mountaineering

Today’s guest is my friend Tima Deryan, who I met back in February and immediately knew I had to have on Slo Mo.

Tima became the first Lebanese woman and youngest Arab to summit Mount Everest at 26 years old. On the 22nd of May, 2019 at 7:21 am, she stood gratefully and humbly at the peak of the highest mountain in the world after a two-month expedition during one of the deadliest seasons on Everest.

Before summiting Everest, Tima had climbed 18 of the world’s highest mountains including 6 of the 7 summits and became the first Arab woman to climb Ojos del Salado, the highest active volcano in the world. With her passion for exploring and redefining limits, mountaineering came as a second nature to her. Staying true to her wanderer spirit, she aims to continue leading an adventurous lifestyle and never stop climbing.

Once a finance professional working in a multinational firm, she’s now the founder of Mountain Gipsy and a professionally certified coach. She’s an advocate for children, youth, and women’s rights, and an activist for environmental issues who wants to see everyone follow their passion, develop their leadership skills, and carve their own path for a better future.

Listen as we discuss:

• The amazing principle of acclimatization and why high altitude climbing is so dangerous.
• Why would anyone climb such a dangerous mountain?
• What happens if your team member is annoying on a multi-month expedition?
• The incredible Sherpas of Nepal.
• How Tima contracted COVID-19 in the midst of a climb at 5,000m and kept trying.
• Discovering your passion and how it keeps you moving forward effortlessly.
• The importance of spending time alone and learning.
• What it’s like to be an Arab woman climbing mountains alongside men.
• Women need to stand up for women.
• Her 1 remaining of the 7 summits: the highest, coldest, and furthest in Antarctica.
• The undiscovered and underfunded talent in the Middle East.

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Connect with Tima Deryan on Instagram @mountaingipsy and Facebook @mountaingipsy. 
 
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YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

In case you missed this episode on the Playing with Science channel… Explore the world of mountaineering as hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly take a mental expedition to the world’s highest peaks alongside world-record breaking mountain climber Vanessa O’Brien and mountain guide and physician Alan Oram, D.O.

Photo Credit: Photo taken by Vanessa O’Brien (using a timer) on October 4, 2011 near the summit of Shishapangma, the world’s 14th highest mountain climbing from Tibet. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via http://vobonline.com/.