Andy Raether is a prolific sport climber, boulderer, and developer based in Las Vegas, NV. He also owns a climbing hold company and created the Woods Board. We talked about his intro to climbing and making holds, bringing routes and crags to life, sending his hardest boulder (Midlife Crisis V14) at 40 years old, how he trains on The Woods Board, how to master terrible holds, and much more.

Rúngne (Chalk & Apparel)

rungne.info/nugget

Use code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.

Chilipad (Don’t Lose Sleep this Summer)

Get 20% off any Chilipad sleep system

Mad Rock (Shoes & Crash Pads)

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

NADS (Organic Cotton Underwear)

Use code STEVEN for 15% off

The GRINDS Program (Free Training PDF)

thenuggetclimbing.com

The NUG (My Portable Hangboard)

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/andy-raether

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:49) – Climbing Magazine ad

(00:03:52) – Andy’s origin story

(00:09:44) – Legendary holds

(00:13:49) – Making climbing holds

(00:16:49) – Early rock climbing & development

(00:23:54) – Menagerie

(00:25:49) – Meeting his wife

(00:28:33) – Moving to Vegas

(00:32:07) – Dad Raether

(00:39:00) – Vegas bolting potential

(00:45:06) – Bringing crags to life

(01:05:53) – Bouldering development

(01:08:34) – Midlife Crisis V14

(01:35:43) – Stronger at 40 than 20

(01:40:15) – Dad Bod

(01:45:04) – Grades

(01:51:50) – Mithril

(01:54:04) – James Litz

(01:58:51) – The Woods Board

(02:06:14) – The mentality of board climbing

(02:10:58) – Monos

(02:14:56) – How Andy trains on the Woods Board

(02:27:30) – Where to climb on the Woods Board

(02:29:08) – Iterating moves (“hangboard” boulder problems)

(02:37:24) – Mirroring each try

(02:41:57) – The Spot Battle

(02:44:00) – Andy’s garage

(02:46:02) – Gyms in Vegas

(02:54:10) – Routesetter Unions

(03:07:06) – Wrap up & EXTRA teaser

Jeremy Kiner is a Kentucky-based boulderer and sport climber. We talked about his journey to V10 and 5.13b, how he uses a board circuit as a training benchmark, his experience with the GRINDS finger training program, embracing double rest days, his diet and dealing with autoimmune issues, what he learned from working on two different regenerative farms, being a conscious consumer, and much more.

Maui Nui Venison (The Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet)

mauinuivenison.com/steven

Chilipad (Don’t Lose Sleep this Summer)

Get 20% off any Chilipad sleep system

NADS (Organic Cotton Underwear)

Use code STEVEN for 15% off

The GRINDS Program:

thenuggetclimbing.com

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jeremy-kiner

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:01) – Jeremy’s background

(00:03:47) – Regenerative farming

(00:05:46) – Resting a lot

(00:11:39) – Abrahangs & weight room

(00:13:06) – Jeremy’s climbing progression

(00:23:58) – The thief of joy

(00:27:55) – Never enough time

(00:35:54) – Training circuit (strength boulder pyramid)

(00:43:52) – Fun board climbing

(00:45:40) – Different training chapters

(00:51:29) – The GRINDS Program

(00:58:50) – Breaking down finger training terms

(01:05:35) – Unlevel edges

(01:08:05) – Tweaky fingers

(01:20:22) – There is no “best” way

(01:26:43) – Things that work

(01:28:58) – Things that don’t work

(01:33:58) – Boards

(01:40:02) – Jeremy’s diet & autoimmunity

(01:47:28) – Where is your food coming from

(01:54:03) – Regenerative farming continued

(02:08:16) – Food subsidies & waste

(02:13:01) – The other pillars of health

(02:17:22) – Conscious consumer

(02:20:53) – Wrap up

Michelle LeBlanc returns to the podcast to talk about her annual Project Pride event in Squamish, B.C. (August 29-30, 2025). She shared her personal story and why she started Project Pride, and we talked about cultural and political pendulum swings, sensationalism in the media, and what to expect if you attend her upcoming event.

