The Happiness Quotient
Thom Dharma Pollard hosts inspirational, intimate and unfiltered Stories That Inspire with guests and drawing from his own adventures around the world. The Happiness Quotient: connected, engaged, passionate people who inspire us.
The Happiness Quotient
Latest Episodes
Everest 2026 Slams Shut in Race to the Top. Hillary and Tenzing's Lasting Legacy | What Comes Next?
On May 29, 1953, the first everest summit was achieved by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, marking a pivotal moment in world history. This video draws fascinating parallels between this incredible climbing feat and other historic human firsts...
600+ Summits. 2 Fatalities. Reality Strikes On The Way Down STAY TUNED FOR MAJOR UPDATES | Everest 2026
On May 20, 2026, Mount Everest saw 278 summits in a single day — the busiest 24 hours in the mountain's history. From Kami Rita’s 32nd summit to Kenton Cool’s 20th, the records were falling fast. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.<...
SUMMITS SOON: Everest's Perfect Storm: Extreme Conditions as Summit Push Begins
Everest 2026 is a pressure cooker. The route to the summit opened May 13th. And the weather window slammed shut the same day. Wind chills of negative 68 degrees Celsius. A jet stream parked directly on the summit. And 492 permitted climbers — p...
Ominous Warnings and Record Crowds on Everest: Is Disaster Looming? + Duck Rescue Update and an Everest Wedding
The 2026 Mount Everest season has officially become a "pressure cooker." With a record 492 permits issued—amounting to over $7.3 million in fees alone—the South Side is bracing for unprecedented overcrowding. Following the deadliest year on rec...
Everest Has First Deadly Week: Avalanche Rescue, Fatality, and Geopolitical Drama with Drones and US Special Envoy Visiting Base Camp
Five forty-five this morning. A serac let go. And this is what it looked like. The tourism Times reported that a large serac broke off and a chunk of ice approximately 20 meters below it collapsed onto the path where climbers were moving up the...
Fan Mail
Dear Thom. I've been following your Everest Mystery YouTube channel for quite a while now, sharing many of the episodes with my Canadian partner of 52 years, Penny. In 1973, a few months after meeting on a bus stop in Darwin Australia, we trekked to Everest Base Camp without guides or porters - two 25 year olds with an adventurers spirit. We subsequently climbed Kili, Mt Kenya, and Allalinhorn (by moon light) - just enough to experience the challenges of high altitude and the spectacular views from high places. These days we are delighted to be able to adventure vicariously through the wonderful films by you, Jimmy, Conrad et al. While searching for contact info I stumbled onto your podcasts, a medium I've never used. I see that there's a whole new set of stuff to listen to with your calm voice that has become so familiar to us. We'd like to pay a subscription. Which is better for you, YouTube or your podcast? We sincere thank you for all the work you put into keeping our mountain adventuring spirits alive! The Sandy Irvine discovery has certainly renewed our thirst for answers!
Victoria, BC
