Finding Your Summit

Mark Pattison
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  • BUSINESS
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Mark Pattison is a former NFL player, Sports Illustrated Exec, Philanthropist & Mountaineer who completed the Seven Summits on May 23rd, 2021 with his ascent of Mt Everest. NFL360 created a film called Searching for the Summit which followed Mark's journey up Mt EVEREST and won a EMMY for best picture in 2022. Through his life’s journey in business, sports & charity work, Mark has been fortunate to meet some of the world’s most incredible people who share their stories of how they overcame adversity and found their way.

  1. EP 291: John Ulsh - From 125 MPH Head-On Collision to Marathon Recovery: Surviving the Unsurvivable

    1D AGO

    EP 291: John Ulsh - From 125 MPH Head-On Collision to Marathon Recovery: Surviving the Unsurvivable

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with John Ulsh, a resilience expert, bestselling author, and motivational speaker who survived what should have been an unsurvivable tragedy and transformed unimaginable adversity into a life mission of inspiring others to embrace the process of recovery and growth. In this profoundly moving conversation, John shares his extraordinary journey from a devastating head-on collision in 2007 that left him paralyzed, shattered his body, and changed his family forever, to becoming a powerful voice for commitment over motivation and process over outcomes. This episode offers a masterclass in true resilience, demonstrating why the greatest growth comes from the deepest adversity, how falling in love with the process rather than fixating on outcomes creates sustainable transformation, and why the person who emerges from trauma can be fundamentally better than who they were before. John opens up about the moment a 125-mile-per-hour impact destroyed his body and nearly killed his entire family, the 18 days he spent in a coma with less than a 3% chance of survival, and why he now considers the adversity itself the greatest blessing of his life.\n\nKey Topics Discussed:\n\nDecember 1st, 2007: The Collision That Changed Everything\nJohn reveals the devastating details of the accident that altered his life and his family's life forever. After completing a 12-mile run in the snow that morning and attending his 8-year-old daughter's swim meet, he made a simple decision to take the scenic route home instead of turning left. Discover the moment a car crossed the center line at the last second on a rural Pennsylvania road, creating an impact the police estimated at 125 miles per hour with no skid marks because nobody hit the brakes. Learn why the other driver, a 24-year-old father on the phone with his fiancée, did not survive, and how John's entire family was catastrophically injured in an instant. His wife was knocked unconscious with a severed bowel, broken hand, and broken foot. His 4-year-old son sitting behind him had his leg snapped, bowel severed, and collarbone broken. His 8-year-old daughter was the only one who stayed conscious, found crawling between the front seats crying "daddy don't die" when first responders arrived.\n\nThe Injuries: Shattered Pelvis, Collapsed Lungs, and 18 Days in a Coma\nDiscover the catastrophic damage John sustained in the collision. The energy came up his left leg, the engine box collapsed onto his feet, shattering his left foot and pelvis four and a half inches apart in the front while snapping the back and breaking his tailbone. Learn about the fractured vertebrae L1 through L4, the ruptured spleen and diaphragm, and how his left lung completely collapsed while his right lung partially collapsed. As a marathon runner under 10% body fat with strong lungs, John survived for over an hour and a half with half of a lung. Hear about the helicopter transport to Penn State Medical Center in Hershey, arriving with less than a 3% chance of surviving, and taking 36 units of blood in the first 12 hours when the human body only holds about eight. John was cut from sternum to pelvis, and after two days of trying to stop internal bleeding, doctors couldn't pull his abdominal muscles shut due to swelling, leaving him stitched with just the fascia layer.\n\nWaking Up Paralyzed: The Nursing Home at Age 36\nJohn shares the disorienting experience of emerging from an 18-day induced coma on Christmas, paralyzed from the waist down and hooked up to countless machines. Discover why he had no memory of the collision itself and how the drugs used to keep him in the coma were still floating through his system, causing hallucinations and confusion. Learn about the devastating realization that he couldn't move his legs, and the crushing news that because of his shattered pelvis and back held together with titanium, he was non-weight-bearing for eight more weeks. At 36 years old, John moved into a nursing home to spend two months lying on his back before he could even begin rehab to learn to use a wheelchair, let alone attempt to walk again. Hear about the stretchy bands he tied to his bed to do arm exercises because he refused to lose any more strength, and how he left the nursing home 16 weeks later weighing just 155 pounds.\n\nThe Moment That Changed Everything: "I Miss My Old Daddy"\nDiscover the profound turning point that occurred two and a half years after the accident when John was working from his home office using a walker. His 10-year-old daughter was juggling a soccer ball in the front yard,

