A muse on the 91st anniversary of my father's birth, 18 March. And reflections on how the Mystery of Mallory and Irvine's fate has taken a personal tone. 

Thanks to Oliver and Chris Wood, Jano Ricks and The Wood Brothers management, as well as their publicist Kevin Calabro for granting us the rights to use HAPPINESS JONES for our theme music. We are deeply honored. 

Find The Wood Brothers at: 
https://www.thewoodbros.com/

The Wood Brothers on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTvWKQovDZlLceuct1EEMMQ

Happiness Jones video can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKIoiVWwF5A

For more about Thom Dharma Pollard, about personal coaching or his inspirational presentations, virtual or in person, look for him at eyesopenproductions.com

To join his mailing list for A Course In Happiness, email him at thom.dharma.pollard@gmail.com

“I don’t want to keep dinosaurs alive. I want to inspire young people to combine old technologies with new technologies. If you stop understanding the past you will not find the answers for the future. And this is the big problem with digital.”    

• Florian Doc Kaps, Vienna

Florian Doc Kaps: is a champion of all things analogue, an out of the box thinker who believes that people are too swamped with digital things in our lives. He believes that we should on our five senses to make decisions about business, love, family and friends. 

Former biologist who was a foremost authority on spider eye movement (I didn’t know that was a thing until I met Doc), he is also the entrepreneur who literally saved Polaroid instant photography from extinction. 

Do you know those big, instant cameras that make a loud click when you take a snapshot? It spits out an undeveloped photograph into your hand? Doc saved that.

In 2008 the company that owned that instant film, Polaroid, was planning to shut down the last factory where it was made. Boom. The End. No more Polaroid. The end of instant photography as we knew it.

Then along came Doc. He literally bought the Polaroid factory before they shut it down forever. He calls his arduous journey An Impossible Project They made a film about it, too. If you own one of those vintage cameras or see an instant photo on a refrigerator you can thank Doc. 

My Tools For Nomads episode with Doc Kaps explores how he saved Polaroid from extinction. We went deep into the mind of Doc and talked about the importance of analogue in our lives, about the lost art of daydreaming, his experience-store called Supersense, and what it was like growing up in Vienna, birthplace of Mozart, Beethoven and Freud. 

You’ll love Doc Kaps just as I do. 

Listen and be inspired!

She’s been featured on the cover of Vogue and Cosmopolitan, nominated for Golden Globes for best acting in the wildly popular mini-series The Thorn Birds as well as in the motion picture Sharky’s Machine for New Star of the Year. However, Rachel Ward’s next cover shot will probably be for a holistic farming magazine or conservation publication. She’s a regenerative farmer and is producing a documentary about her cattle farm called Standing On The Soilution.

When Rachel and her husband, the Australian actor Bryan Brown, bought their cattle farm in eastern Australia 33 years ago it was run by farm managers. However, after the devastating bushfires that swept across Australia in 2019 and beyond, Rachel had a change of heart and became a hands-on farmer. Having recently become a grandmother, she became alarmed at the amount of chemicals used in modern farming. With the urging of her farm manager, they joined forces turned to regenerative farming practices. No chemicals. Farming the old way. 

TEASER TO STANDING ON THE SOILUTION:
https://vimeo.com/516531797?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=13295571

RACHEL'S FARM IN AUSTRALIA:
https://www.thegoodfarm.shop/

Rachel is currently co-producing a documentary about the difficulties of embracing regenerative farming on her farm, called Standing on the Soilution. The film documents Rachel in her efforts to start a revolution to saving the planet. 

Can you imagine achieving at the age of 16 what other dream their entire lives of doing and even then never take the first step toward embarking on the journey of their dreams?

Our remarkable guest today knew from a very early age that she wanted to sail around the world, alone...in her own boat. It appeared as if everyone in her sphere were conspiring against her, to dash her dreams….well, I should say that her parents were very supportive, and encouraged her to put her thoughts into action. 

