The Art of Fear

Guest: Kristen Ulmer, Former Extreme Skier, Author of “The Air of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won’t Work and What to Do Instead” Fearlessness was Kristen Ulmer’s claim to fame as one of the world’s best extreme skiers for more than a decade. How else could she have done all those crazy things for the cameras? Like the time she attempted her first backscratcher flip off a cliff in front of a movie cameraman. The first time she ever did it was on screen. Fear of failing would have kept many a great skier from trying that.  Ulmer skied ahead of – and in – avalanches. She skied over cliffs other hotshots were too chicken to take. And then she burned out and quit.  Decades later, Kristen Ulmer has concluded that her unhealthy relationship with fear was the root of her problems. She’s now an evangelist for fear. Her new book, “The Art of Fear,” argues for listening closely to our fears – even embracing them.