Finding Your Summit

173: Butch Whiting: CEO of Kryptek Outdoor Group, talks about he evolved from his childhood interest in the military, to leading soldiers in Afghanistan, to starting his own business and how all of these experiences connect. 

Butch Whiting  

Why was it that pushed today’s guest butch Whiting to go into the military at a young age? “I was inspired to go into the military by my grandfather on my dad’s side. He was the first sergean...

172: Tom Arnold: Actor and Comedian talks about how his humble beginnings in rural Iowa transformed into a celebrity life in Hollywood and overcoming family issues along the way.

Tom Arnold  

What was it like for actor Tom Arnold growing? “I did grow up in a small farming town and the oldest of seven kids. When you are a kid from Ottumwa, Iowa, you have dreams. You watch the TV. You go to the movies. But you work in the field. ...

171: Joe Hawley: Former NFL Football Player with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Founder The Hart Collective and Man Van Dog Blog talks about bouncing back after his football career ended and reemerging in a van with his dog Freedom to the benefit of former professional athletes. 

Joe Hawley 

Joe Hawley discusses his choice to take his college football efforts to UNLV as a California guy. “I really wanted to go to U...

170: MJ Elmore: Angel Investor at Broadway Angels, Advisor, Limited Partner, and Former General Partner at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), and Fellow at Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute talks about rising up to excellence as a woman in the overwhelming male investment industry. 

MJ Elmore 

MJ Elmore discusses how growing up, her older sister, who also attended Purdue University, was an early mentor figure for her....

169: Andrew Hughes: Mountain Climber, Explorer, Writer, and Speaker talks about overcoming the loss of his marriage and a complete career shift away from law towards focusing on his passion for the outdoors.  

Andrew Hughes

What was the whole idea behind the 5683 steps personal training challenge that Andrew Hughes did after the pandemic? “Like you, we were both supposed to be in Nepal this last season climbing, and when that all...

168: John Foley: Former Blue Angel Pilot, Keynote Speaker, High Performance Expert, Glad To Be Here Mindset, and Founder of John Foley Inc. talks about what it took for him to earn his place among the Blue Angels and flying a jet in the movie Top Gun, as well as what Glad To be Here is all about. 

John Foley 

How exactly did guest John Foley become a Blue Angel and what was his motivation? “Blue Angels are Navy fighter pilots. ...

167: Merril Hoge: Former NFL Player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears, ESPN Analyst, Inspirational Speaker, and Author discusses how he overcame the disbelief others all around him had in him while he pursued his childhood goal of being a professional football player in the NFL.

Merril Hoge 

Guest Merril Hoge discusses how he pushed forward into his football goals at Idaho State. “I wanted to play for the NFL. I’v...

166: Dr. Jason Piccolo: Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent, Author, and Host of The Protectors that shares stories about law enforcement talks about his adventures protecting the San Diego and El Paso borders and the dangerous situations he survived in the line of duty. 

Dr. Jason Piccolo  

Jason Piccolo was completely shocked after following his friend Chris’ advice to become a U.S. Border Patrol agent: “It is absolutely ‘cat and m...

165: Dick Couch: Former U.S. Navy SEAL, Author, Speaker, and Professor talks about how he went from being a young in Mississippi, moving to Indiana, not having much exposure to the ocean, and becoming a Navy SEAL and prolific author. 

Dick Couch  

How exactly did today’s guest Dick Couch, who grew up as a kid in Mississippi, become a Navy SEAL? “I can honestly say my mother, who kind of set the adventure in me. She took me to see...

164: Steve Azar: Blues Musician, Music and Culture Ambassador of Mississippi, and the Host and Creator of In a Mississippi Minute podcast talks about having his first major hit song later in life and emerging as a respected representative of his home state of Mississippi. 

Steve Azar  

Steve Azar talks about interpreting COVID-19 through his music. “In some sort of weird way I have already done it. I’m about to put it on a new ...

163: Mariel Hemingway: Actress and Expert in Mental & Physical Health in the areas of mindfulness, grounding and earthing talks about overcoming her family’s stigma of suicide and becoming a successful actress and mental health advocate. 

Mariel Hemingway 

What have Mariel Hemingway and her significant other Bobby done to anchor themselves in Southern California during the he COVID-19 pandemic? “We are very careful how we spe...

Gary Pinkel 

What was it like for Gary Pinkel to go from being...

161: Kristen Willeumier: Neuroscientist  and Author of the book Biohack Your Brain discusses overcoming serious athletic injuries of her own and pushing through to getting her PhD in Neurobiology from UCLA and working to help people fight back against neurological illnesses like Alzheimer’s. 

Kristen Willeumier 

As an athlete, what made Kristen Willeumier gravitate towards psychology?  “I started getting more interested in the mi...

160: Meghan Buchanan: Rocket Scientist, Aerospace Engineer, Athlete, and Public Speaker discusses what it was like to overcome dyslexia and a tremendous snowboarding injury, and come out on top thanks to gratitude, growth, resilience, integrity, and tenacity.

Meghan Buchanan

Being that Meghan Buchanan was all set to climb Mt. Everest before COVID-19, what was it like to have that massive goal put on hold? “When you are training s...

159: Rony Seikaly: Former NBA Basketball Player for the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, and the New Jersey Nets talks about moving from Lebanon to Greece, and to the United States and from the NBA to real estate. 

Rony Seikaly 

Rony Seikaly discusses his personal background and where he is from. “I was born in Lebanon and we left Lebanon at an early age when the civil war broke out. My family moved to Greece. Th...

158: Randall Reeves: Singlehander Ocean Sailor known for his Figure 8 Voyage, talks about his experiences at sea circumnavigated the America and Antarctica,

Randall Reeves 

Find out what is involved in Randall Reeves’s goal to be the first person to circumnavigate the Americas and sail to Antarctica by himself in one year? “Imagine the globe, if you would, in your hand, and you are looking right down at San Francisco, Figure 8 Voya...

157: Pastor Alvin Vaughn: Former Fire Fighter and currently a pastor, discusses how he overcame the racial discrimination he grew up seeing and managed to solidify his love for others in service as a Christian pastor while fighting back against cancer. 

Pastor Alvin Vaughn 

As a high school athlete in Seattle, Pastor Alvin Vaughn remembers witnessing the racial divide in the minds of people, even on the basketball court. “I was s...

156: Amanda Russell: Chief Marketing Officer at Valeo Technologies, Professor of Marketing, and Author opens up about overcoming the injury that interrupted her Olympic career to her expansion into the worlds of fitness and marketing. 

Amanda Russell 

Amanda Russell explained the importance a mentor played early in her life while growing up without a lot of financial resources and opportunities in a small town in Canada. “I had a...

155: Joe Kelly: Former NFL Linebacker and  and All-Star Player, gives his take on the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter response, his own experiences with racial profiling as an African American professional athlete, and the systemic biases that need to change. 

Joe Kelly 

Host Mark Pattison met Joe Kelly at the University of Washington. Since then, Joe Kelly has had an 11-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals,...