One of the most anticipated books of the season is undoubtedly Marie-Pier Desharnais' book. The entire Chlorophylle team is eager to get a copy signed by our ambassador.

In the meantime, here are some anecdotes about the writing of her book.

1. It was during a family dinner at the end of the year, where each family member makes wishes, that Marie-Pier launched her desire to tell her story in a book. " It's a tradition in our family. We express and project our intentions one by one. That day, I said that if I could write a book and do a TED Talk, it would be amazing," she recalls. After returning from a trip to Antarctica, the most important trip of her life, she found two emails to launch these two projects.

2. A great communicator, the mountaineer was nevertheless scared at the idea of working on a book, as she doesn't particularly enjoy writing. She wanted the help of a "ghostwriter" to achieve it, as the task seemed like... a mountain to her! "In the end, I wrote a first chapter and realized that the words were flowing. It was easier than I thought. I sent the result to my editor, who told me that the whole team was eager to discover the rest," she remembers.

Marie-Pier Desharnais on top of a mountain.
Marie-Pier Desharnais facing a mountain in Nepal.
Marie-Pier Desharanais climbing a mountain
Mountaineering ceremony at Everest base camp.
Marie-Pier Desharnais in her tent in Antarctica.
Marie-Pier Desharnais in Antarctica.

3. Marie-Pier realized that writing had real therapeutic benefits for her. This project allowed her to take stock, look back on experiences, relive emotions... and above all, to be extremely grateful for her difficult but vibrant journey. "It made me realize how lucky I was to meet inspiring and motivating people. Looking ahead is good, but we also need to look back because it helps us go further afterwards.", says the one who draws a parallel with climbing a mountain. When you look ahead, it's often discouraging to see the summit so far away. However, her approach is to say, there is still this to do, yes, but let's see what we have done behind us.

4. The first woman in the Americas to reach the 7 highest volcanic peaks, she hopes that her book will allow everyone to realize that we are our own limits. "What I have done may seem grandiose, but I am not a superwoman, a Moana or a Lara Croft. I am just a girl from Victoriaville, broken by a tsunami, who fought hard not to fall apart. I let myself be carried away by dreams and ambitions. I was almost 30 years old when I went on my first mountain.", she describes, explaining that we all have the resources within us to remove the barriers we set for ourselves and deconstruct our fears.

 

5. Marie-Pier wrote her book during a climb in Nepal while accompanying a client. "I remember a particular moment, while I was writing in one of the last camps before Everest. It was cold and the sun rays coming through the window were warming me up. I was thinking back to the humans who played a role in my life. I was writing and tears were streaming down my cheeks. I felt exactly in the right place at the right time. It was the strongest moment of this project where I was full of gratitude.", recalls the young woman hoping to help readers propel themselves towards other summits in turn.

 

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