Finding Your Summit

Mark Pattison
  • 4.9 (129)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Finding Your Summit with Mark Pattison explores resilience, leadership, peak performance, and overcoming adversity. Mark is a former NFL player, Seven Summits mountaineer, Mount Everest summiter, Emmy Award winner, entrepreneur, author, and former Sports Illustrated executive. Through inspiring conversations with athletes, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and adventurers, discover powerful lessons on mental toughness, personal growth, success, and achieving meaningful goals in business and life.

  1. 1d ago

    EP 309: Doug Crandall- From West Point to Leadership Expert:Building Teams with Great Communication

    ["Host Mark Pattison sits down with Doug Crandall, a West Point graduate, former Army officer, leadership development expert, and author of Building or Diminishing who has spent over 25 years teaching leaders how to maximize their impact through intentional communication and self-awareness, revealing why every word and action either builds people up or tears them down with no neutral ground in between, how his experiences teaching leadership at West Point showed him that reflection matters more than talent when developing sustainable excellence, and why asking yourself "am I building or diminishing?" before every interaction transforms not just how you lead others but how you lead yourself first. In this deeply practical and actionable conversation between two leaders who understand that leadership isn't taught in business school but forged through experience and honest self-assessment, Doug shares his extraordinary journey from growing up as the son of a Depression-era Marine who attended West Point and romanticized the experience while skipping over the brutal parts, to enduring the loneliness and constant grind of being yelled at across the country as a cadet, to returning years later as a faculty member where he discovered that West Point functions as a massive laboratory designed for young leaders to make mistakes in non-life-threatening situations and then process what they learned through structured reflection. This episode offers a masterclass in intentional leadership and communication, demonstrating why clarity of expectation matters far more than clarity of correction when holding people accountable, how understanding whether someone needs to be pushed hard or handled differently separates effective leaders from those who simply apply the same approach to everyone, and why the most dangerous trap in leadership is becoming a cheerleader who builds relationships and confidence but never has the tough conversations or pushes people to achieve more than they think possible. Doug opens up about coaching high school basketball for 20 years and realizing while writing this book that he was too relationship-focused with a player who went on to become first team all-conference in Division I, watching her college coach push her in ways he didn't and recognizing that his desire to be who he wanted to be as a coach prevented him from giving her what she actually needed, the transformational power of his father's advice that two-thirds of West Point faculty are 31 or 32 year old Army officers sent to get master's degrees and return to teach everything from calculus to the core leadership class, why today's cadets haven't changed much from previous generations despite phones and social media because kids who sign up to serve their country and do hard stuff like Army Ranger School with no food and no sleep for 60 days are still fundamentally the same breed, and how all proceeds from Building or Diminishing go to Tunnel to Towers which pays off mortgages for Gold Star families and builds houses for first responders because he wanted to be completely free from self-interest when promoting a concept he's watched change people's lives. Key Topics Discussed: The West Point Laboratory: Why Reflection Transforms Mistakes Into Leader Development Doug reveals the often overlooked reality that West Point isn't just about discipline and grinding through hardship but functions as a massive leadership development laboratory where young cadets are thrown into challenging situations specifically designed for them to make mistakes and then process what they learned. Discover why his second experience teaching at West Point in the early 2000s showed him that reflection is the most critical component of leader development, and how the entire institution is structured around giving students leadership positions during the academic year, through sports, and during summer training opportunities where the stakes are high enough to matter but not life or death. Learn why students write essays in the core leadership class asking what happened this summer and what did I learn from that experience as a leader, and how this systematic approach to processing experiences creates leaders who understand that growth comes not from avoiding mistakes but from honestly assessing what went wrong and why. Doug explains why he returned as a civilian just two years ago for a 10 month teaching stint when he saw a LinkedIn post from a buddy looking to fill a hole in the faculty, and how being immersed again in that environment of constant reflection reinforced everything he'd been teaching in corporate leadership development for two decades. Building or Diminishing: The Four Quadrants That Define How Your Leadership Lands Discover the powerful framework Doug developed while parenting his youngest son during the empty nest years when he started asking himself before every interaction whether what he was about to say would build or diminish his...

