What happens when we reach the top? There’s only one place to go.
Cory Richards has scaled the world’s highest peaks and fallen to life’s lowest lows. An acclaimed mountain climber, photographer, and filmmaker, Cory has literally reached the top of the world. He climbed Mount Everest with no supplemental oxygen, became the first American to summit an 8,000-m ... Show More
Oct 20
Revisited: The Power of Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well with Gymshark Founder and CEO Ben Francis
Hello from Team Simon! Brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism are back next Tuesday, October 27. Before then, we're revisiting one last favorite: the company Simon names whenever someone asks which business actually lives the ideas he writes about. It's Gymshark, and its founder ... Show More
1 h
Oct 13
Revisited: Why Relationships Are the Secret to a Long, Happy Life with Psychotherapist Esther Perel
Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations, including this one with a longtime friend of Simon’s: Esther Perel. For most ... Show More
1h 2m
Oct 6
Revisited: Your Instincts Know What You Want with Happiness Expert Arthur Brooks
Team Simon here! A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, and brand-new episodes return October 27. Until then, we're revisiting a few conversations we keep coming back to. This week it's Arthur Brooks, a longtime friend of Simon's and one of his favorite people to talk to. Have yo ... Show More
55m 55s
Nov 2024
The Color Of Everything: Cory Richards On Big Peaks, Being Bi-Polar, Healing From Trauma, PTSD, & Alcoholism
Cory Richards is a renowned National Geographic photographer and artist behind the iconic avalanche selfie that graced the magazine’s 125th-anniversary cover. This conversation explores the paradox of achievement and healing through Cory’s raw lens on mental health, trauma, and t ... Show More
2h 21m
Aug 2015
Climber Conrad Anker on Suffering, Risk, Reward & The Allure of Meru
“Enlightenment isn't found on a full stomach, or on a soft pillow.”Conrad Anker
Imagine bivouacking in a portaledge — you and two other guys crammed into a small mountaineering tent pitched vertically and dangling on the side of a sheer Himalayan cliff 19,000 feet above solid gro ... Show More
2h 10m
Sep 2024
Dispatches From The Death Zone: Adrian Ballinger On Risk, Reward, & Guiding Earth’s Biggest Mountains
Adrian Ballinger is an elite mountaineer, a 9-time Everest summiteer, and the founder of Alpenglow Expeditions. This conversation delves into Adrian’s Everest ascents, his “Rapid Ascent” method, views on commercial expeditions, climate change's impact on mountaineering, and fathe ... Show More
2h 10m