Molly Claire 00:39

Hello, everyone. Welcome to this week's episode. I'm bringing to you an interview with Mariana Steelsmith, who is the founder of United Rocks. United Rocks is an organization put together to offer climbing opportunities for special needs climbers of all abilities and disabilities. And it is a fantastic organization that has been born of Mariana's heart and her own experience with Jake, her son who has Down syndrome. This interview came about because last year, because I do rock climb, and it's one of my favorite things to do. And this last year, I found out about United Rocks and started volunteering and working with a climber every single week. And watching what this is like seeing all of the volunteers coming together to support the growth and help these climbers have incredible experiences has just been so phenomenal. And I was so grateful to find it, so grateful to be a part of it. And as I've learned more about Mariana and her story, I just knew that I had to bring her here. You know, this podcast is all about life mastered, right? And what does that mean? What does it mean to master life? And I go back to really, truly, the more we can be aligned with who we are and our gifts and our purpose and to bring more goodness into the world. It is a never ending journey of life mastery and fulfillment. And Mariana's story is incredible. This organization is incredible. And I'm just thrilled to bring her here to you today. So let's go ahead and dive in. Hey, everyone, welcome to this week's episode. I am just really excited to share with you Mariana Steelsmith today, founder of United Rocks. This is a little bit different episode that I've done in a while. But I really want to share Mariana's story with you and her mission. And I know that you're going to be inspired as you know, to how she has taken what life brought to her and not only learned from it and grew with it, but has turned around and been able to impact other people. So all that being said, welcome to the podcast, Mariana.

Mariana Steelsmith 03:07

Thank you so much Molly, excited to be here. So nice to be here.

Molly Claire 03:07

So I'm going to have Mariana tell you more about this, but Mariana founded United Rocks. Give us your sound bite. What do you tell people United Rocks is?

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Mariana Steelsmith 03:18

Yeah, well, United Rocks started with a dream. We have two sons. One is 24 and Jake, Gabriel is 24 and Jake is 20. Sorry, Jake is eight. He's going to be eight in November. So we started this organization just to support Jake, like his brother had when he was growing up with Team Texas climbing and competing. And we love everything about climbing and the community. They were very supportive and encouraging him along the way. So we wanted Jake to have the same support as he probably had when he was growing up. And Jake, we didn't know he had Down syndrome when I was pregnant. So when he was born, we find out that he had Down syndrome. So we started looking for ways and what to create for him. And United Rocks came around and we decided, oh, let's create climbing teams for kids and adults with special needs. And this is how the dream was created in 2021.

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Molly Claire 04:20

Yeah, it's so great. So of course I love climbing, right? And that's how I found Mariana and United Rocks. I go to a climbing gym. It's one of my favorite things to do. And one day I saw a flyer about United Rocks where you can volunteer to help climbers with special needs, different disabilities. And I started going and it's such an incredible experience. And so, you know, Mariana, so I know that your older son, he was a climber, he had those experiences, right? You have Jake and Jake has Down syndrome and you're seeing that you would love for him to have the same experience. And I believe you looked around, right, to see where's a good place for Jake and there was nowhere that was a good place for Jake. Right? So then what do we do, right? If we're looking for something in the world that we need that's important and it's not there, well... They created it. Yeah, yeah. So tell us a little bit about that. So you wanted to create an opportunity for Jake and others as well. And how did that all start moving forward?

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Mariana Steelsmith 05:35

I live in Dallas, so we started in North Dallas and the city called Plano. So we started with five climbers in 2025, just to see how it was going to be. And if it was accepted or not, because nobody else was doing this. And how do we promote this, you know, just learning and going and moving forward. And it turned out that all the parents were in tears after they started climbing or, you know, the climbers, their participants, they never climbed before. They have never been in the climbing gym. They felt like this was like their therapy. The community that we had started creating was supporting each other. The parents were talking to each other, sharing resources. And the climbers, the participants were, you know, you see in their confidence build up, they were getting more independent. They were making friends. They and the other benefits that, you know, climbing gives you, you know, like physical strength in balance and focus and all these different benefits that climbing gives you. Plus, you know, having this supportive, inclusive community, that everybody was absolutely amazed by it. It was like, Oh, okay. This was great. So now, you know. I thought this was a good idea. I guess it was a good idea.