    EP 309: Doug Crandall- From West Point to Leadership Expert:Building Teams with Great Communication

  2. Aug 18

    EP: Jim Rome - From The Jungle to Reinvention: 30 Years of Sports Radio Dominance and What's Next

    ["Host Mark Pattison sits down with Jim Rome, the legendary sports broadcaster, radio icon, and host of The Reinvention Project podcast who has spent over three decades dominating the sports media landscape, revealing why his journey from market 174 in Santa Barbara to building The Jungle empire required visualizing success years before the opportunity arrived, how maintaining perspective and understanding it was always a show rather than reality kept his ego in check when fame exploded, and why reinventing himself at 61 years old by diving deeper into mindset, peak performance, and high achievers represents the most fulfilling chapter of his career. In this deeply authentic and inspiring conversation recorded between two high achievers who refuse to slow down, Jim shares his extraordinary path from grinding at UC Santa Barbara's radio station and banging on every door for three years trying to escape market 174, to landing at XTRA 690 in San Diego where he created a show unlike anything sports radio had ever seen, to navigating the evolution from terrestrial radio to television to podcasting while staying relevant across multiple generations of media consumption. This episode offers a masterclass in sustainable excellence and authentic reinvention, demonstrating why being a common person with uncommon goals who always understood the inherent responsibility of being on the air prevented fame from destroying him, how his wife Janet making more money and trying to fire him when they first met created a foundation where he knew she'd be there even if it all disappeared, and why spending time with high achievers like Ed Milet who encouraged him to enter the mindset and peak performance space opened an entirely new lane that feels more meaningful than anything he did in his 30s. Jim opens up about the legendary Charles Barkley confrontation in Vegas that went from bitter enemies to crystal all around and best friends within minutes, why the comparison game on social media comparing yourself to highlight reels that aren't even real represents one of the worst traps of modern life, the profound realization that the last thing the world needs is a 50 year old smack talker which forced him to evolve into deeper long form conversations, and why he genuinely believes his next 20 years can be his most effective years because coaches and leaders are achieving amazing things well into their 70s. Key Topics Discussed: The Three Year Grind in Market 174: Why Visualization Before Opportunity Creates Readiness Jim reveals the often overlooked reality behind his seemingly overnight success in San Diego, explaining how he spent nearly three years trapped in Santa Barbara market 174 banging on every single door, writing every single letter, and sending every single resume trying to break into a bigger market. Discover why every time he did something noteworthy on the radio he would clip it and send it to somebody even though he had no idea if anyone was listening or if he'd ever get out, and how this period of grinding in the minor leagues forced him to visualize what he would do if he ever got that opportunity so many different times that when he finally landed at 690 AM he was completely ready. Learn why by the time he arrived in San Diego he had already plotted and planned for years, and how this preparation meeting opportunity allowed him to execute a show that people simply were not doing at that time. Jim explains why understanding this backstory matters because it wasn't luck or talent alone but rather relentless preparation during years when nobody was watching that created the foundation for everything that followed. Keeping Ego in Check When Fame Explodes: Why Understanding It Was Always a Show Saved Him Discover the critical mindset shift that prevented Jim from becoming another cautionary tale of fame destroying someone who achieved success too quickly. Jim explains that while people either loved him or wanted to fight him with nothing in between, what they didn't understand was it was a show, and he always understood it was a show even while being completely authentic and real. Learn why he was a common person with uncommon goals who never lost sight of the fact that they were paying him to talk smack, do interviews, and watch games, and how this constant awareness of the inherent responsibility that came with being on the air and impacting people kept him grounded. Hear about meeting his wife Janet when she was a corporate executive at the station making way more money than him and actually trying to fire him when she first heard him on the air, and why starting with nothing together meant he always knew she would still be there even if it all went away. Jim reveals why this foundation of understanding who and what he was, combined with genuine appreciation for the opportunity, prevented his ego from ever getting the better of him despite the massive arc of success. The Charles Barkley Vegas Moment: From...