    38 min
  2. EP 290: From Serial Entrepreneur to Retirement Disruptor: Your Second Act Advantage with Jay Samit

    APR 28

    EP 290: From Serial Entrepreneur to Retirement Disruptor: Your Second Act Advantage with Jay Samit

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Jay Samit, a serial entrepreneur, global business strategist, and international bestselling author who has spent over three decades at the forefront of digital disruption and innovation. In this paradigm-shifting conversation, Jay reveals why retirement is not just outdated but potentially deadly, and shares his revolutionary approach to building a meaningful second act in the age of AI disruption. This episode offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial thinking, demonstrating how anyone can launch a billion-dollar idea in 30 days, why the laziest person can add 28 years to their life with simple strategies, and how AI is about to eliminate 30% of all jobs while simultaneously creating unprecedented opportunities for those willing to adapt. Jay opens up about his journey from a 21-year-old who knew nothing about computers to becoming a trusted advisor to presidents, the Pope, and Spielberg, and why his latest book comes with a revolutionary AI companion that serves as your personal mentor for navigating life's biggest transition. Key Topics Discussed: The Retirement Trap: Why Stopping Work Kills You Faster Than Stress Jay unveils the sobering reality that most people have a one-week retirement plan, whether it's visiting Paris or organizing a stamp collection, and then they atrophy. Discover the shocking data showing that in your first year of retirement, you lose 30% of your short-term memory, not because your brain naturally decays but because you've given up your social network, your identity, and your purpose. Learn why retirement was designed for when people died at 60 or 65, but if you make it to 60 in the US, you'll most likely live to 90, meaning your second act will be longer than your first act. Jay explains why the Japanese concept of Ikigai, having a purpose to get out of bed, is the single most important factor in the Blue Zones where people thrive into their hundreds. The 30-Day Billion Dollar Idea Formula: How to Guarantee Innovation Jay shares the exact process he taught his university students that resulted in them making $100 million in actual cash in one semester. The formula is deceptively simple: write down three problems in your life every single day for 30 days. Discover why after the first few days you'll think you have no problems because we run our lives on autopilot, and how this forces you to see opportunities in disguise. Learn the story of the timer cap, a 25-cent happy meal watch attached to a pill bottle lid that solved a simple problem and became a major product, then evolved to Bluetooth-enabled medication management for opioids. Jay explains why most successful entrepreneurs didn't invent something new but rather pivoted existing inventions, and why data is your best friend with no ego that should be invited to every decision. From Video Dating Failure to YouTube Billions: The Power of Pivoting Discover the remarkable origin story of YouTube that Jay witnessed firsthand. Brilliant engineers built a video dating site called Tune In Hook Up, and the first video was a guy standing in front of the elephant cage at the zoo explaining why you should date him. The site worked perfectly, but nobody wanted to date these losers. Instead of quitting, they looked at the data and realized that while women didn't want to date that guy, they wanted to send the video to all their friends to say "this is the dating pool." One year later, they changed the name to YouTube and sold the company for $2 billion with zero revenue. Jay explains why failing is different from failure—failing is learning what doesn't work, while failure is throwing in the towel when you don't realize how close success might be. The Lazy Nerd's Guide to Longevity: 28 Extra Years with Minimal Effort Jay reveals the nine bare minimum things anyone can do to add 28 years not just to their lifespan but to their health span, and five of them you do while you're asleep. Discover why everything we learned about health and diet in the 20th century was wrong, created by lobbyists making food pyramids rather than scientists. Learn about the Nobel Prize-winning research on autophagy and intermittent fasting that Jay has simplified for people who, like him, weren't naturally athletic and whose favorite foods were Sampastraman and pasta. Jay explains why he wrote this chapter specifically for people who find the traditional "go to the gym every day" advice too high of a climb, and how AI will cancel most forms of cancer within the decade, making longevity strategies even more valuable. The AI Revolution: 30% Job Loss and the End of Universal Basic Income Fantasies Jay shares his prediction from 10 years ago that seemed crazy at the time but is now confirmed by the head of the International Monetary Fund: AI is going to wipe out 30% of all jobs.

