Anja Blacha is truly exceptional: In the early 2020s she became the first woman to ski solo and unsupported from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole; a feat recognized by Guinness World Records. The expedition covered 1381 km in just 58 days, facing snow storms with winds up to 100 km/h and temperatures down to -35°C while Anja was pulling a 100 kg sledge with everything the explorer needed to survive. Anja is also among the world’s top mountaineers. As of 2025, she has climbed twelve of the fourteen 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen; including a Mount Everest summit without bottled oxygen in May 2025.

In the Sparkr Podcast conversation with Anja, the goal was simple: Understand what kind of mindset and self‑leadership makes her achievements possible and what business leaders can borrow even if they don’t need to survive in the literal “death zones” of this planet.

Boardrooms and C-suites rarely look like an Antarctica expedition but some of the underlying challenges can be similar: You must make decisions under uncertainty, pressure is high, the stakes are real and the easiest option is rarely the right one. In those moments, leadership is not a set of intentions. It is the quality of your decisions, your discipline and your ability to execute under pressure with a well-performing team.

So, no matter if you are climbing the corporate ladder, Mount Everest or if you’re already at the top where the air is thin, let’s shed some light on leadership lessons that help you succeed at the South Pole and in the boardroom.

You can find an article providing an executive summary of this conversation and with the key leadership takeaways here https://sparkr.ch/leadership-lessons-anja-blacha/

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ABOUT SPARKR

The Sparkr Podcast is published by Sparkr. Sparkr is an agency for strategy work, innovation and leadership supporting leaders, change makers and innovators mostly in Switzerland. Learn more on www.sparkr.ch

You can follow and connect with the host Christian Lundsgaard on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-lundsgaard-hansen/

If you want to get in touch with Christian Lundsgaard to discuss an engagement as moderator, workshop facilitator, personal sparring partner or another mandate, you can book a virtual meeting here: https://calendly.com/christian-sparkr/30min

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YOU CAN ALSO EXPLORE SPARKR'S LIBRARY OF FREE HANDBOOKS, FRAMEWORKS AND MORE:

Check out Sparkr's compact strategy handbook (in German) featuring methods and tipps for successful strategy work here: https://sparkr.ch/strategie-handbuch/

Assess your own leadership style by applying Sparkr's leadership framework (in German) here: https://sparkr.ch/leadership-spannungsfelder/

Looking for guidance to develop your career or your personal growth strategy? Take a look at the "HOPE Framework" which gives you a (H) holistic approach to assessing your (O) opportunities for (P) personal (E) evolution. You can test the free version or purchase the full version here: https://sparkr.ch/hope/

Folgen-ID: 1000745596361

GUID: tag:soundcloud,2010:tracks/2243235677

Erscheinungs­datum: 18.1.2026, 07:00:04