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Molly Claire 07:02

Well, you know, I mean, climbing is, it's such a cool experience, right? It's like, they're all levels of climbing. And I know I can say for me personally, when I, when I go climbing, it's this, it's challenging myself, right? It's the physical, the mental and emotional strength. A lot of times when I'm, you know, stuck with something in my business, I'm not, I just got it. I have to go to the climbing gym, right? And I'm climbing and it's like, I'm, I'm using all that energy as I'm moving up the wall and it builds, it builds confidence, it increases self-awareness. It's just, there are so many benefits. And when I think about, and in a minute I'm going to have you share kind of, you know, how it's grown and where it's gone, but I'll say, I know the first time that, that I went to volunteer just the, the various, I don't want to say levels of ability, but, but the different challenges and, and, and watching that, you know, whether someone had a pretty severe physical disability or right. Whether my climber that I worked with for quite a while, you know, he, he struggles to articulate, you know, what he needs or what he wants, right? And so it's kind of like, it doesn't matter if it's physical, mental, emotional, whatever the challenges that there's a place for these climbers to be able to build confidence and build a skill and, and prove to themselves that they can accomplish way more than they thought. And it's, it's such a cool experience also. And, um, in that, you know, you mentioned the parents because you know, that was one of my favorite things as well, because like, I'm just, I'm like, I'm a mom at heart. I love my kids. I'm a, I'm like a, you know, supportive of, you know, that mother-child relationship and supporting my climber was so fun. And I loved and adored him and connecting with his mom and right, because that's the thing I think so oftentimes, well, I was going to say as parents of special needs, kids, you can feel alone. But I actually want to say that I think as parents, it can feel really lonely because the fact is that we're all dealing with something unique with our kids. And we sometimes wonder if we're the only ones, right? Yes, exactly.

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Mariana Steelsmith 09:23

Yeah. They start talking to each other, parents and sharing, and it's just beautiful. It's like, oh, do you know this? Oh, no, I didn't. Thank you for sharing. So it's just as long as it's unity with community. So transform the world just to include these special climbers.

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Molly Claire 09:42

Yeah. So tell us because, so just painting the picture for all of you listening, right? Here Mariana is, she's a mom, she wants an opportunity for Jake. Opportunity isn't there. She says, okay, well let's create it. And so this started out very small and it's grown quite a bit. Oh, yes. Right? So tell us now, tell us what are the stats? What are the numbers? What does United Rocks look like now?

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Mariana Steelsmith 10:09

Yeah. So we had a grand opening in 2021, right? And we started climbing with five climbers in 2022. And now from Texas, we have five locations in Texas. And now we have other five, four states that we are in right now. So we're in five states and 11 locations. So it's just almost four years in this November, we're gonna, it's just, you know, it just exploded. So it was like, wow, this is amazing. And at the same time, scary or, you know, let's go do it. Let's conquer more gems and more states.

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Molly Claire 10:44

Yeah, yeah. And I love this community that it's created, right? This supportive space. And I believe when the climbers get, they get harnessed, they get shoes. Is that right? Yeah. Tell us about that. So if someone comes and they want to be a part of United Rocks, what does that look like for someone who wants to be a climber?

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Mariana Steelsmith 11:05

Okay, yes, absolutely. So you come and try for a month and see if it's a good fit for your family, you know, because sometimes they come and the climbers as much as you want to try and keep on coming and sometimes it's not for them. So the ones that they want to stay and keep on climbing after a certain amount of times, a certain amount of months climbing with us, we will give you your harness, your shoes, your climbing gear, you know, everything, your backpack, you know, everything that you need for climbing. And just to be part of the team, your team t-shirt with your logo, your name on the back, a jacket and backpack. Yeah, so everything is so awkward. And then, yeah, if that's what we're going to, you know, it's just being accepted and just having all the gear so you can climb comfortably in your own in your own things.

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Molly Claire 11:57

Yeah, yeah. And it's that being a part of the team, right? Because like your older son, he was a part of the team and, and just so what a cool thing, right? It's not only climbing and have the support to climb, but being a part of a team, having community.

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Mariana Steelsmith 12:12

Yes, and the good thing about road climbing is that it's an individual sport because you're climbing by yourself, right, but it's also a team sport because you have to, you know, communicate and have friends within the team and just create those connections as well.