    48 min
  3. EP 289: Frank Furnish - From Ultra Marathons to Everest in 3 Weeks: The Flash Expedition Prep

    APR 21

    EP 289: Frank Furnish - From Ultra Marathons to Everest in 3 Weeks: The Flash Expedition Prep

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Frank Furnish, an accomplished adventure athlete and mountaineer who is preparing to tackle the ultimate challenge: Mount Everest in just three weeks using a revolutionary new approach to high altitude climbing. In this fascinating pre-expedition conversation, Frank shares the innovative strategy that's transforming how climbers approach the world's highest peak, revealing why spending two months on the mountain may actually be more dangerous than a rapid three-week ascent with proper pre-acclimatization. This episode offers a masterclass in preparation, risk management, and the evolution of extreme mountaineering, demonstrating how technology and new methodologies are making the impossible more achievable while actually increasing safety margins. Frank opens up about his 30-year journey pushing physical limits, his decision to pivot from the North side to the South side just weeks before departure due to Chinese restrictions, and why sleeping in a hypoxic tent in his Virginia guest room for two months is the key to showing up at Everest in peak condition rather than worn down and sick. Key Topics Discussed: The Three Week Everest: Revolutionary Pre-Acclimatization StrategyFrank unveils the game-changing approach that's redefining Everest expeditions. Instead of the traditional two-month climb with multiple rotations up and down the mountain, he's using pre-acclimatization technology to prepare his body before ever leaving Virginia. Discover how sleeping in a hypoxic tent for two months allows climbers to build red blood cells and adapt to altitude at home, then arrive at Everest ready to make one powerful push to the summit. Learn why this approach is actually safer, reducing exposure to the deadly Khumbu Icefall from six passages to just one, minimizing time in the death zone, and avoiding the illnesses that plague climbers living in close quarters at base camp for weeks. Sleeping at Altitude in Virginia: The Hypoxic Tent Experience Discover the fascinating technology behind Frank's preparation as he describes sleeping in a head tent connected to a hypoxic machine that simulates high altitude. Starting at 5,000 feet and progressing 500 feet per night to over 13,500 feet, Frank has been training his body to produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells without ever leaving home. Learn about the uncomfortable reality of sleeping in a claustrophobic plastic tent with a noisy machine that heats up the room, why his wife relegated him to the guest room for a month and a half, and why this discomfort is worth avoiding the traditional acclimatization rotations that left Mark Pattison 35 pounds lighter and exhausted after two months on Everest. Last Minute Pivot: From North Side to South Side in Two Weeks Frank reveals the dramatic change that occurred just two weeks before this conversation when China suddenly decided not to accept foreign climbers on the North side of Everest. After months of visualizing the North route specifically to avoid crowds, he had to immediately pivot to the South side, the same route Mark climbed. Discover why flexibility and the ability to adapt are essential qualities for any mountaineer, and how Frank's expedition company Furtenbach Adventures was able to seamlessly make the switch while other groups might have been completely out of luck. The Khumbu Icefall Reality: Why Every Passage Matters Mark shares sobering wisdom from his six passages through the notorious Khumbu Icefall, one of the most dangerous sections of the Everest climb. Learn why this constantly shifting maze of ice blocks is far more dangerous than many climbers realize, with routes changing daily as 30-foot ice blocks tumble and collapse. Discover why climbers go through at 2 AM with headlamps when it's coldest, the eerie sound of ice crackling underneath as you cross ladder bridges over bottomless crevasses, and why many Sherpas have lost their lives in this treacherous section. Mark emphasizes that reducing exposure from six passages to one is a massive safety improvement. The 35 Pound Weight Loss: What Two Months on Everest Does to Your Body Mark opens up about the brutal physical toll of traditional Everest expeditions, revealing he lost 35 pounds from his already lean frame during his two-month climb. Discover why his body was at its strongest during his second rotation but had deteriorated significantly by the third, and why he ultimately spent a night at 26,500 feet without supplemental oxygen in conditions he's lucky to have survived. Learn why Frank's approach of arriving in peak physical condition, rested and healthy rather than worn down from weeks of exposure, represents a fundamental improvement in how humans can safely attempt the world's highest peak. Premium Guide Service: Two Sherpas and

