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Finding Your Summit

Finding Your Summit

Written by: Mark Pattison
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 Mark Pattison is a former NFL player, Sports Illustrated Exec, Philanthropist & Mountaineer who completed the Seven Summits on May 23rd, 2021 with his ascent of Mt Everest. NFL360 created a film called Searching for the Summit which followed Mark's journey up Mt EVEREST and won a EMMY for best picture in 2022. Through his life’s journey in business, sports & charity work, Mark has been fortunate to meet some of the world’s most incredible people who share their stories of how they overcame adversity and found their way.Mark Pattison Economics Exercise & Fitness Fitness, Diet & Nutrition Football (American) Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • EP 283: Jim Sonefeld - From Hootie & the Blowfish Fame to Sobriety: Swimming Through Redemption

    EP 283: Jim Sonefeld - From Hootie & the Blowfish Fame to Sobriety: Swimming Through Redemption
    Mar 10 2026
    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Jim Sonefeld, the original drummer and founding member of the iconic 90s rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, for an extraordinary conversation about fame, addiction, redemption, and the power of second chances. In this deeply moving episode, Jim opens up about his remarkable journey from playing sold-out stadiums with one of the biggest bands of the 1990s to battling alcoholism, finding sobriety, and reinventing himself as a contemporary Christian artist, speaker, and devoted father. This episode offers a masterclass in resilience, demonstrating how someone can achieve extraordinary success, lose themselves in the process, and ultimately find their true summit through faith, discipline, and authentic self-discovery. Jim shares the untold story behind writing the massive hit "Hold My Hand," the surreal experience of going from bar band to number one album in America, and why stepping away from fame at age 40 to get sober was the most important decision of his life. Key Topics Discussed: Born a Drummer: When Rhythm Lives Inside You Jim reveals how he was born with rhythm in his fingertips and toes, constantly tapping and hearing beats that no one else could hear. Discover how his parents recognized this wasn't just hyperactivity or ADD but a genuine musical gift, leading them to get him drum lessons instead of therapy. Learn about his early influences, from Elton John to classic rock, and how Stewart Copeland of The Police became one of his drumming idols with his fierce, aggressive, internationally-influenced style. From Soccer Star to Rock Star: The University of South Carolina Years Jim shares his journey as a competitive soccer player who attended the University of South Carolina, where he would meet his three future bandmates who would change his life forever. Discover how the band formed in Columbia, South Carolina's state capital, and how they spent years playing bars and building a grassroots following throughout the Southeast before anyone outside the region knew their name. The David Letterman Moment That Changed Everything In one of the episode's most fascinating stories, Jim reveals the exact moment when luck met preparation. Their album Cracked Rear View was charting at 127 and heading toward obscurity when David Letterman heard "Hold My Hand" on his drive home from work. He called his booker and said "get these clowns on my show," and their three minutes and 20 seconds in front of five million viewers changed their trajectory forever. Learn about the surreal experience of going from opening for bands in theaters to headlining amphitheaters for 20,000 people almost overnight. Writing a Hit Song: How "Hold My Hand" Came to Be Jim breaks down the mysterious alchemy of songwriting, explaining how "Hold My Hand" flowed out of him in a moment of authentic expression. Discover why the simplest, most sincere songs often become the most memorable, and why timing is everything. Jim shares the powerful insight that luck is where preparation meets opportunity, and how this principle played out repeatedly throughout Hootie's career, from getting signed by Atlantic Records to that fateful Letterman appearance. The Warning from David Crosby: Fame Will Eat You Alive During the recording of Cracked Rear View, legendary musician David Crosby came to the studio and sang with the band. As he left, he offered a profound warning: "You're a musician because of what is happening in your heart. Don't ever forget that because you're about to enter this thing called the business world, and it will eat you alive." Jim candidly admits that as a young man caught up in the possibilities of success, he didn't take the warning personally, and it took him years to understand what Crosby was trying to tell him. The Dark Side of Success: When the Party Becomes Your Prison Jim opens up about how the music industry provides the perfect camouflage for addiction and destructive behavior. Unlike professional sports where peak physical condition is required, rock and roll allows you to slide, to party too much, to make headlines for the wrong reasons, and people just say "that's what rock stars do." Learn how Jim's drinking, which started as celebration and social lubrication, gradually became a coping mechanism for fear, pride, and the anxiety of maintaining success. The Three Things That Break Up Bands: Women, Drugs, or Money Jim shares the wisdom from a producer who warned them early on about the three forces that destroy bands. Discover how Hootie and the Blowfish navigated divorces, remarriages, blended families, changing musical directions, and the pressure of following up the massive success of Cracked Rear View. Jim explains why staying together for over 30 years is perhaps a greater achievement than any album sales or chart positions.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • EP 282: Tom Ziglar - From Famous Father to His Own Legacy: Scaling Success Beyond the Ziglar Name

