What’s Your 101 Skyscraper?

Alex Honnold's selfie, perched on top of Taipei 101 skyscraper after climbing 1667 ft without ropes or safety gear, Jan 26 2026.

3 Lessons from Alex Honnold’s 1,667-Foot Skyscraper Climb That Apply As a Corporate leader

First, a caveat: I’m not a professional climber—not even close.

I’m also not an expert in mountaineering or competitive climbing.

But I am deeply familiar with the desire to go after something that once felt impossible—whether that’s training for an athletic feat that seems insane (an Ironman… or even a first marathon), starting a company, or doing a firewalk across piping-hot coals 🔥.

Maybe that’s why, on January 25, 2026, watching world-class climber Alex Honnold scale 1,667 feet up the Taipei 101 skyscraper—without ropes or safety gear— completely mesmerized me, along with the 6.7 million people who tuned in live to Netflix to watch.

Creating Your Own Olympics

Climbing is an Olympic sport—but only in certain formats.

Skyscraper climbing isn’t one of them.

There’s no official medal for scaling 91 stories of steel and glass, nearly 1,700 feet in the air.

And yet—Alex still showed up.

He was literally facing a dream he’s had since he was a kid, with his life on the line. He created his own version of the Olympics 🥇.

Yes, Netflix paid him $500K to climb—but that’s beside the point.

What mattered was this:He didn’t wait for permission.He didn’t wait for recognition.He defined his own climb.

And that’s where the lessons begin.

Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 skyscraper Jan 26, 2026 (courtesy of Netflix)

Lesson 1: You Don’t Need Permission to Define THE Challenge

Alex didn’t wait for his sport to be recognized in a particular way.He didn’t wait for external validation or a formal stage.

Just like in the Academy Award–winning documentary Free Solo, where he climbed El Capitan in Yosemite, he made his own rules.

Most of us—consciously or unconsciously—are waiting for someone else to tell us what’s worth going after:

·       The next title

·       The next promotion

·       The next externally approved milestone

But the most meaningful growth often comes from self-defined challenges.

Your personal 101 skyscraper might be:

·       Training for something physically demanding 💪

·       Taking on a stretch role

·       Rebuilding confidence after a setback

·       Choosing fulfillment over the “safe” path

You don’t need permission to go for it.

Alex Honnold climbing Taipei 101. Photo Credit: Ann Wang/Reuters, CNN

Lesson 2: Great Feats Require Presence—Not Just Talent

What makes Alex extraordinary isn’t just strength or skill.

Don’t get me wrong—those matter.But every single move on that building required complete presence.

No multitasking.No autopilot.No distraction.

And this is where the lesson lands for so many high-achievers.

I see people who are:

·       Successful, but exhausted

·       Capable, but disconnected

·       Achieving, but not fulfilled

Your personal climb demands more than your intellect.It asks you to engage your:

·       Mind

·       Body

·       Heart

That level of presence is what transforms effort into fulfillment ✨.

Lesson 3: What Once Felt Impossible Becomes Possible Through Commitment

Watching Alex stand at the top of Taipei 101—balanced on a surface just a few feet wide—felt almost unreal.

I’ll admit it: I winced. I looked away a few times.But I was all in.

I mean… is it even possible to take a selfie in high-gust winds, literally standing at the top of the world?

Of course, no one wakes up and does that on a whim.

Impossible feats become possible through consistent commitment over time.

The same is true for us—and the leadership we’re all capable of.

We forget what we can do because we get pulled into:

·       The day-to-day

·       The setbacks

·       Old patterns shaped by who we were—not who we’re becoming

The real question isn’t:Who have you been?

It’s:Who are you becoming—starting now?

My Personal Olympics

If you’ve been around here a while, you know—I love the Olympics. (Just check out those Paris 2024 posts.)

Right now, though, my “personal Olympics” looks different.

It’s about showing up at my best:

·       Physically

·       Emotionally

·       Mentally

·       Spiritually

That means:

·       Daily meditation

·       Consistent movement

·       Space for adventure and joy

and allowing room to not have all the answers, but to trust myself more and more.

And it means going for what once felt impossible to me:Being an agent of change—transforming myself and others, one pause at a time.

Through coaching, my group programs, and speaking, I share my story—especially how I lost a version of myself during burnout before my own Pause.

It also means continuing to bridge two worlds people often think don’t belong together: inner work and leadership performance.

I believe this integration is the next evolution of leadership—because the current pace, where success comes at the expense of health and fulfillment, simply isn’t sustainable.

Alex Honnold's selfie on top of his world, Taipei 101

An Invitation

So I’ll leave you with this:

If you were standing at the top of your skyscraper—steady, present, proud (maybe even taking a selfie on your perch 😉)—who would you be looking at?

What’s calling you forward?What challenge would help you become more you?

It doesn’t need applause.It doesn’t need a medal.And it definitely doesn’t need to be livestreamed (although… that would be interesting).

It just needs your commitment.

Because when you define your own climb—and choose to go for it—you don’t just change what you do.You change who you become.

👏 Kudos to you, Alex, for inspiring me—and millions of us—to re-examine what’s possible.

Did you watch Alex’s climb? Did you find it jaw-dropping and queasy-like as he hung from what most of us think of as impossible?

If this resonated, tell me: What’s your Skyscraper 101 right now? Comment below or DM me on social media, I'd love to know.