school to study journalism and now I’m a Software Engineer - what the heck! I dropped writing as a profession because I never thought it was a feasible career path, and I lacked confidence in my writing abilities. However, I ENJOY WRITING!

Writing was something I love to do because I love the impact it can have on others. Words carry a sense of strength you can use to empower people and inspire them. So, I used my coding abilities and built myself a blog. I started networking with other women, freelancing odd projects. Had a couple books published, listing the Editor as Hannah Seligson.

I did it!

Next, I wanted to find a way to incorporate my tech background and my writing skills into a career, and I landed a Technical Writing job in San Diego for a HUGE tech company. Yeahhhh, I didn’t end up taking that job or the one in my dream destination of Denver, CO - but I sure as hell proved to myself that I could make writing a career and l could do it anywhere.

However, moving forward I’m going to work on my consistency, and start setting deadlines for myself and surpass my future goals, instead of stopping once I’ve reached them.

Make your mental health a priority.

I try to always be transparent with others - especially when it comes to mental health. I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression since I was a teenager, and this year reminded me that I need to develop new coping skills and see a professional. There were days that my job would completely burn me out, and I’d cry on my way into work. This type of sadness would then spill into my off time, and I’d neglect the gym, the trail, my diet, and social circle. These feelings would spiral into a mess, until I finally couldn’t take it anymore and would crash.

I learned that I need to establish better ways of handling these emotions in order to prevent myself from completely going off the grid and swimming too far into the deep end of my depression.

Keep learning.

Each year I’m discovering something new about myself and this crazy world. As a friend of mine said, "when one door closes - another eventually opens." Nothing is ever the end of the world, and today does not define who you are. We are all consistently growing, and learning from our failures and the challenges we face. Never take a bad situation for granted, it can ultimately help steer your in the right place and provide knowledge.

Reflecting on this past year of 2018 reminds me that one should never steer clear of new things they want to try. Just try it and see what happens.

My old college mate from the Academy of Art University, Melody Goudarzi is an awesome example of what one can achieve when they push fear aside and attempt what some consider the "impossible" - her own way of life.

In this interview I hope you find inspiration with Melody’s pursuit for adventure, and how she achieved her goals in climbing, van life, and her newest endeavor for entrepreneurship. Melody is truly proving to us all that when you’re proactive, you can achieve whatever it is you’re striving for - read how.

Meet My Friend, Melody!

Photo by Cole Paiement

Age: 28 Hometown: Orange County, California Vehicle: 2005 Ford Econoline Hardest Route: El Camino de Chino - 13b Occupation: Softgoods Production Manager Favorite piece of gear: La Sportiva Skawama, Climbing Shoes

Hannah: How did you first start climbing, and when did you start to become really serious about it?

Melody: My first climbing trip was in August 2013. I went to Joshua Tree to meet up with friends who were climbers. At the time I had no idea this sport really existed, a friend put up a top rope on some route and I decided to try it out. I was instantly hooked. That week when I got back from Joshua Tree I went straight to my local climbing gym and got a membership. However, it wasn’t until a little over a year later, that I seriously got into climbing and started training.

Hannah: What sort of climbing do you enjoy most? What are some of your strong points, and how has it changed over time?

Melody: This sort of changes for me, when I first started climbing I was all about trad climbing but now I’m really enjoying sport climbing. At the moment I think my strong point is my finger strength, but I’m focusing a lot on power lately. It’s something I’m lacking and I really want to be an all-around good climber so hopefully, my new strong point will change.

Photo by Cole Paiement

Hannah: When training, what sort of activities help you most? Was it easier to train when you were on the road, or has it gotten easier now that you have a home base?

Melody: I think the best thing with training for me is to make sure I’m adding a core workout, some sort of hangboarding, and actual climbing in each of my sessions. Just a caveat, depending on the training day my hangboard sessions are very light if I’m climbing at my limit. It definitely was not easier training on the road for me, I’d put aside two days a week to do a core workout but that was it. I was always so focused on climbing outside and working on hard projects, that it felt like I didn’t have time to actually train. I was consistently getting stronger while climbing outside so that alone was training. However, I never really did any strict regimen which is what I usually associate training with. The beauty of living on the road is that when the weather was terrible we’d just pack up and leave so I was never really limited to the amount of outdoor climbing. I’d love to say it’s gotten easier since I now have a home base but it’s been rough getting settled in and working a full-time job again. I’m still trying to figure out the best training plan for me but I think I’ll get there soon!