    EP 282: Tom Ziglar - From Famous Father to His Own Legacy: Scaling Success Beyond the Ziglar Name
    Mar 3 2026
    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Tom Ziglar, CEO of Ziglar Inc. and son of the legendary motivational icon Zig Ziglar, for an inspiring conversation about legacy, leadership, and the art of scaling impact beyond a single generation. In this deeply insightful episode, Tom reveals how he transformed his father's timeless wisdom into a modern coaching and leadership empire while overcoming the immense pressure of living up to one of the most recognizable names in personal development history. This episode offers a masterclass in authentic leadership, the power of daily disciplines, and why the greatest leaders focus on asking questions rather than giving orders. Tom shares the pivotal moments that shaped his father's legendary career, his own journey from self-imposed pressure to authentic impact, and the revolutionary coaching methodology that's transforming corporate cultures across the globe. Key Topics Discussed: The Pivotal Moment That Created Zig Ziglar Tom reveals the transformative encounter that changed everything for his father. After two and a half years of sales failures, a mentor named P.C. Merrell told young Zig: "In all my years, I've never seen such a waste. But if you believed in yourself and went to work on a regular schedule, you could be a champion." That single moment sparked a lifelong journey into understanding belief and consistent action. The result? Zig went from never cracking the top 5,000 salespeople to finishing number two out of 7,000 in a single year. Learn why that "but" negated everything negative before it and became the foundation for decades of impact. The Daily Practice That Built a Legacy Discover the one habit that made Zig Ziglar who we know him to be. For nearly 40 years, Zig woke up early and spent the first two to three hours reading, researching scripture, and studying books of inspiration and motivation so he could internalize it, personalize it, and share it with someone else for their benefit. Tom emphasizes that last part is critical because when you seek to understand people's problems first and your motive is for them to win, combined with a daily practice of learning something new to benefit someone else, it fundamentally changes who you are as a person. Overcoming the Shadow of a Legend In one of the episode's most vulnerable moments, Tom opens up about the self-imposed lie that nearly derailed his speaking career. Despite his father never pressuring him to follow a certain path, Tom realized he was telling himself that audiences wanted him to be like Zig. The anxiety was crippling until he had a breakthrough: audiences don't want you to be like someone else; they want you to have the same principles and values while being authentically yourself. Once Tom embraced his nerdy style, dry humor, slower pace, and conversational approach, the anxiety disappeared and his impact multiplied. Success, Significance, and Legacy: The Three Levels of Impact Tom breaks down Ziglar's powerful framework for measuring your life's work. Success is achieving your goals through personal development and discipline. Significance is helping someone else be, do, or have more than they thought possible. Legacy is when you not only help people become successful but teach them how to teach others. The progression represents a shift from self-focused achievement to multiplication of impact across generations. Tom challenges listeners to evaluate where they are on this spectrum and what it would take to move to the next level. The Wheel of Life: Seven Areas of Balanced Success Learn about the Ziglar goal setting system and the Wheel of Life, which includes seven critical areas: mental, spiritual, physical, family, financial, personal, and career. Tom explains why achieving great career success while losing your health isn't really success, and why having good physical health but losing family relationships isn't either. The key is intentional development across all seven areas, following the Be-Do-Have philosophy: you must be the right person first, then do the right things, before you can have all that life offers. Coach Leadership: The Revolutionary Alternative to Command and Control Tom unveils Ziglar's powerful five-step coaching process that's transforming corporate cultures. The fundamental insight: 98% of people would rather be asked what to do than told what to do. Coach leadership focuses on asking powerful questions like "What does success mean to you?" and "Why is that important?" rather than issuing top-down directives. When employees create their own plans through guided questioning, they develop ownership, and ownership drives follow-through. This approach aligns personal goals with company missions, creating allies for life rather than reluctant compliance.
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    34 mins
  • EP 281: Kevin Debris - From Clinically Dead to Everest: Finding the Spiritual Summit Within

