Dear Chelsea – “Girl Climber with Emily Harrington” (Nov 20, 2025)

Host: Chelsea Handler with co-host Kathryn Law
Guest: Emily Harrington
Summary by Segment, Main Themes, Quotes, and Timestamps

Episode Overview

In this advice-driven and laughter-filled episode, Chelsea Handler and Kathryn Law are joined by the renowned professional climber Emily Harrington. The conversation delves into Emily's awe-inspiring career highlights, including her record-setting free climb of El Capitan’s Golden Gate route in under 24 hours, her experience climbing Everest, and the emotional journey documented in her new film, Girl Climber. The episode explores themes of risk, resilience, vulnerability, the mental side of elite achievement, and balancing motherhood, all punctuated with Chelsea’s trademark humor. The trio also takes listener questions on solo travel, family boundaries, and complex family dynamics.

Emily Harrington’s Climbing Journey and Girl Climber (04:47 – 41:20)

Emily’s Background and Recent Life Transitions

• Emily is introduced as “the first woman to free climb the Golden Gate route on El Capitan in under 24 hours,” five-time US national champion, Everest summiter, and now a mother.

  “You did that in less than 24 hours. You also climbed Mount Everest when you were 25 years old. So it’s like, I don’t know where to begin.” — Chelsea Handler (07:08)

• Life after big climbs: “I’ve had some life changes since the movie. All good things. But yeah, just, you know, different challenging and… sapping energy.” — Emily Harrington (06:52)

Climbing Everest with “No Proper Training” (07:41 – 09:53)

• Emily shares her Everest experience at 25, how her lack of high-altitude experience was offset by her lifelong climbing and recent ice climbing skills.

• She reflects on youth, naivete, and what the Everest journey taught her.

  “Mount Everest is walking up a big snowy hill for a very long period of time with this, like, excruciating suffering of high altitude.” — Emily (08:46)

• Highlights the distinction between technical climbing vs suffering through extreme conditions.

Fear, Vulnerability, and Gender Stereotypes in Climbing (09:53 – 11:50)

• Chelsea identifies a major theme: overcoming fear, not fearlessness.

• Emily responds:

  “It became more evident that it was much more an internal struggle than an external struggle.... A lot of these things that are perceived... as weaknesses—I think the film does a really nice job of kind of revealing those things as strengths.” — Emily (10:49)

• Discussion on vulnerability, emotion, and how society mischaracterizes these traits as weakness, especially for women.

The El Capitan Journey: From Failure to Success (11:50 – 18:22)

• The film documents multiple attempts, training with Alex Honnold, and how failure was integral to eventual success.

  “Sometimes you need to kind of like, try the thing in order to figure out what you need to do differently.... I had to go fail in order to find out what to do.” — Emily (12:21)

• Emily recounts a dangerous 50-foot fall that left viewers and her peers shaken. She awoke in the hospital with only minor injuries and describes the luck and mental toll of the incident.

  “I lost consciousness. I think it was, like, far more traumatic for the people who were there and rescued me.” — Emily (17:06)

Mental vs. Physical Challenge – The Psychology of Climbing (18:22 – 23:27)

• Chelsea and Emily discuss mental fortitude:

  “It is so... much more mental than commensurate to how physical it is.” — Chelsea (18:22)

• Emily shares her mental training regimen and the critical role of sports psychology:

  “You have to think of it like a muscle. Like, I do work with a sports psychologist who… has helped me for years get to the point where I'm ready on the day.” — Emily (20:12)

Eating Disorders & Athlete Well-being (14:19 – 16:47)

• Emily recounts struggling with an eating disorder—a common issue in climbing, due to performance pressures and strength-to-weight concerns.

  “It is short term… it doesn't last. I started emotionally and physically breaking down… Climbing was making me really unhappy.” — Emily (14:19)

• She describes recovery through switching disciplines and supportive mentors and dispels the notion that eating disorders are only a female athlete issue.

  “I think it’s pervasive among men as well. I just don’t think it’s as talked about.” — Emily (16:25)

Adventure, Parenthood, and Risk (23:27 – 27:36)

• Life after climbing El Cap: Emily now has a toddler son and balances outdoor adventures with her new family priorities.

• She compares parenting to an expedition:

  “Having a kid is like embarking on a lifelong expedition... Every phase is temporary, and you just keep going.” — Emily (26:01)

• On risk and raising kids: She and her husband encourage their child to take manageable risks and learn from small failures.

Finding Passion and Female Empowerment in Climbing (29:06 – 32:12)

• Emily recounts her first climb at age 10, the instant spark, and the growth of female participation in climbing.

