Meet Becca Droz | Rock Climbing Guide & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Becca Droz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Becca, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
While I didn’t initially plan on starting my own guiding company, Sunrise Mindset came as a natural progression in my career path as a rock climbing guide. I’ve always struggled with the traditional career path concept. It just didn’t work for me. After a few years of working for a guiding company, I was starting to feel like I was on auto-pilot. I wanted to feel inspired to infuse more creativity into my work and I wanted more control over how much money I could make. Sunrise Mindset’s maiden voyage was a women’s rock climbing trip in Leonidio, Greece! Eleven women traveled to Greece for an incredible week together over New Years’! Through that process I gained the insurance I needed to guide independently, the biggest logistical hurdle. I also learned that I enjoy the behind the scenes business owner roles and responsibilities. With my own company, while it is certainly intimidating, I feel more empowered to create something unique and special. Life is too short and grand for getting complacent on auto-pilot. I want to intentionally create experiences that fill people with joy, wonder and empowerment.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
There are a lot of rock climbing guiding companies out there, especially in Colorado, but few are owned by women, and even fewer are owned by queer women. When people book a climbing day or trip with Sunrise Mindset, they are booking an experience with me rather than someone from a team of guides. I bring my own flavor to guiding that is unique and different from most other climbing guides. While climbing rocks in nature is incredible in and of itself, the potentials of personal growth and self-reflection that come through the experience can be as expansive as the mountains. Climbing brings us closer to nature, to others and to ourselves and Sunrise Mindset provides an opportunity to magnify that. I’m excited about creating more group trips, internationally and domestically because such magic occurs within immersive group contexts. I am excited about integrating the Enneagram into my work, as it serves a helpful framework for understanding ourselves and how we relate to challenges, something that is very relevant in climbing. I’m excited to continue to infuse mindfulness practices and other creative ideas into my guided days so that I’m offering something uniquely different from other guiding companies. I love bringing dreams into reality and Sunrise Mindset is a foundation for me to do this for myself and for others. I’m committed to living a life that I love and, through that, impacting others to find joy and love for their life as well. I get to take people on incredible climbing adventures, sometimes the biggest adventure of their life! This is my first season in business and I can’t wait to see how Sunrise Mindset evolves through time. With Sunrise Mindset I’m inspiring myself and others to “Wake up for life.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a friend was visiting Boulder, CO in the summertime, outdoor adventures would be top of the list!
We would climb the First Flatiron, a multi-pitch in Eldorado Canyon and do some more casual single pitch climbing in Boulder Canyon. Each day, after climbing we would sit by the creek, either in Eben G Fine park with great people watching or find a secret spot up the canyon. We’d cool off with cold water dips and relax in the sun. For dinner, we’d go to my favorite cash-only brewery and restaurant, The Southern Sun. On a weekday, we would hike in Rocky Mountain National Park either to Chasm Lake or Emerald Lake and jump into the cold alpine water. We’d stop at the Nepalese restaurant in Estes park for dinner. For other dinners, we’d potluck with friends, grill out, and play games. One day we’d visit downtown and go to Scratch Labs Cafe for lunch where they have electrolytes on tap and delicious Asian inspired dishes in a casual cafe environment. We’d stroll the pedestrian walkway and stop at Heady Baur for some vintage clothes shopping. We’d invite some friends to join us for a drink on a rooftop patio or fun cocktail bar. On another day, we’d take a trip to Longmont to visit Sandy’s Coffee and Tea, my friends’ unique and quirky cafe and pair it with some pickleball in the park. If we wanted live music, we could find something free or get a ticket to Red Rocks or another awesome venue. The week would feel full and adventurous, complete with long days, good food and great company.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ll dedicate my shoutout to my long time mentor and friend Justen Sjong aka the Climbing Sensei. Justen has 18 years on me and lifetimes of climbing achievements including first ascents on El Capitan in Yosemite. In 2017 we started climbing together in Eldorado Canyon. He is a natural coach and mentor and I am very lucky that he was willing to pour some of that energy into me. His wisdom, guidance and patience has supported me in becoming more mindful, strategic, and skillful as a climber, coach and growing adult. He schooled me on understanding finances on adventures scrambling in the Boulder Flatirons during the pandemic, which inspired me to open a Roth IRA (very important). I have no idea where I’d be in my climbing and career without him, but it wouldn’t be here. We even got to coach a course together last year in the gym “Conscious Climbing with Padawan and Sensei.” It was fun to bring our different energies and skillsets together to offer something unique.

Website: https://www.sunrise-mindset.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunrise_mindset/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccadroz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573207326241