    26 min
  4. EP 288: Dov Baron - From Childhood Trauma to Emotional Source Code: Decoding Leadership from Within

    APR 16

    EP 288: Dov Baron - From Childhood Trauma to Emotional Source Code: Decoding Leadership from Within

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Dov Baron, a renowned leadership expert and emotional intelligence specialist who has spent 40 years studying the hidden frameworks that drive human behavior. In this paradigm-shifting conversation, Dov reveals why traditional approaches to behavioral change and even emotional intelligence fall short, and introduces his revolutionary concept of the Emotional Source Code—the foundational framework built during our formative years that unconsciously drives every decision, relationship, and achievement in our adult lives. This episode offers a masterclass in self-awareness, demonstrating why highly successful people often feel empty despite external achievements, and how understanding the five layers of human psychology can unlock genuine joy, purpose, and sustainable excellence. Dov opens up about his journey from abject poverty in Northern England surrounded by violence and abuse to becoming a trusted advisor to elite performers in politics, entertainment, and business, and why the greatest asset of high achievers is often simultaneously their greatest curse. Key Topics Discussed:The Five Layers of the Emotional Source Code: Why Behavioral Change Doesn't Stick Dov unveils his groundbreaking framework that explains why most personal development work fails to create lasting transformation. Discover the five layers from surface to core: behaviors, beliefs and values, identity, anatomy of meaning, and the emotional source code itself. Learn why changing behavior without addressing identity is like painting over rust, and why your identity—though not actually true—is the most addictive thing in your neurological system. Dov explains how your brain constantly works to qualify, verify, and validate your identity, and why siblings raised in identical environments can develop completely different identities based on the meanings they assigned to childhood experiences. The Resilience Trap: When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Greatest Weakness In one of the episode's most powerful insights, Dov challenges the conventional wisdom about resilience, calling his former belief in it "a stupid statement built by a stubborn mind." He explains why the mantra "get knocked down seven times, get up eight" is actually destructive, and why you should instead get knocked down once and stay on your ass long enough to understand why you fell. Discover why highly successful people are invariably driven by unresolved trauma, constantly moving forward not toward something but away from pain, and why this relentless momentum prevents the healing that would unlock genuine joy. Standing on Success Mountain with an Empty Soul: The High Achiever's Dilemma Dov reveals the common experience of his clients—highly successful individuals in politics, arts, entertainment, and business who have climbed to the top of their personal Everest only to discover it felt great for about four seconds before emptiness returned. Learn why these individuals often feel guilty for complaining when they have homes in multiple locations, financial abundance, wonderful families, and every external marker of success. Dov explains this isn't complaining but rather the soul crying out for expression, and why another trophy, achievement, or behavioral adjustment will never fill the hole in the soul. From Abject Poverty to Spiritual Prodigy: The Making of an Emotional Architect Discover Dov's remarkable origin story, born into poverty in Northern England surrounded by crime, violence, addiction, and abuse of all kinds including sexual. Learn how his narcissistic father punched him in the face at nine months old and left when Dov was seven, and how his mother sent him to study with rabbis after he began having mysterious dreams and waking experiences she couldn't understand. By age seven he was studying Kabbalah and the spiritual nature of Judaism, by ten he had taught himself Pranayoga and breathing techniques, and by fourteen he had made a commitment to leave his environment despite severe dyslexia, anxiety, and PTSD from childhood sexual abuse.

