Climbing With Phunjo Lama

Everest 2026 is a different expedition to 2023 — not just because I am returning, but because of who I am climbing with.

I will be climbing alongside Phunjo Lama, one of Nepal’s most accomplished high-altitude athletes and one of only two elite female Nepali Everest guides.

Phunjo is recognised as the fastest woman to climb Everest, a record earned through discipline, precision, and deep mountain knowledge. She has built her career in an environment where women have rarely been given the opportunity to lead at altitude — and has done so through capability, not promotion.

We come from very different worlds — a woman in her 50s living with Multiple Sclerosis, and a Nepali woman who grew up in a yak-herding family — but we share a profound alignment: respect for the mountains, commitment to preparation, and the belief that perceived limits do not get to define what is possible.

This partnership is practical, not symbolic.
It is grounded in trust, experience, and a shared understanding of what it takes to make sound decisions in extreme environments.

Together, we bring a rare combination of lived experience, technical expertise, and leadership to Everest 2026 — strengthening both the story and the standard of the climb itself.

Why This Story Matters

Climbing Everest is a demanding test of judgement, endurance, and self-leadership.

This expedition speaks to what’s possible when people choose to go beyond perceived limits — thoughtfully, deliberately, and with purpose.

It resonates because it reflects challenges many people recognise:

– Living with invisible conditions such as MS
– Women stepping into spaces still dominated by men
– Ambition and performance in our 50s and beyond
– Anyone questioning what they are truly capable of

It’s a story people connect with deeply — and a platform organisations can align with to visibly support courage, inclusion, and human possibility.

Everest 2026 isn’t about proving something once.
It’s about showing what it looks like to keep choosing forward — with belief, intention, and a commitment to what still matters.

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Meet Me — Why I’m Climbing Again

I invite you to take a moment to “meet me in person” through this short video.

This video was originally created for a planned 2025 return to Everest. After careful consideration, I chose to pause — to focus on writing my book, give my MS a strong hit with Mavenclad, and ensure I could personally contribute to this expedition alongside sponsorship support.

This climb is now going ahead in 2026 — shaped by determination, possibility, and a continued willingness to move beyond perceived limits.

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What Your Brand Will Be Part Of

When you partner with Everest: Beyond Limits as a sponsoring organisation, your brand becomes part of a real, unfolding human story — one with depth, credibility, and long-term reach well beyond the climb itself.

This partnership offers meaningful visibility through story, leadership and engagement, not just exposure.

Speaking & leadership engagement
Post-expedition keynotes, fireside conversations and facilitated sessions that translate the Everest experience into practical insights around resilience, identity, leadership and decision-making — delivered directly to your people.

Book & long-form storytelling
The release of How Far Would You Go to Find Yourself? extends the story into new audiences and sectors. Partner organisations are acknowledged as part of the journey behind the story.

Identity Realignment Cycle™
A research-informed framework grounded in lived experience, used in keynotes, workshops and organisational conversations — adding depth, credibility and relevance to the partnership.

Documentary storytelling
An ongoing documentary project, built from professionally filmed footage captured across multiple expeditions (including Everest Base Camp 2024 and Everest 2026), creating a long-form storytelling asset with sustained life beyond the climb.

Media reach & amplification
National media coverage already includes The Australian Women’s Weekly, SBS, Channel 10, Channel 9, ABC Radio, The Project, and MS Australia — with further amplification through expedition coverage, speaking, and partner networks.

Partnership scope and activation are shaped collaboratively, ensuring alignment with organisational goals, audience context, and brand values.

This is a partnership grounded in belief, courage and human possibility — designed for organisations who want to be associated with a story that is trusted, remembered, and carried forward.