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Jenn Drummond17 April 2026

First Woman to Climb the 7 Second Summits ft. Jenn Drummond

5Frameworks
11Insights

Episode overview

Joseph Shalaby speaks with Jenn Drummond about becoming the first woman to climb the Seven Second Summits after surviving a severe vehicle accident. Drummond explains how repeated exposure, self-compassion, calculated risk, and treating failure as feedback helped her face driving anxiety, heights, entrepreneurship, and extreme mountaineering. She also discusses using demanding experiences to build resilience in her seven children and redefining success as helping other people reach their own summits.

Key ideas

  • Fear may persist, but repeated, compassionate exposure can reduce its control over behavior.
  • Large risks become more manageable when they are sequenced to create early wins, momentum, and confidence.
  • Failure is useful data for iteration rather than evidence of personal inadequacy.
  • Perspective can transform a punishing experience: asking what would make a hard task fun changes the energy brought to it.
  • Children build grit through varied challenges followed by reflection that helps them integrate what they learned.
  • Success becomes significant when personal achievement is used to help other people climb their own metaphorical or physical mountains.
  • Jenn Drummond plans to climb Denali and Mount Elbrus to pursue another Guinness World Records title.

Transcript available · source text is retained privately and is not published

Frameworks in this episode

Mindset4 steps

The Failure-as-Feedback Loop

Turn each miss into data, make a small change, and test again.

Read →
Self-Mastery5 steps

The Graduated Fear Exposure Loop

Shrink fear through small repeated exposures, recovery, and patient repetition.

Read →
Entrepreneurship4 steps

The Harvest-the-Loss Review

Turn a failed attempt into lessons that improve the next version of you.

Read →
Peak Performance5 steps

The Make-It-Fun Perspective Reset

Interrupt a hard task, choose a playful lens, and change the experience.

Read →
Strategy4 steps

The Risk-Ladder Momentum Plan

Sequence early wins before harder risks to build momentum and confidence.

Read →

People & resources mentioned

Attributed to the moment in the episode. Timestamps are approximate.

People · 6

  • Joseph ShalabyMentionswhat's up everybody welcome to another episode of coffees for closers today we're thrilled to bring on a profound guest

    “Today we are sitting with Jen Drummond, an absolutely amazing individual.”

    ▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
  • Jenn DrummondMentionsA mother of seven, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and Guinness World Records holder recognized as the first woman to climb the Seven Second Summits.

    “She is a mom of seven, a Guinness Book World Record holder”

    ▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
  • MrBeastMentionsA YouTube creator cited as an example of continually refining a successful video formula.

    “You know, like you look at Mr. Beast, who's famous for YouTube.”

    ▶ Watch at ~8:00approx.
  • Jenn DrummondMentionsA mother of seven, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and Guinness World Records holder recognized as the first woman to climb the Seven Second Summits.

    “I got the world record for being the first woman to climb all the second summits”

    ▶ Watch at ~11:00approx.
  • JackMentionsJenn Drummond's son, whom she took to a real-estate conference and supported through an unsuccessful business experiment.

    “I took my son Jack to a real estate conference two weekends ago.”

    ▶ Watch at ~30:00approx.
  • Jenn DrummondMentionsA mother of seven, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and Guinness World Records holder recognized as the first woman to climb the Seven Second Summits.

    “Jen Drummond, make sure you follow her.”

    ▶ Watch at ~36:30approx.

Resources · 28

  • Coffeez for ClosersCoinedpodcast · Joseph Shalaby

    “Welcome to another episode of Coffees.”

    ▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
  • Guinness World RecordsMentionscompany

    “She is a mom of seven, a Guinness Book World Record holder”

    ▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
  • UberUsescompany

    “I took an Uber to the dealership and then they gave me the keys”

    ▶ Watch at ~3:00approx.
  • Amma DablamMentionsplace

    “So my first climb was a mountain named Amma Delom, which is located in Nepal.”

    ▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
  • ChileMentionsplace

    “My second climb was Ohos del Salado, which is located in the Adakama Desert of Chile.”

    ▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
  • Atacama DesertMentionsplace

    “My second climb was Ohos del Salado, which is located in the Adakama Desert of Chile.”

    ▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
  • Ojos del SaladoMentionsplace

    “My second climb was Ohos del Salado, which is located in the Adakama Desert of Chile.”

    ▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
  • NepalMentionsplace

    “So my first climb was a mountain named Amma Delom, which is located in Nepal.”

    ▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
  • YouTubeMentionswebsite · Google

    “You know, like you look at Mr. Beast, who's famous for YouTube.”

    ▶ Watch at ~8:00approx.
  • DenaliMentionsplace

    “So, I'm going to go climb Denali in May of this year.”

    ▶ Watch at ~10:30approx.
  • Guinness World RecordsUsescompany

    “And when I was filing with Guinness, they're like, "Hey, you have a couple more mountains and you'll have another world record."”

    ▶ Watch at ~11:00approx.
  • DenaliMentionsplace

    “So, Denali is one that I have left, which is the highest point in North America.”

    ▶ Watch at ~11:00approx.
  • Mount ElbrusMentionsplace

    “And then there's one in Russia called Elbertus, which I'll do once it's safe enough to travel there.”

    ▶ Watch at ~11:30approx.
  • Mount EverestMentionsplace

    “When I climbed Everest, every single step I had to choose, I'm climbing.”

    ▶ Watch at ~15:30approx.
  • Mount KilimanjaroMentionsplace

    “So, I've taken my three oldest to climb Kilamanjaro, which is the highest mountain in Africa.”

    ▶ Watch at ~17:30approx.
  • CrocsUsesproduct · Crocs, Inc.

    “the guys that are helping us climb are in Crocs and flip-flops and t-shirts”

    ▶ Watch at ~19:00approx.
  • Mount KilimanjaroRecommendsplace

    “just take your kids to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. It'll change their life.”

    ▶ Watch at ~19:00approx.
  • The North FaceUsescompany

    “They're in perfect gear from North Face and all the different brands”

    ▶ Watch at ~19:00approx.
  • Panda ExpressMentionscompany

    “Mom, we need to bring these people back to Utah and work at Panda Express.”

    ▶ Watch at ~19:30approx.
  • UtahMentionsplace

    “Mom, we need to bring these people back to Utah and work at Panda Express.”

    ▶ Watch at ~19:30approx.
  • Mount EverestMentionsplace

    “When we were climbing this section of Mount Everest, there's a section called the Loce Face.”

    ▶ Watch at ~21:00approx.
  • Lhotse FaceMentionsplace

    “When we were climbing this section of Mount Everest, there's a section called the Loce Face.”

    ▶ Watch at ~21:00approx.
  • Candy LandMentionsproduct

    “And I think of playing Candy Land with my kids.”

    ▶ Watch at ~21:30approx.
  • iPadMentionsproduct · Apple

    “They wanted like 200 bucks to fix the iPad.”

    ▶ Watch at ~27:30approx.
  • uBreakiFixUsescompany

    “My son walked into an iPad store or a you break iix store.”

    ▶ Watch at ~27:30approx.
  • LinkedInUseswebsite · LinkedIn Corporation

    “Yeah, so definitely the Jen Drummond on Instagram or jen Drummond.com or Jen Drummond on LinkedIn.”

    ▶ Watch at ~36:30approx.
  • InstagramUseswebsite · Meta Platforms

    “Yeah, so definitely the Jen Drummond on Instagram or jen Drummond.com or Jen Drummond on LinkedIn.”

    ▶ Watch at ~36:30approx.
  • JennDrummond.comCoinedwebsite · Jenn Drummond

    “Yeah, so definitely the Jen Drummond on Instagram or jen Drummond.com or Jen Drummond on LinkedIn.”

    ▶ Watch at ~36:30approx.

Spot an error or want something removed? Request a correction or removal.

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take14:00

Success Becomes Significant When You Help Someone Else Climb

Drummond says her definition of success has shifted from reaching a summit to creating something sustainable and helping other people reach their own summits. Her mountain metaphor treats significance as the impact made through another person's progress, which she now finds more rewarding than reaching another summit herself.

  • She now defines success partly through sustainability and what continues without her.
  • Personal achievement alone has less meaning to her than helping another person progress.
  • Everyone's mountain can be metaphorical or physical.
  • She compares the joy of helping someone reach a summit with watching her child score a goal.