    35 min
  5. EP 287: Wendolyn Holland - From Yale to Sun Valley Chronicler: Preserving Idaho's Mountain Magic

    APR 8

    EP 287: Wendolyn Holland - From Yale to Sun Valley Chronicler: Preserving Idaho's Mountain Magic

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Wendolyn Holland, a Yale-educated historian, author, and newly appointed chair of the Historic Preservation Commission in Ketchum, Idaho, for a fascinating deep dive into the rich and surprising history of Sun Valley—one of America's most iconic mountain communities. In this captivating conversation, Wendolyn shares the remarkable story behind her monumental coffee table book that chronicles Sun Valley's evolution from mineral exploration outpost to the first destination ski resort in the United States, and why this remote Idaho valley continues to be voted best resort in North America year after year despite having no interstate highway, no nearby major city, and no massive hotel chains at the base of the mountain. This episode offers a masterclass in Western expansion, geographic destiny, and conscious community preservation, demonstrating how a combination of railroad ambition, volcanic geology, and deliberate planning created a place that has retained its essential charm while other resort towns succumbed to overdevelopment. Wendolyn opens up about her journey from Yale history major to local historian, the treasure trove of original source material she discovered in Ketchum's community library, and why she's now fighting to preserve the human-scaled buildings and authentic character that make Sun Valley special as capitalism and development pressure intensify. Key Topics Discussed: The Yale Thesis That Became a Masterpiece: Justifying Sun Valley as Serious History Wendolyn reveals how she had to convince her professors at Yale—including legendary historians of the American West like Howard Lamar, William Cronin, and Jay Gitlin—that the history of a ski resort in Idaho was worthy of academic pursuit. Discover how she framed Sun Valley's story as part of the larger patterns of Western expansion, railroad development, and how remote communities retain relevance in global economic systems. Learn about the lineage of Western historians at Yale, from Frederick Jackson Turner to modern scholars like Ned Blackhawk and Justin Farrell, and how this intellectual tradition shaped her approach to understanding Sun Valley's place in American history. The Treasure Trove: Original Source Material Nobody Had Touched Discover the moment Wendolyn found the holy grail for history majors—original source material that hadn't been picked over by generations of researchers. At the regional history department of Ketchum's community library, she uncovered handwritten letters, daily journals, and corporate correspondence that told the complete story of how Sun Valley came to be. Learn why she considers this small-town library her favorite in the world, how it was started by a group of women on land donated by the Union Pacific Railroad, and why preserving these archives remains critical to understanding the community's identity. Not Gold Rush but Mineral Extraction: Why Settlement Came Late to Idaho Wendolyn breaks down the geological and economic forces that shaped Idaho's development differently from California, Colorado, and other Western states. Learn about the 1849 California Gold Rush, the 1869 Golden Spike connecting the transcontinental railroad, and how the Oregon Short Line finally reached Hailey in 1882 and Ketchum in 1883. Discover why Idaho didn't experience the massive settlement rushes of neighboring states—the rocks here contained silver, lead, and uranium rather than gold, and the Snake River Plain created a harsh volcanic barrier that slowed westward migration. Wendolyn explains how Lewis and Clark's 1804-1806 expedition passed far to the north, and the first recorded white man to reach the Wood River Valley was Alexander Ross with the Pacific Fur Company in 1824, seeking furs rather than settlement. Count Felix Schaffgotsch: The Austrian Who Found America's Perfect Ski Mountain In one of the episode's most entertaining stories, Wendolyn reveals how Sun Valley was born from the vision of Averell Harriman, the young playboy chairman of Union Pacific Railroad who wanted to boost winter passenger revenue by creating a grand European-style ski resort in America. Learn how Harriman hired Count Felix Schaffgotsch, gave him a free pass to travel the entire Union Pacific line, and sent him on a Goldilocks quest to find the perfect ski mountain. Discover why Aspen was too high, Jackson Hole too remote (Wyoming wouldn't keep Teton Pass open in winter), and Oregon too far from the main line. Hear about the night in 1935 when the Count arrived in Ketchum, stayed at Bald Mountain Hot Springs Hotel, and woke up to see Baldy bathed in brilliant morning light—the moment he declared this the perfect location for America's first destination ski resort.

