ICEBOX SESSIONS

_______________________________________________________________________ Ep 4_Emily_transcript [00:00:00] Sean: Where are the dudes? Where are the dudes in this? Yeah, where are the guys? I only saw, [00:00:03] Emily: come on. I only saw one old man on a boat [00:00:07] Sean: and he had his shirt on. Yeah. [00:00:09] Emily: What is this? [00:00:10] Sean: Hey folks. Welcome to another Icebox session. My name is Sean Cassidy and we are in a conversation with Nova Scotia Rock Climbers. My guest today is 25-year-old Emily Curry, who is the media manager at Seven Bays Boulder in Halifax. The last 12 months have been a crazy ride for Emily. It started with a cancer. Diagnosis and finished with a national tour to promote her new bouldering film called 20 Grit. This short film, which was shot in the midst of her treatment and recovery from cancer, captures a wild and blustery day out on Dover Island, bouldering with a few of Nova Scotia's most talented female climbers. This film in the woman who Shot It, in my opinion, demonstrates what strength and resilience looks like. Welcome to the Icebox. [00:00:56] Emily: Thank you for having me. [00:00:57] Sean: Yeah, this is gonna be fun. You're like my first guest that I don't know at all. [00:01:01] Emily: Oh, sweet Mystery. [00:01:01] Sean: We've known each other for 10 minutes now and [00:01:03] Emily: yeah. [00:01:05] Sean: I guess one of the big reasons I wanted to talk to you is about this new movie or this short that you put out. [00:01:10] Emily: It's funny, grit [00:01:11] Sean: and you had a screening on the weekend at Seven Bays. [00:01:14] Emily: Yeah, we uh, we did a fundraiser for Rod 'cause he's going through his cancer treatment at the moment, so wanted to. Raise some money to help him out with that and just bring the community together. 'cause he's been such a like integral part. [00:01:27] Sean: Yeah. So maybe explain who Rod is for people that don't know. [00:01:31] Emily: Yeah. Rod is the legend that takes everyone over to Dover for Boulder Fest every year and just throughout the summer. He's just all day, every day taking climbers back and forth. [00:01:44] Sean: How many times have you been to Dover yourself? [00:01:46] Emily: I've actually only been to Dover, I think three or four times. It hasn't been much. Yeah, and I've actually only climbed on Dover once. I'm mostly there to film. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh yeah. I think my, my first trip over, we had. Some of the Boulder House folks in from Victoria in bc. So we took them over to Dover to show them this beautiful island that we have. What's, [00:02:11] Sean: what's Boulder House? [00:02:11] Emily: Oh, sorry. It's one of, uh, the Seven Bay's sister gyms in, uh, in bc. [00:02:16] Sean: Oh, okay. [00:02:16] Emily: Yeah. So they were in town, I think for just like training stuff. So we were like, oh, let's take you over. So we had like a bunch of snacks, beer, you know, classic Dover Day. Cool. [00:02:25] Sean: Yeah. And were you filming most of the time when you go, like, was this all. To build up footage for 20 Grit? [00:02:33] Emily: No, that was, uh, that was just a work trip. So I filmed, we did like a collab between seven Bays and Boulder House just for, just for fun. Um, 20 grit was actually shot in one day, eight hours. [00:02:48] Sean: Wow. [00:02:48] Emily: Yeah, it was a lot packed into a very, very short period of time. [00:02:55] Sean: It looks great. [00:02:56] Emily: Thank you. [00:02:57] Sean: Yeah. Maybe before we get into that, you mentioned earlier you are the media manager at seven Base. Is that your, your role and how long have you been doing, doing that? [00:03:06] Emily: I've been doing that now. It's been probably about two, two and a half years. Nice. Yeah. [00:03:10] Sean: And what does that mean? What do you, what do you do in that role? [00:03:13] Emily: It kind of started as just like videographer, so I would shoot like our reset videos. I helped it with a comp, I think toward a block two years ago. Yeah. And. I just loved it so much. I used to do film a little bit when I was younger as well, so I just kept, kept learning, making connections through the community and just kept getting more opportunities through it. So now, uh, my role takes on a lot more like admin stuff as well. Like [00:03:39] Sean: were you trained in, uh, videography? Did you go to school for that? [00:03:42] Emily: No, actually just [00:03:43] Sean: a hobby. Just a hobby. Yeah. [00:03:45] Emily: Uh, my old, uh, mentor for horse training, which I did when I was younger, she was also a photographer, so she taught me a couple, couple tricks along the way. [00:03:53] Sean: Oh, neat. Yeah. And those videos, you shoot, they go to the Instagram. Yeah. Page for your stuff for Seven Bays. Yeah, so [00:04:01] Emily: we do, we'll do like reset videos every couple weeks and then just any events that are going on in the gym, uh, this year. I actually shot earlier this year actually, like an interview series with some of our staff. Oh, neat. Community members just to show the difference. Parts of our community. So I interviewed people like Todd, a couple of our staff, uh, who have been climbing for quite a long time as well. Cool. [00:04:23] Sean: That's kind of what I'm trying to do here with this on a maybe broader scale, but very similar, I guess. [00:04:29] Emily: Yeah. I think it's nice to see those different avenues, like people who are very new to it, people who only climb in the gym, people who. Love to climb outside, you know, rope climbing, bouldering, whatever it may be. Yeah, yeah. Like everyone has a place in the community. [00:04:43] Sean: Yeah. But it's shocking to me how big the community is now and how many different, like, um, specialists there are. Yeah. You know, a hundred percent boulders. [00:04:53] Emily: Yeah. [00:04:54] Sean: Gym climbers, ice climbers, the whole, the whole gamut. [00:04:57] Emily: Yeah. It's crazy. There's so many different avenues. I've actually never rope climbed. Have a lot of interest in it, but 'cause Boulderings taking, its, it's conce, it's taking its toll. [00:05:08] Sean: Bouldering is probably the hardest one on the body, I would say. [00:05:10] Emily: Yeah. It's very, uh, very punchy. Yeah. And gritty, I find. [00:05:15] Sean: Did you start climbing? So wait, you started at the gym like two and a half years ago? Is that what you said? [00:05:20] Emily: Yeah. I started in my, my role, like my job there. I worked the front