Leadership Journeys [300] – Sofie Lenaerts – “Climbing mountains is the best preparation for climbing mountains.”

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast. I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other’s stories, of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, I attempt to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

How do you lead when fear is a constant companion?

Sofie Lenaerts is a full-time federal police officer who produces and presents a weekly road safety program on Belgian national TV, a mountain trainer and expedition leader, and the first Belgian woman to complete the Seven Summits Challenge, which took her 11 years.

We talk about how a scary day of rock climbing became a lifelong study of fear, why she believes fear should make you aware rather than stop you, and what it takes to turn around when the mountain says no. Sofie shares the failure on her first 8,000 meter peak, when ambition and too many goals drained her energy, and what she learned from watching an expedition leader stay focused on possibilities.

She also talks about the humanitarian projects that connect climbers with the porters and cooks who make expeditions possible, her dream of a documentary on mountaineering with respect for nature, and what keeps her going every day, even when she doesn’t feel like training.

You can find Sofie at the links below

• Website: https://www.sofielenaerts.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofie-lenaerts-104715a7/

In the interview, Sofie shares

• “If you can understand the mechanism behind fear, it’s not a way of blocking it, it’s a way of accepting it and to focus on what you can do.”
• “The fear is still there, but it’s not dominant anymore.”
• “Mountains will always stay there, but our presence on Earth is limited.”
• “When you’re sucked into all these problems, you fail to see the solutions.”
• “Climbing mountains is the best preparation for climbing mountains.”
• “If you are focused on one thing, you can go 100% on your energy.”
• “The people who make it really happen are the porters, the cooks, the organization.”
• “I went to the police because I want to add value to society.”
• “If you’re sitting in a chair and you don’t do anything, you’re going to grow old very quickly.”