Climbing Business Journal Podcasts

Nov 26 2024 39 ep. 55 mins 13
Climbing Business Journal Podcasts artwork

Be inspired and learn from insiders of the climbing industry. We interview routesetters, coaches, managers of gyms and brands, and legendary figures from our sport.

  Business  Health & Fitness  Sports
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Vans on the Wall – Ally Cruz

Nov 26 2024 63 mins  
Today host Holly Chen chats with Ally Cruz. Ally is a Trango Grassroots Athlete and a USAC Level 3 Routesetter with a decade of climbing experience. Her routesetting career began at her university's climbing wall and quickly graduated to a commercial setting job at Edgeworks Climbing and Fitness in Seattle, Washington. From there, she bounced to Utah, back to Edgeworks, and eventua

Making the Great Leap in Business – Francis Larose

Nov 14 2024 77 mins  
Today's guest is the founder and CEO of OnSite, Francis Larose. OnSite is based in Montreal, Quebec, and made history this past summer when it became likely the first North America-based wall manufacturer to complete a commercial climbing gym project in Europe. OnSite making the leap from the North American market to the European market is the reverse of what typically happens; muc

What Is a “Chaos Bomb”? – Annabelle Spingler

Oct 31 2024 52 mins  
On this episode of The Impact Driver Podcast, host Holly Chen meets with Annabelle Spingler. Annabelle has been climbing and working in climbing gyms since she was 17. She started as a birthday party belayer and coach but has always been intrigued by routesetting. So, when the headsetter accidentally stripped too much of the gym for a competition, she asked if she could set a few b

How To Be an Entrepreneur – Andrew Potter

Oct 20 2024 77 mins  
On today's episode of the CBJ Podcast, host John Burgman and guest Andrew Potter chat about gym startups, software startups, market analysis and much more in between. Andrew is the founder of the RoKC climbing gyms as well as the founder of the software company Approach. In starting both a gym and a gym management technology company, he's had a fascinating journey as an entrepreneu

Necessity Breeds Invention – Andy Nelson

Oct 03 2024 65 mins  
On this episode of The Impact Driver Podcast, host Holly Chen interviews Andy Nelson. Andy has been climbing since 1998, and he became the first paid routesetter at Vertical Endeavors in Minnesota around the mid 2000s. In the routesetting arena, he’s done it all, from commercial setting and running a setting crew to comps all the way up to the divisional level. He worked for Nicr

Let’s Talk About 24-Hour Access – Lindsay Runne

Sep 20 2024 55 mins  
On this episode of the Climbing Business Journal podcast, host John Burgman meets with Climbing Roots owner Lindsay Runne. Climbing Roots' grand opening date is still a little up in the air, but the gym is getting ready to open its doors. During their conversation, John and Lindsay discuss some of the logistics of opening a new gym, what the whole process has been like for Lindsay,

Understanding Constants Over Time – Claire Gordon

Sep 05 2024 63 mins  
Today The Impact Driver host Holly Chen meets with Claire Gordon, a former competitive youth athlete turned coach and gym owner. Claire has a bachelor's degree in psychology with an emphasis on development psychology, and her coaching spans from coast to coast; from First Ascent in Chicago to Planet Granite Portland (now Movement), ABC Kids Climbing in Boulder, and finally starting

101 Climbing Games and Activities – Hailey Caissie

Aug 22 2024 64 mins  
On this episode of the Climbing Business Journal Podcast, host John Burgman speaks with Hailey Caissie. Hailey is the Programs Manager at The Crag in Tennessee, and she is also the author of 101 Climbing Games and Activities. So, for anyone who struggles to think of games to play in youth programs or even adult programs, this book may be an interesting resource. It’s a tool that

You Can Strip My Boulder – Blake Green

Aug 11 2024 76 mins  
On this episode of the Impact Driver Podcast, host Holly Chen talks with Blake Green. Blake is the head setter at High Point Climbing and Fitness in Birmingham, Alabama. A veteran of the craft with over a decade of routesetting experience under his belt, Blake is a USAC Level 4 routesetter and has set for everything from qualifier to national-level USAC youth competitions. In his s

Growing Membership Through Programming – Evan Pearce

Jul 25 2024 61 mins  
Evan Pearce is the Senior Director of Movement Gyms Colorado. Pearce came from humble beginnings at what is now Movement Sunnyvale—his first industry position was as a front desk worker, which did include the occasional birthday party belay. He then became the assistant manager at the Sunnyvale gym, then became a manager at Movement Belmont, eventually working his way up to Senio