Get a Grip: A climbers’ route to stronger mindset & better mental health

by Louis Parkinson, Joel Robertson

Climbing pushes us to our limits – physically and mentally. Fear, self-doubt, comparison and the need for belonging shape not only the way we climb, but the way we live.

In Get a Grip, climbing coach Louis Parkinson and psychotherapist Joel Robertson draw on their years of experience in coaching and therapy to explore eleven of the most common psychological challenges that climbers face. From self-worth and body image, to mindfulness, fear, relationships and the critical inner voice, they offer a thoughtful and practical guide to understanding what’s happening beneath the surface.

Rather than presenting a rigid formula for success or a perfect mindset to aspire to, Get a Grip encourages curiosity, reflection and self-compassion. Using first-hand accounts, ideas, discussion and practical exercises, you are invited to explore your own emotional landscape and discover new ways of approaching both climbing and life.

Whether you’re projecting your hardest route, rebuilding confidence after a setback or simply trying to enjoy climbing more fully, Get a Grip offers a path towards greater resilience, freedom, connection and joy – on and off the wall.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

Published October 8, 2026

Reviews

[Happy Traveller 123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

GET A GRIP
A well compiled and produced book

Climbing coach Louis Parkinson and psychotherapist Joel Robertson have worked well together to produce this super book.  

They encourage us to self reflect but, in doing so, be kind to ourselves. The aim to achieve a healthier understanding of what in reality, really matters to each individual. To gain a better understanding of who we are and why we do things the way we do.

At first glance it seems that the book is focussed on climbers however the content in engaging form gives information, advice & strategies transferable beyond just climbers & climbing. 

It encourages skills for anyone wanting to gain a better and healthier view of self, especially those in outdoor activités.   

We are all so much more complicated than we often realise, handicapped through the complexities of our own background and history. As we age we gather strategies to cover up our vulnerabilities and oft times this can actually hold us back from the best achievement for self. This book helps create a healthier mindset and much stronger mental health.

A super, and I found it a very useful, read.

[Arabella Woodrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is co-authored by a climbing coach and a psychotherapist. It is aimed at helping climbers (specifically) to address their fears, perceived shortcomings and difficulties that may prevent them from improving their climbing ability and results, by thinking about them differently.
It is written a sensitive, non-preachy and constructive way that is easy to follow and put into practice. Each chapter deals with a different issue that climbers often encounter (11 in total). Each chapter also ends with suggested (mental) exercises to try. Most of these involve physical climbing (mostly in a climbing gym), while doing them, but the main thrust is considering how one feels in the company of fellow climbers as well as actually tackling a new or challenging climb.
The book is primarily written for climbers, but there is much in it which would be of help to other types of athletes, or those with hobbies that demand physical co-ordination and/or teamwork. Much can also be extrapolated usefully to life in general.

[Alix A · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad to have read this book. I’ve been climbing a while and enjoy watching Louis’ YouTube videos. This brings together so much advice, alongside stories and experiences of professional climbers, to help with things that might well be holding you back from reaching full climbing potential - it’s mainly focused on bouldering but it can be so easily applied to all areas of climbing.

Louis and Joel work/write so well talking about experiences and them backing them up with fact and reasoning. It really helped me reflect, on both climbing and my general life, to why I may well be holding back with certain things or finding them difficult. It’s a really accessible book - it can be read cover to cover or chapters dipped into to find advice. There’s also lots of really useful links at the back of the book too. Definitely a book I will be going back to read again.

Really accessible, engaging and relatable, with practical advice and things to make you think and reflect and ideas for how to pour things into practice to make a change happen.

[Jim Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a relatively concise book, Get a Grip provides many powerful insights. The book is in four parts: self worth, mindset, the present moment and relationships.
The authors use the personal experiences of numerous climbers to understand and develop not only an insight into how our minds work, but also very practical tactics and strategies for how to cope with the world and live a happier and healthier life.
I would wholly recommend this book not only to climbers but to anyone who wants to understand better how their own mind works and what straightforward and practical steps they can take to build both confidence and mental health.

[pete munford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth a read, whether you are a climber or involved in another sport or you are just curious about your own mindset. Although the book is aimed particularly at climbers, l found some useful learning for life outside the sport, particularly in the chapters on self-worth, comparison with others, and the critical inner voice. The two authors succeed in doing what is stated on the jacket: encouraging curiosity, reflection and self-compassion. Highly recommended, despite the small print! Five stars.