Dierdre Wolownick wants you to think for yourself, a lesson she learned the hard way. Growing up in a traditional Eastern European family in 1950s New York, she was raised with rigid expectations about how a woman’s life should unfold. Like many women of her generation, she initially followed the path laid out for her—until she chose not to.
If her name isn’t familiar, you might know her son, Alex Honnold, the record-breaking rock climber and subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo. But Dierdre is a legend in her own right.
A Life of Achievements and Challenges
Dierdre raised two remarkable children, Alex and his sister, a long-distance cyclist and climber. She built a distinguished career as a language teacher, excelling in a field that was one of the few professional options for women at the time. Over the years, she has taught five languages, speaks eight, written books, spoken at conferences, conducted an orchestra, worked as a multilingual tour guide, and invested in real estate.
Yet, along with those successes, she faced difficult times, including a challenging marriage. As a mother, she adapted to raising Alex, whose determination and climbing prowess showed early. Later, she had to cope with the reality of him taking life-threatening risks.
But Dierdre shares the same adventurous spirit as her children. In her 50s, she found the courage to leave her unhappy marriage. She also took up rock climbing and, in her 60s, became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan, the same peak her son famously conquered without ropes.
Learning to Listen to Herself
How did Dierdre overcome life’s struggles and break free from society’s “shoulds and can’ts”? She learned to listen to herself. Instead of prioritizing cultural norms, family expectations, or media-driven messages about how a woman or senior should behave, she followed her own instincts.
Her key to self-discovery? Years of journaling and spending time outdoors. These activities gave her the reflection needed to understand herself better and set new goals. She credits journaling as a lifeline during her 20-year marriage, offering the benefits of therapy, but free.
A Message for Today
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have spent more time at home, providing an opportunity to reassess our values and journeys. Dierdre’s advice? Use this time to think for yourself:
- Journal to gain clarity.
- Stay active, run if you can, walk if you can’t.
- Reflect on your connection with the planet and your obligations to it.
Even as we juggle remote work and family responsibilities, we have a unique chance to take stock of where we are. Dierdre’s message is simple: Go for it.
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