The Happiness Quotient

Thom Dharma Pollard
  • 4.8 (47)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Biweekly

Thom Dharma Pollard hosts inspirational, intimate and unfiltered Stories That Inspire with guests and drawing from his own adventures around the world. The Happiness Quotient: connected, engaged, passionate people who inspire us. 

  1. 1d ago

    THE INTERVIEW "My Guide Left Me to Die": How Russian Climber Survived Makalu Despite His Allegation that His Guide Wanted Him to Die

    Surgery complete. Six of Konstantin Smirnov's fingers are gone. He believes the man whose job was to bring him down Makalu left him to die in the death zone. Today, for the first time, he tells the whole story — and he is not asking for your sympathy. **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: Henriette Pi Barbedwire Ursula Dirnberger Noelle Dud13y  John V. Mike Nicholson Geoff (mountain climber) Send us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we can continue delivering great content for you to enjoy.Click on the link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/268133/supportThank you!Thom Dharma Pollard Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  2. Sep 5

    NEPAL FLOODS: The Mountains Are Coming Apart. And No One Is Safe.

    On August 26th, the Himalaya came apart. The disaster began high along the Lende Khola near the Nepal Tibet border, then poured south into the Trishuli River system heading downstream toward the lower valleys of central Nepal. A wall of water and debris. Communities were destroyed. Roads and bridges disappeared. Hydropower facilities were overwhelmed and destroyed and people disappeared with them.  **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: John V. Barbedwire  Lindsey Cameron Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dirnberger Noelle Dud13y CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS FOR FLOOD RELIEF IFRC / Nepal Red Cross Society: https://www.ifrc.org/emergency/nepal-flash-floods-2026 Government of Nepal Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund: https://www.donate.gov.np UNICEF Nepal: https://www.unicef.org/nepal Provisions For Humanity, expanding access to practical, sustainable solutions that help individuals and communities:  https://www.provisionsforhumanity.org Send us Fan Mail Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  3. Sep 1

    They Want to Rename Annapurna to 'Nimsdai Annapurna'? NOPE! And The Recent Floods and Chaos in China and Nepal

    After the Broad Peak avalanche that took ten lives, the municipality where Nirmal Purja was born proposed renaming Annapurna I in his honor, to Nimsdai Annapurna. In this video I trace the epic of the mountain itself — the 1950 French first ascent and the cost it took from Maurice Herzog — and the right way to honor Nimsdai without un-naming a goddess. **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: John V. Barbedwire  Lindsey Cameron Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dirnberger Noelle Dud13y RESOURCES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Nims Purja, the Broad Peak Avalanche, and the Questions No One Wants to Ask: https://youtu.be/5GYX_azq_HA NEWS FLASH: Nimsdai's Troubles HEAT UP & 2024 Season Recap: https://youtu.be/1mnq5WY0p2I Patreon newsletter August 9, 2014, Broad Peak: Ambition, Ego, and The Questions That Remain After Ten Deaths:  https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery/posts/broad-peak-ego-166132724?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Send us Fan Mail Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  4. Aug 14

    Nims Purja, the Broad Peak Avalanche & Tragedy, and the Questions No One Wants to Ask

    There’s a scene in 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible that tells me almost everything I need to know about the Broad Peak disaster. Ten climbers died on July 30th—but the avalanche is only part of the story. This video asks the harder question: why were they there at all? **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: John V. Barbedwire  Lindsey Cameron Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dirnberger Noelle Dud13y Send us Fan Mail Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  5. Aug 1

    Murder Mystery on Makalu? Konstantin Smrinov Was Left For Dead, Now He's Fighting Back In Court

    "So these uh fingers, they are dead and you  know they they sound like stone, like a piece of bone."  Listeners might want to check out the video version of this podcast episode, found here: https://youtu.be/xBW_6ZNYI8M The fascination with the abandonment on Makalu has resonated profoundly. It may well reshape the guiding industry forever.  Konstantin Smirnov faced the ultimate betrayal on the slopes of Makalu. Abandoned in the death zone, his survival ignited a legal battle that challenges the ethics of commercial mountaineering and could change the guiding industry forever is his court battle is successful.  Be sure to leave a comment in the comment section to join the conversation. Send us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we can continue delivering great content for you to enjoy.Click on the link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/268133/supportThank you!Thom Dharma Pollard Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  6. Jul 18

    The Cost of the Summit: Kristin Harila's Records and Reality from Everest to Everest

    In 2023, the Norwegian climber rewrote the record books by summiting all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks in just 92 days, alongside her close friend and climbing partner, Tenjen Lama Sherpa. It was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of high-altitude mountaineering. Beyond the headlines and the polarizing reception of Kristin Harila’s 14 Peaks project we explore the human cost and the industry mechanics behind modern high-altitude record-chasing. This is an unfiltered conversation about what it takes to operate at the edge of human endurance, the reality of the commercialized "circus" on Everest, and the weight of being the focal point of a rapidly changing mountaineering landscape.#everestmystery  This is Kristin Harila, unplugged and wide open. **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: John V. Barbedwire  Lindsey Cameron Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dirnberger Noelle Dud13y RESOURCES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH How Kristin Harila Climbed 14 Peaks in 92 Days | Tenjen Lama Sherpa Disappearance https://youtu.be/IeV4xL4INec K2's Deadly Moment | Kristin Harila's Firsthand Account of the Muhammed Hassan Tragedy https://youtu.be/gyIuZBBBAFk Savage Mountain documentary: https://www.nfi.no/en/films-and-series/savage-mountain Send us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we can continue delivering great content for you to enjoy.Click on the link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/268133/supportThank you!Thom Dharma Pollard Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  7. Jul 1

    Green Boots Finally Identified on Mount Everest. Why Bringing Him Home May Be Impossible and a Bad Idea.

    For nearly 30 years, the climber long referred to as "Green Boots" has remained one of Mount Everest's most haunting and recognizable landmarks. Now, after DNA testing, the Government of India says the climber has finally been identified, and an extraordinary recovery mission is being considered. But should it happen? I welcome rigorous debate on the ethics, decisions, and systemic issues of Mount Everest. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.  SMALL CLARIFICATION: During the segment I refer to the 1996 Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition as pursuing a "first Indian ascent." I intended to say the first Indian ascent of Everest from the North (Tibetan) side. **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: John V. Barbedwire  Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dimberger Noelle Dud13y Send us Fan Mail Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

  8. Jun 20

    Everest’s Dirty Secret: The Brutal Reality of Hillary Dawa Sherpa’s Abandonment and The Everest Industry No One Wants You to Know About

    The investigation into the abandonment of Hillary Dawa Sherpa reveals systemic corruption within Everest’s commercial climbing industry. Evidence of oxygen fraud, staffing failures, and criminal negligence is examined in light of current investigations. **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS**: CAMP FOUR: John V. Barbedwire  Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dimberger Noelle Dud13y Send us Fan Mail Support the show Here are a few ways you can help support us: Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery EVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join Tip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

Thom Dharma Pollard hosts inspirational, intimate and unfiltered Stories That Inspire with guests and drawing from his own adventures around the world. The Happiness Quotient: connected, engaged, passionate people who inspire us. 

Information

  • Creator
    Thom Dharma Pollard
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Happiness Quotient
  • Show Website
    The Happiness Quotient

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