In fact, she was born in New Zealand, during a seven month sailing trip by her parents, spent the first five years of her life on at sea...was given her first boat at age six, a small dingy made for children…  She named her boat Guppy, all her boats have been named Guppy

Her name is Laura Dekker. She’ll be 26 on September 20th….she has a Dutch, German and New Zealand citizenship...truly a citizen of the world. 

At age 14, with a solo trip to England …..and back - departing from her home in the Netherlands

under her belt and months, even years of experience alone aboard a ship….she announced her intentions to circumnavigate the globe, solo.

Now, you know when you were a kid and you had this amazing idea and someone told you how dumb it was and somehow you agreed and gave up that dream, and suddenly the years go by and you wonder why the hell you ever listened to the doubeters in the first place?

Well, Laura had many doubters, in fact the government f the Netherlands got involved, the Child Welfare Office objected, a family court judgment was obtained that placed Dekker in shared parental custody with the Council for Child Care who intended to stop her departure.

Dutch naval law said a person under 16 wasn’t allowed to captain a boat over seven meters long….

 the Dutch court ended supervision of Dekker, and decided it was "up to the girl's parents to decide whether she can make the trip."[34] Dekker reported that she would depart "within two weeks".[35]

Laura later commented about the authorities in an interview, saying "They thought it was dangerous. Well, everywhere is dangerous. They don't sail and they don't know what boats are, and they are scared of them."   14 years old!

Well, she made, at the age of 16 became the youngest person ever to solo circumnavigate the globe….it took her two years, threw her into the international spotlight, she was awarded prestigious sailing awards, and everyone it would seem wanted a piece of her. 

When I caught up with her this summer and Laura Dekker agreed to this interview I wanted to ask her about her true calling….her now...and not trap her into telling the story of sailing around the world alone yet another time….there are dozens and dozens of videos and interviews on YouTube and beyond….and she has a book...

Fast forward 10 years from her remarkable accomplishment and now Laura has devoted her life to inspiring children and youth with her LAURA DEKKER WORLD SAILING FOUNDATION. 

Aboard her new ship, also called the GuppYa 21 meter, 53 ton Scorpio 72 (stay tuned in this interview for the fate of the Guppy that she sailed around the world), 

The foundation provides programs for young people to develop life skills like team work, self confidence, responsibility, creativity, and leadership. The challenge of expeditions in foreign lands and long distance sailing aboard the foundation’s training vessel provide a uniquely powerful and extremely effective environment for the personal development of children and tee

The man with more boots-on-the-ground experience searching in the Death Zone for clues to the Mystery of Mallory & Irvine, Jake Norton, is our guest today. 

Jake was 25 when we first met on Mount Everest in 1999. He first climbed Mount Rainier with his dad at age 12. By age 18 he was guiding for Rainier Mountaineering and soon was leading international climbs around the world. 

Although we were living in two different worlds in 1999, I with a son and a house, he as a guide with a camera. We were natural friends, seeing eye to eye on topics of the day, spirituality, politics, having been brought together by a reverence for all things Everest. 

To date, Jake has been on Eight Everest expeditions, summiting three times….with the rare distinction of having made the top from the north and south.

This interview is a rare look into the greatest mystery in all of adventure, Did Mallory & Irvine make it to the summit of Everest in 1924?   Jake himself has been on five search expeditions (four of them officially) for Mallory and Irvine, and personally has experience than any human being alive or otherwise in the search for clues to the mystery of their disappearance. 

In 1999 Jake found the first clue during our historic expedition, in which I was the high altitude cameraman: an oxygen bottle from the 1975 Chinese expedition, during which Wang Hung-bao found Mallory's remains. ON THAT SAME DAY, After an hour and 45 minutes, Conrad Anker hopped on the radio, calling a mandatory team meeting. In a 2012 interview with Outside Online, Jake said about the discovery, Conrad  “was about 50 meters away from me, frantically waving his ice ax above his head. I walked over and happened by proximity to get there first, and there was Conrad, standing silently above the remains of a fallen hero: exactly as he appears in my photo from the cover of Outside. It was the most humbling experience of my climbing career, and one that will stay with me forever.” 