    EP: Jim Rome - From The Jungle to Reinvention: 30 Years of Sports Radio Dominance and What's Next

  3. Aug 11

    Mark Pattison - From NFL to Seven Summits: How to Achieve Greatness. EP 306

    Host Mark Pattison delivers a powerful solo episode breaking down the exact blueprint for achieving greatness, revealing why reaching the top of your potential isn't about talent or luck but about making a fundamental choice between five dispositions that determine everything: bad, average, good, great, or phenomenal. In this deeply personal and actionable conversation, Mark shares the hard-earned lessons from his extraordinary journey as an NFL player, seven summits mountaineer including Everest, venture-backed entrepreneur, and Hemi Award winner, demonstrating why greatness requires a life of discipline that most people simply aren't willing to commit to, how preparation meeting opportunity created his Sports Illustrated moment catching the game winning touchdown against number one ranked Michigan with eight seconds left, and why leveling up your effort to match your desired disposition separates those who want success from those who are willing to do what it takes to achieve it. This episode offers a masterclass in sustainable excellence and mindset transformation, demonstrating why building a strong body leads to building a strong mind which leads to building a strong soul in that exact order, how the SUMMITS framework provides a repeatable system for turning any seed of an idea into measurable results through unleashing, moving, measuring, improving, navigating traverse moments, and ultimately reaching your summit, and why understanding the difference between Type A driven personalities and Type B laid back personalities prevents the frustration that destroys teams when people aren't aligned on the level they're trying to reach. Mark opens up about arriving at the University of Washington as a high school star only to get his ass kicked for three years until he physically prepared his body to compete against UCLA, USC, Michigan, and Oklahoma, the devastating frustration of being roped to unprepared climbers on mountains like Denali, Aconcagua, and Vinson who didn't do the work and dragged down the entire team's pace and performance, why waking up at the exact same time every single morning regardless of time zone or fatigue has become non-negotiable discipline that compounds over years, and how his new book Finding Your Summit: How to Build Resilience and Faith to Rise Above Life's Challenges captures the reality that he's had more setbacks than wins despite all his accomplishments. Key Topics Discussed: The Five Dispositions: Choosing Your Level Before You Can Reach It Mark reveals the fundamental framework that determines everything about how far you'll go in life. Discover why every person must choose between five dispositions: bad, average, good, great, or phenomenal, and why you cannot skip levels or magically wake up and become phenomenal without putting in the work to level up. Learn why most people say they want to be phenomenal but aren't willing to do what it takes, and how understanding the difference between wanting something and being willing to sacrifice for it separates dreamers from achievers. Mark explains why leveling up requires discipline in eating, sleep schedules, saying no to things, alcohol intake, and a thousand other daily decisions that compound over time, and why this life of discipline is very difficult because you have to do things you don't want to do. Hear about how Mark wakes up at the exact same time every single morning whether he's in Europe climbing mountains, Sun Valley Idaho, New York, or Seattle, and why adjusting to time zones but maintaining that same discipline within each zone creates the foundation for everything else. Preparation Meets Opportunity: The Sports Illustrated Moment Three Years in the Making Discover the powerful story of how Mark went from high school star to getting destroyed at the University of Washington for three years before finally reaching the moment that defined his college career. Learn why arriving at UW as an undersized player who'd never worked a day in his life meant getting physically dominated by guys from UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal, Michigan, and Oklahoma, and how legendary coach Don James began teaching him what discipline actually meant. Mark explains why it took roughly three years of getting his ass kicked to work his way back up and get himself into position where he was physically prepared enough to compete, then win, then dominate. Hear about the game against number one ranked Michigan at Husky Stadium when Mark got his first start, how the team came back from 14 points down in the fourth quarter, and why Michigan's missed field goal with seven minutes left set up the defining moment. Mark reveals how quarterback Steve Pelluer called an audible with eight seconds left recognizing the cornerbacks were pressing, threw the fade to the end zone, and Mark jumped over the top to catch the game winning touchdown that put him in Sports Illustrated, but only because he had done that exact play 10,000 times in his mind and in...

