Tia Banks – From Pro Athlete to Mountaineer: Climbing the 7 Volcanic Summits and Teaching Resilience Through Adventure
- Tough Girl
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
In this powerful episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Tia Banks—a former professional basketball player turned mountaineer and certified resilience expert. Based in Texas, Tia is on a bold mission to climb all seven volcanic summits, one on each continent, using her journey as a platform to inspire strength, courage, and mental resilience.
Her love for adventure began with Mount Kilimanjaro in 2021, where she faced illness, doubt, and the ultimate test of her mindset on summit night. But for Tia, mountaineering is more than reaching the top—it’s about how we speak to ourselves in tough moments, how we dig deep when we want to give up, and how we “climb our own mountains” in life.
In this episode, Tia opens up about her early years in sport, the “suck it up” mentality, the importance of positive self-talk, and her commitment to empowering young people through adventure therapy and her non-profit initiative, Summit Saturday.
If you're looking for a dose of motivation to keep pushing through your own challenges—or to finally try something you've never dared before—Tia’s story will light the fire.
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Show notes
Who is Tia Banks
Former professional basketball player
Certified in resilience
Based in Texas
Her early years and having a sporty childhood
The suck it up muscle
SUCK IT UP at 6 years old….
Becoming more aware of mental health on her personal journey
Getting into mountaineering
Climbing Kilimanjaro in 2021
Go big or go home
Writing her goal in her journal
Starting to prepare and research
Working with a breathing coach
Committing to the training
Focusing on endurance
Preparing her body and her mind
Positive self talk
Optimism
Book: Mind Over Mountains: Life Changing Strategies to Overcome Adversity
Digging into the mindset while on the mountain
Being sick when she first got to Africa
Being challenged to do hard things, even when you don’t feel like it
Needing to dig deep and why it wasn’t just a one time thing
Holding on to hope
Summit night on Kilimanjaro
Stella Point
Managing self talk and comparisons to other people
Pole Pole - Pronounced “po-lay po-lay,” it's Swahili for “slowly, slowly.”
The technique of reframing
Going into schools and talking about mental health with children and young adults
Saray Khumalo - first black African woman to reach the summit of Mt Everest
Needing to ask for help
Why motivation style changes and different motivation is needed at different times
Working towards a biggest challenge
Wanting to summit all 7 volcanic summits on each continent
Mount Giluwe in Papua New Guinea
Adventure Therapy
Non Profit - ‘Summit Saturday’ - taking at risk youth out into nature
Managing herself to ensure not to burnout
Wanting to build a better self care regiment
Self Care Sunday and doing a series on tick Tok
Holding herself accountable
Talking about resilience and motivation with younger children
How to connect with Tia on social media
Final words of advice for people who are climbing their own mountain
What’s going to help you have the mindset to overcome your challenge
Try something new, try something you’ve never tried before
Social Media
Website: www.tiabanks.com
Instagram: @thetiabanks
YouTube: @thetiabanks1
TikTok: @thetiabanks1
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