Karen Darke MBE - Training her brain to become a Paralympic champion, climbing El Capitan as a paraplegic and learning to enjoy the process

A Life Less Ordinary with Sophie Elwes

Karen Darke tells me about being injured aged 21 in a mountain climbing accident and how she overcame her fear of heights following this accident to eventually climb El Capitan, as a paraplegic using just her arms. She shares with me her story from first riding a handcycle to becoming a Paralympic champion in Rio in 2016, helped, along with a lot of training, motivation and hard work, by an understanding of how to train her brain and reframe negative thoughts in order to manifest a positive outcome.
She tells me about her trip when she cross-country skied across the Greenland ice cap where the challenge lay not only in the physical exertion for a month, but in managing her disability under such extreme conditions. She credits being part of a team with a common objective as a huge part of what makes each adventure particularly special.
Karen has done a lot of work in personal development and brain training and shared some fascinating insights about how to combat negative self-talk and achieve goals. She works as a transformational coach and, alongside training for the next paralympic games, is passionate about helping others remove blocks to success and reaching their potential through helping them train their brains.
Recorded live at the Back Up In the Cloud festival.
karendarke.com
backuptrust.org.uk
accessadventures.co.uk
@sophieelwes