    Mark Pattison - From NFL to Seven Summits: How to Achieve Greatness. EP 306

  4. Aug 4

    EP: Michael Allison - From Gladiator to Civilian: Transforming Performance Beyond the Arena

    ["Host Mark Pattison sits down with Michael Allison, a renowned performance coach, leadership expert, and author of The Performance Code who has spent decades working with elite athletes, business leaders, and high achievers including speaking engagements at Harvard Business School, helping individuals understand how their physiology responds to pressure and how to shift from fight mode to sustainable peak performance. In this deeply insightful conversation, Michael shares his revolutionary approach to performance that begins not with the mind but with recognizing how the body responds to pressure-packed situations, revealing why awareness of heart rate, muscle tension, breathing patterns, and posture matters more than trying to force change through willpower alone, how the gladiator mentality that serves athletes in competition often becomes the very thing that limits their success in life beyond sports, and why understanding the difference between fight, retreat, and play as physiological states unlocks creativity and sustainable excellence that grinding through pressure never can. This episode offers a masterclass in self-awareness and physiological intelligence, demonstrating why acknowledging and respecting how your body organizes itself in unfamiliar or high-stakes situations creates the foundation for transformation, how channeling nervous energy into attack mode works at certain levels but carries metabolic costs and limits opportunities for strategic pivots, and why the most elite performers like Patrick Mahomes operate in a state of play rather than constant battle even when surrounded by gladiators trying to take them down. Michael opens up about his work analyzing the Michael Phelps case study with Harvard students who despite their intellectual gifts face the same human pressures and insecurities as everyone else, the profound difference between proving something driven by fight physiology versus aspiring toward goals fueled by curiosity and exploration, why some athletes like Joe Flacco develop an adaptive detachment that serves them on the field but may carry unintended consequences in family life, and how recognizing that the physiology required for NFL success doesn't translate to thriving in civilian life represents a level of awareness many never achieve. Key Topics Discussed: The Body Before the Mind: Why Physiological Awareness Unlocks Performance Michael reveals why he starts every coaching engagement not with mindset work but with helping clients recognize how their physiology responds to pressure. Discover why feeling your heart rate rise, noticing muscle tightening, observing shifts in posture and orientation, and even paying attention to the sounds you're hearing matters more than trying to mentally force yourself into the right state. Learn why the first step is awareness, acceptance, and honoring how your body is organizing itself in relationship to an experience rather than trying to shove feelings down or stop them from happening. Michael explains why this applies not just to Michael Phelps stepping up to the block but to every conversation, every unfamiliar situation, and every moment where unpredictability and importance create physiological responses. Hear about how our bodies respond differently when we're in situations that are unfamiliar, unpredictable, and important to us, and why recognizing these patterns without judgment creates the foundation for choosing how to relate to that energy in ways that might be more helpful. Fight Mode: The High Performer's Trap That Works Until It Doesn't Discover why channeling nervous energy into what Michael calls fight, attacking and going after it with intensity, locking in on opponents or execution, can take people pretty high in performance but comes with significant limitations. Learn why fight mode is certainly more performance-oriented than retreating or playing it safe, but it's metabolically costly, limits creativity, and causes people to miss opportunities for different ways to solve problems or pivot strategies. Michael explains why some people's physiology only trusts that it's safe to fight, making the gladiator mentality the only resource or way of moving through the world they know, and why this often isn't conscious. Hear Mark's powerful reflection on how being a warrior and gladiator in the NFL worked perfectly until age 30 when he got out and discovered that what served him on the field didn't serve him in real life, and why it took years to recognize this and become vulnerable enough to open up to new possibilities. Michael reveals why this level of awareness is rare and often requires supportive relationships and existing resources that allow someone's physiology to shift out of constant fight mode. Play Versus Fight: What Separates Patrick Mahomes from the Gladiators Michael unveils his analysis of the Netflix series Quarterback and what it reveals about physiological states in elite performance. Discover...

