How pro skier Angel Collinson deals with fear
Listen to Cassidy’s podcast, Mentally Together, wherever you listen to podcasts (like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts).
This week, she interviewed Angel Collinson, a professional freeskier.
Do you ever look at someone and think, “Wow, they’re FEARLESS?!” I feel like that word is used a lot to describe people in the public eye, whether it’s a professional athlete or a musician or anyone else you see as you scroll through Instagram. And obviously to be fearless, you must have NO fear. So that must mean those pro skiers dropping CLIFFS aren’t afraid of anything bad happening in that moment… Right? WRONG. Anyone that I’ve talked to that appears fearless on the outside, actually does have some fear on the inside. They just know how to manage it, how to talk to it, and they know that it’s not a bad thing. Fear and anxiety have a purpose for us humans – we just have to learn how to listen to them.
Meet professional freeskier Angel Collinson – someone who, if you’ve seen what she does, you might think she’s fearless. And yes, she is EXTREMELY BRAVE, but she does have fear, just like the rest of us humans. But she ‘s close with her fear, and knows how to listen to it.
You may have seen her slashing steep spines on huge mountains in ski movies from Teton Gravity Research, or seen her in the Freeskiing World Tour, which she has won TWICE. She’s won awards for her skiing on film too – like when she was the first woman ever to win Best Line at the Powder Video Awards.
I loved talking to Angel about fear, anxiety, meditation, and how the heck we can listen to our gut.
Note: The podcast consists of real, raw conversations about mental health, which sometimes includes some swear words (because sometimes that’s just how our brains feel!).
