Margo Talbot of ‘All That Glitters’ On How To Achieve Great Success After Recovering From An Addiction
An Interview with Penny Bauder
Trust yourself. Addiction experts, counselors and psychotherapists can give you objective feedback and signposts to navigate by, but only you know in your heart what is truly right for you.
When people are trapped in a severe addiction it can feel like there is no way out and there is no hope for a better future. This is of course not true. Millions of people are in recovery from an addiction and they go on to lead successful, fulfilling and inspiring lives.
Authority Magazine started a new series about women who were able to achieve great success after recovering from an addiction. The premise of the series is to offer hope and inspiration to people who feel trapped in similar circumstances.
As a part of this series we had the pleasure to interview Margo Talbot.
Margo Talbot is an author, speaker and coach based in the Columbia Valley, BC. She works with organizations and associations looking to enhance their wellbeing through a focus on vitality in the workplace and runs experiential learning programs for youth-at-risk battling addiction.
As a sponsored ice climber, she has taught clinics all over North America. Her work has taken her from the High Arctic to Antarctica, guiding clients on expeditions to the South Pole and Antarctica’s tallest peak, Mt. Vinson.
Her book, All That Glitters: A Climber’s Journey Through Addiction and Depression, was a finalist at the 2011 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. She is the creator of The Vitality Spectrum, a process for both recovery and optimal mental health as outlined in her 2013 TEDx talk (195,000 views as of October 2021).
Her mission is to help you Maximize your Mental Fitness by building your resilience, enhancing your vitality, and reclaiming your mental mojo.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
I was born into inter-generational trauma on both sides of my family tree. My mother suffered from mental illness that stemmed from her own childhood, and my father drank excessively to cope with his PTSD. My childhood was characterized by abuse and neglect, which left me open to unhealthy coping patterns that started in puberty.
Do you feel comfortable sharing with our readers how you were initially introduced to your addiction? What drew you to the addiction you had?
By the age of twelve, I was already spending my nights drinking and partying with the older boys in the neighborhood. Before long, they introduced me to pot and hashish, and by the age of thirteen I had tried psychedelics. As I grew older, so did my dependency, and the list of substances kept growing.
As you know, addictions are often an attempt to mask an underlying problem. In your experience, what do you think you were really masking or running from in the first place? Can you explain?
Substances were the only outlet I had from the chronic emotional pain that I could not escape from because it was my home environment. I felt empty and worthless, like nobody cared about me. The boys in the ‘hood took me in, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was part of a tribe, like I belonged.
Can you share what the lowest point in your addiction and life was?
At the age of twenty-six, I dated a man who introduced me to Freebase, which is a home-made version of Crack Cocaine. It was incredibly addictive, and I sunk more deeply into an already substance-laden life. I left the house one day to go for a walk and ended up in a playground. I sat on the swing set and allowed myself to feel the utter emptiness I felt inside. I wondered if I would ever feel happy and carefree, like a child playing in a park. I realized I was never going to know as long as I stayed on the plethora of substances I was ingesting, so I made a promise to myself that I would start to clean up my life.
Was there a tipping point that made you decide that you needed to change? Can you please share the story?
I managed to get off Freebase but continued to use other substances excessively. Despite my best intentions, I could not figure out how to stop. Then, shortly before my twenty-eighth birthday, I was thrown in jail on drug charges. I wasn’t surprised that I ended up in jail, but I was surprised that it wasn’t the drugs I missed while locked up, but the feeling of wind in my hair and sun on my face. I realized that I loved freedom more than drugs, and that once I regained my freedom I would get drugs, and drug dealing, out of my life for good.
Can you tell us the story about how you were able to overcome your addiction?