    EP 281: Kevin Debris - From Clinically Dead to Everest: Finding the Spiritual Summit Within
    Feb 24 2026
    Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Kevin DeRooy, an award-winning filmmaker and extreme adventurer who has turned personal trauma into transformative storytelling. In this deeply moving conversation, Kevin shares his remarkable journey from a devastating divorce to conquering mountains around the world, and ultimately experiencing clinical death for 15 minutes—an encounter that forever changed his understanding of life, purpose, and the spiritual dimension of extreme adventure. Find Kevin DeRooy at TrueSummit.LLC or email Kevin at TrueSummit.LLC to learn more about The Journey Within docu-seriessue extreme challenges aren't running toward something—they're running away from pain, trauma, and a life they're afraid to face. Kevin and Mark dive deep into the psychology of risk-taking, the healing power of mountains, and the mysterious "third man phenomenon" that guides people at the edge of survival. Key Topics Discussed: From Divorce to Denali: When Trauma Drives Adventure Kevin opens up about his 2000 divorce and how emotional devastation drove him to climb Mount Rainier with a group of flatlander friends from Michigan. Discover the transcendent moment at sunrise on the summit that hooked him on mountaineering and set him on a path toward the Explorers Grand Slam—the seven summits plus skiing to both the North and South Poles. Learn why he believes most extreme adventurers aren't afraid of dying—they're afraid of living. The 18-Inch Journey: From Head to Heart In one of the episode's most powerful insights, Kevin reveals his discovery that if you can't make the 17-18 inch journey from your head (where trauma lives) to your heart (where passion and purpose reside), you'll have to climb 18,000 feet or travel 18,000 miles. Whatever we can't internalize, we always externalize. Hear how years of extreme adventures led him to understand that he wasn't looking for something—he needed to find what he'd left behind. Clinically Dead for 15 Minutes: A Divine Encounter Kevin shares the extraordinary story of September 21st when he collapsed during a routine training run and experienced cardiac arrest—the same day, decades earlier, that his maternal grandfather died from a heart issue. Learn about his out-of-body experience, his encounter with what he believes was the risen Christ, and the message he received: "Your mission is not complete. Your time has not yet come." Discover what the ambulance driver told him months later that sent shivers down his spine about straddling two dimensions. The 2,000-Yard Stare: Recognizing Combat-Level Trauma During expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey searching for Noah's Ark, special operations veterans told Kevin something that changed his life: "You have the same 2,000-yard vacuous stare that we all have." These combat warriors recognized in Kevin's eyes the signs of deep trauma—always punishing the past, poisoning the present, and fearing the future, but never being present. This revelation began his multi-year journey into therapy, community, and contemplation to access parts of himself he'd been unable to reach. The Journey Within: A Revolutionary Docu-Series Kevin unveils his groundbreaking four-part documentary series that reframes survival stories and athletic achievements as catalysts for spiritual awakening. Episode one, The True Summit, explores the 1924 Everest expedition where Mallory and Irvine disappeared into legend—revealing that all those climbers were World War I veterans seeking the silent space above the clouds to escape the human carnage they'd witnessed. ode offers profound insights for anyone struggling with trauma, seeking purpose beyond achievement, or wondering if there's something more beyond the physical realm. As Kevin powerfully demonstrates, the mountains we climb externally are really inside us, and when we go out and go far and go up, we're actually going deep and going in. The journey within is the greatest expedition of all. For more information, visit www.MarkPattersonNFL.com and download your free PDF guide "What's Your Everest" to start accomplishing your biggest goals. Check out Mark's book Finding Your Summit, detailing his epic Mount Everest journey, NFL career, and the lessons learned along the way. Find Kevin DeRooy at TrueSummit.LLC or email Kevin at TrueSummit.LLC to learn more about The Journey Within docu-series and how you can
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    33 mins
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