Zoe.
Zoe (she/her), is a competitive climber, ambassador and marketing creative based in Vancouver, BC.
Zoe is a competitive climber and marketing creative currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia. I first met Zoe when she was working with my partner on their small team managing the marketing, creative & e-commerce for two online brands. Zoe’s strength and power as a climber is inspiring to me, especially as someone who also takes up space as an Asian female in the climbing world. In September, my partner, Autumn & I went on a roadtrip to the coast and managed to catch up with her in Squamish & Vancouver. Originally from China, Zoe was adopted by her Canadian parents and has certainly achieved a lot in her short time on this planet.
You can see Zoe in the climbing film Girls Gone Hueco, currently on tour around the United States and Canada. Follow her climbing & creative ventures on Instagram: instagram.com/zoe.beau.
Tell us about your upbringing & early life, what brought you to Montreal and then back to Vancouver.
I was raised in Victoria, BC and had a super West Coast upbringing. I have always been driven to explore and that curiosity led me off the island and into the "big city". I chose Montreal partly for the school but mainly for the opportunities the climbing scene presented. At the time I was 110% committed to pursuing the competitive circuit at the World Cup level and Montreal had the best gyms, teams, and training opportunities/support.
Montreal will always have a special place in my heart and has undoubtedly shaped me into the person that I am today. Once the pandemic hit and my degree came to an end, life started to take a turn in more ways than one and I decided it was time to migrate back out west. The culture in Montreal is youthful, energized, and artistic. The city has a lust for life and a limitless attitude towards creative projects and community. An attitude I definitely bring with me in my current life direction wherever I go.
In what way has your cultural heritage or upbringing influenced who you are today?
I don’t really think it has. My parents always made the best effort to make culture available to me but raising an Asian kid in a majorly caucasian community in Canada is hard. I have a lot of empathy for anyone raising a multi-cultural family. How do you introduce influence in a way that doesn’t feel forced or inauthentic to the child’s experience? Being adopted is part of my growing up and my DNA. I am as Asian as I look and my life experiences so far reflect my Western upbringing.
To that point, my cultural heritage has absolutely shaped my interests throughout my upbringing. I have always been curious about adoption and actively sought out others who shared a similar experience. I remember back in the early 2010’s, there were 2 or 3 pieces of media on YouTube that covered Asian adoptee stories like mine. They were MTV reality style and even that tiny glimpse into someone else’s perspective on being adopted was transformational in feeling seen and knowing that there were others like me.
How do you connect to your heritage and your origins as someone who was adopted?
Learning about culture through self-discovery, reading, media, and food have been some of the most impactful tools for me. When something isn’t given to you, it forces you to go out and get it. Growing up, I tried to surround myself with Asian friends as well. There are countless people in my life who probably still to this day don’t even know the impact they had on me in searching for cultural connection. It’s the little things like experiencing their relationship with grandparents, how to order at dim sum, and the second-hand nostalgia of a Chinese song they all grew up with.
How has being adopted shaped who you are today?
My adoption is the foundation of who I am today and has undoubtedly influenced every part of me. How can something given to you at birth not shape who you are? The experience of an adoptee influences how I see the world, who/how I connect with others, my drive and determination, my curiosities, and etc. I’m a big believer of nurture (vs nature) and while there are pieces of our DNA that we can influence, we can not erase it.
What is it about climbing that you are drawn to/inspires you?
Climbing is a universal language. I love how climbing brings people together, promotes a healthy lifestyle in the outdoors, and encourages vulnerability at every skill level. It’s an art, a science, a community, a set of ideals, and a lifestyle.
How has time in the outdoors shaped who you are today?
I am incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to grow up in close proximity to the outdoors. From surfing on the coast to climbing in the desert, spending time in nature has always humbled and reminded me how important it is to take care of ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Were you always athletic, or is this something you came to love later in life?
Ever since I could walk I have been athletic! I started in the jolly-jumper then progressed through competitive gymnastics, soccer, and then climbing. I’ve always been a sporty kid and participated in numerous school and team sports throughout my growing up as well! Movement is like my love language and is definitely integral to my life :)
Describe what being feminine means to you.
To be in touch with your femininity means that you are expressive, driven, passionate, creative, and free. I’ve learned how to embrace my feminine side and embrace the balance between feminine and masculine energies. I love that you don’t have to choose a “side” or box yourself into a certain way of being. Humans are complex, multi-dimensional beings and we should never let anyone, especially ourselves, put limits on what we can do and who we can be.
What is an aspect of yourself that you feel at home in?
This question made me smile. If you had asked me this question a year or two ago, I hadn’t even discovered this part of myself yet. I feel at home in my creativity. When l graduated from business school I remember thinking "oh, I'm not a creative". And when I started to dig deeper and understand what being “a creative" meant to me and subsequently why I didn’t feel worthy of calling myself “a creative”, it gave me the power to practice the self-compassion I had neglected to allow my creativity to bloom. I love ideating, telling stories, bringing communities together and projects to life.
So long story long, I feel at home in my creativity and am proud of all the unique ways my creativity presents itself.
What is an aspect of yourself that you struggle with?
Belonging is a tough one for anyone. I still think that I’m figuring out my ideal balance between searching for a feeling of belonging and knowing that I belong. It's hard to know to what capacity adoption plays a role in this as it's a pretty normal human desire to feel belonging but it is probably the thing I struggle with the most to keep in equilibrium.
Why are these portraits important to you?
I actually love how these photos came together because we had the most go-with-the-flow plan, were vibing off of each other all shoot, lost track of time, lost all the light, and still came out with some incredible shots!! I think it speaks to how life is; you can’t plan for everything but by surrounding yourself with great people and trusting the process you’ll usually end up with something you’re proud of!