Getting out of jail was easy compared with getting off drugs. Shortly before I got busted, my then boyfriend took me out ice climbing. On that day, I felt joy for the first time in my life without the use of a heavy dose of street drugs. I instinctively knew that this new activity was my ticket to getting off drugs, but I had no idea how I was going to do it. When I got out of jail, I started using my money to buy climbing gear instead of drugs. I started meeting people who climbed, and spending days out in the mountains getting strong. Over a two-year period, I transformed myself from a drug addict into an ice climber. And I have never looked back!
How did you reconcile within yourself and to others the pain that addiction caused to you and them? Can you please share a story about that?
I was a reclusive addict, I only hung out with other addicts and had minimal contact with my family. For that reason, I feel like I caused minimal harm to those around me. I always worked for my own money, I never stole, but I was unreliable as an employee due to my drug use. I probably disappointed my employers, who remained faithful to me despite everything, more than anyone else. I didn’t realize the pain I caused myself until many years after I got sober…
When you stopped your addiction, what did you do to fill in all the newfound time you had?
In addition to climbing, I started training my body in other sports, like skiing and mountain biking. As I started making the connection between my substance use and childhood trauma, I began reading what are often referred to as self-help books. I started going to therapy more regularly and learning everyday life skills like cooking healthy meals and getting adequate sleep. All of these new skills helped me create healthy routines that replaced the unhealthy ones.
What positive habits have you incorporated into your life, post addiction, to keep you on the right path?
I exercise daily, I find that movement lowers my anxiety as it increases the level of mood stabilizing chemicals in my brain. I meditate, as it helps me stay neutral especially when I get triggered by childhood issues. I eat a clean diet, including drinking lots of water. I spend time outside every day to get sunlight and fresh air, as well as stay connected to the natural world.
Can you tell us a story about the success that you achieved after you began your recovery?
As I moved away from drugs and into climbing, I began to feel a power inside of me that I never knew existed. It was physical, to be sure, but it was also something else: a feeling of well-being that had been lost in childhood, if I’d ever had it at all. Muscles began to develop all over my body, including in my hands. I began to wonder just how strong I could become, and if I could ever climb the hardest grade of waterfall ice. I threw myself into this question with a passion, and ten years after I got out of that jail cell, I climbed my first Grade 6 ice route. My life started moving very quickly after that: I was invited to compete at the first Winter X Games. I became a sponsored athlete and ice climbing ambassador for Outdoor Research. I was offered work as a guide in Antarctica, taking clients to the South Pole and the summit of Mount Vinson. I worked as a tour guide on cruise ships in Antarctica and the High Arctic. I taught women-specific ice climbing clinics for Chicks with Picks, as well as at ice climbing festivals all over North America. I was brought in to give presentations about my climbing exploits, and at a certain point I decided to write a memoir of my experiences in the hope that it could help others move through their recovery.
What character traits have you transferred from your addiction to your current achievements? Please share both the positive and negative.
I have a very obsessive personality, which was once focused on getting and doing drugs, but is now equally as focused on training and climbing. I have intense emotions, including anger, and instead of dulling this with substances I now know how to channel it and use it as my superpower.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you share five pieces of advice that you would give to a person who is struggling with some sort of addiction but ashamed to speak about it or get help?
- While your addiction and the actions around it are your responsibility, there are real and valid reasons from your past that are driving the need for substances. Look into those reasons as they contain the key to your recovery.
- Two states underpin addiction: depression, which is being caught in the pain of the past; and anxiety, the fear of future events. The obvious antidote to both is living in the present moment. For this reason, it is imperative that you find something you love, something so engaging the rest of the world literally disappears. It was ice climbing for me, for others it might be playing music, painting, or working on collector cars.
- Your peers are mirrors that reflect who you believe you are. Surround yourself with people who love and support you in your healing work. It goes without saying: you must move away from those who don’t.
- Trust yourself. Addiction experts, counselors and psychotherapists can give you objective feedback and signposts to navigate by, but only you know in your heart what is truly right for you.
- Know that nothing outside of you is stronger than what is inside of you.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Joe Rogan, because he is one of the most curious, courageous, and compassionate thinkers in the world.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
