Zo Northcutt: Climbing with a Brain Tumor

In this show, we have Zo Northcutt, who has a unique story. Like many of us, they are training and progressing towards their own climbing goals. Unlike most of us, however, they have a brain tumour.

Zo is one of those individuals whose resilience and strength positively affects others around them. They have dealt with pain and trauma, but they also find a way to find joy and share that with others despite some of the struggles. We discuss with Zo, their brain tumor – named Fred – the battle of staying active despite setbacks in life and also the work that they do in the LGBTQ+ community. Zo is a queer, gender fluid climber who’s also started a number of community initiatives in their local area.

You can find more of Zo on Instagram via this link.

We discuss:

What their brain tumour, Fred, means for their life and climbing
How they get perspective and deals with setbacks
The role of their partners and housemates in support
Dealing with unknowns whilst working with coach Maddy
Changes in the climbing community diversity
The biggest impacts to individuals and communities
Online vs in-person behaviours and how we can all move forward in these areas