    EP: Michael Allison - From Gladiator to Civilian: Transforming Performance Beyond the Arena

  5. Jul 28

    EP: Amanda Gunville - From Lee Steinberg's Agency to Cancer Survivor: Finding Joy in the Fight

    ["Host Mark Pattison sits down with Amanda Gunville, a sports business executive, entrepreneur, and breast cancer survivor who spent over two decades working alongside legendary sports agent Lee Steinberg before facing a life-altering diagnosis that transformed her perspective on joy, resilience, and what truly matters when everything is on the line. In this deeply personal and inspiring conversation, Amanda shares her extraordinary journey from interning at Lee Steinberg Sports where she received what she calls a PhD in sports business working with clients like Warren Moon and consulting on films like Jerry Maguire, to building multiple seven-figure companies, to standing in the middle of SoFi Stadium when a phone call delivered three words that stopped her world: you have cancer. This episode offers a masterclass in finding joy during your darkest battle rather than waiting until after, demonstrating why giving yourself grace to feel all the bad emotions before fighting back is essential to authentic resilience, how a half crop circle haircut during her first chemo became a moment of hysterical laughter that taught her to weaponize joy against fear, and why the obstacle truly becomes the way when you ask what this challenge is here to teach you rather than why this is happening to you. Amanda opens up about the devastating reality that her best friend from college died from breast cancer right before her daughter was born making her believe cancer equaled death when she received her own diagnosis, the transformational power of Dr. Joe Dispenza's meditation work backed by clinical brain mapping studies that gave her a war path to survival, why telling people exactly what you need during crisis allows them to help when they're afraid to say the wrong thing, and how being too sick to watch screens for two and a half years meant missing entire football seasons that inspired her to launch Champara, a revolutionary football fluency method designed to help millions of women feel connected, confident, and like they finally got the playbook they never received.\n\nKey Topics Discussed:\n\nThe Lee Steinberg PhD: Learning Sports Business from the Man Behind Jerry Maguire\nAmanda reveals how landing an internship at Lee Steinberg Sports after working as Warren Moon's stage manager at ESPN and Fox Sports became the foundation for everything that followed in her career. Discover why Lee would call her into his office at the end of every day after his workout and walk through the entire day explaining why he did what he did, what the clients needed, and how they could impact the most lives possible. Learn why this daily mentorship gave her what she considers a PhD in sports business that no classroom could replicate, and how being part of a firm that represented the crème de la crème of athletes across multiple sports while also consulting on major Hollywood films like Jerry Maguire, For the Love of the Game, and Any Given Sunday created exposure to business opportunities far beyond traditional sports representation. Amanda explains why the agency became mainstream when Tom Cruise played Lee in Jerry Maguire, and how witnessing Lee's massive crash and then his comeback over 25 years showed her the ultimate poster boy for overcoming adversity and finding your way back with grace, humility, and the same insane intelligence.\n\nThe Phone Call at SoFi Stadium: When Three Words Changed Everything\nDiscover the moment three and a half years ago when Amanda was standing in the middle of SoFi Stadium as a brand new mom with a 15-month-old baby, serving as CEO, COO, and CMO of a thriving company they had built from zero to seven figures in less than three years, and her phone rang with the call she was expecting but could never prepare for. Learn why hearing Dr. B say "Amanda, I'm sorry, we have your results, you have cancer" created that action movie moment where the bomb goes off and everything goes silent except for a loud ringing noise. Hear about flying home to Colorado immediately and walking with her brother, a pediatric intensive care unit doctor expert at having tough conversations, who gave her the most impactful advice: give yourself some grace, you've been handed a terrible hand of cards, feel all the bad things and let yourself process them. Amanda explains why this permission to cry the tears, sit in the fear, and feel the anger became essential to showing up authentically before she could move into resilience and fight, and how she realized she needed to ask what this disease was here to teach her rather than dwelling on why it was happening.\n\nThe Half Crop Circle Moment: Weaponizing Joy During Your Darkest Battle\Mark Pattison

    EP: Amanda Gunville - From Lee Steinberg's Agency to Cancer Survivor: Finding Joy in the Fight