desk first, uh, started almost three years ago and then moved into the media role. But I started climbing, uh, just over three years ago now. Oh, okay. Yeah, I was introduced to it in 2018. My, my partner at the time had climbed and kept trying to get me into it, but I was, uh. Bodybuilding and power lifting at the time. Oh. So I was like very, very strong, but I grew very bored of it. It's just very repetitive. I was very good at it, but it got Was [00:05:51] Sean: that for like, just for fun or for competitions or something [00:05:54] Emily: fun. It was funny when your, uh, your interview with Sean, you said that he likes to suffer. I'm like, I was listening to it up to you. This sounds familiar. [00:06:03] Sean: Really? [00:06:03] Emily: Yeah. So I, I just did it for fun. You could [00:06:06] Sean: be a tra climber. [00:06:07] Emily: Adam's trying. [00:06:09] Sean: Is he [00:06:09] Emily: For him he was like, good for him. You should try it. Yeah. So I did that for a long time and then, um, I was also still riding horses 'cause I grew up doing that and uh, yeah, I just kind of grew bored of just the same weights, like you progress and everything. And that was really cool. But it was the same thing. So I decided to try climbing 'cause I was like, my legs get a good enough workout when I'm. Riding horses. But, uh, yeah, I started going to the gym. I think I had the, the Bouldering 1 0 1 membership and yeah, it was great. I just really enjoyed it. I really liked the community side of things and the puzzle aspect of it, like it was, yeah. [00:06:48] Sean: Mm-hmm. [00:06:48] Emily: I was. You know, had some strength coming into it, but I had no idea how to move properly on the wall, and it was really fun getting to like challenge myself and like learn how to move efficiently. [00:06:59] Sean: Yeah. So how did you learn? Is that people were teaching you that or you're just. [00:07:04] Emily: Um, [00:07:04] Sean: experimenting and figuring it out as you go. I would say [00:07:07] Emily: through the community. Yeah. Like made some friends in the gym and then when I started working there, I was kind of like the baby of the group when it came to climbing. Yeah. Like I got to be around people who were like stupid strong and had been in it for so long and I got to learn from them and they were really kind and like You never felt like you were kind of the. Mm-hmm. Last one [00:07:27] Sean: on the group. It's a very inclusive sport, I think. Yeah. And, and what I've always loved about it is the whole age, uh, inclusivity of it. [00:07:34] Emily: Yeah. Yeah. [00:07:35] Sean: You know, when I was younger, uh, your age as well. Like, I would go out with, uh, people, you know, 10 or 15 years older mm-hmm. And learn stuff from them. [00:07:45] Emily: Yeah. [00:07:46] Sean: Uh, and even, you know, for me, going to the gym and playing with. The problems, you know, I'm playing like a kid, like anybody else in there and it's, it's just normalized, you know? It's a great, it's a great sport that way. [00:07:58] Emily: Yeah. There's no like, there's no cutoff or anything really. Like some of the strongest people in the gym are, you know, quite a bit older and some are, you know, the comp kids who just roll in. Totally. Yeah. Cold. Flash of pink, and that's always fun. Get outta here. Yeah. You're like, okay. [00:08:19] Sean: So, so you're, uh, you have this background of weightlifting and bodybuilding. [00:08:24] Emily: Yeah. [00:08:25] Sean: It feels like in a way you're ahead of the game because a lot of climbers these days seem to be integrating that into their training. And you mentioned, uh, listening to Sean Ian's program, I think, or one of them he talks about is. How he trained, you know? [00:08:41] Emily: Yeah. [00:08:42] Sean: And a lot of people are doing that kind of stuff now, so you must have a good base of, of body strength. [00:08:49] Emily: Yeah. I feel like it is quite helpful because especially like my leg strength, especially from like growing up riding horses and then power lifting, my legs have always been extremely strong. My upper body's catching up, which is good. But that's one thing I've noticed with. Climbers. It's usually, they're like, oh, my legs don't need those. Like on the wall. That's, [00:09:09] Sean: I'm, I'm staring at you because I'm like, okay, why do you need, why do you need the [00:09:13] Emily: Yeah. Strong [00:09:14] Sean: legs don't [00:09:15] Emily: I find like, I don't know. I find. Uh, the leg strength and like power that I do have is very helpful on the wall. Like for those punchy, very dynamic. Okay. I wouldn't say I like dynamic moves. Okay. They're terrifying. But, um, just in terms of feeling like confident in my base when I'm on the wall, like even doing slab and everything, like I never actually, I won't say I never feel uncertain. I often feel uncertain when I'm climbing. Yeah. Um, but I feel like I've got that good, powerful base to. Like generate off of, which is great [00:09:51] Sean: or, or even stabilize and hold a position for an extended period probably while you figure it out. [00:09:57] Emily: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So yeah, I do still integrate a great good amount of weight training and a lot of mobility work now, um, just because I find I can hold onto that strength really well. I don't need to train it all the time, so, trying to do, and is [00:10:12] Sean: mobility a weakness? Is that why you're working on? [00:10:15] Emily: Not a weakness, but I've definitely lost a lot. My training's like been very up and down in the last year [00:10:21] Sean: for, for. A good reason probably. Yeah, [00:10:24] Emily: exactly. So, um, just trying to kind of work on those, those weaknesses first. 