111. Cory Richards - Internationally renowned NATGEO photographer, filmmaker/director, and writer (Identity, Mental Health, Living In The Now)

Well, Now What?!

This one's got to be up there on one of my favorite interviews.

I am joined by the remarkable and inspiring Cory Richards. Cory is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker/director, and writer. His work for National Geographic Magazine began with adventure features, exploring the most remote corners of the globe from Antarctica to the Russian Arctic. In 2011, Cory became the first and only American to climb one of the world’s 8000 m peaks in winter, summiting Gasherbrum II in the Karakoram Himalaya of Pakistan. His documentation of the climb and aftermath of the experience was made into the award-winning documentary, COLD and appeared on the cover of the 125th-anniversary issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Much of Cory’s life has been defined by his journey with Mental Health to which he speaks openly and honestly, laying bare the hidden struggles that so many face in silence and solitude. As a high school dropout at 14, his life has followed an irregular arch that has lent itself well to exploring the balance of high achievement and struggles with mental health. His advocacy work has garnered millions of views online through his social media platforms as well as through his speaking career.

I’m a huge fan of his work and really admire his courage and resilience with all the obstacles he’s faced in his life.

We chat about finding people in his personal life and supporting him on his journey and evolvement, what identity means to him, writing a book about his life and the hardest chapters to write, and the importance of community (finding a group of men at his gym), as well as internal and external goals he has. We also end the episode with some rapid-fires such as his least favorite photograph that he's taken and the 3 most influential people in life right now (the answer may surprise you).