For more on Jake Norton, visit his website at:
https://jakenorton.com/

=========
For more information about Thom Dharma Pollard:
http://eyesopenproductions.com/

For a free downloadable copy of A Course In Happiness:
www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Our theme song, Happiness Jones, appears courtesy of The Wood Brothers.

For more information about The Wood Brothers:
https://www.thewoodbros.com/

The Wood Brothers on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTvWKQovDZlLceuct1EEMMQ

Happiness Jones video can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKIoiVWwF5A

For more about Thom Dharma Pollard, about personal coaching or his inspirational presentations, virtual or in person, find him at: 
www.eyesopenproductions.com

To join his mailing list for The Happiness Quotient, email him at thom.dharma.pollard@gmail.com

This is an episode about grit, about life and death, about the extremes of human endeavor, how far a human being can possibly go when they put 100% of themselves into something….it’s about heart, friendship….

This episode is set within the backdrop of the greatest mountain on the planet….Mount Everest, Chomolungma, goddess mother of the world…..

Today’s episode welcomes back my ever talented friend and expedition partner Mark Synnott in anticipation of the release of his highly regarded book about our 2019 Everest expedition to find the body of long lost mountaineer Sandy Irvine. Some of you may recall my first interview with Mark for Episode #42 about The Day Everest Broke and the genesis of our expedition, which has since been chronicled in a 1-hour film by National Geographic and Disney called LOST ON EVEREST, produced by our expedition partner and uber talented filmmaker and climber Renan Ozturk.

MARK’S BOOK IS CALLED THE THIRD POLE: MYSTERY OBSESSION AND DEATH ON MOUNT EVEREST. 

For more information about Mark and how to find his book visit:
https://www.marksynnott.com/

Kirkus Reviews on Mark's new book:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mark-synnott/the-third-pole/


=========
For more information about Thom Dharma Pollard:
http://eyesopenproductions.com/

For a free downloadable copy of A Course In Happiness:
www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Our theme song, Happiness Jones, appears courtesy of The Wood Brothers.

For more information about The Wood Brothers:
https://www.thewoodbros.com/

The Wood Brothers on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTvWKQovDZlLceuct1EEMMQ

Happiness Jones video can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKIoiVWwF5A

For more about Thom Dharma Pollard, about personal coaching or his inspirational presentations, virtual or in person, find him at: 
www.eyesopenproductions.com

To join his mailing list for The Happiness Quotient, email him at thom.dharma.pollard@gmail.com

LITERALLY: THIS IS THE TALK THAT INSPIRED THE 2019 SANDY IRVINE SEARCH EXPEDITION, which led to the film LOST ON EVEREST by National Geographic and Mark Synnott's book THE THIRD POLE: MYSTERY, OBSESSION, AND DEATH ON MOUNT EVEREST.  

This presentation is one of only two sold out events EVER at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center at Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, Maine. 

The presentation was captured on camera by a student at the back of the auditorium, using a microphone mounted to the top of the camera. It's presented here for informational and educational purposes. 

"Pollard’s dynamic presentations are geared to inspire a deeper understanding of self and elicit the motivations which drive us to tackle seemingly insurmountable goals. Motivation, performance, teamwork, goal setting and overcoming obstacles are all interwoven metaphorically into his talk." This event was in support of sports medicine programs and services at Memorial Hospital, North Conway, NH. 

PLEASE LEARN MORE ABOUT THOM DHARMA POLLARD HERE:
http://eyesopenproductions.com/

Folks, the winter solstice approaches. Thom gets prepared to announce some HUGE news about the future and where things are going.  Groove to some music by Daniel Donato and let Thom tell you what it's all about. 

