What does climbing the world’s most dangerous peaks teach you about endurance, leadership, and emotional resilience? Lisa Thompson is no stranger to extreme environments, whether leading a team through a Himalayan expedition or navigating the internal battles of cancer, career change, and self-doubt. In this inspiring episode, Greg McDonough sits down with Lisa, a world-class mountaineer, endurance coach, author, and motivational speaker, to explore how her journey from corporate America to the summit of Everest shaped her outlook on leadership, coaching, and life.
Takeaways:
Train your emotional endurance. Build your capacity to regulate emotions during high-stress situations. Whether you're climbing a mountain or leading a company, staying calm under pressure is a learned skill.
Lead with compassion, not control. Empower your team by meeting them where they are. Great leaders don’t demand perfection; they create space for growth.
Honor the recovery phase. After achieving big goals, schedule time to decompress, reflect, and realign. Avoid jumping into the next challenge too quickly.
Build genuine global relationships. Seek out deep, trust-based connections, whether through work, adventure, or shared purpose, and invest in those relationships beyond the transaction.
Align impact with action. Find ways to give back through your pursuits. Purpose-driven work, whether philanthropic or team-focused, will energize you far beyond any summit.
Break big goals into small wins. When the challenge feels overwhelming, simplify your focus. Use micro-goals and visual anchors to stay motivated and make progress.
Quote of the Show:
"I think about what I can control, accept the things that I can't, and stay connected to what's important to me." - Lisa Thompson
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-thompson-41b5841/
Lisa Climbs: https://www.lisaclimbs.com/
Company website: https://www.alpineathletics.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaclimbs/?hl=en
Ways to Tune In:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/580aLDKac1ld031W4nWDtp
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-endurance-officer/id1680214218?uo=4
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NoaWVmLWVuZHVyYW5jZS1vZmZpY2Vy
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c96880f-8dcd-4a6e-b1c8-fda816f872a9
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-5250102
Listen Notes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-ringmaster-KMdv2I8XwkN/
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Join my Endurance Leadership Community: https://endurance-leadership-community.mn.co/share/_C3ZDRz7OX2vbCme?utm_source=manual
Chief Endurance Officer is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
