Tag: the life of try

The Forces That Shape Us

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I graduated from college by the time the human genome was mapped. But we still did a lot of interesting science lessons like mapping the results of dominant and recessive genes. I think it was 7th grade science where we learned how to predict traits like eye color for progeny of different pairings.

Neuroscientist David Eagleman provides another factor shaping who we are. He says that who we are is shaped by the five people we spend the most time with. Our brains actually change based on who we are spending the most time with and that includes the unsavory character at work if they make the top five.

So on this week’s Life of Try podcast I dig in to the five character types that influence who I am and what I’m trying. Sharing stories from climbing Mt. Rainier, mentors who cheer from the sidelines, and hiking with my kids to reveal the five people everyone needs:

The Yes’ers who turn crazy ideas into plans.
The Guides who share their notes.
The Counterpoint who gives you the gift of a pause.
The Foundation who shows up when things fall apart.
The Visionaries who remind you that you can do great things.

This week’s challenge: Name your five, thank one of them, and be that person for someone else. Because you were never meant to try alone.

Links for this episode:

Who’s In Your Corner: The Five People Who Shape Who You Are transcript

Related Episode

The Power of Saying Yes with Natasha Dillinger

Success isn’t always about finishing first. Sometimes the greatest victories belong to those who stay prepared, keep growing, and never stop trying.

(featured photo from Pexels)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

Why No Summit Can Prove Your Worth

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I firmly believe in the adage, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Still, it’s comforting to read a great book that reminds me I’m not alone—even those who reach great heights struggle within.

As is the case with renowned mountain climber, Melissa Arnot Reid. Melissa has summitted Everest six times – including once in which she became the first American woman to summit without the use of supplemental oxygen and survive the descent.

Impressive, right? But Melissa has written an incredibly touching and vulnerable memoir that reminds us that there is no accomplishment that can prove we are worthy if we don’t already believe it ourselves. Her story is so powerful precisely because she has done extraordinary things and still had to come to terms with her own stuff. Just like with Cheryl Strayed’s book, Wild, Melissa’s journey reminds us that sometimes we have to walk a lot of miles just to get to know ourselves.

In this episode of The Life of Try, I was lucky enough to get to talk with mountaineer, guide, and author Melissa Arnot Reid about her memoir, Enough. We explore how writing can bring hidden parts of our lives into the light, why success can disguise inner struggle, and what it means to move from seeking validation to living by our values. Our honest conversation also covers vulnerability, self-compassion, women in male-dominated spaces, nurturing leadership, mentorship, grief, parenting, and the courage to keep showing up when life is hard.

Melissa shares her vision of “mountain goddess” leadership—combining ambition and firmness with tenderness, curiosity, and room for imperfection. She also reveals how the mountains have changed for her: no longer a place to prove herself, but a place to learn, explore, and discover what was already there.

In this conversation:

  • Why we cannot achieve our way into belonging
  • How vulnerability and imperfection strengthen leadership
  • “Mountain goddess” mentorship in male-dominated spaces
  • The power of showing up when circumstances are difficult
  • Moving from validation-seeking to values-driven curiosity
  • Why a summit may reveal us rather than change us

One other note about the power of showing up that we talk about in this episode. After the death of her friend, Chhewang Nima in an avalanche in 2010, Melissa co-founded The Juniper Fund. The fund supports Himalayan mountain workers, their families and communities. As this episode goes live, Melissa in is Nepal doing Juniper Fund work of showing up in grief and support for families that have lost someone while trying to improve the safety margins of Nepali climbers. Link to The Juniper Fund site is below.

If this conversation resonates with you, please subscribe to The Life of Try, leave a comment with your biggest takeaway, and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that they are already enough.

Links for this episode:

Melissa Arnot Reid on Enough: Why No Summit Can Prove Your Worth transcript

Melissa Arnot Reid’s website

The Juniper Fund: Supporting Himalayan Mountain Workers, their families and communities website

Buy Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest on Barnes & Noble, Bookshop or Amazon

Related Episode

When You Know You’re Not Going to Make It

Success isn’t always about finishing first. Sometimes the greatest victories belong to those who stay prepared, keep growing, and never stop trying.

(featured photo from Pexels)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

Hope Without Attachment

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“You never fail until you stop trying.” – Albert Einstein

I have been watching a lot of Little League baseball this Spring. It’s a fascinating mix of young athleticism and skill development peppered with moments of bitter disappointment. In most every practice and game there is at least one example of someone who wants to sit on the ground and pout because things aren’t going as they expected.

But disappointment doesn’t just happen to six and seven-year-olds. It reminds me that expectations can inspire us to try—until they harden into a demand for a specific outcome.

In this episode of The Life of Try, I dig in to how unmet expectations fuel disappointment, why that disappointment can keep us from taking healthy risks, and what it looks like to stay hopeful without clinging.

From a childhood lesson I learned from my mom about “pressing for the answer” to Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery of penicillin, I trace how openness, curiosity, and faith can turn apparent failures into forward motion.

Along the way, I draw from Brené Brown’s research on disappointment, Maya Shankar’s reframing of identity after loss, and spiritual wisdom about surrender and non‑attachment—so you can keep trying even when the path changes.

Takeaways:

  • Recognize when expectations are motivating you—and when they’re setting you up for disappointment
  • Practice openness and curiosity when a try doesn’t go as planned (and why that matters)
  • Name and communicate your expectations to reduce “unspoken contracts”
  • Reconnect with your deeper “why” when your “what” gets taken away
  • Hold onto faith that trying will lead somewhere good—even if it’s not the destination you imagined.

Here’s the YouTube video of this episode:

Here are some other ways you can listen and watch this episode:

Who's In Your Corner? The 5 People Who Shape Who You Are – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

Who’s in your corner? Discover the five people who shape who you are and how the right support system helps you take bold tries, chase big goals, and grow.Neuroscientist David Eagleman suggests we’re shaped by the people we spend the most time with.In this episode of Life of Try, Wynne Leon shares stories from climbing Mt. Rainier, mentors who cheer from the sidelines, and hiking with her kids to reveal the five people everyone needs:The Yes’ers who turn crazy ideas into plans. The Guides who share their notes. The Counterpoint who gives you the gift of a pause. The Foundation who shows up when things fall apart. The Visionaries who remind you that you can do great things.This week’s challenge:Name your five, thank one of them, and be that person for someone else. Because you were never meant to try alone.For a companion listen, check out The Power of Saying Yes with Natasha Dillinger.Follow Life of Try on Spotify and tap the bell so you never miss the next try. Topics:personal growth, motivation, friendship, mentorship, courage, support systems, and adventure.
  1. Who's In Your Corner? The 5 People Who Shape Who You Are
  2. The Arrival Fallacy: Finding Your Way After a Big Goal
  3. Melissa Arnot Reid on Enough: Why No Summit Can Prove Your Worth
  4. Unleash Your Humanity: Courage, Resilience & Purpose with Yasmine Sherif
  5. Stop Hustling For Your Worth: A Better Way to Grow

Links for this episode:

Letting Go of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving transcript

Sir Alexander Fleming – Biographical – NobelPrize.org

How to Regulate Your Emotions and Mental Chatter When Bad Things Happen | Maya Shankar

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Connection by Brene Brown

Penicillin Wasn’t Alexander Fleming’s First Major Discovery | Scientific American