The Avalanche Was Easier Than Facing Myself | Cory Richards on Addiction, Bipolar & Self-Acceptance

Aug 6, 2025

01:13:42

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You think you know what resilience looks like.

You picture someone gritting their teeth, pushing through, holding on tight.

Someone who climbs mountains without oxygen, survives avalanches, makes it to magazine covers.

This week’s guest, Cory Richards, did all of that. He isn’t just a world-renowned climber and National Geographic photographer, he’s someone who has been to the edge, and then even further inward. From becoming the first American to summit an 8,000m peak in winter, to childhood trauma, being institutionalised at 14, homelessness at 15, battling bipolar disorder, addiction, sexual exploration that blurred consent, and suicidal ideation, his story is a mirror to everything we hide, deny, and eventually must face. But what he discovered is that none of that was resilience at all. It was survival.

In this unforgettable conversation, Cory opens up about the long descent after the summit, the messy, nonlinear path of healing, identity, and emotional truth. His memoir The Color of Everything isn’t just a book. It’s a reckoning. And here, with radical honesty, we unravel the questions we rarely give men, or ourselves, permission to ask.

We explore:

– What surviving an avalanche teaches you about control, surrender, and mortality

– How bipolar II and trauma shaped his mind and nearly took his life

– Why sex became a substitute for safety, and what real intimacy requires – The complicated truth of masculinity, shame, and public accountability – Why survival isn’t the same as resilience and why real resilience starts with letting go

– How self-sourced love, community, and curiosity are changing the way he lives

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

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If you enjoyed this episode you might also like:

How to Heal Shame & Find Your True Self with IFS Therapy | Sarah Joneshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njCaJZ4t6Q8

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Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

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Connect with Cory Richards:

Website: https://www.coryrichards.com/

Book: The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos👉 https://www.amazon.com/Color-Everything-Journey-Quiet-Within/dp/059359679X

Highlights:

Introduction (00:00)

What Life on Everest Is Really Like (05:04)

The Hardest Chapter to Write: Shame & His Fall from National Geographic (09:13)

The Emotional Cost of Being a Man (15:22)

Sex, Shame, and the Complexity of Consent and Power (19:50)

The Link Between Love and Self-Worth (26:45)

Why Vulnerability Makes People Uncomfortable Especially in Men (31:12)