  “I just want to do that again. So I went—he [dad] took me to the climbing gym and then everything just took off from there.” — Emily (29:19)

• Climbing is lauded for narrowing the gender gap and rewarding qualities that allow women to excel.

Mentorship and Giving Back (32:12 – 33:35)

• Emily now mentors young climbers, especially girls, through work with The North Face and the nonprofit Z Girls, which pairs pro athletes with adolescent girls for mental health coaching.

Technical Aspects: Free Climbing Defined (33:19 – 34:45)

“Free climbing is... using your hands and feet to ascend a wall. And you use a rope and protection in case of a fall.” — Emily (33:35)

• Dismantles the confusion popularized by Alex Honnold’s “free soloing.”

Notable/Emotional Moments

• The graphic description of the 50ft fall and its aftermath (16:57–17:53)
• Chelsea and Kathryn’s visceral emotional reactions watching Girl Climber (35:23–37:32)
• The honest depiction of post-achievement letdown and the process of learning to feel pride again (21:31–22:37)

Listener Advice Segment (46:34 – 61:08)

1. Solo Female Travel After Divorce (46:47 – 48:59)

• Question from Molly: Where should I go on a solo ski trip with a $3,500 budget?
• Advice: Tahoe is affordable, accessible, and offers a range of ski resorts.

  “I love Tahoe and there… are so many ski resorts around Lake Tahoe that you can kind of pick and choose. Some are more expensive than others.” — Emily (48:16)

2. Family Boundaries: Surprise Trips & Autonomy (49:01 – 56:41)

• Question from Scarlett: How to handle a mom who books surprise family trips without consulting her adult children?

• Advice: Set clear boundaries in writing; prepare for tough follow-through (e.g., refusing to go if boundaries are breached).

  “I could never let someone book a flight for me. I’m way too controlling… You gotta lay down the law.” — Emily (52:06)

• Chelsea emphasizes the importance of asserting oneself, “You’re not telling me where I’m going. We’re not doing surprise trips anymore. You have to get my permission before I agree.” (51:30)

3. Navigating Knowledge of Family Marital Trouble (56:55 – 61:08)

• Question from Rachel: She knows about her brother’s marital problems and wonders how to address it.

• Advice: Discreetly offer support without prying or gossiping.

  “Being sensitive and… expressing that you’re there and you’re supportive and you’re always available to chat is good.” — Emily (59:30)

• Chelsea adds: “You just want to be there to be a support and listen to him. You don’t have to go ‘She’s such a bitch. When are you going to leave her?’ That’s not the right approach.” (60:27)

Notable Quotes

• “I think the film does a really nice job of... expressing these more feminine characteristics of vulnerability... perceived as weaknesses... revealing those things as strengths.” — Emily Harrington (10:49)
• “You have to go fail in order to find out what to do.” — Emily Harrington (12:21)
• “Having a kid is like embarking on a lifelong expedition.” — Emily Harrington (26:01)
• “Follow through is the most important thing here. Setting a goal and doing whatever it took to get there and making adjustments along the way after failing, after falling… to actually achieve a goal.” — Chelsea Handler (64:50)

Key Timestamps

• 04:47 Chelsea introduces Emily Harrington and Girl Climber
• 08:20 Everest: Naivete and learning from brutal conditions
• 10:49 Vulnerability as strength in sport and life
• 12:21 The necessity of failure for growth
• 16:47 Eating disorders and athlete mental health
• 17:06 – 17:53 The 50-ft El Capitan fall (graphic description)
• 18:46 The mental/psychological challenge of endurance climbing
• 20:12 The role of a sports psychologist
• 26:01 Lessons from climbing that inform parenthood
• 33:35 Free climbing defined
• 46:47 – 48:59 Advice: Solo ski trip travel
• 49:01 – 56:41 Advice: Family trip boundaries
• 56:55 – 61:08 Advice: Sibling relationships and marital secrecy
• 64:50 Chelsea’s summary and tribute to Emily’s achievement

Takeaways

• Girl Climber is as much about the internal battle, vulnerability, and mindset behind extreme achievement as it is about physical prowess.
• Failure, risk, and even trauma are intrinsic to big goals—and useful teachers on the path to success.
• Parenting, mentoring, and daily life benefit from the lessons learned on big climbs: resilience, perspective, and the willing embrace of risk and discomfort.
• Chelsea and Kathryn bring both humor and heartfelt admiration, making the episode equally engaging for climbing nerds and the uninitiated.