Supporting the New Climber’s Journey – CBJ Podcast with Megan Cheek

Supporting the New Climber's Journey – CBJ Podcast with Megan Cheek
Graphic by Climbing Business Journal; all photos courtesy of Megan Cheek

On this episode of the Climbing Business Journal podcast, host John Burgman is joined by Megan Cheek. Megan is the Digital Marketing Manager and Content Strategist for Climbing Collective, which includes the Inner Peaks gyms in North Carolina, Philadelphia Rock Gyms in Pennsylvania, and Hudson Boulders in New York. They talk about what the Climbing Collective is and how several different gyms and gym brands operate within it. From there, they chat about Megan’s role as a content strategist and what it means to create content for climbing gyms these days.

John and Megan pinpoint the new Inner Peaks location, which is in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte. They discuss the NoDa gym’s layout and the focus at the gym on the first-time climber’s journey. To that point, Megan provides some insights on how a gym’s layout can help foster the development of a climber, from beginners to longtime members.

General Topics Covered

  • What is the Climbing Collective?
  • Megan’s Role in Marketing
  • Storytelling in Climbing
  • Adapting to Changing Marketing Trends
  • Inner Peaks NoDa Design
  • Neurodiversity in Climbing
  • Staff Training on Failure
  • Is the Art of Projecting Lost Indoors?
  • Positive Experiences and Member Retention
Atomik Climbing Holds

Show Notes

Thank you Butora and Rock Gym Pro for your support!
And thank you Devin Dabney for your music!

Megan Cheek enjoying the great outdoors

Megan Cheek at the climbing gym

John Burgman

John Burgman is the author of High Drama, a book that chronicles the history of American competition climbing. He is a Fulbright journalism grant recipient and a former magazine editor. He holds a master’s degree from New York University and bachelor’s degree from Miami University. In addition to writing, he coaches a youth bouldering team. Follow him on Twitter @John_Burgman and Instagram @jbclimbs. Read our interview Meet John Burgman, U.S. Comp Climbing's Top Journalist.