Essays by Mitch Lewis
Everest Summit
I was on my hands and my knees at around 28,500′ and I couldn’t breathe. I looked at my Sherpa, Lakpa and motioned with my hands that I was suffocating. [...]
Personal Transformation in Uncertain Times
Anybody can do (most) anything they want to in this life. I believe this with all my heart. The art of the possible. The human potential. The nineteenth century novelist [...]
Seventh Summit – On the Bottom of the World
Seventh Summit – On Top of the Bottom of the World When the lead guide Jacob told our team that we had about three hours to go to get to [...]
10 Things I’ve Learned about Growth after 60+ (Marathons)
Many of us are at an interesting time of our business cycle; how to finish the year strong and above plan … and creating, defining and finalizing next year’s sales plan. By now, in December of a normal [...]
Why I Love The Mother Mountain
This I'll admit, you are a wonder. Blind to my kind, won't know my name. And I would give up my world to meet you. Just can't come up, don't [...]
Mountains of Anxiety
I have anxiety. A lot. Most all the time. I’ve had this for more than twenty years, but I’ve really seen (and felt) the effects the last few years. In my [...]
My Everest Story
It started in December 2005 when Karen Birnie gave me the book, “Into Thin Air” for Christmas. I was just finishing the seven continents (marathons) quest and the book captivated [...]
Ten Leadership Lessons from Everest
Between 22,000′ and 26,000′ on Everest, I spent time thinking about the similarities of the mountain and leadership. When your own life and goal are in danger and success is [...]
Making the Climb in Antarctica
The Climb Begins As the team of mostly strangers gathered over a Chilean dinner on a Saturday evening in Punta Arenas, far from our homes, we made mostly small talk [...]
My Best Mile
The Last Mile With about one mile to go I decided that I was going to turn on the after-burners and try to pass as many runners as I could [...]
Life Lessons From The Everest Sherpas
What is absolutely indisputable is the critical role of the Sherpas in the Himalayas and certainly on Mt. Everest; starting with Tenzing Norgay and Hillary. The bond that the real [...]
Everest, Ten-Years After
Ten years ago this month, I boarded a 747 to Nepal to start my two-month Everest expedition. Seeing posts from friends and colleagues who are just arriving now, has given [...]
Ode to Everest
Mitch Lewis Looking into the sky, What would I face? Would I only try? Or just try to keep pace? The icefall it rose, And tumbled and fell, [...]
Open Your Heart
“Open Your Heart” © by Mitch Lewis Life as we know it. Or think that we do. Always changing. What we believe and might knew. Our time is [...]
Music, Magic, and The Meaning Of Life
How Miha Pogacnik Helps Transform the World Through Music and Art Violinist Miha Pogacnik is a modern-day wizard. True, in recent decades, words like that have lost their meaning through [...]
Invictus – Why you too should love Rugby
I am a self-confessed rugby fan and an adopted New Zealand All Blacks fanatic. I’ve seen them play a number of times including at their home ground of Eden Park [...]
T’was The Night Before Hope (2020)
T’was the night before Hope, when all through the land, All the creatures were stirring, iPhones in hand. Wishes and dreams were hung on the fireplace with care, Believing that [...]
Ten Principles to Pursue our Purpose with Passion in the New Year
It’s that time of year again we all look forward to, or dread, making our New Year’s Resolutions. Rather than focusing on immediate things like weight or exercise, I try [...]
On Communications
One satellite phone, one iPhone, several iPods, two digital cameras, one HD video camera, and a Kindle all traveled to Mount Everest with me leveraging 3G, Internet and Wi-Fi networks, [...]
Giving Gratitude in 2020
WE HAVE so much to be grateful for this year. We are more appreciative of our good health than any other year; awareness of our mortality has caused us to [...]
She Found Her Voice
Once Stifled and Suppressed, Susan Overland Finally Said Yes to Her Real Self Susan Freeman looked through the windshield of her “crappy brown Datsun” at the steady rain that had [...]
Save A Life – It Might Be Yours
Save a Life – It Might Be Yours The other day, I received an email from a friend and colleague that changed the way I think about running and taking [...]
We Are All Connected
November 5, 2020 “We are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, and to the rest of the universe, atomically.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson We are all [...]
Leadership Attributes in Climbing and Running
During the past few decades, I’ve had time to reflect about how the challenges related to business and my own performance are intertwined. While some areas are easy to identify [...]
Leadership Lessons from Shackleton
Long ago, I read a fantastic book called “South”, which is the verbatim account by Sir Ernest Shackleton on his hard-to-believe Endurance expedition of 1914-1916 where he got every one [...]
No Missed Opportunities
When Her Dream Came Knocking, Robin Hauser Opened the Door Wayne Gretzky is famously quoted as saying “You miss 100% of the shots you never take”. In 2015, the prestigious [...]
What 9-11 Taught us about Marketing
On 9/11 Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US, including the World Trade Center towers. Like everyone else, I can remember exactly where [...]
Beautiful Girl Clara and the Napa Valley Marathon
Napa Valley Marathon 2016 This marathon was a very special one. I love the course and got to run with my friend Kim and it came on the weekend of [...]
Running with Jackson
Seattle Marathon 2015 – Running With Jackson Posted on December 5, 2015 // Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels Looking back at the years gone by like [...]
The ABCs of Embracing Each Other (and the 2020 Holidays)
Four years ago, my wife and I took an eye-opening train trip from Lhasa (Tibet) to Wuhan (China); about 2,500 miles on the “Sky Road”. It is renowned as the [...]
Top Ten Running and Life Tips
The Top Ten Running and Life Tips – in no particular order Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water and energy drinks. Drink the night before a run, during a run [...]
Five Lessons on Leadership from Lee Kuan Yew
When Lee Kuan Yew died a couple of years ago, it was very sad here in Singapore. You could see it on the faces of colleagues, friends and people we [...]
Giving & Receiving This Holiday Season
For this holiday season, and to commemorate the release of my new and first children’s book, The Mother Mountain, I am fund-raising for a local Seattle non-profit organization very close [...]
Learnings from a Personal Best
New PR at Kirkland Half-Marathon The day started out fairly warm and sunny and waking up to views of Lake Washington, downtown Seattle and the brilliant Olympic snow-capped mountains standing [...]
An Irishman In The Jungle
Aidan Grimes Found His Purpose in a Bold Leap and a Long Journey I sat on a stone bench with my sons Jeremy and Nick as the moon rose over [...]
Om Mane Padme Hum
Om Mane Padme Hum – On the Kathmandu and Everest Tragedies The story and pictures and videos are devastating to watch. The earthquake in Nepal and the avalanches triggered around [...]
Giving Thanks – Ten Years On
November 21, 2010 “Are you happy sir?” … I heard in what seemed to be a far off voice. I said, “What do you mean?” I’m walking through the [...]
Summiting Mt. Everest Without Oxygen – Live Report from Ten Years Ago
Almost ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to stand on the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, and even more fortunate to make it safely down. This, after running [...]
