“It sometimes feels like to be taken seriously as a woman mountaineer, you have to act serious all the time”

My time spent in Central Asia and my strong friendship with Journal of Nomad’s founder, Cynthia, soon inspired me to plan my own adventure.

In August 2025, climber Hannah Mitchell and I set out on a self-supported mountaineering expedition in Tajikistan’s Fann Mountains in August 2025. As with any challenging trip, there were extreme highs and lows, but our laughter cushioned the blows. I’m editing our footage into a film about how we navigated trust, humour and healing.