You can buy tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/project-pride-squamish-2025-tickets-1415859827859?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAad_JFGfbgS_SEWNkjXVlG2Me2S_7YVmPskjfFcyihN-BBdKJmCPsrNv0NDu1w_aem_uC2R3rhGN0dtaZ3DICGmSw

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/michelle-leblanc-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:38) – Not queer enough

(00:08:08) – Project Pride

(00:23:12) – Instagram comments

(00:34:00) – Meeting in the middle

(00:38:47) – The pendulum swing

(00:53:38) – Labels

(00:57:18) – Sensationalism

(01:02:01) – Upcoming event

(01:11:45) – Stay sane

Alex Bridgewater (M.S. in Sports Psychology) returns to the podcast to discuss tools that can help elevate your climbing performance. We talked about finding your values, the dark side of expectations, a framework for working toward goals, how to develop confidence, building awareness, whether climbing is separate from life, the cost of masochism, acceptance, unhooking, mindfulness practice, and much more.

You can work with Alex at innersourceperformancepsychology.com

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

Use code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.

YouTube Videos:

youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbing

Check out my latest training tip videos and be sure to subscribe!

The NUG:

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/alex-bridgewater-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:38) – Graduate school

(00:10:21) – Psychology for climbers

(00:18:54) – Finding your values

(00:28:52) – Expectations

(00:38:27) – WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan)

(01:07:07) – Manifesting flexibility

(01:16:24) – Confidence

(01:20:37) – Building awareness

(01:32:43) – Is climbing separate from life?

(01:43:32) – What is the cost?

(01:54:37) – We’re not professional athletes

(02:00:36) – Many different selves

(02:08:32) – Acceptance

(02:14:57) – Unhooking

(02:18:38) – Mindfulness practice

(02:35:53) – Alex’s practices

(02:43:06) – Alex’s coaching offerings

What if you could eat the healthiest meat on the planet while helping the environment? Jake Muise is the CEO and founder of Maui Nui Venison, and joins me to talk about sustainable food and the future of nutrient density. We talked about the overpopulation of Axis deer in Hawaii, the cyclical die-off they experience without predation, solving complex problems, the secret to sustaining high-level output, harvesting at night, nutrition of place, sharing with community, and much more.

Maui Nui Venison (The Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet)

mauinuivenison.com/steven

Chilipad (Don’t Lose Sleep this Summer)

Get 20% off any Chilipad sleep system

NADS (Organic Cotton Underwear)

Use code STEVEN for 15% off

Support Something Different on Patreon

patreon.com/somethingdiffpod

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:07) – Axis deer

(00:04:21) – A food resource

(00:06:56) – Volleyball & performance

(00:11:07) – Jake’s intro to hunting

(00:12:37) – Drought & die-off

(00:16:03) – Tracking animals & finding balance

(00:30:05) – Paying cattle ranchers

(00:36:48) – Harvesting at night

(00:46:58) – Nutrition of place

(00:54:05) – The future of nutrient density

(00:56:20) – Sustaining high-level output

(01:01:13) – Sharing with community

(01:06:58) – Hope for the future

(01:11:29) – Wrap up

Yuji Hirayama is a Japanese professional climber and a living legend. We talked about visualizing his onsight attempt on The Salathe, channeling support into power, Daniel Woods, Mount Kinabalu, Japanese vs. Western culture, quitting school to climb, owning climbing gyms, how to stay 9a fit in your 50s, the secret to staying young, and much more.

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

Use code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.

Chilipad:

checkout.sleep.me

Use this link for 20% off any of Chilipad's sleep cooling systems.

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

YouTube Videos:

youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbing

Check out my latest training tip videos and be sure to subscribe!

