Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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@alexhonnold9601 was the first person to free solo El Capitan, and he recently climbed Taipei 101 while millions watched on livestream. But how did he prepare mentally?

Science Friday chatted with Alex and Jessica Bartley, a psychologist for the U.S.'s top athletes, to find out what's really going on in the minds of extreme athletes.

Listen to the podcast and watch the full interview on YouTube this Tuesday!