“success becomes significance once you've attained it.”

Jenn Drummond · 15:30

“if I climb the mountain, who cares? But if I can help you climb the mountain, then I made a difference and that's true success.”

Jenn Drummond · 15:30
#success#significance#impact#service

Explainer· 1

Explainer10:30

The Second Summits Record—and the Two Mountains Still Ahead

Drummond holds the Guinness record as the first woman to climb the second-highest point on each of the seven continents. Because she often climbed each continent's highest point to acclimatize before attempting the harder second summit, Guinness told her she was close to another record; Denali and Russia's Elbrus were the two remaining climbs she named.

  • The completed record covers all seven second summits.
  • She often used the highest summit for acclimatization before the second-highest climb.
  • Guinness identified that her completed climbs placed another record within reach.
  • She planned Denali for May 2026.
  • She said she would attempt Elbrus when travel to Russia was safe enough.

“I got the world record for being the first woman to climb all the second summits, which are the second highest point on each of…”

Jenn Drummond · 11:00

“So, Denali is one that I have left, which is the highest point in North America.”

Jenn Drummond · 11:00
#mountaineering#world record#denali#elbrus

Story· 4

Story09:00

Why Drummond Walked Away From Getting a Pilot's License

Drummond had a pilot's license on her life list but found the training boring and spent each flight searching for emergency landing places. That vigilance followed her home, where it was incompatible with enjoying life around seven children, so she stopped pursuing the goal despite being achievement-oriented.

  • The pilot's license began as a life-list goal.
  • She found the activity boring rather than fulfilling.
  • Constantly scanning for danger affected her mindset after flying.
  • She concluded that the pursuit did not help her enjoy her life.
  • Competitive people can struggle to release goals they should no longer pursue.

“I realized that's not something I need to pursue because it doesn't put me in a mindset to enjoy my life.”

Jenn Drummond · 09:30

“those of us who are like fiercely competitive or achievementoriented, we have a hard time letting go of things that we shouldn't really be doing.”

Jenn Drummond · 09:30
#quitting#goals#self-awareness#family
Story17:30

Eight Days on Kilimanjaro Changed How Her Children Saw Their Phones

Drummond took her three oldest children up Kilimanjaro while their friends spent spring break in Mexico. After several frustrated days without usable phone service, incoming messages briefly showed them that the same daily drama had continued without them; by the end of the eight-day climb, they did not want to turn their phones back on and had earned new confidence by reaching the summit themselves.

  • Her three oldest children climbed Kilimanjaro with her.
  • The first days without phones produced frustration and anger.
  • A brief signal delivered messages but did not allow responses.
  • The children concluded they had not missed anything meaningful.
  • The midnight summit push and self-propelled climb built confidence.

“They had to make the decision to do it. They had to wake up at midnight to go for the summit push.”

Jenn Drummond · 18:30

“That built such a confidence in them. When we came back, they were different.”

Jenn Drummond · 19:00
#kilimanjaro#phone detox#confidence#parenting
Story28:30

How Chickens Taught Drummond's Children a Business Cycle

While homeschooling her children, Drummond used chickens to make business mechanics tangible. The children bought feed, collected eggs, and sold those eggs to fund the next feed purchase, learning the operating cycle through repeated participation rather than a classroom abstraction.

  • The children had to account for the cost of chicken feed.
  • Eggs provided the product they could sell.
  • Sales revenue funded the next input purchase.
  • The cycle made business part of an ordinary process.

“they had to buy chicken feed and then they get the chicken eggs and they'd sell the eggs to get the money to buy the…”

Jenn Drummond · 28:30
#business education#homeschooling#children#cash flow
Story35:30

The Whole-Body Yes Behind Drummond's Unlikely Record Attempt

Drummond says pursuing the mountain record made little conventional sense because she had never slept in a tent and had seven children at home. She nevertheless felt a whole-body yes, treated the idea as a seed she was responsible for growing, and credits that choice with introducing her to people and stories she otherwise would never have encountered.

  • She had never slept in a tent before beginning the record pursuit.
  • People around her questioned where the idea came from and why she would pursue it.
  • She interpreted her conviction through faith.
  • The pursuit expanded the people and stories she encountered.

“I knew I had that whole body. Yes.”

