Tia Banks – From Pro Athlete to Mountaineer: Climbing the 7 Volcanic Summits and Teaching Resilience Through Adventure

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.

 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

 Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x

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