EP 429: From Five Climbers To A National Movement

What makes Mariana Steelsmith with United Rocks a good neighbor?

What if a climbing wall could change the way a community sees ability, challenge, and belonging? We sit down with United Rocks founder Mariana Steelsmith to unpack how a family’s love for rock climbing grew into a national nonprofit that empowers kids and adults with different abilities—one route, one cheer, and one shared victory at a time.

Mariana shares the origin story shaped by her two sons: the older who thrived in competitive climbing and the younger, born with Down syndrome, who inspired a new vision for inclusive sport. We explore why climbing works so well for neurodiverse athletes and people with physical or developmental disabilities: clear structure, visible goals, sensory-aware coaching, and an environment where progress is measurable and joy is contagious. From the first five climbers in 2022 to 11 locations across six states, United Rocks demonstrates how routine, trust, and community turn uncertainty into confidence.

We dig into the biggest misconceptions—like the belief that people with disabilities don’t want to be challenged—and reveal how weekly sessions, thoughtful volunteers, and supportive families flip that script. Mariana explains the growth engine behind the movement: word of mouth fueled by real results, social media that celebrates small wins, and partnerships with colleges, gyms, and local organizations to train belayers and welcome new climbers. Along the way, we highlight practical inclusion strategies, from consistent warmups to tailored cues, that help climbers own their ascent.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple takeaway: respect means access to real challenges and the chance to surprise yourself. If you’re curious about inclusive sports, adaptive recreation, or building community that truly supports families, this story will stay with you long after the chalk settles. Ready to help the movement grow or learn more about getting involved? Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review to help more neighbors find United Rocks.

To learn more about United Rocks go to:
 https://unitedrocks.org/

United Rocks

(214) 769-5916

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Mission Of United Rocks

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a nonprofit? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, Mariana Steele Smith with United Rocks. Mariana, now it is so lovely to have you on today, and we are so excited to learn about what you are doing for the special needs community and helping these families out. So go ahead and tell our listeners a little bit more about your business.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Yes, uh, thank you for having me today, Sophia. It's a pleasure to have you uh to meet you. Um, Unetta Rock started with a dream. Uh, we created a nonprofit to support kids and adults with uh different abilities through rock climbing. Uh in just uh four years we went national. Um we're in six states now and 11 locations.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Wow, my goodness. Your mission has expanded everywhere, it sounds like yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

It's it's been uh it's been amazing just to see the the climbers, uh the new climbers just reaching the top uh of the route and just uh the families, uh how they they support each other. We create a whole inclusive community. We love it.

Origin Story And Family Inspiration

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

And how did you originally get into this business? Um, so it was inspiration for my two sons. Uh uh Gabriel is 24 now, but he used to climb and compete uh um almost eight years uh in climbing. So we loved everything about the climbing community, uh the challenges, the support, the how he grew up to be the young man that he is right now. And we love traveling, of course, for competition. So uh once we um we had our second son, Jake, uh, we found out that he had Down syndrome. So we wanted to create um the same support um community that uh Gabriel had when he was growing up. So this is how this dream uh came to a reality, basically, just to uh have um a supportive community to have Jake uh have that as well.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

So today, you know, what is that most common misconception you come across in the industry you're in?

Finding And Growing The Audience

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Well, I think that uh a lot of people think that some of the kids with disabilities um they're not equipped to be challenged. And that's a um you know uh misconception at all because they they love to have structure, um, they love climbing, they uh we see the um the results after the after a day of climbing every every week. It's just amazing to do that. Um, and then also um every week uh we support them through the community, right? So it's uh it has been um a great opportunity just to connect uh families to with other families and just uh climbers to make friends because sometimes it's hard for them to make friends.

SPEAKER_02 3:13

So, Mariana, getting into things a little bit deeper today. Now, we do know that marketing is the heart of every business, and you've kind of gotten a little bit more into your ideal audience, unless there's anything else you'd like to add. So go ahead and tell our listeners who that audience really is and how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_01 3:35

So we um it's a lot of word of mouth. Uh the parents get so excited about it uh just to see their their kids and adults um just being supported by this amazing community of volunteers that um they just share with everybody, uh social media, and we also reach out to different um colleges or um organizations around the area when we go to different locations, we we reach different um uh companies and organizations around the area, volunteer groups, uh all kinds of different things uh around the area so we can um include them in what we're doing and just have um different people come on and show up.

Core Takeaway And Inclusion

SPEAKER_02 4:14

With everything you're doing to really get the word out there, have you ever thought about having your own podcast just to really support your mission? Uh I will leave that to the professional, Sophia. So thank you so much. Uh no time for that right now. And shifting back to your business, what is the number one takeaway you would like our listeners to really understand today and process about United Rocks?

SPEAKER_01 4:44

Yeah, I would like to say that uh we're working, uh, you know, we we started with five climbers in 2022 and it just you know exploded all over the US. So we are creating a movement just to be, everybody has to be included, doesn't matter how you look like, what your disability is or your abilities or anything like that. So everybody needs to be respected and just give them the opportunity to shine because you will be surprised of what they can do. It's amazing.

Where To Learn More

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Well, we all have that one person in us now. Go ahead and tell our listeners where could they go to learn more about United Rocks.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Yes. Um, they can go to unitedrocks.org or uh we have a Facebook page, a YouTube page, and an Instagram and LinkedIn as well. So they can find us everywhere.

Show Closing And Nomination Info

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Well, Mariana, I really appreciate you being on the show today, and we wish you and your mission the best moving forward. Thank you so much, Sophia. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.