    29 min
  6. EP 286: Jason Kroger - From 7,200 Volts to World's First Bionic Man: Redefining Impossible

    MAR 31

    EP 286: Jason Kroger - From 7,200 Volts to World's First Bionic Man: Redefining Impossible

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Jason Kroger, a remarkable survivor who transformed unimaginable tragedy into a mission of hope and inspiration. In this profoundly moving conversation, Jason shares his extraordinary journey from a devastating electrocution accident that claimed both his hands at age 29 to becoming the first person in the world with two bionic hands and a sought-after motivational speaker who proves that limitations are only as powerful as we allow them to be. This episode offers a masterclass in resilience, demonstrating how someone can lose everything they've ever known about their physical capabilities and not only survive but thrive, refusing to accept the role of victim and instead choosing to inspire millions with a message of faith, determination, and relentless pursuit of normalcy. Jason opens up about the moment 70,200 volts of electricity stopped his heart, the agonizing choice his wife faced in the hospital, and why his singular goal of holding his daughters again became the foundation for rebuilding an extraordinary life. Key Topics Discussed: March 1st, 2008: The Day Everything ChangedJason reveals the details of the accident that altered his life forever. At 29 years old, married with two young daughters (21 months and 3 months old), he was taking what he thought would be a quick ATV ride around his grandfather's farm in Kentucky when he struck a downed power line. Learn about the horrifying moment when 70,200 volts of electricity—more than the electric chair—coursed through his body for 30 seconds, stopping his heart completely. Discover how his cousin watched helplessly as sparks flew from Jason's body like Fourth of July fireworks, burning cigarette-sized holes through his clothing, and how hitting the ground hard enough after being thrown from the ATV miraculously restarted his heart. The Hospital Reality: From Thumb to Both Arms In a sobering revelation, Jason shares how he spent the entire helicopter ride to Vanderbilt Hospital convinced he was only going to lose his thumb. Discover the moment he saw his catheter bag filled with urine the color of Dr. Pepper—a sign his kidneys were shutting down from the poisonous toxins created when electricity burns you from the inside out. Learn about the harrowing experience in the hydro room where they pressure-washed his dead skin off without medication while waiting for his wife to arrive, and the devastating conversation where doctors told his 27-year-old wife she had 20 minutes to sign release forms allowing them to amputate whatever necessary or he would die. Waking Up to a New Reality: Both Hands Gone Jason describes the moment he woke from a three-day induced coma, strapped to a bed with no idea what had happened to his body. Hear about the powerful conversation with his father, a former Army drill sergeant who had instilled in Jason the belief that you set goals and work relentlessly to achieve them. Learn why Jason's first thought was to talk to his dad, and the emotional moment when his father delivered the news: "In order to save your life, they had to amputate both of your arms." Jason reflects on what it means to suddenly lose every sensation you've ever known—the feeling of reaching in your pocket, touching silk or cotton, holding your wife's hand—at just 29 years old. The One Goal That Mattered: Holding His Daughters AgainDiscover the transformative conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Guy, who told Jason he'd be hospitalized for months and asked him to think of one realistic goal to accomplish during that time. Without hesitation, Jason knew exactly what he needed: to hold his daughters again. Learn about the emotional negotiation where Jason convinced Dr. Guy to unhook him from every tube, catheter, and monitor so he could go to the waiting room—risking having to have his feeding tube reinserted if he didn't start eating. Jason shares the profound peace he felt after accomplishing this singular, most important goal, and how it gave him confidence that everything else would fall into place. The Bionic Breakthrough: First Person in the World with Two Bionic Hands Jason unveils his journey to obtaining the revolutionary prosthetics that changed everything. Despite being told he'd never receive the $150,000-per-hand electric bionic devices because insurance would deny coverage, Jason fought relentlessly and became the first person in the world with two multi-articulating bionic hands. Learn how the technology works through muscle sensors on his forearms that detect when he feels like raising or lowering his wrist, opening and closing the hands and rotating them through thought-controlled muscle movements. Discover why Jason has been the first person in the world five times with the newest bionic hand technology, and his current work with doctors on internal sensors that would provide actual sensation.