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Molly Claire 12:28

Yeah, yeah, and I know you know some of the events that I've been to, climb fest this year. I was able to go with my daughter, which was so fun. And so we were both there supporting climbers and then of course the masquerade ball, which was really cool. Tell us a little bit about that because this was I mean it was such an incredible event, and to think that this all came from you wanting to create something for Jake and others and then to see this event that was, I mean, it was incredible. It was so robust, right? The music, the decorations, the auction, and to raise money. So tell us about it. It was fantastic. It was so fun to be a part of it

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Mariana Steelsmith 13:13

Yes, this was our first gala, so it was a lot of work. We didn't know how much work it was going to be, but it turned out really awesome. We have a lot of support from the sponsors, the chefs, ICF chefs, and it was donated, everything from them, so it was great. The food was amazing. And we have the sponsorship, the donors, the table sales. It turned out amazing. You were there, so that was amazing. So, yes, we're planning to do more events like this one, maybe not in Dallas, but we're going to switch it out to the different states that we are. So, we're looking at Colorado next year, maybe. So, we're doing the event over there for Climb Fest. So, we did Climb Fest just to... The first time we did it was last year, and just to see, create a competition, but we didn't call it competition because some of the climbers don't want to compete. So, it was a fun event. Because we did it in Dallas, we have the most teams here. So, we bring the five teams, and just climb for one day, for two hours, and just... They have a scorecard. The routes are numbers. You can pick your route, and the higher you go, the more points you get. And then, at the end, they will get in some ribbons. And it was a fun competition event and fundraising as well. We had some silent auction. We had some ruffle items. We have bake sales. We have vendors coming in. So, it was last year we did it for the first time, and it was great, and everybody loved it. And I was like, okay, this is going to be our same story event for fundraising. And it's fun, and everybody loves it. So, as we grow in different regions, we're going to have the same Climb Fest in every region as well.

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Molly Claire 15:09

Mm hmm. Yeah, it was such a great event because yeah, so if you are listening, if you can imagine so on Sundays, each different climbing gym location has climbing practice for a couple of hours, right? And so, you know, for me, if I'm going to volunteer, I'm there. I am, you know, I have a climber on the wall and I'm belaying him, right? And you are able to have them challenge themselves, right? And they can do the routes that are comfortable and it's just really cool. So this happens every week. And then Climb Fest was where all of the different locations came together. This one location, the one I was at this year was in Plano, Texas, right? The Plano gym and all the climbers come. And I just remember everyone being so excited to be a part of it. And it is so beautiful because it's an experience for each of the climbers to decide what routes they want to do, how much they want to challenge themselves, right? They have their own scorecard, but they're not competing with other people. But it was just, it's such a fun energy. And again, just thinking about what a cool experience that all of these climbers know. Everyone's here to support me. Everyone's cheering me on and excited to see me succeed.

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Mariana Steelsmith 16:26

It was amazing.

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Molly Claire 16:27

Yeah. Yeah. Well, you were there. I was there. I know I was there. So my daughter and I, we didn't see much of each other. Usually we would be close together when we volunteer, but we were apart. But it was just such a cool event. And and and just seeing how thrilled all of the climbers are with their progress.

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Mariana Steelsmith 16:48

And just at the end, giving the little ribbon, you know, take pictures, get on the podium, take some pictures. I'm so excited just to get that.

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Molly Claire 16:55

I know. I know. It's so much fun. So I love this. So kind of backing up, right? So as you're all listening, you know what it's like as a climber. And then at the end, of course, I'll have Mariana tell us where you can find her and find out more about United Rocks, support the cause. But as a volunteer, if there is a United Rocks active location where you are, it really is just a matter of submitting your paperwork, right? Having them kind of make sure that you would be a good fit. And then you just get to go and support a climber each week. Sometimes the same, sometimes different, but it's just a really, really fantastic opportunity. Yeah. So tell us if someone's listening to this and they want to find you, they want to find out if this is near them or if it can come to them. What's the best way for them to connect with you and find out more about it?

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Mariana Steelsmith 17:49

Yeah, they can go to the website. It's pretty easy to navigate unitedrocks.org. And you can read all the information about us. And then if you want to volunteer, there's a volunteer page that you can just fill out the form. We're automating all the emails now so people don't have to send you individual emails. So that's great. So you will get all the information there. And just, you know, if you're climbing already, you know, already know how to belay, how to pull the ropes, and then just show up on the next practice that we have. And we are right now in Texas, Colorado, California, Virginia, and Maryland.

