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What drives us to scale impossible heights even as we’re haunted by the whisper that we don’t matter?
The stories we tell ourselves—about success, trauma, and identity—become the very prisons that prevent our healing.
My guest today is Cory Richards, a National Geographic photographer and the first American to summit an 8000-meter peak in winter. His iconic avalanche selfie, gracing the 125th-anniversary cover of National Geographic, appears at first glance to capture a man on the precipice of dying. Look deeper and you’ll see something else entirely—a little boy crying for help, crystalized in a moment that becomes a profound before-and-after in his life.
From teenage homelessness to the world’s highest peaks, Cory’s journey is a postmodern Siddhartha story. Yet neither mountains nor adventures can quiet the hungry ghost of trauma unhealed—a beast that leads only to insanity, institutionalization, or death. His memoir “The Color of Everything” brings striking candor to his battles with bipolar disorder and the paradox of achievement versus healing.
Today, we examine how humans are storytelling machines, crafting narratives that are neither false nor true but have a complicated relationship with reality. Through Cory’s lens, we explore how memory is unreliable, and our inner dialogue—whether of success or brokenness—only holds as much power as we give them. The paradox lies in how these accomplishments both saved and imprisoned him; the very accomplishments that provided a lifeline became the barriers to his healing.
“Pay attention to your triggers, that is where all the information is. They are pointing you in the right direction.”
– CORY RICHARDS
Our conversation covers the lived experience of being bipolar—from the euphoric heights of hypomania, where “You cannot be stopped,” to the depths of depression—discussing how it is impossible to escape or outclimb an unsettled mind.
We analyze the difference between being present and simply taking photographs, highlighting how even our greatest strengths can become traps if we are not careful—similar to someone who discovers triathlons, has a transcendent moment crossing the finish line, but then becomes stuck in the ritual of chasing that high year after year without personal growth.
Core to our discussion is how vulnerability has become currency, the misuse of trauma language as a weapon, and the difficult challenge of unpacking our entrenched narratives to discover what is true and what keeps us stuck. In Cory’s words, “You can’t ask the world to accommodate your trauma—our trauma is our responsibility to address.”
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
I felt less alone reading Cory’s book. It’s more than a memoir—it’s a work of art, an act of service, and a beautiful offering that left me feeling deeply seen.
Whether you’re wrestling with your own demons or seeking to understand the complex relationship between achievement and healing, this conversation illuminates the path toward authentic self-acceptance.
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- Connect with Cory: Instagram | Website | X | Facebook
- Memoir: The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within
- Debut photography collection book: Bi-Polar: Photographs from an Unquiet Mind
- Documentary: Cold
- Documentary: Kilian Jornet Path to Everest
- Documentary: Katabatic
- Documentary: Denis Urubko – New polish citizen
- New York Times: Should a Mental Health Emergency Derail a Dangerous Climb
- Outside Online: Cory Richards Was Too Depressed to Get Off the Couch. Then, He summited Everest Without Oxygen.
- NPR: This photographer nearly died mountain climbing. His memoir details the mental toll.
- Axios: Famed climber and photographer explores mental health in new memoir
- National Geographic: After Summiting Mt. Everest, He Returned Home to Face His Demons
- National Geographic: Adventures of the Year: Climber Cory Richards
- Westword: Photographer Cory Richards wins American Alpine Club’s 2012 Rowell Award
- Big Speak: Cory Richards
- Mention from the podcast: Johann Hari
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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Jason Camiolo for audio engineering, production, show notes and interstitial music; with additional audio engineering by Cale Curtis and additional music by Moby; Blake Curtis & Dan Drake for video, & editing; graphics by Jessica Miranda & Daniel Solis; portraits by Davy Greenberg, Grayson Wilder & Gizelle Peters; copywriting by Ben Pryor; and theme music by Tyler Piatt, Trapper Piatt & Hari Mathis.
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