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/yuji-hirayama

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:10) – The Professionals film

(00:12:30) – Attempting to onsight the Salathe

(00:22:04) – Channeling support into power

(00:30:26) – Challenge, change, & Daniel Woods

(00:36:53) – Mount Kinabalu

(00:50:23) – How Yuji has changed

(00:57:15) – Why Yuji climbs

(01:03:40) – Japanese vs. Western culture

(01:09:35) – Yuji’s parents

(01:11:58) – Early climbing

(01:14:22) – Running

(01:19:05) – Quitting school to climb

(01:24:20) – Who inspires Yuji

(01:28:02) – How climbing has changed

(01:31:16) – Owning gyms

(01:40:33) – Karaoke

(01:41:18) – Wine, Dine, & Climb

(01:43:07) – Staying 9a fit in your 50s

(01:47:03) – Japanese focus on hard climbing

(01:48:54) – The next trip

(01:51:33) – The secret to staying young

(01:55:32) – Wrap up

Eric Edmeades is often referred to as the “Indiana Jones” of the professional speaking world. He has been traveling to Africa to visit the Hadza, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer groups, since 2007. We talked about rites of passage, how ancestral living solved his health issues, lessons from his time with the Hadza, how to overcome evolutionary mismatch in Western society, founding WILDFIT, and much more. You can learn more about Eric at eric.ee

Maui Nui Venison (The Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet)

mauinuivenison.com/steven

Chilipad (Don’t Lose Sleep this Summer)

Get 20% off any Chilipad sleep system

Headspace (Meditation App)

Try it for Free for 14 Days

Support the Podcast Directly

patreon.com/somethingdiffpod

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/eric-edmeades

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:19) – Homeless as a teenager

(00:05:45) – Rites of passage

(00:15:10) – Building resilience

(00:19:27) – Health journey

(00:26:11) – The US medical system

(00:29:33) – Changing his diet

(00:33:33) – The Hadza (Hadzabe Tribe)

(00:37:58) – Evolutionary mismatch

(00:43:32) – What the Hadza eat

(00:51:45) – Healthy kids

(00:57:43) – Food psychology

(01:00:46) – Should we eat like the Hadza?

(01:10:34) – Frightened primates

(01:17:52) – 3 seasons of eating

(01:30:01) – Winter for the Hadza

(01:31:51) – Vegetables & tubers

(01:36:37) – The evolution gap

(01:40:05) – Movement & the lymphatic system

(01:45:02) – Executive function

(01:50:07) – What life’s about

(01:55:52) – Contentment

(02:03:16) – Rest & leasure

(02:05:47) – Unconditional love

(02:08:42) – WILDFIT

(02:15:40) – How to connect with Eric

(02:17:49) – Be the captain

Seneida Biendarra is the 2023 US National Champion in the women’s B2 (severely blind) category. We talked about losing her vision as a teenager, her current visual experience, creating mental maps of the world, finding freedom in risk, designing outdoor gear, the world of paraclimbing and the adaptive community, sight guiding, the empathy gun, embracing chapters in life, and much more.

Arc’teryx:

Women’s climbing clothing

Men’s climbing clothing

Check out the NEW Kragg Collection.

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

Use code “NUGGET” for 10% off storewide, and use code “SHIPPINGNUGGETS” for free shipping.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/seneida-biendarra

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:00) – 1950s appliances

(00:05:08) – A fresh start

(00:07:49) – Seneida’s visual experience

(00:10:00) – Losing vision

(00:17:02) – The map

(00:19:38) – Visual experience continued

(00:23:35) – An invisible disability

(00:25:56) – Daily living vs. climbing

(00:29:44) – Meeting other blind climbers

(00:36:08) – Crashes

(00:39:34) – Risk & freedom

(00:44:48) – Early climbing

(00:48:32) – An onsight philosophy

(00:52:19) – Visualization

(00:55:09) – Lights out

(01:01:49) – Accessibility tools & basketball

(01:05:59) – Designing gear

(01:13:06) – Parents & childhood

(01:17:08) – Backpacking

(01:19:21) – Daily living continued

(01:28:55) – Nate

(01:31:10) – Sight Guiding

(01:37:40) – The world of paraclimbing

(01:41:28) – 2028 Olympics

(01:46:09) – Identity & community

(01:49:51) – Mourning, normalizing, & sympathy

(01:53:31) – How to be a supportive sighted person

(01:56:25) – Empathy gun

(02:01:09) – Parts of ourselves

(02:04:45) – Interpersonal bonds

(02:12:39) – Embracing chapters

(02:18:53) – Self-driving taxis

(02:21:55) – Spotlighting the adaptive community

(02:26:12) – “You belong more than you think you do.”

(02:29:45) – New designs