'cause I know that if I wanted to, like my, my strength in the weight training aspect could come back like that. So. [00:10:35] Sean: Cool. Uh, so have you climbed much outside then? You mentioned bouldering a little bit on. Dover Island maybe. Yeah. One of those trips. Where else have you been going? [00:10:45] Emily: Uh, I've climbed outside a little bit. Definitely more getting into it. This, this year before I would usually just go out to, to film. At the moment I've been gonna Paul's cove quite a bit. Oh, that's fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So beautiful there. And, um, Shaw's wilderness. Like once, um, Todd released that guidebook, well, Todd Ann Graham released the guidebook this year. Um, I feel like everyone kind of flooded in there 'cause it's so close to the city. It's crazy [00:11:09] Sean: close and it's been under our noses for many, many years. [00:11:13] Emily: Yeah. Beautiful boulders, beautiful area. Yeah, [00:11:15] Sean: I've been, Tyler gave me a little tour Nice. There, uh, a few months back. Yeah. How do you find climbing outdoors? Comparing to indoors? [00:11:25] Emily: There's definitely some contrast I find personally, I like, I like to climb on the boards a lot when I'm in the gym more so I find it Transl done. That translates Never. No. [00:11:36] Sean: Maybe. No, not, no. [00:11:38] Emily: The kilter board is my favorite personally. Yeah. We have like three now between the three gyms, there's the moon board, kilter board, and the Tension board. Okay. I'd say the tension board's like a nice middle between the two. Okay. Others? Um, personally, I like the kilter board's. Just what I got used to and now I'm. I just, [00:11:54] Sean: I've heard that one sort of jumpy, is that right or no? [00:11:56] Emily: It's punchy. Punchy, yeah. I would say it's punchy, but also the moon board is also quite punchy. [00:12:01] Sean: Huh? They're [00:12:01] Emily: all kind of, just really like agro, I would say. Which is, [00:12:05] Sean: which is your, your middle name sounds like. [00:12:07] Emily: Yeah. Yeah. So I find like that up, like that kind of training like on the board applies really well for me. Like for outside, um, the climbing in the gym, I find I'm a lot less accustomed to. It's a little bit more dynamic and comy. Um, and also the aspect of, of working there, people sometimes have this expectation of you, and that can be really intimidating. Especially coming off of like a wonky year of training. Yeah. Where people are like, oh yeah, Emily. Let's see how it's done. And I'm like, oh God, [00:12:44] Sean: no. Please don't, [00:12:44] Emily: don't watch me. [00:12:46] Sean: So why, but, but why wouldn't you feel that same kind of pressure if you're on the kilter boards or whatever, [00:12:51] Emily: you're kind of like down by yourself. Most of the time people are looking at the wall and you're like, in this corner, just kind of like headphones on doing, I don't know, it kind of feels like zone. Okay. Because you, you're talking about [00:13:00] Sean: the Bears Lake location? [00:13:01] Emily: Yeah. Or even, I guess like Tigen would be the same. You're downstairs and, uh, yeah, but [00:13:07] Sean: the new one in Dartmouth. [00:13:09] Emily: That one, you're, it's a little bit [00:13:10] Sean: more in the middle it looks like. [00:13:12] Emily: Yeah. That one's a little bit more like front and center, but I haven't climbed there like a whole lot. 'cause I also injured my ankle this year, so I've been, [00:13:18] Sean: yeah. Yeah. That's interesting. The, the kind of expectations that go along with somebody who's working in the gym or, um, you know, someone that owns a gym or Yeah. Who's written a guidebook for example, or Yeah, exactly. You know, it's, uh, it's a bit of a pressure that. It comes along with that. Yeah. Unnecessary and just kind of put it on yourself. 'cause who really cares. Exactly. [00:13:38] Emily: No, it totally is. Like, I'm, I'm sure no one is looking at, you know, someone who works in the gym or guidebook and stuff like that. Like going like, oh man, they must be able to send everything here. And if they don't, I think they're terrible. Like, no one's gonna think that. Yeah, it's usually like a, like a self expectation [00:13:58] Sean: thing. Yeah. So how, this is interesting 'cause you. You haven't climbed a lot outside, sounds like No. If that's fair to say. Yep. And, but it sounds like you think these boards are more compatible or more translatable to outdoor climbing. Did I hear you say that? [00:14:14] Emily: That's kind of like how my experience has been and just what I've kind of witnessed with a few of my friends who climb outside. Hmm. It seems like they just have that more, I'm trying to think of how to, how to word it. Just the movements are a little bit more like translated to outdoor climbing. [00:14:35] Sean: I wonder if it's, 'cause it's like a one plane as, it's not a three-dimensional, perhaps as the rest of the gym. [00:14:42] Emily: Yeah, and I feel like the gyms these days, and this isn't just seven bays, this is like across the board from like I would've noticed, at least in the country, like I feel like. Slopers are a lot more common. It's harder to find crimps. It's like a lot more easy to get like burly on the boards I find, which is kind of like outdoor climbing here is so, [00:15:02] Sean: yeah. [00:15:03] Emily: Sharp and painful. Yeah. It's funny [00:15:06] Sean: how the whole style of climbing has changed since I've been involved. Like it used to be all crimping. Oh, [00:15:12] Emily: see, that's shit. And, [00:15:14] Sean: and just like sharp C crimping on vertical terrain. [00:15:19] Emily: Oh, that sounds great. [00:15:20] Sean: Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. Well, there, those, uh, those problems are out there on the rock. I know. I'm excited. If you like it, get out there with Adam and he'll show you the ropes. [00:15:28] Emily: Yeah, yeah. I'm excited to try it. [00:15:30] Sean: Yeah. Cool. Back to the, the media manager role. You've been shooting videos. Do you mix it all together and put the music on and [00:15:39] Emily: Yeah. [00:15:40] Sean: Cut it and put it out? [00:15:40] Emily: Yep. I, uh, pretty much anything you see on our Instagram is like, I've shot, edited. And produced. Um, there's a couple things that I don't do. Like I'm not a graphic designer Right. Or anything like that. Right. Learning. Yeah. But yeah, anything video related. And most photos is usually, usually me. [00:15:59] Sean: I've, I've, I'm not an Instagrammer. I kind of, uh, I had to get an account for this podcast thing. Right. [00:16:05] Emily: That's awesome. [00:16:06] Sean: And I have, we talked about this earlier, but you're of a similar age as my kids. Mm-hmm. Adults like you, but, uh, my daughter helps me with the Instagram part Yeah. To, to know what I'm posting. Is this a reel or a poster? [00:16:20] Emily: Yeah. [00:16:20] Sean: And she's helped me with those magazine cover posters that we're putting up. So I, I rely on her expertise. Mm-hmm. And I imagine you're also an expert. [00:16:29] Emily: Everyone goes as far as an expert. [00:16:31] Sean: Um, so I've seen a couple of your video things on ins in, on the Instagram. [00:16:36] Emily: Yeah. [00:16:36] Sean: They look really cool. [00:16:38] Emily: Thanks. [00:16:38] Sean: Where do you get the. Like it's all cut like actiony. [00:16:41] Emily: Yeah. [00:16:42] Sean: Shots a lot of the time. Which must be fun to put together. [00:16:45] Emily: It is. It feels like a very cool highlight reel. Yeah. Making my friends look like super cool. [00:16:50] Sean: Exactly. Yeah. And the, the music, how does that work? Like licensing or where do you get that from? [00:16:55] Emily: Yeah, there's like different websites you can use from my own account where I'm not like for. Technically like a, a business. Um, it's just me as like a freelancer. Um, I just kinda use whatever I want. But, uh, for businesses there's accounts like SoundCloud, uh, or Sounds, Stripe and like art list, quite like art list. I find there's like good options on there and it's all like royalty free. So you can use it for business and not have variety. Is it hard [00:17:21] Sean: to, 'cause these aren't like necessarily known artists, are they? No. Like you're just searching a genre or something and, [00:17:28] Emily: yeah. Most, most of the time. It's just kind of like I Sometimes you get lucky and you find a song right off the bat and you're like, this is great. This is perfect. Yeah. And then sometimes it's like hours. Yeah. And you're like, everything sounds terrible. Yeah. [00:17:40] Sean: How long does it take you to put together a video thing? [00:17:45] Emily: It kind of depends what do [00:17:45] Sean: what I call them a reel. A reel? [00:17:47] Emily: Yeah. Yeah. It kind of depends on the project. Like a, A reel on Instagram for like seven bays. Yeah. It could range anywhere from. Um, like, let's say like two to three hours of shooting, two, like two to six hours, eight hours of editing. It completely like, depends on the premise of it. Um, if it's gonna have those like me really meticulous, like speed ramping and like flash cuts and stuff, a lot of that takes time. And like, especially like sound quality too, like adding in sound actually helps immensely with like the whole experience of the video. [00:18:24] Sean: You mean like on site sound? Like the sounds from the gym or Yeah. Or like ocean sounds and things like that. [00:18:30] Emily: Yeah. Like a lot of that actually, 'cause even the, a lot of the time when I shoot I won't have audio. Like if I'm just shooting a, a reel and it's not like a micd up thing, like there's no pre no reason to have audio. Mm-hmm. You're missing out on a lot of those sounds you would hear in the gym. Like the drills or like, like when someone cuts feet. They whoosh by the camera. So it's nice to like play with that after. Sometimes I'll just wear a mic on me, so I still get those sounds like authentically, but sometimes they sound like crap. 'cause then you can hear the music and people like, ah, this climb doesn't work. Are [00:19:03] Sean: you choreographing that stuff? Or you're just capturing what's happening? [00:19:06] Emily: Just capturing what's happening. There's obviously some videos that are planned. We just did one to kinda. Initiate the fall transition where we had one of our setters. I say we, it was me. I went in and I was like, who wants to dress up? And we dressed him up in like the Uggs and the sunglasses and the house scarf and he's drinking. I think I saw [00:19:26] Sean: that one. Yeah, he's a [00:19:27] Emily: pumpkin spice lattes, like it's giving fall and like that was orchestrated, but he took it and ran with it. [00:19:34] Sean: I'll just say that, that that was him. Yeah. [00:19:36] Emily: But a lot of the time. I find it just, it just flows naturally. Like we, we usually go in with an intention, like I'll plan out kind of what I want, but it's nice because I am so close with my coworkers that a lot of the time it does just flow organically. It's not like I'm there with a camera in their face and they're annoyed. I mean, there's something Yeah, they just [00:19:55] Sean: know you're hovering around constantly and [00:19:57] Emily: Yeah. [00:19:57] Sean: They get used to you. [00:19:58] Emily: Exactly. [00:19:59] Sean: How, uh, so how often are you putting clips out? [00:20:04] Emily: It depends. I like sort of [00:20:05] Sean: a once a week. [00:20:07] Emily: I would say we, we aim to post like once or twice a week. Our, it kind of depends on what's going on in the gym. If we don't really have a whole lot going on, maybe we'll post like an interview video or something that we've had like backlogged, but we, yeah, we try to post once or twice a week, kind of keep people updated on what's going on, if we've got comps coming up or like the film fundraiser when we did that and stuff. So, yeah. [00:20:28] Sean: But it must be a balance of. Putting enough out or, and putting out too much. Like there seems to be so much noise. Like, I, like I told you, I'm new to Instagram, or you know, sort of learning how to use it for this podcast thing. Yeah. I'm kind of overwhelmed, like, this stuff's just like flying at you, and I'm like, oh, okay. That's enough. I don't, I don't need to see another, you know what I mean? Another video. Yeah. Like how do you, how do you cut through the noise and get your message through? [00:20:59] Emily: It's tough. I honestly, and maybe as someone who does this for a living, I shouldn't say this, but like, if I wasn't doing this for a living, I would not have social media. I think it is pure noise. Like it's, it's really, yeah, it, there's, there are good parts to it, but there's so much noise that it's really hard to find that The good stuff, like I find for me. Like I have to be on it to constantly like kind of keep up with like, not keep up with trends. 