  6. Jul 21

    EP: Kenton Cool - 20 Everest Summits: The Mountain Guide Who Turned Alpine Dreams into Reality

    Host Mark Pattison sits down with Kenton Cool, one of the world's most accomplished high-altitude mountain guides who has successfully summited Mount Everest an astonishing 20 times, making him one of only a handful of Western guides who continuously return to the world's highest peak year after year. In this electrifying conversation between two mountaineers who first met at Everest Base Camp in 2021, Kenton shares his extraordinary journey from a college student catching the climbing bug to becoming the go-to guide for elite one-on-one Everest expeditions, revealing why working with a single client rather than 24 creates the nimbleness to capitalize on weather windows that others miss, how pre-acclimatization and efficient rotations can reduce time on mountain from two months to three and a half weeks, and why Everest is actually kinder on the body than the European Alps despite being far more dangerous. This episode offers a masterclass in mountain efficiency and calculated risk management, demonstrating why the most dangerous conditions often come from impatience rather than the mountain itself, how collaboration between competing expedition companies opened the mountain in record time after a massive serac blocked the Khumbu Icefall for 19 days, and why 274 climbers summiting on a single day represents an avoidable disaster waiting to happen when just two days of patience would have cut that number to 65. Kenton opens up about the 2010 near miss that changed his entire guiding philosophy, why modern base camp luxuries with espresso machines and space heaters seduce people into thinking Everest is easy when the mountain itself hasn't changed since 1953, the devastating impact of climate change turning the Matterhorn completely black with zero snow coverage, and how his Everest Gin made with actual summit water raises money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Key Topics Discussed: The One-to-One Revolution: Why Safety Demanded a Complete Business Model Shift Kenton reveals the pivotal moment in 2010 when a client slipped on the Hillary Step and seriously injured her back, creating a crisis situation where he wasn't present because he was guiding another climber in a group of five or six. Discover why this near miss made him completely rethink his approach to mountain guiding, and how he realized that working one-on-one like guides do in the European Alps represents the safest possible way to operate on Everest. Learn why this decision meant walking away from the economies of scale that allow operators with 24 clients to generate massive financial returns, and why Kenton believes safety and the client experience matter more than maximizing profit. Hear about spending two years working with clients before ever setting foot on Everest, building intimate knowledge of how they respond when tired or hungry, and creating trust that allows both guide and climber to push into tight weather windows with confidence. Kenton explains why working to someone's strengths and building up their weaknesses creates acclimatization speeds faster than traditional thinking suggests, and how the flexibility to go again in 48 hours when someone feels strong or wait a day when they need rest transforms the entire expedition timeline. The Three and a Half Week Blueprint: How Efficiency Beats Endurance Every Time Discover the revolutionary approach that Kenton pioneered around 2011 or 2012 that has since influenced how other operators think about time on mountain. After completing a door-to-door Everest expedition in approximately three and a half weeks, one of the fastest times recorded to that point, Kenton realized that grinding people down by keeping them at 5,500 meters for six to eight weeks was counterproductive. Learn why even with great food and comfortable base camp setups, the human body simply cannot recover well at extreme altitude, and how streamlining rotations and reducing wait time between pushes keeps climbers strong and sharp. Hear about the stark difference between working with a large group where you must cater to the lowest common denominator versus working one-on-one where a physically and mentally strong climber like Mark can move through rotations in 48 hours instead of waiting a full week. Kenton explains why this approach isn't about cutting corners but about taking efficiencies where you can, reducing exposure to objective dangers like the Khumbu Icefall, and capitalizing on small weather windows that require confidence in both the mountain and the client. The 19-Day Serac Standoff: When Collaboration Saved the 2024 Season Kenton unveils the dramatic story of the 2024 Everest season when a massive serac blocked the route through the Khumbu Icefall, delaying the entire season by 19 days and causing panic that the climbing window might close before it ever opened.

