“Darrell collapsed into the tent, exhausted, breathless as the blood slowly drained from his face…”
After 30+ years of building companies, scaling billion-dollar projects, and helping leaders climb both figurative and literal mountains, I finally did something I’ve wanted to do for years: and wrote a book.
It’s called “Purpose at the Peak: Coaching Lessons from Mt. Kilimanjaro”, and it’s now officially available on Amazon Kindle.
This book was born from an expedition to the Roof of Africa, co-authored with my longlime adventure mate Darrell Kirk. It’s about so much more than climbing a mountain. It’s about the mental mountains and challenges we all face in life. The fear, the doubt, the moment when everything felt uncertain and failure was imminent. How do you choose to keep climbing, pushing through your fear to discover who you are at your core?
The Real Summit Is Within
When people think of Kilimanjaro, they picture a snow-capped peak, the high altitude, the physical grind, and yes, it’s all of that and more. What we discovered during our climb was something much deeper and life changing.
Each step taught us something about leadership, mindset, and how we show up when things get really hard. Every elevation gain mirrored a business struggle, a life decision, a mindset shift, I’ve seen time and again in the many leaders I coach and work with.
Inside the Climb: 3 of the Top 12 Lessons from Purpose at the Peak
The book explores 12 powerful coaching lessons drawn from the journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro, and here are six that stand out as game-changers for any leader looking to grow in business, life, and purpose. Each chapter alternates between Darrell’s and my perspective, offering a raw and honest account of what we faced, not just on the mountain, but in family, life and business.
1. Purpose
This is where every climb begins, for without purpose, you quit when the air gets thin. With a defined Purpose, you keep pushing through and beyond your perceived limits. This chapter explores how to uncover your true “Why” in business, in leadership and in life, and how Purpose becomes your key to success when the going gets tough.
2. Mindset
When you’re grinding uphill, short of breath, head pounding with your body screaming at you to stop, mindset is the difference between turning back and taking one more step towards your summit. We unpack how to build mental toughness and rewire the stories you tell yourself when you hit your perceived limits.
3. Uncertainty
There’s no straight path to the summit. Just like in business, you’ll experience fog, ups and downs, challenges, detours, and moments when failure appears imminent. On Kilimanjaro, Darrell comes dangerously close to not making it. We faced some very difficult decisions. This chapter’s about leading when you don’t have all the answers, and learning to trust your instincts, your team, and the process.
This Book is for the Adventurepreneur in You
Whether you're building a company, navigating a major life change, or just feeling stuck, this book is your guide. You’ll learn how to:
- Reconnect with your purpose
- Push through your mental roadblocks and perceived limits
- Recover, learn, and keep climbing
You don’t have to be a CEO or Adventurer to gain knowledge from this book. You just have to be ready for more in your life.
I shared a piece of this in my recent TEDx Talk, where I told Darrell’s story in real time. If you’ve ever felt like giving up, like your goal was out of reach, or like your team was depending on you when you had nothing left to give, this story is for you.
Why This Matters Now
In a world of “quiet quitting,” anxiety, burnout, constant change and disruption, leaders are searching for more than just strategies. They’re searching for meaning. For clarity. For purpose.
Your next adventure begins here…
If you believe in the power of a good story to spark your transformation, grab a copy of Purpose at the Peak on Amazon Kindle.
Read it. Share it, and if it resonates, let me know what your mountain is. Let’s climb it together.
Go Get It!
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