    28 min
  7. EP 285: Jon Gordon - From Mr. Negative to Positive Leadership Guru: Overcoming to Inspire Millions

    MAR 24

    EP 285: Jon Gordon - From Mr. Negative to Positive Leadership Guru: Overcoming to Inspire Millions

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Jon Gordon, the internationally renowned leadership expert and bestselling author of 32 books including the iconic The Energy Bus, for an inspiring conversation about positive leadership, the power of process over results, and why the greatest leaders learn to love the battle rather than fear it. In this energizing episode, Jon reveals the counterintuitive truth that he's not naturally positive but rather has spent his life mastering the art of overcoming negativity, and shares the profound insights he's gained from working with championship coaches and Fortune 500 companies around the world. This episode offers a masterclass in sustainable excellence, demonstrating why commitment always trumps goals, how forgiveness unlocks creativity, and why the teams that connect deeply become the ones that commit fully. Jon opens up about his journey from restaurant owner to thought leader, the writers block that changed his philosophy forever, and the revolutionary culture-building framework he uses with NFL coaches like Sean McVay, Kevin O'Connell, and Mike Macdonald to create winning organizations.\n\nKey Topics Discussed:\n\nFrom 32 Books to the Next Challenge: The Power of Loving What's Next\nJon reveals how he discovered his calling to write and speak at age 30 after losing his job during the dot-com crash and selling his struggling restaurants. Discover why he believes everyone has a unique skill set and his was specifically to write books, speak about them, and share transformative messages. Learn about his upcoming book The Power of Positive Habits launching in May, which focuses not on habit strategies like Atomic Habits but on the specific habits that elevate you personally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Jon explains why he's already thinking about his next few books and how each new idea emerges and crystallizes into frameworks worth sharing.\n\nWhy Leadership Needs the Word "Positive": We've Polluted the Concept\nIn one of the episode's most powerful insights, Jon explains why we shouldn't need the term "positive leadership" at all—it should just be leadership. Just like we use the term "organic food" because we've polluted our food supply, we use "positive leadership" because we've polluted leadership itself. Discover why human nature leads to bad leadership through ego, self-preservation, survival instincts, and focusing on "me" instead of "we." Jon reveals that most leaders are either leading from their wounds or healing from them, and until you heal your wounds, you'll hurt people in your leadership.\n\nThe Forgiveness Breakthrough: How Letting Go Unlocked Creativity\nJon shares the deeply personal story of how his biological father left when he was one year old, and years later when he decided to pursue writing and speaking as his calling, he couldn't write. He visited his father with his daughter, forgave him, and when he returned home, the words finally flowed. Learn why if he hadn't let go of the old, he couldn't have created the new, and why leaders carrying emotional weight find it affects their health, wellbeing, mindset, and leadership ability. Jon introduces the principle from his new book: forgive fast—the sooner you forgive, the faster you grow.\n\nLove Casts Out Fear: The Game-Changing Mindset Shift\nDiscover the profound revelation Jon received during writers block while working on The Carpenter: love casts out fear. He explains how focusing on loving the reader, loving the writing, and loving the process eliminated his anxiety and unlocked the story. This principle has become central to his coaching work with NFL quarterbacks, players, and coaches who allow the joy to be sucked from them. Learn why when you focus on love—loving the battle, loving the competition, loving what you get to do—fear dissipates and you rise to a higher level in wellbeing, mindset, and performance.\n\nCommitments Over Goals: Why Every Team Wants a Super Bowl But Only One Wins\nJon unveils the core philosophy from his book The Seven Commitments of a Great Team, which he wrote in just 16 days. He explains why everyone talks about goals but your goals won't take you where you want to go—every team wants to win a Super Bowl but only one does. Commitments lead you to your goals. Commitments are greater than goals. Goals are great, but commitments lead to greatness. Learn about the commitment to vision and mission, the commitment to giving your best, getting better, staying positive through challenges, and most importantly, the commitment to each other.\n\nThe Secret Formula: Devotion Over Discipline\nJon breaks down his formula for giving your best, revealing that while discipline and consistency are important, it's devotion that drives discipline.

