Alison Levine: Reaching Through the Glass Ceiling to Touch the Sky!

An interview with Alison Levine… the first woman to serve as Team Captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition! She is a demure dynamo powered by sheer determination who has reached the summit of both the business world and the physical world’s highest mountains!

by Deborah Burstyn, SF BAWJ Staff Writer

Alison Levine

Listening to Alison Levine is magic. The sparkle in her eyes and the energy in her voice inspire us to feel that we too can scale new heights! She helps everyone she comes into contact with – whether big league corporate executives or third world village women – attain their goals and connect with their dreams.

Levine, a former Wall Street investment banker and finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful campaign for governor, now heads two businesses of her own. She is the founder and president of DareDevil Strategies, a consulting business specializing in organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and team dynamics.

She is also the founder of the Climb High Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women in third world countries by training them to be trekking guides in their local mountains. No mean feat as it entails empowering them to overcome the traditional stigma against competing with their men folk.

Levine climbed her first mountain at 32, in between starting graduate school and recovering from surgery for a life-threatening congenital heart condition. Although her call to the wild came relatively late, it came on strong.

In the spring of 2002, she was invited to serve as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition. Although she incessantly travels the world and regularly appears on shows like Oprah and NBC Today, Levine continues to call San Francisco home, making her one of us – a Bay Area Woman.

What prompted you to start climbing mountains?

After years of working in marketing, I was stymied because I couldn’t understand financial statements. At 32, after I had my second and final heart surgery, I decided to go to graduate school. I got accepted to Duke’s MBA program so I quit my job and gave myself a month to travel.

Several girlfriends were supposed to go with me to Mt. Kilimanjaro. But at the last minute they decided they’d rather go to Club Med. I grew up in Arizona where everyone has a pool so sitting by a pool didn’t seem like a vacation.

I headed to Mt. Kilimanjaro alone. I was too naïve to be afraid. It was great. Every day on the mountain was a new adventure with new challenges. I was hooked. Luckily, I had a lot of frequent flier miles.

What inspired you to create Daredevil Strategies?

After serving as team captain for the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, I realized that many of the strategies employed in the business world are the same strategies used when climbing the worlds highest and most challenging peaks.

Foresight, focus, and flawless execution are equally important in the jet stream as in corporate America. And a good sense of humor is always essential when dealing with an ever-changing landscape!”

What advice do you have for women today?

If you don’t like what you’re doing every day, change it. We spend the majority of our waking hours in our “day jobs” – whether we are working outside the home or in the home. If you are not totally fired up about what you are doing, you need to make a change

We can all recreate ourselves as many times as we want. It’s fun. I am 43 years old and I finally found my niche in the business world. It did not come quickly nor did it come without pain, financial stress, self-doubt, and tears. But I had great friends offering encouragement all along the way.

One of the most important things you can have is a great group of girlfriends. Surround yourself with bright, caring, ambitious women, and if you do you will have the world’s most reliable safety net.

Photo of Alison Levine by Kathi O’Leary, SF BAWJ Staff Photographer!
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