    EP: Kenton Cool - 20 Everest Summits: The Mountain Guide Who Turned Alpine Dreams into Reality

  7. Jul 15

    EP: Jeff Chandler - From Husky Football to CEO: Building Culture and Crushing Burgers at 50+ places

    Host Mark Pattison sits down with Jeff Chandler, former CEO of HopDoddy Burger Bar who spent over two decades building restaurant empires and just completed his final day leading a 50+ location better burger concept across nine states, revealing why the leadership lessons learned under legendary University of Washington football coach Don James became the blueprint for creating culture-driven organizations that prioritize mission over metrics. In this deeply authentic and timely conversation recorded just 48 hours after Jeff officially stepped down from his CEO role, he shares his extraordinary journey from playing Husky football in the 1990s to spending 18 years building the Ram Restaurant & Brewery with family before making the courageous decision to walk away when personal values diverged from company direction, ultimately finding his way to HopDoddy where he transformed a chaotic five-location concept with five different operating systems into a unified brand powered by four core values: be open minded, have the hunger, own it, and just do it. This episode offers a masterclass in authentic leadership and sustainable growth, demonstrating why culture is a living breathing patchwork quilt that must be constantly tended like grapes or plants to stay healthy, how inspiring people with a mission larger than themselves creates elite results that transcend paychecks and job security, and why the ability to lead from the front, middle, and back without insecurity separates transformational leaders from those who simply learned spreadsheets and marketing in business school. Jeff opens up about the transformational impact of Don James' Thursday talks that focused on developing young men of character rather than X's and O's, the bittersweet moment of leaving a family business he'd invested his entire adult life building, why he's not a natural entrepreneur with blank paper ideas but rather someone who takes lightning in a bottle concepts and supercharges them through team building and systems refinement, and how COVID became one of the most invigorating and fun professional experiences of his career because it forced radical innovation and daily problem solving when everyone threw their playbooks out the window. Key Topics Discussed: The Don James Foundation: How Thursday Talks Built Leaders for Life Beyond Football Jeff reveals the transformational impact of playing under Don James at the University of Washington and why those formative years set the stage for everything he accomplished professionally and personally over the next three decades. Discover how DJ's coaching philosophy centered not on X's and O's or polishing game plans but on developing young men of character, and why his Thursday talks focused on being better human beings and better men rather than better football players. Learn why the lesson of how to follow may have been more important than learning how to lead, and how understanding that it's not about you as an individual but about making yourself the best contributor to something larger than your own glory became the mantra Jeff carried into every business he touched. Hear about the stark contrast between what business school teaches spreadsheets, economics, social media, marketing and the complete absence of leadership development, leaving 24 year olds to zigzag through corporate careers until they suddenly become CEOs expected to lead organizations full of diverse personalities without any training in what matters most. The Family Business Crossroads: When Personal Values Diverge from Company Direction Discover the difficult but necessary decision Jeff made after 18 years as the face of the Ram Restaurant & Brewery, a family business where he'd invested blood, sweat, and his entire adult professional life. Learn why despite the company being in a very good spot financially and the business being healthy, there emerged a divergence of company values and personal values that stifled his ability to be a genuine authentic leader. Jeff explains how this wasn't about anything nefarious or dishonest but simply about not being able to be the best version of himself and lead in an authentic way, and why he believes you cannot just read a book and lead like Howard Schultz or Ron Shaich but must do it genuinely from something innately born, honed, and refined within yourself. Hear about the bittersweet nature of taking a step backwards from something you've invested so much of yourself into, and why charting his own course became essential even though walking away from family and 18 years of building was one of the hardest decisions he ever made. Finding Lightning in a Bottle: The Search for HopDoddy and What Makes a Scalable Brand Jeff unveils what he learned about himself during the transition period between the Ram and his next opportunity, and why understanding your own strengths and weaknesses allows you to find the right fit rather than forcing yourself into the wrong role.

