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Strength Through Challenge in the Mountains

Adventurer and Mind Over Mountains founder Alex Staniforth joins Dr Lee David to explore how time in nature can support mental health, resilience and perspective. Spending time in the mountains can offer something increasingly rare in modern life – space. Space to think, to feel and to see our lives from a wider perspective. For many people, the outdoors offers not only challenge and adventure but also clarity, regulation and a deeper sense of meaning. In this episode of The Choice Space, Alex shares how early experiences of illness, bullying and feeling different shaped his sense of self – and how discovering the mountains offered a powerful sense of safety, possibility and purpose. The conversation explores how stepping beyond familiar limits, outdoors or in everyday life, can build confidence and coping capacity. They also reflect on Alex’s experiences on Mount Everest and the impact of the Nepal earthquake, including the challenge of making sense of trauma and finding meaning through helping others. Rather than viewing resilience as toughness alone, the discussion explores the role of values, connection and self-compassion in sustaining wellbeing. The episode also explores nature’s role in mental health – widening perspective, supporting presence and creating opportunities for connection. Alex explains how this led to the creation of Mind Over Mountains, which combines outdoor experiences with psychological support to help people build lasting tools for wellbeing. This is a thoughtful conversation about the mental health benefits of nature, finding strength through challenge and making small, intentional choices that support resilience and wellbeing. Key moments 00:00 Why the outdoors creates space and perspective 03:18 Early experiences and self-belief 07:29 Finding safety and possibility in the mountains 11:50 Values, purpose and choosing challenge 15:15 Connection, solitude and restoring energy 20:14 Creating space through the outdoors (Choice Pause) 23:07 Everest, survival and the Nepal earthquake 27:12 Trauma, meaning and long-term recovery 35:59 Nature as therapy and launching Mind Over Mountains 39:14 Nature’s impact on wellbeing and connection 42:14 Supporting mental health through time outdoors 🌿 About Alex Staniforth Alex Staniforth is an adventurer, speaker and founder of the mental health charity Mind Over Mountains. By 19 he had survived two Mount Everest disasters and has lived with epilepsy, mental ill health, a stammer and bullying since childhood. He is the fastest person to climb all 446 mountains in England and Wales under human power and author of Icefall and Another Peak. About the host Dr Lee David is a GP, CBT therapist and author specialising in mental health and wellbeing. Lee has written many books on CBT, mindfulness and teen wellbeing, and speaks regularly at conferences and in the media. Away from work she enjoys running, hiking, singing in a choir and spending time outdoors with her family. You can find Lee through her website (www.thechoicespace.co.uk) and on Instagram, TikTok (@dr.lee.david) and LinkedIn. You can find more about her books, wellbeing courses and therapy here: https://linktr.ee/dr.lee.david About the guest Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-runner, speaker and founder of the mental health charity Mind Over Mountains. By 19, he had survived two Mount Everest disasters, and has lived with epilepsy, mental ill health, a stammer and bullying since childhood. He is the fastest person to climb all 446 mountains in England and Wales under human power and is the author of Icefall and Another Peak. Connect with Alex: • www.alexstaniforth.com • www.linkedin.com/in/alexstaniforth • www.instagram.com/alexstaniforth_ • www.facebook.com/AlexAdversity • askalex@alexstaniforth.com • https://mindovermountains.org.uk/