Music by Daniel Donato, the real Cosmic Cowboy "Always Been A Lover" 
Find him at: www.danieldonato.com

Find his music on Spotify by typing in 'Cosmic Country" and listen to his podcast on Apple Podcasts at:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/daniel-donatos-lost-highway/id1452703574

My friend Will White, who suggested I start podcasting (mentioned in this episode) has a podcast himself, called Stories From The Field: Demystifying Wilderness Therapy
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-the-field-demystifying-wilderness-therapy/id1440862416

For more information about Thom, visit:
www.eyesopenproductions.com

Peace and Love,
Thom Dharma Pollard

For exclusive content visit Patreon at: 
https://www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Subscribe to The Happiness Quotient on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/thehappinessquotient

As summer in the northern hemisphere winds to a close (and the southern hemisphere welcomes the end of winter), the fire pit becomes a central gathering spot on chilly evenings at homes everywhere. In this episode, Thom helps viewers Master the Fire Pit by showing how to start a fire pit using old tortilla chips leftover from the night before. This fun little how-to episode will get you started on the way to mastering the fire pit.  This episode is currently uploading on YouTube and will be available at this link at 7:45AM EST: https://youtu.be/1qCZPSoiPpo

Music for the episode is found on the free music archive and is performed by Lobo Loco. His songs are appropriately titled for the episode: Place On My Bonfire and Evening Campfire. His website is www.musikbrause.de   Also appearing in the podcast is music from Norman Sylvester and Tavis Dodge, Find them at http://normansylvester.com/ 

Please join my mailing list by going to www.eyesopenproductions.com and clicking on Contact. Send me a short note and I'll add you right away. 

As always, this podcast and all my episodes are available on iTunes, iHeartRadio, GooglePlayMusic, Spotify, Stitcher, Alexa and soon will be found on Pandora. 

Thank you to all my fans for your continued support of this fun and enlightening adventure into the world of podcasts. -Thom Dharma Pollard

For exclusive content visit Patreon at: 
https://www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Subscribe to The Happiness Quotient on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/thehappinessquotient

When George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared on Mount Everest on June 8, 1924, the commercialization of the mountain was already under way. In the nearly 100 years, Everest has become an industry. With dozens of deaths on the mountain in the last five years, many feel that the mountain deserves a break. However, no matter how many die there, the dreamers will keep coming. In this captivating episode, Thom Pollard - with four expeditions over the course of 20 years under his belt, and a summit in 2016 - shares his insights about the good, the bad and the ugly of Everest. As a professional filmmaker and cameraman, he has seen Everest from all angles, including the discovery of George Mallory, 75 years after his disappearance, at 27,000 feet on the north side of Everest in 1999. 

Thom uses excerpts from Tales From the Top, a recruitment event for the Boston Museum of Science, in February of 2018. The panel discussion was led by Professor Peter Hansen, Professor of History and Director of International and Global Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His book, The Summits of Modern Man, Mountaineering After the Enlightenment, can be found at Harvard University Press at this linkn: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674047990

Music for the podcast was found on the Free Music Archive, performed by Vinod Prasanna, Okey Szoke & Pompey. Their label is Black Sea Records, found at https://www.bsr.fm/

For more information or to hire Thom for an Everest presentation, find him at www.eyesopenproductions.com   Click on Contact and send a brief email to be added to the mailing list. 

For exclusive content visit Patreon at: 
https://www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Subscribe to The Happiness Quotient on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/thehappinessquotient

There are billions of human beings living in ignorance, destined to die that way only to come back again in the next incarnation to do it all over again. Cool! Funny thing is, when offered the opportunity to step out of ignorance, most turn away because they're happy not knowing the answers. Go for it! All that said, if you want to be a better dad, sister, brother, mom, friend, human being....you should give this episode a listen. But hey, don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself. If you want to stay in ignorance, hasta luego. See you in the next incarnation. 

Truth is, that we are here for a reason: to explore our creativity. Yup. Plain and simple. We delve deeply into the question of our reason for existence and why we ended up here in this place.

Music is found on the Free Music Archive featuring Reverend Freakchild at www-reverendfreakchild dot org. For more on Michael Simonson find him at michaelsimonsonfoundation dot org. To learn about the guy hosting this podcast please look me up at eyesopenproductions dot com. 

For exclusive content visit Patreon at: 
https://www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Subscribe to The Happiness Quotient on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/thehappinessquotient