From Dyslexia to Everest: How Neurodivergent Aerospace Engineer & Mountaineer Meghan Buchanan Defied the Odds to Achieve Extraordinary Heights

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“Start now building GGRIT, gratitude, growth, resilience, integrity, and tenacity, and make it a daily practice. “

— Meghan Buchanan

Meghan Buchanan, Aerospace Engineer, Adventure Athlete, and Motivational Speaker aiming to be the first US woman to complete the Adventurers Grand Slam—climbing the 7 Summits and reaching both the North and South Poles. Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7, Meghan pursued her engineering career with determination, earning a BS in Aerospace Engineering and an ME in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado.

After a life-threatening snowboarding accident in 2011, Meghan defied the odds by hiking Kilimanjaro again in 2013 and setting her sights on grander goals. She summited Mt. Everest in May 2022, becoming the first rocket scientist to complete the 7 Summits, and will finish the Last Degree Ski to the North Pole in April 2024, making her the 5th US woman to achieve the Explorers Grand Slam. Meghan uses her climbs to advocate for dyslexia and learning differences, believing that “Dyslexia gave me GGRIT.”

Show Notes:

In this inspiring episode of the Working Women Mentor podcast, we sit down with Meghan Buchanan, an Aerospace Engineer, Adventure Athlete, and Motivational Speaker. Meghan shares her extraordinary journey of defying the odds, from overcoming dyslexia and pursuing a career in engineering to tackling the world’s highest peaks. Learn how she leverages her own style of “GGRIT” to achieve the impossible, raising awareness for dyslexia and challenging societal perceptions along the way. Meghan’s story is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of pushing boundaries. ✨ Meghan offers tools through her method to transform your life now.

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Rani Alfers
Episode 9