'cause we don't really like follow, I don't really follow trends with my work. Um, and the gym doesn't really either, but it's good to keep like kind of up to date on like what other gyms are doing or like other creators and like you can take inspiration from that. Sure, sure. And run with it. But it is a very fine line 'cause there's just, it's dense, there's so much on there. And not all, most of it isn't usually. Great. There is a lot of great stuff, but for my own work, my posting schedule honestly is a bit sporadic because usually I, like, I don't with my full, like my job at Seven Bays and then I have a couple freelance clients as well, my own training and things like that. It's really hard to get out and like film very regularly for my own projects. So I'm kind of shifting now more towards. Filmmaking and those projects are much more behind the scenes until they launch, and then your whole life blows up and gets insane. Sounds [00:22:25] Sean: like you've got a busy life going on. Yeah. That's exciting. Yeah, [00:22:28] Emily: it's good. Busy. Good busy. Yeah. [00:22:29] Sean: Yeah. Well, should we, you wanna talk about this short, the uh, yeah. 20 grit movie. What was the inspiration for that? Why did, why did you make that? [00:22:38] Emily: Yeah. It kind of started off couple, the, the idea came to me a couple years ago when I kind of got back into film. I thought it would be really wonderful to do a project on women in sports. Just growing up in horse horseback riding and stuff. You get to see a lot. Um, I had friends who did various sports too. It just felt like it was a, a cool thing to highlight. Um, 'cause I think women are pretty cool. And Yeah, me too. Yeah. And, uh, anyways, so I, as I was kind of growing in my role at Seven Bays, I started planning it out loosely. Um, starting to think of what I wanted. It was looking like just a highlight reel, about two to three minutes of different sports. Like we'd have surfing, obviously horseback riding 'cause I'm biased. And, uh, some it was [00:23:28] Sean: mostly horseback riding. Yeah, [00:23:29] Emily: yeah. Honestly. And then, um. Different avenues of climbing as well. Gymnastics, power lifting, uh, Olympic lifting. Mountain biking, kind of all the things. Oh, cool. Like a lot of things. [00:23:40] Sean: You, so wait, you, you've caught, you've got footage and all that stuff already and you were compiling it? [00:23:45] Emily: Not all of it. I started, uh, I would say about a year ago, I started finally actually shooting it and then kind of the whole project got put on hold when I got diagnosed with. Breast cancer at 24. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, so that was a, that was a crazy turn of events. So everything kind of stopped, uh, when that happened. 'cause I was obviously like, what? Seriously, what's going on? So yeah, that whole, it kind of all stopped and obviously I focused on. Just getting better. Uh, it was still in the back of my mind the whole time. The [00:24:22] Sean: project. [00:24:22] Emily: Yeah. And I was still working, not because I had to, I feel like I have to say that very much. Just wanted to keep working and, uh, it was a good distraction. So I'd had surgery, uh, and then kind of got right back to it. I was a pretty quick recovery and I was like, cool. [00:24:40] Sean: You had surgery when? [00:24:41] Emily: Uh, end of December last year. Okay. So I'd been diagnosed in November and then everything moved like super quick because I'm so young, which was really great. Excellent. Kind of didn't really have time to think about it. It was just like, whoa, this crazy thing's happening. Had no time to be scared [00:24:54] Sean: or nervous maybe. Yeah. Which was nice. It must have been freaky, like, holy crap. It [00:24:58] Emily: was terrifying. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very much like I had. I wouldn't say like the most traditional childhood. So I like had I got, I've had a few. Hardships throughout my life. So I was like pretty like, okay, this is game time. This is what it is, it's cancer. Let's do it. Just gotta get through it. [00:25:17] Sean: You have some resiliency. [00:25:19] Emily: Yeah, so I had surgery recovered pretty quick, luckily and. Was, was ready to get back in the game. I was out shooting like a couple weeks later. I was, this is, this is great. And then, uh, let's get [00:25:31] Sean: back on with it. [00:25:32] Emily: Yeah. I was like, good for you. Okay. Like, let's move on. And then, um, I got a call that, uh, we had to do another one. They thought it, they thought it was a lot smaller Okay. Than it was. Yeah. And by the time between like my, my biopsy and uh, a lumpectomy, it had spread like. Drastically within about a week. So they were like, we gotta, we gotta act fast. So I ended up in February 'cause the surgery took a little bit more planning between multiple surgeons and stuff. Uh, I had a double mastectomy and a lymph node removal in February of this year. So that really put things to a halt for a bit. So the project again, got kinda swept to the side. Uh, still editing on my computer at home. During my recovery though, oh, [00:26:21] Sean: probably, probably good to keep going. Keep mind going. Yeah. Bored. Bored outta [00:26:23] Emily: in my mind. Yeah. And it was like great. I mean, people from the community were constantly like checking in, coming by, making me food. Like anything I needed, anything to keep me stimulated as well. 'cause I was just sitting there like, okay, I wanna climb, I wanna shoot, I wanna move. But um. Yeah, got that was about a six week recovery. Once that was done, my, uh, surgeons were like, you're, you're good. Like, we removed it, it, it's gone. Essentially like we literally cut it off your body and took it so it, you're good. And I was like, cool. Thank you. Short, shortest cancer journey ever. This is great. And so at that point. Are you familiar with mellow climbing? Like that YouTube channel? They're called Mellow. They just essentially post like FA lot of fas and just like short, short films and like reels and stuff too, like similar to reels, pretty big YouTube channel, but pretty, like, I would say like a lot of, a lot of masculine energy on there. I would say it's very like. Bros sending V 17 with their shirts off. That's kind of the vibe. Uh, but they were doing, they'd announced around the same time that they were gonna be doing a, uh, film competition. And I was like, well. That would be insane. I was like, it feels like the time to center this project on climbing, so let's ditch the other sports for a little bit for now. Yeah. So I was like, okay, game time. It's like April at this point. And the competition, you had to have it submitted by like end of May, so I was okay. You [00:28:00] Sean: got lots of time. [00:28:01] Emily: Yeah, I was like, game time, let's plan. What do I wanna do? So I called three of my friends, Kennedy, Natasha, and then Hannah. Um, yeah, I saw [00:28:11] Sean: them in the film there. Yeah. Very cool. And [00:28:13] Emily: for me, they're just like such core people in this community, like Kennedy's. Ridiculously strong and just such a kind person to like, she always has been to me. And when I started climbing, same with Natasha. Natasha, like her technique and everything. So sound like