Jenn Drummond · 36:00

“if this was seed was planted in me, I'm supposed to grow it. And so, I grew it.”

Jenn Drummond · 36:00
#faith#courage#mountaineering#purpose

Q&A· 1

Q&A33:30

Drummond's Three Goals: Replace the Asset, Reunite, and Learn to Be

Asked for business, family, and personal goals, Drummond says she wants a thought-leadership business in which she is no longer the asset. As her eldest leaves for college, she wants the whole family to keep traveling into each child's new environment; personally, she wants to finish two mountains, complete the next record, and sit with the achievement before chasing again.

  • Her three-to-five-year business goal is to stop being the business's essential asset.
  • Her family goal is continued travel and connection as children leave for college.
  • She has already booked rooms for the first parents weekend.
  • Her personal goal is to finish Denali and Elbrus for another world record.
  • She wants to practice being rather than immediately replacing the completed chase.

“I'm hoping that I'm in a position in the near future, so the next three to five years, where I'm not the asset”

Jenn Drummond · 34:00

“I'm good at doing. I need to get better at being.”

Jenn Drummond · 35:30
#goals#business systems#family#achievement

Takeaway· 4

Takeaway01:00

Jenn Drummond's Morning Routine Starts the Night Before

Drummond prepares for the next day by laying out her outfits and mentally running through what she will do, wear, and feel. She describes the visualization as a dress rehearsal that lets her wake up ready to execute, before taking quiet time ahead of her seven children waking.

  • She lays out clothing the night before.
  • She visualizes the next day's actions, clothing, and feelings.
  • She wakes before her children to preserve quiet time.
  • Breakfast and the bus stop come before she gets the day back to herself.

“My morning routine actually starts the night before.”

Jenn Drummond · 01:00

“when I wake up in the morning, it's like I already did the dress rehearsal and it's just time to go.”

Jenn Drummond · 01:00
#morning routine#visualization#parenting
Takeaway16:30

Seven Children Means Parenting Seven Different Ways

Drummond describes raising seven children as engaging with seven distinct personalities rather than applying one parenting style uniformly. With children ranging from twin 12-year-olds to an 18-year-old, she enjoys watching how each child processes the same situation and interprets her words differently.

  • Her seven children span sixth grade through a high-school senior.
  • The youngest children are 12-year-old twins and the oldest is 18.
  • She sees each personality as requiring a different parenting approach.
  • The same comment can be taken seriously, humorously, or dismissed by different children.

“You have seven personalities. So, you're parenting seven different ways.”

Jenn Drummond · 16:30

“I love watching how they do life or how they process things or what they think or who interprets whatever I say different ways.”

Jenn Drummond · 17:00
#parenting#family#individuality
Takeaway26:00

Joe Shalaby Treats 97 Rejections as the Route to Three Wins

Shalaby says he prefers a clear rejection to uncertainty because prospecting is a numbers game. His working assumption is that 97 people may reject him while three invest, with those three successful outcomes compensating for the unsuccessful contacts.

  • He treats rejection as expected volume rather than an exceptional event.
  • A direct no advances him through the prospecting numbers.
  • His example assumes three wins after 97 rejections.
  • The successful minority can economically outweigh the rejected majority.

“I would rather have you reject me than not.”

Joe Shalaby · 26:00

“I need 97 people to reject me and then three people won't.”

Joe Shalaby · 26:00
#rejection#sales#prospecting#numbers game
Takeaway32:30

Scuba Diving Taught Her Children That Fastest Is Not Always Best

Drummond uses scuba diving to challenge a finish-line definition of winning. Underwater, getting back to the boat first defeats the purpose; the better experience belongs to the person who notices more, then reflects on what they saw and learned so the lesson carries forward.

  • All seven children are scuba certified, including the 12-year-olds.
  • The objective underwater is to see as much as possible, not return first.
  • Different experiences can require different definitions of winning.
  • Reflection helps integrate observations into future behavior.

“the goal isn't to get to the boat as fast as possible. The goal is to see as much as possible”

Jenn Drummond · 33:00

“not just having the experience, but having the built-in reflection time of the experience so they get to integrate what they learn to carry forward.”

Jenn Drummond · 33:30
#scuba diving#learning#reflection#parenting