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In this revealing episode of Adventure Unfiltered, Lorna sits down with adventurer and mountaineer Mollie Hughes - who was the first British woman to summit Mount Everest from both the south and the north sides.

Lorna knew the headlines before they recorded: the records, the photos, the iconic summit shots. But she didn’t know the deeper story behind the climbs - the fear, the mindset, the exposure, and the quiet, determined psychology that carried a 21-year-old through one of the most dangerous environments on earth.

What unfolds is not a triumphalist Everest story, but a deeply human one.

Together, they explore:

• Growing up with adventure and discovering mountaineering
• Interviewing Everest climbers for her dissertation
• How a fear of heights shaped (and challenged) Mollie’s Everest journey
• The creaking, shifting danger of the Khumbu Icefall
• What really happens to your body and mind at high altitude
• The pragmatic mindset that carried her through 60 days on the mountain
• Why summiting felt more like relief than joy
• The truth about the “death zone” - and why the descent is where most climbers die
• Returning to climb Everest a second time, older and wiser
• What exposure - physical, psychological and emotional - taught her about herself

Mollie’s honesty, intelligence and quiet strength shine through every part of this conversation. This is an episode about fear, resilience, mindset, exposure, and the reality behind one of the world’s most mythologised mountains.

This is exactly why Adventure Unfiltered exists — to go beyond the headline and into the human story.

About Mollie Hughes

Mollie Hughes is a record-breaking adventurer, mountaineer and motivational speaker. At 21 she summited Everest from the south side, and at 26 she returned to summit from the north, becoming the youngest woman in the world at the time to climb both sides of the mountain. Her work blends expedition experience, psychology, resilience and the science of fear - inspiring people around the world to explore their own potential. Mollie's website: molliehughes.co.uk; Instagram: @mollieJhughes Ocean Vertical: oceanvertical.com

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