theDIHEDRAL Podcast

theDIHEDRAL Podcast is a climbing show that spends its time on the people who climb and the culture that grows up around them. Its recent episodes use two formats. One is the guest conversation, and 'Britney Berkstresser - Climbing with Tiny Holds' shows how it works. Carrot introduces Britney as a climber, artist and entrepreneur, the founder of the climbing company Tiny Holds, then calls her chief executive artist and admits to having made that title up. Her company, Carrot says, both starts and ends with love. What follows is gentle and practical. On mornings when pain or inflammation makes the day rough, Britney relies on deep breathing, meditation, light yoga, stretching and, naturally, tea. She compares that with a friend who shoots straight out of bed, something she says she cannot do. Carrot admits to skipping yoga and meditation too often and regretting it every time. The talk ends with Carrot thanking her for making everyone feel good, which sums up the mood well. The second format is Climbing vs. Culture, a limited series of group conversations in which, as Gaia puts it, a few climbers tackle different aspects of culture. Gaia welcomes listeners, Payson, Kate and Morgan are among the voices, and in one episode she introduces Payson and Caitlin as close and lovely friends. The titles map the ground: 'Climbing vs. Culture - Dirtbags and Dirtbaging', 'Climbing vs. Culture - Dating in The Climbing Community' and 'Climbing vs. Culture - We All Need a Therapist!'. The introductions are half the fun. Payson Guillot, who has climbed for about six years on and off, admits to being a starving grad student and jokes that nobody will manage to find that surname anyway. The therapy conversation is about mental health, both in climbing and in physical activity in general. Someone asks whether anyone has ever felt unwelcome, or felt their abilities were not enough, and how they got past it. The group names both sides of the community: the part that builds people up and the part that does not. On dating, Kate keeps it short and practical. Trust builds fast between climbing partners, so relationships deepen fast too, but it is wise not to date through the whole community, because it is still your community when you are done. The group openly admits it starts with a topic, veers away and then circles back. That drift gives the series its texture, closer to friends talking than to a tidy interview. One conversation closes on plain encouragement: therapy is okay, community helps, and if the right community is hard to find, reading, walking and writing help too.