CLAIRE

Julian followed my gaze. "You do move like that," he said. "Maybe not physically on a climbing wall, but in your work, in how you've handled everything."

"I don't feel confident," I admitted.

"Confidence isn't about not being scared," Julian replied. "It's about being scared and doing it anyway."

The woman reached the top of her route and rang a bell, other climbers cheered for her. "Want to try one more wall before we go?" Julian asked.

"One more," I agreed.

We picked a moderately difficult route and I went first. This wall had smaller holds, required more strategy. I got halfway up and found myself stuck, unable to...