    29 min
  8. [DELETED ON YOUTUBE] EP 284: Kristin Ulmer - From US Ski Team Extreme Athlete to Fear Expert:

    MAR 17

    [DELETED ON YOUTUBE] EP 284: Kristin Ulmer - From US Ski Team Extreme Athlete to Fear Expert:

    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Kristen Ulmer, former US Ski Team mogul skier turned extreme skiing legend who held the title of best female big mountain extreme skier in the world for 12 consecutive years. In this paradigm-shifting conversation, Kristen reveals why everything we've been taught about conquering and overcoming fear is fundamentally wrong, and shares the revolutionary approach that transformed her from adrenaline junkie to thought leader on fear and anxiety. This episode offers a complete reframe on one of humanity's most misunderstood emotions, demonstrating why fear isn't something to be eliminated or overcome, but rather something to embrace intimately as a performance enhancer and pathway to flow states. Kristen shares powerful insights from her death-defying career jumping off 70-foot cliffs on skis, her interviews with legends like Alex Honnold and Laird Hamilton, and why the goal of being fearless is not only impossible but actually causing the anxiety epidemic plaguing modern society. Key Topics Discussed: From US Ski Team to Extreme Skiing Legend: Choosing Danger Over Amateur Status Kristen reveals how she went from mogul skiing on the US Ski Team to becoming the most celebrated female extreme skier in the world. Faced with a choice between remaining an amateur athlete or getting paid to jump off cliffs into powder from helicopters in Canada, she chose the latter because she couldn't afford to stay on the team. Discover how her natural talent in the air immediately caught filmmakers' attention and launched a 12-year reign at the top of one of the world's most dangerous sports. The Deadly Reality of Extreme Sports: Over 100 Friends Lost In a sobering moment, Kristen shares that she's lost over 100 friends to extreme sports, including four ex-boyfriends, and experienced more than 60 near-death experiences during her career. Learn what "extreme" truly means: the consequences of failure are death or injury. Despite media portrayals of athletes like Kristen, Alex Honnold, and Laird Hamilton as "fearless," she reveals the truth: none of them are fearless. They're all willing to feel fear to an extreme degree because it makes them feel alive. The Revolutionary Insight: Fear Times Intimacy Equals Flow Kristen unveils her groundbreaking framework that's transforming how elite performers and corporations understand fear. Fear times resistance equals anxiety, depression, insomnia, anger, and underperformance. But fear times intimacy equals flow states. She challenges flow expert Steven Kotler's assertion that "when there's fear involved, flow comes for free," clarifying that flow only comes when there's fear AND intimacy with that fear. This distinction separates the best in the world from everyone else. The Fearless Myth: Why No Expert Claims to Be One Discover why Kristen has virtually no competition as a thought leader on fear and anxiety. She reveals that she Googled "fear experts" and found nobody willing to claim that title, because we falsely believe that to be a fear expert, you must be fearless and teach others to be fearless—neither of which is possible or desirable. Learn why the subtitle of her book The Art of Fear is "Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What to Do Instead." Interviews with 26 Elite Athletes: Only 3 Understood Their Relationship with Fear For the documentary Voices of Fear, Kristen interviewed 26 professional danger sports athletes at the top of their game, spending two hours with each asking one question: What is your relationship with fear? Only three athletes—all in their 40s and the absolute best in the world at their sports—said they had an intimate relationship with fear. Twenty had no idea what their relationship was, citing clichés like "I don't let it get the better of me." Three became so upset at the suggestion they had fear that one nearly punched her in the face. Fear as Noun vs. Scared as Adjective: Redefining the Language Kristen makes a critical distinction that changes everything: fear is a noun, a feeling of discomfort in the body that's always present like food or oxygen. Scared or afraid are adjectives—only two ways fear shows up, and they're very rare. Fear also shows up as aliveness, presence, focus, intuition, and what we now call anxiety. We've stopped calling it fear because of stigma, but understanding this linguistic shift unlocks a completely different relationship with the emotion. The 4% Rule: Alex Honnold's Path to Free Soloing El Capitan Learn the exact process by which Alex Honnold went from regular climber to free soloing El Capitan. Kristen reveals the 4% rule:

    36 min
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4.9
out of 5
129 Ratings

About

Mark Pattison is a former NFL player, Sports Illustrated Exec, Philanthropist & Mountaineer who completed the Seven Summits on May 23rd, 2021 with his ascent of Mt Everest. NFL360 created a film called Searching for the Summit which followed Mark's journey up Mt EVEREST and won a EMMY for best picture in 2022. Through his life’s journey in business, sports & charity work, Mark has been fortunate to meet some of the world’s most incredible people who share their stories of how they overcame adversity and found their way.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Pattison
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    298
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mark Pattison
  • Show Website
    Finding Your Summit

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