Hannah: You’re a fashion apparel designer - was it difficult to maintain your design career on the road? What were some of the biggest challenges and how did you cope with them? How did you find a balance for work/play?

Melody: The first three years of my career I worked really hard in the Los Angeles area and tried to build a strong network in the fashion industry, so when I left my job to work remotely the transition wasn’t too bad. I worked as a part-time production consultant for smaller clothing lines that were based mostly in the LA area. I created their tech packs, referred them to fabric and trim vendors, and help them produce their clothing line with sewing contractors I had built a professional relationship with. I think the biggest challenge for me was our van was really small and sometimes it felt a little hard to stay focused.

I’d love to say I found a perfect work/play balance but I never really did. The days we’d go out climbing we’d be out from 8am-4pm, by the time we’d get home and make dinner I’d be exhausted. The best time of the day for me to focus is first thing in the morning and we were usually up and out climbing first thing in the mornings.

The thing was I was never attempted to work full-time on the road, all I wanted was to make sure I didn’t have a huge gap in my resume and that I kept myself in the industry; so I was never late on my projects and I always answered emails in a timely manner because my workload was more part-time than full-time.

Hannah: Do you have any tips for others who want to pursue working remotely?

Melody: Working remotely does work and I’ve met many people on the road who are proof of this. I went to a lot of areas that had terrible cell service, if your job requires for you to be in constant communication or have internet access I would definitely recommend a cell phone booster, they’re a lifesaver for anyone working remotely.

Hannah: How did you and your boyfriend, Cole choose the vehicle you two traveled in?

Melody: Long story short Cole and I were just friends and at the time I bought a truck because I was planning to convert it into a single living space for traveling on the road. Then Cole and I got more serious and basically, he just showed up at my apartment with keys to a 2005 Ford Econoline. As our relationship grew more serious we decided to travel together, converted the van, and I sold my truck. It was never really a discussion I made, I was lucky enough to be with Cole who already bought the van. However, I think if we were to choose a vehicle together, it would still be this van or similar. It just depends on what’s more important to the individual, whether you want to pay more and have a sprinter van to stand up in or a truck with a truck topper or many other options, for us we preferred to lose a bit of comfort to be on the road longer.

Hannah: What were some of the biggest challenges on the road, and how did you overcome them?

Melody: Well, two of the most obvious ones:

Showering
Using the bathroom

We would go climbing in a more remote area for a little less than two weeks and would have only 14 gallons of water, so I had to resort to baby wipes and minimum water use. Honestly this probably only happened twice while on the road but it wasn’t something I easily got used to. Majority of the areas where we were climbing thankfully had a community of climbers so you could pay for showers at laundry facilities or campgrounds. Using the restroom was interesting because Cole and I preferred more remote camping. We were subjected to having to go to the bathroom outside, using a shovel. It sounds terrible but it honestly wasn’t that bad, just make sure you’re as far away from where people hike as possible. A few tips, please please make sure you dig at least 6-inch deep hole and pack out your toilet paper do not bury it (pro tip: use scented Febreze bags). If you don’t feel comfortable packing your toilet paper then find a public restroom.

Photo by Cole Paiement

One of the saddest things I’ve noticed while being on the road is the amount of toilet paper there is in beautiful wildlife areas.

Another big challenge I faced on the road was my period. Unfortunately, I’ve been cursed with one of those terrible periods where the first two days are the most tearful and painful days of the month for me. I’m not really into taking pain medicine every single month and usually I’m able to relax in a warm apartment, watch Netflix, and heat my stomach with a heated blanket.

All those luxuries went away the second I decided to move into our tiny van. It was a challenge at first but living on the road and climbing was really important to me and this was a challenge I was prepared to face.

Cole came up with the idea of boiling water and putting it in a Nalgene to help warm my belly. Honestly as crappy as it sounds - it just took time, but I did end up adapting pretty well.

Hannah: How did you, and your boyfriend Cole find the best places to climb? Where do you think the best conditions to climb are?