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Molly Claire 18:23

Mm hmm. And more to come. Yes. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. So awesome. So we'll have all this information in the show notes. But Mariana, where do you when you think about your vision of what you would like to see from here? What is that? What do you imagine?

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Mariana Steelsmith 18:47

Well, we have two major goals. Well, three actually. The first one is to, of course, conquer the US. We want to be in every single gym in the USA that they have top rope. That's the only category that we're, the only discipline that we're climbing right now. And then once we get to that, we want to introduce the sport into Special Olympics because right now they don't offer climbing. So we want to be partnered with Special Olympics and just have the new sport introduced. And then also once we have all the US, then we go international because I'm from South America. I'm from Peru, from Lima. So we already started conversations over there with people just to, you know, look for land. And we want to build a nice gym for everybody to climb. So, and then we've been invited to several different countries to go there and just to start the program. I was like, okay, one second. Let me tell the US first and then we'll talk. Yeah, one step at a time.

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Molly Claire 19:41

Yeah, that's incredible. So a couple more questions before we finish up. I'd love to know what's been the best part about all of this for you or just maybe some of the highlights. Oh my gosh. I know such a big question, right?

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Mariana Steelsmith 19:56

But I will say, you're going to make me cry now, um, just seeing the climbers, just seeing the parents, the climbers, um, you know, just because I go to expansion events and then I come back and then say, we rotate different locations in the Dallas area. So I go to a gym that hasn't been there for a while and I see somebody like, you know, scaling the walls like nothing. And maybe he was just afraid of climbing or they were just swinging for, for a couple of months. And that was all they were doing. And when I go back and see that I was like, I'm just falling. I'm just crying. And the parents talking to me and they're so excited about this opportunity. They are so, um, thankful to me, to us for creating this for their kids, their adults, because, you know, like, I don't know. Some of the people that they don't have, uh, some of the parents that they don't have kids with disabilities. It's sometimes very hard to find friends for them because, you know, they, some of them, they're nonverbal. They can communicate, or they're not patient or, you know, any, any different reasons, right? So, but with this, what we have created is just, you can make friends anywhere. You know, especially we do the climb face. You can see different friends that you never met before. So that for me is just totally worth it.

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Molly Claire 21:25

It's everything. And I think watching the pride and the confidence and just, yeah, building them up in their own self-esteem, right? Their self-concept.

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Mariana Steelsmith 21:41

Yes. Yes. Challenging themselves, just another climber talking to another climber. I was like, yeah, maybe you should do this. And just, you know, advising them on how to climb. That's just like, wow.

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Molly Claire 21:52

Okay, it's the best. I know I love that when they're like encouraging them, and you know, just it's really fantastic. And you know, I know some of the things that that we do is like, you know, maybe we put like a stuffed animal a certain, you know a certain distance up the wall so they have that encouragement or using those little red like the pointer lights, right the laser pointers. And it's just really incredible. Well, this is what I would love for you to share if someone's listening to this, and maybe they've had a little idea of something they feel called to do to make a difference to move forward, but they're maybe doubting. What would you say to them?

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Mariana Steelsmith 22:35

Oh, please just, you know, if you need any advice or anything like that. First of all, you can call me if you have any questions. My cell phone is on the website and just, you know, make your dream come true. It doesn't matter what it is. If you have an idea, just go for it. You know, it's going to be scary, but just go for it and just surround yourself by other people that know more about what you're doing. So you can have people that help you in growing, you know.

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Molly Claire 23:06

Yes, yeah, right, you don't have to know it all. Find the people that know, somebody knows, and surrounding yourself with people who believe in what you're doing, right? And and and want to see you succeed. It goes back to that sense of community and team.

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Mariana Steelsmith 23:22

Yes, definitely.

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Molly Claire 23:23

Definitely. Amazing. Yeah. Well, anything else you'd like to share?

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Mariana Steelsmith 23:28

Well, thank you, Molly, for this opportunity, and whoever is listening, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all. I don't know everything, but if I can help you in some way, please reach out.

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Molly Claire 23:40

So awesome. Thank you. And you’ve got to follow United Rocks on social media, Instagram, and Facebook. It's so fun to see the pictures of the climbs that are going on and the new expansion and the events. It's just, it's the best. So everyone should definitely go and follow United Rocks. And thank you so much, Mariana, for all that you do and for your time today. All right, everyone. Thanks for being here. And I'll talk with you next week.