The Most Miserable Day of My Life Was on Top of Everest | Mark Pattison NFL Star

About this episode

Mark Pattison shares his journey from NFL star to climber, discussing identity, failure, and what truly matters in life.

Mark Pattison played in the NFL, made the University of Washington Hall of Fame What if the most accomplished people in your life aren't chasing something, they're running from something, and they've just gotten really good at calling it ambition? EPISODE DESCRIPTION Mark Pattison played in the NFL, made the University of Washington Hall of Fame, took Sports Illustrated from #17 to #1 over twelve years (passing ESPN), and became the first former NFL player to climb the Seven Summits. The documentary won an Emmy. His book, Finding Your Summit, debuted at #1 on Amazon. . So Dov asked him the question almost nobody asks high performers: when you finally hit #1, how long did the feeling actually last? The honest answer surprised even him. In this conversation, Mark gets candid about what the keynote version skips. The two years after football, when he "went off a cliff" with no skills and no identity. What failure feels like at 60-something. His father, who sacrificed everything but never once hugged him or said "I love you," and the chain Mark broke with his own daughters. The divorce, after 24 years, he now calls the best thing that ever happened to him. The day on top of Everest…

People in this episode

Host: Dov Baron

Guest: Mark Pattison

Topics covered

• personal growth
• identity
• failure
• ambition
• sports
• climbing
• fatherhood

Keywords

• NFL
• Everest
• identity crisis
• ambition
• fatherhood
• climbing
• personal development

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Washington, Sports Illustrated, ESPN

Books & works: Finding Your Summit

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