they all have their own unique strengths. Mm-hmm. Which I really loved. And Hannah's just like the Grittiest also most hilarious person. Uh, and I've always looked up to her, so I was like, I would love to shoot a film on you guys. So we started planning, everything was going pretty soundly. We were like, we'll do it on Dover, because like it's pretty uncommon to find a place like [00:28:51] Sean: Dover. Oh, the setting's incredible, right? [00:28:53] Emily: Yeah. Like we're so used to it because we live on the coast, like you can find ocean everywhere here. But to have an island of boulders with crazy. Coastal views is like unheard of. So [00:29:05] Sean: it's, it's very unique. [00:29:06] Emily: Yeah. So I was like, oh that'll three women on the coast. Like that puts us on the map for sure with this, with this film. Uh, and it feels very true to what I wanted to do with the project anyways, so I think we were two weeks out from shooting 'cause we were gonna shoot like beginning of May. Just to give me enough time to, to edit a whole film. And I had gotten a call from an oncologist and yeah, I was not in the clear, uh, and it was like, you don't have to do it, but it's obviously a no-brainer. And, [00:29:39] Sean: and they would want to hit you with chemo like. [00:29:42] Emily: Right then. Then. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I was like, oh my God. So my whole world just like crumbled. I was pretty good again, I would say to that point. Yeah. And it was just felt like, oh, are we kidding? Why are you [00:29:52] Sean: so happy? And giy? You're like, uh, you'd never know you've gone through these. [00:29:57] Emily: Yeah. Challenging [00:29:58] Sean: times, but maybe that's why you're so happy. I don't know. [00:30:00] Emily: Yeah. I, I don't know. It, there's definitely ups and downs. Like, I feel like a lot of people would, you know, maybe see me day to day and think like, oh, like she's. There's nothing to her. Like she's just going like super chipper and stuff, but like, there's definitely like, oh, there's like, there's lows for sure, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Especially after the fact, like now and everything too. But crazy enough, uh, I was like pretty good at that point. I was like, okay. Mm-hmm. Okay. Like when do we, when do we start? I was like, I gotta film to make in the next month. Can we wait till June? And they were like, no. They were like, it really is effective. Mostly if we do it Like now, if, yeah, now. Wow. Because essentially they do it just in case, like a little fragment got left behind or something. I was like, okay, well we're shooting this day. It needs to be edited by then. Can we work the schedule around this? And they were very accommodating, which was good. So we moved the whole schedule to fit with the film, which is stupid and insane, but kind of great. Wow. So. We, I had my first round of chemo on, I think April 29th, and then we shot the film on the 11th of May. So I'd had about a week and a half-ish to recover. And I will say that is the closest, I think one can come to like, that is what death feels like, but like without actually dying, it was experiencing [00:31:24] Sean: chemo. [00:31:24] Emily: So. Recovered from that and was like, all right, girls, it's game time. So we went to Dover, I think we got there for like 7:00 AM and Rod took us over on the boat and uh, yeah, Todd came along to help. Once I'd, uh, I'd reached out to him to borrow his drone. [00:31:43] Sean: Yeah, he told me he was, he became the drone pilot for you, I think. Oh, thank God. It [00:31:46] Emily: was so windy. I was so scared to fly that thing. And once I told him, I was like, oh yeah, by the way, like I'm good. I might look different next to like when we're on Dover. And he was like, what day is it? I'll be there. Like, I'm there to help you. I am there to work. He, he's like that. Yeah. He's so good. Yeah, so sweet. Because I'd also sprained my ankle three days before chemo again, so, oh man. He was like, I'll carry everything. So we had our day on Dover shooting. It was phenomenal freezing, but like the waves were. Like, you couldn't have asked for better, like aesthetics. It was just so cinematic and gorgeous. Especially the shots on orangutan. Those were the, the shots I had in my head when we planned this thing. So [00:32:28] Sean: that was amazing. You, you sent me a link to preview before our chat, which was awesome. Thank you. And that's, that's what struck me. Um, well, one, one, just the, the girl power of the whole thing was awesome. Yeah. Uh, just to see that entire. Cast and characters was females doing their thing? Except for Rod driving the boat, I suppose. [00:32:48] Emily: Yeah. Todd has a cameo at some point where he's kind of like hiding behind a boulder. Oh, I didn't. And you just see him like, didn't that sign the drone? [00:32:54] Sean: Didn't notice that. I didn't notice that. [00:32:56] Emily: He was trying really hard to like not be in it. [00:32:58] Sean: Yeah. But the ocean, the ocean, uh, the wildness of that with the, against the granites and the wind and everything, it looked fantastic. [00:33:04] Emily: Yeah. I feel like it really captures the essence of Dover. 'cause it is just so, like, it's so different from. So many places that people like so many destination climbs. And that's kind of where the name came from. We were like brainstorming many names. Like I worked with the girls to kind of find a name that we're all happy with and uh, I think we jokingly said, oh, like, what if we call it 20 grit? 'cause like, I think the roughest grid of sandpaper is like 40. So we were like, let's call it 20. And then we're like, ha ha ha. That's kind of cool. Actually. [00:33:36] Sean: It is cool. [00:33:37] Emily: Uh, 'cause Dover is just so gnarly. So we got back from Dover. I think I started editing immediately. It was a week straight of like 12 hour days editing. And uh, I think I underestimated how much it takes to make a film, especially with that time crunch. 'cause I wanted to get it done before my next round just because I had no idea what that would entail. But, um, yeah, got it edited. Got it submitted, and then all the while as well was just kind of like. Kinda learning how this new sense of identity as well. I feel like the film really helped me hold on to like my values and what I love to do and kind of keep my eye on that, on the prize. 