For Zoe Wanjiru, life is one continuous climb — and she wouldn’t have it any other way. For seven years, the Kenyan national has been guiding tourists up some of East Africa’s most treacherous peaks, including Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya, and through some of the region’s most scenic safari parks.

As one of the few women guides operating in East Africa, she’s faced skepticism and downright discrimination. In many lodges, accommodation for women guides simply doesn’t exist — then there are the flirtatious guests and subordinates who don’t take her seriously.

But over the years Wanjiru has hit her stride and knows how to deal with these challenges.