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The Climb Out of Pain is Taller Than Everest with Nat Geo photographer Cory Richards PART 2

*Please note: At 9:37, Simon and Cory have a discussion about suicide. What happens after we attain success and glory? Where do you go when there's nowhere left to run from yourself? In Part 2 of my conversation with Cory Richards, Cory explains why reaching the summit of Everest marked the beginning of a long, painful fall from grace. After his tumultuous decision to retire from climbing, Cory found himself lost and confused about his true identity. At the same time, he was forced to grapple with multiple life-shattering events at once -- some of his own making. In this episode, we discuss the difference between identity and purpose, the skills Cory learned to cope with multiple tragedies, and why the more we ignore life’s harshest lessons, the louder they become. This…is A Bit of Optimism. Watch PART 1 here: https://youtu.be/ZvQ4K1JpvFI For more on Cory Richards and his work, check out: http://coryrichards.com/ ⏰ Timestamps 0:00 The power of slowing down 4:49 4 steps to reclaim your agency 5:44 Cory's last expedition 12:13 Heartbreak, death, and uncertainty 22:27 The people in Cory's corner 29:37 Purpose is not doing 36:08 Failure does not exist + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/ + + + #SimonSinek

Cory RichardsguestSimon Sinekhost
Apr 28, 202541mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Cory Richards on agency, community, and transforming pain into purpose

  1. Richards argues that under threat people default to binary thinking, and resilience begins by slowing down to self-regulate and return to critical thought.
  2. He outlines a four-part framework—agency, discomfort, curiosity, and adaptation—to move from victimhood and blame into forward-focused action.
  3. Richards recounts leaving an expedition during a severe bipolar episode, a subsequent suicidal crisis, and how reaching out for help and embodied support saved his life.
  4. The conversation emphasizes that community “holding space” without fixing or silver-lining pain is foundational to surviving and integrating trauma.
  5. They redefine purpose as compassion expressed through storytelling and reject “failure” as a myth, reframing endings as transitions in an ongoing cycle of change.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Slow down to move from panic to problem-solving.

Richards links threat responses to “splitting” (binary thinking) and argues that self-regulation helps shift from sympathetic activation into a calmer, more critical, options-oriented mindset.

Agency is the pivot from victimhood to forward motion.

Blame and “why did this happen to me?” keep you backward-looking; naming the current reality (“My house burned down. Now what?”) restores choice, focus, and capacity to act.

Discovery requires staying with discomfort instead of escaping it.

Richards frames discomfort as the price of growth—identity loss, financial fear, grief, and heartbreak can’t be bypassed, only metabolized by sitting with what’s true.

Certainty is often a comfort-grab that kills growth.

He treats rigid stories (“why she left,” “what I lack,” “who’s at fault”) as attempts to regain control that actually erode agency; replacing them with questions reopens learning and compassion.

Adaptation means reimagining from the ground up, not recreating the past.

Richards distinguishes between using useful pieces of the past versus clinging to old identities; evolution comes from building anew when prior “anchors” (roles, status, relationships) collapse.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Agency is everything.

— Cory Richards

Discovery demands discomfort.

— Cory Richards

Certainty kills curiosity.

— Cory Richards

When you try to change somebody's pain, you are rejecting it.

— Cory Richards

In the history of the universe, there's never been a failure.

— Cory Richards

Splitting/binary thinking under threatSelf-regulation and slowing down to thinkFour steps: agency, discomfort, curiosity, adaptationSuicidality and reaching out for immediate helpGrief, heartbreak, and compounding life stressorsCommunity support and holding spacePurpose as compassion; storytelling as serviceReframing failure as transition/evolution

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