'cause just so many, especially like emotional and physical changes, you know, like a major surgery like that. And then losing my hair. I had very, very long hair before so I was. That was pretty, pretty upsetting once the film competition kind of ramped up. We actually didn't even make it into the first round. I know. And I was like, who? They saw Kennedy's biceps and they were like, Nope, we can't have this. And here she's showing up the boys [00:34:41] Sean: or, or they're like, where are the dudes? Where are the dudes in? In this film? Yeah. Where are guys? I only saw, come on. [00:34:45] Emily: I only saw one old man on a boat [00:34:49] Sean: and he had his shirt on. Yeah. [00:34:50] Emily: What is. This. So, and I was, I was bummed at first, and then when I saw the rest of the films that came out, I was like, okay, no, this, this tracks. I think there was a total of like three or four women in the entire competition out of like third. 30 videos. I was, uh, anyone I've told 'em like, we didn't even make it into the first round. They're like, what? Yeah. That's weird. So mellow. If you're listening, you're lost. You forget it. But honestly, I wasn't expecting the film to take off the way it did. I thought it was gonna be like a very like, very good thing for the community. People would be like, wow, dopers amazing. These girls like, what a great film. Like love the storytelling of. These three women and their unique strengths, but how they can integrate it into each other's climbing as well. Like they're so supportive and helpful to one another. And I think that just shows so much of our community in that, um, [00:35:40] Sean: at the same time, I didn't find, I mean, I've only run through it twice, uh, but I kinda liked it too because it wasn't like a hammering you with a, some kind of. [00:35:51] Emily: Yeah. [00:35:52] Sean: Overblown story or over drama dramatized thing. It was just like, yeah, three women bouldering out on Dover Island, which is, you know? Yeah. And so it's kinda refreshing. [00:36:02] Emily: Yeah, I, I'm happy to hear you say that 'cause that was kind of what we were going for. 'cause originally the project, like I said, it started off as like women in sports and we kind of, the three of us talked about, or four of us talked about it and came to the conclusion that like, that actually really isn't. Most of our experiences in this community. Like here, it might be like a more global experience for women in sports, but our experience in this community has been like, like personally speaking as well, the men in this community are wonderful, most of them. And like so many of my close friends are men in the climbing community. That's great. And they've, they've been so supportive and it just didn't feel true to our experience. And I was like, it feels more. True to our experiences to just showcase them being really strong and gritty and badass without being like, Hey, look, look at these women. Look at them doing their thing and inherently saying it. You know? Like I think it's a, yeah, [00:37:03] Sean: I love it. It is very, I like that subtlety. Yeah. Yeah. [00:37:06] Emily: Just kind of showing it without saying it. [00:37:08] Sean: Oh, that's awesome. [00:37:09] Emily: Yeah, so we, I finished, I finished up chemo, um, amongst kind of like getting ready to like launch the film. Uh, so we had our launch on June 27th, June 27th. It really took me a minute to find. Um, we had our launch on June 27th and we launched it at Seven Bays. 'cause that felt very fitting 'cause they were one of the sponsors. Uh, we had seven Bays, uh, dead Point climbing and then Archer, uh, on board, which was nice. Also, just a beaver dream. I was like, whoa, all these cool brands wanna support. That's fantastic. My film. That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Um, good for you. It was a amazing, amazing party. Like everyone loved the film and then it just kind of like went off. Um, [00:37:54] Sean: you've been on a big tour, I hear. [00:37:56] Emily: Yeah, it was nuts. And it's happening again. So I went out. [00:38:00] Sean: Now you're in the icebox. [00:38:02] Emily: Yeah, it's crazy. So we, I went to BC in August because Dead Point Climbing was doing a film festival and it was on, uh. They wanted to showcase my film 'cause it was for women in film and climbing and I was like, oh my god, that's amazing. They were like, can we show 20 grits since we're a sponsor? I was like, of course. Yeah. Hell yeah. So I flew up for the film festival, it was phenomenal. Um, and decided to kind of make a, a trip out of it. So, uh, Boulder House, our sister Jim in BC wanted to do a screening. I was like, perfect. I have some friends in Victoria. So I hopped on over there after, and then flew to Montreal for the end of the trip. Um, to actually shoot at Jackalope Festival, which was also a total fever dream. 'cause I've always wanted to just go to it, let alone shoot at it. It just kind of felt like a very, very pinnacle moment for my career. [00:38:56] Sean: Do you like the filming part or the editing, or which do you prefer better? [00:39:01] Emily: Oh, I feel like they go hand in hand. Yeah, I can't pick. [00:39:03] Sean: Yeah, [00:39:04] Emily: it's always a cool feeling when you get the shot that you know you want. Like that side of filming is wonderful, but. Being able to edit it. Really like bring up the colors, the sound and like the feeling of it is a whole other thing too. So I honestly don't think I can pick. I feel like there are And what [00:39:20] Sean: And the story as well. Right. That's, [00:39:22] Emily: yeah, [00:39:23] Sean: that's what I've been in. Just my little thing here. Yeah. It's fun to kind of uncover the story as you've go through the editing process. [00:39:31] Emily: A hundred percent. Like I feel like my careers now is kind of shifting. From, or not shifting but growing, I would say from when I started, I was like, okay, put out some Boppy reels for seven Bays and make climbing look really cool. And while I still still do that, I'm really enjoying shifting to more of the storytelling, like filmmaking perspective in the gym and then also in my own work as well, there is a second film. In the making. This one is more documentary style. It's going to follow one climber and I can't say what they're doing. 