Melody: I had a lot of dream routes I wanted to do throughout the country and so did Cole. There were also a lot of places I wanted to go because I got inspired by climbing videos, magazines, or photos. Cole and I sat down one day and went through our personal climbing goals and places we wanted to go. Then it was all about when to go, we chose to climb in the east for fall, south for winter, west for spring, and north for summer.

Hannah: What was your favorite place you traveled to, and why? How has the climbing community shaped your travels?

Melody: My favorite place to travel to was definitely El Salto, Mexico. We stayed there for a little over three months in the winter, unexpectedly adopted a street dog, and I climbed the hardest route I’ve ever climbed.

Without the amazing suggestions from other more experienced climbers, we would have never gone to El Salto or met some of the best people I’ve met since being on the road.

We also made a few friends we really enjoyed climbing with, so that really shaped where we ended up traveling. We’d stay in contact and when we knew they’d be climbing in a specific area for a few weeks we’d make it a point to adjust our travels so that we’d be there around the same time. Cole and I never really had strict travel plans - we felt like if we kept things to a specific plan it would leave more room for disappointment so we kept things vague, which helped us be more open to suggestions and new places.

Hannah: What was the biggest sacrifice you made as a woman on the road?

Melody: Other than my monthly visit from hell (aka my period); prior to living in the van I would straighten my hair every day, wear makeup, do my nails and have the ability to have a closet full of amazing clothes and shoes. Well, the van definitely wouldn’t power my straightener or house my many clothes and shoes I owned. I actually ended up with three pairs of pants, four shirts, two long sleeves, two jackets, one dress, and two pairs of shoes in the van. Makeup and straightening my hair was something a little more easy for me to get rid of but it honestly did take me awhile to understand that I was still beautiful without all those things. However, I’m lucky enough to have a very supportive boyfriend who wouldn’t miss a morning without telling me I was beautiful and that honestly helped me a lot. I think it’s much more admirable figuring this out on your own but I always strive for honesty and his support and love did make it easier for me to embrace my natural look. Plus the beautiful and natural women I’ve met on the road have been a big inspiration for me.

Photo by Louie Anderson

Hannah: What made you and Cole want to establish a home base, and how has the adjustment from a vehicle to a home been? Will you two still make it a point to live on the road again? Do you have plans for the future?

Melody: The reason we decided to establish a home base was a few things: the initial idea was to travel for a year and then go back to working full time, but as our time in the van grew we realized this wasn’t something we just wanted to do for a year. Living in a van was a lifestyle we really enjoyed and wanted to make it something we could do as often as possible. So our plan was to go back to work and figure out the best way to get back on the road as soon as possible. The other reason is the past year I’ve been working on a personal project and for me to launch my business I needed a home base and an income for a while.

It’s funny, when we settled down in Salt Lake City, one of my friends asked me a similar question, “Are you happy you have an apartment again with a bathroom and shower you can use whenever you need?” Honestly, I wasn’t - the freedom and the fact that I wasn’t tied to anything was worth it all.

I adapted so quickly to the little I had, that the van really felt more like home to me than anything else. Now that we only take “Hobbes” - the van, out on weekends; Cole and I are like two little kids on Christmas morning every night we get to sleep in our van.The future? Well right now it’s my priority to launch my business, and once that’s taken off we’ll definitely be back on the road for a more business/climbing road trip.

Hannah: How have you grown (as a climber and person) over the last couple of years?

Melody: I’ve grown to realize how quickly I am able to adapt to being happy with very little. I had a lot of self-doubts - things like I’d never been a good enough climber, I would never adjust to cold weather, or live without all the clothes I owned. However, those things all went away and I proved to myself that I was wrong. I guess what I’m saying is before all of this if I told myself I couldn’t do something I accepted it and moved on but now I’m not really convinced that that’s true and I’m constantly challenging myself. I don’t wear much makeup anymore and I’ve come to love my naturally curly hair. I’ve also grown to really love the idea of not owning a lot of things. It’d be nice to just pack everything in our van one day and simply just leave.

Hannah: What’s next for 2019?

Melody: 2019 will probably be the most exciting and challenging year for me. I’ll be working full time and launching my business - but I’ve been planning this for so long and the hard work and new challenges I’ll be facing will be well worth it!