The Happiness Quotient

Thom Dharma Pollard
  • 4.9 (45)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. MAY 18

    SUMMITS SOON: Everest's Perfect Storm: Extreme Conditions as Summit Push Begins

    Everest 2026 is a pressure cooker. The route to the summit opened May 13th. And the weather window slammed shut the same day. Wind chills of negative 68 degrees Celsius. A jet stream parked directly on the summit. And 492 permitted climbers — plus their support staff — all staring at the same narrow window around May 19th. **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: EVEREST SUMMIT:  Matthew Kleinlein CAMP FOUR: 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

    16 min

  2. MAY 11

    Ominous Warnings and Record Crowds on Everest: Is Disaster Looming? + Duck Rescue Update and an Everest Wedding

    The 2026 Mount Everest season has officially become a "pressure cooker." With a record 492 permits issued—amounting to over $7.3 million in fees alone—the South Side is bracing for unprecedented overcrowding. Following the deadliest year on record in 2023, experts are sounding the alarm: can the mountain handle this surge? Plus, we have an exceptional update on the Eurasian wigeon named Pemba Tshering who was rescued from the Khumbu Icefall, as well as an Everest wedding! **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: EVEREST SUMMIT:  Matthew Kleinlein CAMP FOUR: 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

    14 min

  3. MAY 7

    Everest Has First Deadly Week: Avalanche Rescue, Fatality, and Geopolitical Drama with Drones and US Special Envoy Visiting Base Camp

    Five forty-five this morning. A serac let go. And this is what it looked like. The tourism Times reported that a large serac broke off and a chunk of ice approximately 20 meters below it collapsed onto the path where climbers were moving up the mountain, striking members of a passing group.  If you would like to learn more about and support an organization dedicated to supporting HIMALAYAN mountain workers, their families and communities, please visit: https://www.thejuniperfund.org **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: EVEREST SUMMIT:  Matthew Kleinlein CAMP FOUR: 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

    12 min

  4. MAY 1

    2026 Everest’s First Rescue! The Duck Without a Permit and a Full Update on the Dangerous Khumbu Icefall and the Icefall Doctors of Everest

    In a truly unexpected turn of events at Everest Base Camp, a lost Eurasian Wigeon, affectionately named Pemba Tshering, found itself in a life-threatening situation after being blown off course from its home in the Gokyo Lakes. This remarkable animal rescue highlights the fragility of wildlife in extreme environments, but is an apt beginning to an Everest season that almost didn't happen. The Icefall Doctors of Everest have finally found a passage through the notorious Khumbu Icefall and upward movement has finally begun. But, not without anxiety in Everest Base Camp.  Here's another update from this strange season on Everest.  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

    15 min

  5. APR 28

    Body Discovered in the Khumbu | Everest says NO (For Now), The Khumbu Icefall Has Stopped the Icefall Doctors Cold

    A body* was discovered in the Khumbu Icefall this week at the base of Mount Everest, just as the 2026 climbing season is struggling to begin. This discovery comes as over 3,000 people are gathered at Everest Base Camp, waiting to ascend the icefall. This tragic event adds to the ongoing discussions about the dangers of mountaineering in the Himalaya, especially with the increasing number of everest bodies being found. * As of the time of this video being posted there is very, very little information available about the discovery of the human remains on Everest. This channel will be posting more as further information comes in.  **THANK YOU TO OUR HIGH ALTITUDE SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: EVEREST SUMMIT TEAM:  Matthew Kleinlein CAMP FOUR TEAM: 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

    18 min

  6. APR 26

    Everest 2026 Icefall Update | Social Media Is Ruining Mount Everest

    In this video we recount a tragic climbing incident in China's Sichuan province, where a hiker's selfie accident led to an accidental death after unhooking his safety rope. We also explore the story of the "bikini climber" GiGi Wu, highlighting how some seemingly innocent actions can go wrong in extreme environments, often due to the carelessness of people. This horror story serves as a stark reminder of critical safety precautions needed during any adventure, focusing on the circus that we see on Everest these days.  We also share an update on the massive serac stopping all work in the Khumbu Icefall and a workaround that the Icefall Doctors think might save the season.  **THANK YOU TO OUR CAMP FOUR SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: 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

    15 min

  7. APR 16

    Everest Put Him on Oxygen Before He Climbed a Single Meter | 2026 Everest Season Begins (Horribly)

    "I'm not doing too good at Everest Base Camp, " says a reclining Ryan Mitchell behind an oxygen mask covering his face.  Ryan Mitchell is on oxygen at Base Camp with an SPO2 of 35. And the Icefall Doctors have stopped cold in their tracks. A serac the size of a building is blocking the only route up the mountain. And 3,500 people are waiting at the foot of Everest with nowhere to go. The 2026 Everest season hasn't really started yet — but Tyler Andrews and Karl Egloff — gunning for the fastest no-oxygen ascent in history, the growing army of no-O2 no-Sherpa alpinists, and the looming regulatory changes that could make this one of the last seasons this style of climbing is even legal. **THANK YOU TO OUR CAMP FOUR SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: Barbedwire  Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dimberger Noelle Dud13y RESOURCES FOR MORE RESEARCH Everest at 19! YouTube Influencer Ryan Mitchell's Path to the Top https://youtu.be/w1mJsdeE81Q Everest 2026 - Without These HUGE Changes We're Screwed https://youtu.be/NKKMUvesAmE Can Anyone Save Everest? 2026 Is The Biggest Test Yet https://youtu.be/676yCestIKg Everest 2026: More Dangerous Than Ever — But Now There Are Drones https://youtu.be/Jqh3UA_ml1Y Ryan Mitchell's Instagram post - SEND HIM SOME LOVE: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXJ2yKVEXlL/ ======================= 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

    13 min

  8. APR 14

    Can Anyone Save Everest? 2026 Is The Biggest Test Yet

    I want to start with a number: 31,797 kilograms. That is the amount of human waste that was removed from Mount Everest in the spring of 2025. One season. One mountain.  Can anyone save Everest? That question has never felt more urgent than right now. With the Tibet side closed, record numbers of climbers heading for the summit, and a waste crisis decades in the making — 2026 is the year that puts everything to the test. Here's what's really at stake. **THANK YOU TO OUR CAMP FOUR SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**: Barbedwire  Henriette Pi Mike Nicholson Tom McLeod Geoff (mountain climber) Ursula Dimberger Noelle Dud13y This video discusses new regulations for climbing Mount Everest, requiring climbers to first ascend a 7,000m peak in Nepal. It highlights significant environmental concerns and the potential impact of climate change on the mountain. These changes could alter the appearance of Mount Everest, addressing issues like pollution and ensuring a more sustainable future for mountaineering. FOR THE LINK TO THIS EPISODE ON EVEREST MYSTERY FOLLOW THIS LINK: https://youtu.be/676yCestIKg RESOURCES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH POLL QUESTION about most important issues facing Mount Everest today: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxtVWxuLgVI4Fe8mCF8G8EENzuj3MsEK5l Everest 2026: More Dangerous Than Ever — But Now There Are Drones: https://youtu.be/Jqh3UA_ml1Y ======================= Check out our Everest Mystery merch page at www.everestmystery.com Here are some ways you can help support this channel: Our Patreon for access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery Channel 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: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery 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

    21 min
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
45 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
    162
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Happiness Quotient
  • Show Website
    The Happiness Quotient

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