'cause then everyone will know it's gonna follow their journey for the next probably year. Oh, I know. Year know what this is. So I'm really excited to push myself with this one. Nice. In a, in a different way. Yeah. [00:40:14] Sean: And the theme, if you're, if you're dropping that, uh. That other project for a while. Mm. But the theme of women in sport is probably still important to you. I'm, I'm thinking. [00:40:24] Emily: Yeah. It, it definitely is still important to me, but I also kind of feel like 20 grid has scratched that itch a little bit. Okay. Like, it, it showcased that strength that I believe like women have in this community so well that mm-hmm. I kind of, I feel like it's a story that's been told. Now for me, I'm [00:40:44] Sean: gonna say no need to beat a dead horse, but you might get mad at me. [00:40:46] Emily: No, no, no. I was thinking the same thing. Yeah. Like I, I've had, um, another, like a friend of a friend reach out about potentially doing like a short, not like documentary, kind of a short documentary, I guess on like my. Experience making the film with all this going on behind the scenes to kind of showcase that kind of strength. 'cause definitely like, you know, there's a lot went into 20 gr It wasn't just like, we didn't just call it 20 grit 'cause of Dover's, you know, grittiness. It's also just like the Sure. Your, [00:41:16] Sean: your grittiness and getting through it all. Yeah. So, well, I mean, thanks for sharing your, you seem very willing and comfortable to talk about that whole episode, but you, you probably at some point would be like to just move on and not. I [00:41:30] Emily: mean, at some point you rehash [00:41:31] Sean: it so often, I'm guessing. [00:41:32] Emily: Yeah, at some point. Yeah. I was, it was a story. I was like, never really gonna tell one of our sponsors who I like had become friends with, they, they'd asked me, they were like, you know, it's totally fair if you wanna keep this private. This is a very like intense thing. But I feel like. You're almost doing a disservice to keep it private because it's such an amazing thing to be doing while shooting a film and like making this story come to life. And so they were like, would you, do you think you'd be comfortable kind of like sharing that story too? And I was like, you know what? I think I could in this community, like, so at our launch party I decided to, to give kind of the backstory a little bit. Before we showed it, especially just 'cause these people now have known them for like a couple years and like I feel very comfortable and now it's kind of become part of it. So like on this tour that I just finished and the tour that I, I actually leave next week for the next one. That's part of the screenings is I give like a 10 to 15 minute spiel boat. You know, my experience making it. That's nice. Yeah. Like just to kind of showcase too that like even if you're going through something insane like that, like. You to have faith in yourself and to have that strength, I think is such an important thing to help people see. 'cause it can be hard to see sometimes when you're in it. [00:42:48] Sean: Yeah. For those, for those screenings, they, they can sort of get a sense of the person behind the camera. Yeah. Who's as gritty as the the women. Exactly. In the scenes. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Very cool. Where are you gonna go next? [00:43:00] Emily: I leave next. Wednesday, uh, for Montreal, and we have a screening at the Point St. Charles location. Uh, we're gonna do like a women's climb in the boardroom, so we got the tension board and the kilter board. We're gonna screen the film and just have a like, super fun time. And then I fly to Toronto. I think I'm there for like 18 hours. Uh, I have a screening there at Hogtown Boulders and Women's Climb again. And I was screening, uh, in Vancouver on the 10th, and then I head to Squamish for the 11th. And then, yeah, I have that day off, and then I head back to Vancouver, uh, and then I come home. That'll be kind of the end of it. It'll be public at that point. I'm gonna really sit in the new year to the public, so. [00:43:44] Sean: Cool. Well, I'm glad I got a chance to see it before the Yeah. Rest of the public. And any climbing goals in your pick lists or climbing goals? [00:43:54] Emily: Hmm. Just honestly to climb. Well, um, like I like from recovery and stuff. This year it's been very, very up and down. But as far as like outdoor climbs go, I was currently climbing, uh, Sheena's, a punk rocker. That's a great climb in Polly's Cove. It's like a lovely V three, just super pleasant, super nice. Um, I'd love to hop back on Mortician, uh, that one, Terrence Bay, Terrance Bay, I think. I was projecting true blood as well in Novo Reach, which is a very fun climb. Again, very like my style, I would say the top of looks terrifying, but I'll, once I get there, I'll have to just, just rally. [00:44:35] Sean: I can't believe how you've rallied from, from all this stuff over the last year. [00:44:39] Emily: It's been a been a crazy time. [00:44:41] Sean: Yeah. Congratulations. [00:44:42] Emily: Thanks. It [00:44:43] Sean: looks amazing and, and lots of opportunity for you, so [00:44:46] Emily: Yeah. Yeah. I'm happy. I'm excited to see what the next, what the next year [00:44:52] Sean: holds. Well, I'll be watching. Yeah. This, uh, this is exciting. Yeah. Thanks for taking the time and doing this with me. It's great to meet you. [00:45:00] Emily: Yes. Thank you so much for having me. This has been awesome. [00:45:03] Sean: Thanks again, Emily. And special thanks to the sponsors of this episode, dead Point Climbing Company and Seven Bays Bouldering. This episode wraps up the first partial season of the podcast. It's been a tremendously rewarding and challenging experience for me and a really cool way to reconnect to the climbing community that I've been part of for almost 30 years now. I appreciate everyone's support and interest in the project, and I'm super grateful to Emily, Samantha, rich and Sean for trusting me enough to get behind them. Like for these first few icebox sessions and great news, the podcast will continue with a full season of episodes starting in January. Hope you can join me for those. You can follow Icebox sessions on Instagram, Facebook, and of course the interweb. And learn more about the latest episodes. Catch you later. [00:45:54] Emily: I have always looked up to them in the community, like even before I knew them. I would see them and I was like, my God, they're crushers and they're so cool. They're so fun. They're so like warm and welcoming. So I would say Kennedy, Natasha and Hannah for me were inspirations. That's why I was like, oh, you guys have to be in my film. I.