    EP: Jeff Chandler - From Husky Football to CEO: Building Culture and Crushing Burgers at 50+ places

  8. Jul 7

    EP: Fred Couples - From Jefferson Park to the Masters: A Seattle Golf Legend's Journey

    Host Mark Pattison sits down with Fred Couples, a legendary PGA Tour champion, Masters winner, and one of golf's most beloved figures who has spent over four decades competing at the highest levels of professional golf while maintaining one of the smoothest swings the game has ever seen. In this deeply personal and entertaining conversation, Fred shares his extraordinary journey from a nine year old caddy at Seattle's Jefferson Park Golf Course to winning the Green Jacket at Augusta in 1992, revealing why growing up on tiny greens with severe slopes made him one of the best iron players on tour, how his college roommate Jim Nance became CBS's iconic Masters broadcaster, and why staying clean and sober in a sport filled with pressure allowed him to remember every shot while others forgot their greatest moments. This episode offers a masterclass in longevity and authenticity, demonstrating why visualization matters more than mechanics when the pressure is on, how working class roots and blue collar parents instilled the work ethic that sustained a career spanning multiple generations, and why the simplest advice be yourself creates the most genuine success both on the course and in life. Fred opens up about his father working two jobs at Dairy Gold and the Woodland Park Zoo so the family could survive, the devastating back injury in 1990 that has plagued him for 31 years but never required surgery, the heartbreaking years caring for his wife Thais as she battled breast cancer down to 68 pounds, and why his friendship with Tiger Woods is built on trust and leaving each other alone rather than constant contact. Key Topics Discussed: The Gutter Lane at Jefferson Park: How Seattle's Public Course Built a Champion Fred reveals the humble beginnings that shaped his entire approach to golf and created the foundation for his Hall of Fame career. Growing up as a kid who didn't fit in after his family moved to Beacon Hill, he found refuge caddying for his brother's friend Steve Dallas at age nine and falling in love with the game on Jefferson Park's nine hole par three course where he could play all day for three dollars and fifty cents. Discover why being the weakest player in his group meant getting thrown in the gutter lane to just keep grinding, and how Jefferson's tiny greens with severe slopes forced him to develop pinpoint iron accuracy that would become his greatest weapon on tour. Learn why Fred believes growing up on that humble public track was the greatest thing that ever happened to him because if you can hit the first green at Jefferson Park you can hit the first green at Pebble Beach or anywhere the PGA Tour plays. Hear about playing in constant rain and cold without a glove because his parents couldn't afford to keep replacing seven dollar gloves that got ruined in Seattle weather, and why that necessity created the signature no glove grip that defined his entire career. The University of Houston and the Roommate Who Became a Broadcasting Legend Discover the remarkable stroke of fate that placed Fred in a dorm room with Jim Nance, the future voice of CBS Sports and the Masters, when both were just 17 and 18 years old. Fred explains why their coach would repeatedly say Jim Nance is going to be president someday while never predicting Fred or teammate Blaine McAllister would become tour champions, and how Jim was already making 25 to 35 thousand dollars as a sophomore selling clips to API and UPI while his roommates scraped by. Learn about Jim coming home at night with clips of Nolan Ryan and Warren Moon and practicing his broadcast calls by announcing Fred and Blaine coming up the 18th hole at Augusta, interviewing them in their dorm room years before it would actually happen. Hear about the emotional moment in Butler Cabin in 1992 when Fred won the Masters and had to avoid looking at Jim's face during the interview because seeing his college roommate presenting him the Green Jacket was the hardest thing he ever did, and why both of them broke down crying the moment they went off air. The 1992 Masters: When Visualization Became Reality in Butler Cabin

    EP: Fred Couples - From Jefferson Park to the Masters: A Seattle Golf Legend's Journey
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4.9
out of 5
129 Ratings

About

Finding Your Summit with Mark Pattison explores resilience, leadership, peak performance, and overcoming adversity. Mark is a former NFL player, Seven Summits mountaineer, Mount Everest summiter, Emmy Award winner, entrepreneur, author, and former Sports Illustrated executive. Through inspiring conversations with athletes, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and adventurers, discover powerful lessons on mental toughness, personal growth, success, and achieving meaningful goals in business and life.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Pattison
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    314
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mark Pattison
  • Show Website
    Finding Your Summit

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