Nimsdai Purja | "Nothing is impossible" | Extraordinary Life Stories

31 Jan 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 35 chapters

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Podcast Notes: Extraordinary Life Stories - Episode with Nimsdai Purja

Episode Overview Title: Nimsdai Purja | "Nothing is impossible" Host: John Reynolds Guest: Nimsdai Purja, a record-breaking Nepalese-British mountaineer Description: This episode features an in-depth conversation with Nimsdai Purja, whose achievements in high-altitude climbing have redefined the sport. Purja discusses his incredible journey from humble beginnings in Nepal to record-breaking feats, including summiting all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in a record six months and six days.

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Key Themes and Discussions

  1. Background and Early Life
  2. Humble Beginnings: Nimsdai shares his origins in Nepal, where he was born into a humble family.
  3. Military Career: He served in the Brigade of Gurkhas and then in the UK Special Boat Service (SBS).
  1. Record-Breaking Achievements
  2. 14 Peaks Project:
  3. Purja shattered the record for summiting all 14 of the world's highest peaks in just six months and six days.
  4. He likens his achievement to a hypothetical marathon time reduction, emphasizing the enormity of the feat.
  5. Winter Ascent of K2:
  6. Led the first all-Nepalese team to achieve a winter ascent of K2.
  7. Commitment to Goals:
  8. Emphasizes the importance of having a purpose greater than oneself to achieve the impossible.
  1. Mindset and Leadership
  2. Resilience and Discipline:
  3. Discusses how mental strength and discipline have been key to his success, especially in extreme conditions.
  4. Dealing with Adversity:
  5. Reflects on the challenges of fundraising and garnering support for his projects, including his initial struggles to find sponsors.
  6. Success and Safety:
  7. Balances ambition with safety, stating that he has a 99.9% success rate due to meticulous planning and decision-making in hazardous conditions.
  1. Community and Advocacy
  2. Supporting the Sherpa Community:
  3. Through his documentary and public speaking, he aims to highlight the contributions and struggles of the Nepalese Sherpas in mountaineering.
  4. Establishment of Nimsdai Foundation:
  5. Focuses on education, supporting mountain communities, and aiding military veterans through adventure.
  6. Conducts clean-up operations on mountains to preserve the environment.
  1. Ethics and Integrity in Business
  2. Challenges of Entrepreneurship:
  3. Discusses the difficulties and ethical dilemmas faced in the business side of climbing.
  4. Commitment to Core Values:
  5. Emphasizes that integrity and fairness are central to his endeavors, from guiding expeditions to launching his clothing brand.
  1. Personal Reflections on Vulnerability
  2. Navigating Success and Pressure:
  3. Addresses the emotional toll of facing backlash and criticism, particularly from the media.
  4. Empathy and Connection:
  5. Advocates for treating everyone fairly, regardless of background, and emphasizes the importance of understanding different perspectives.

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Actionable Takeaways

  • Pursue Audacious Goals: Setting and committing to ambitious goals can drive personal and collective achievements.
  • Resilience is Essential: Building mental fortitude is crucial in overcoming obstacles and setbacks.
  • Community Matters: Supporting and uplifting those around you can create a lasting impact.
  • Integrity in Leadership: Upholding strong ethical standards in business and personal life is vital for true success.
  • Empathy is Strength: Understanding and advocating for others fosters a supportive community.

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Conclusion Nimsdai Purja's story is one of remarkable strength, discipline, and an unwavering belief that nothing is impossible. His journey not only inspires others to pursue their dreams but also highlights the importance of community, integrity, and empathy in achieving greatness. Through his experiences, listeners are encouraged to embrace challenges, foster resilience, and lead with compassion.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Nimsdai’s Record-Breaking Ambitions

1:12 to 1:50

Learn about Nimsdai's goal to climb all 14 highest mountains in six months.

“I came with this idea, a ground record-breaking evolution to climb all the 14 highest mountains of the world in six months.”

The Risks of Mountaineering and Entrepreneurship

1:50 to 2:03

Explore the risks involved in climbing and pursuing entrepreneurial dreams.

“So I had to just, you know, that's why I sold my house empty settings.”

Defining Achievements and Purpose

2:03 to 2:55

Nimsdai discusses what achievements mean and the importance of purpose.

“what can you do when someone is physically fatiguing, when someone is collapsing, that you can get them through it?”

The Record-Breaking Ascent of K2

2:55 to 6:28

Nimsdai shares his experience leading the first winter ascent of K2.

“I was born in a very humbling family in Nepal.”

The Sherpas and Their Recognition

6:28 to 7:47

A discussion on the often-overlooked contributions of Nepalese Sherpas.

“So I had to come with something that no one ever could even imagine.”

Making Sacrifices for a Greater Cause

7:47 to 8:27

Nimsdai describes personal sacrifices made for his climbing ambitions.

“with my brother who sent me to school, he's like my father.”

Facing Doubt and Building Belief

8:27 to 9:12

How Nimsdai overcame doubt and built belief in his climbing project.

“So when your purpose is bigger than yourself, you always achieve the impossible.”

Fundraising Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles

9:12 to 14:00

Nimsdai talks about the challenges of fundraising and the journey ahead.

“Not only that, we'll send you to go and do this mountaineering course where you become pretty much a guide.”

Facing a Demoralizing Challenge

14:00 to 14:40

Nims shares a pivotal moment when he faced financial and emotional setbacks.

“And then when it actually comes to putting the money and all that, there was no one.”

The Belief in a Dream

14:40 to 15:20

Nims discusses the motivation behind his climbing endeavors and the importance of belief.

“I had no, you know, so I was undercover.”
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Rescue Missions and Core Values

15:20 to 17:00

He narrates a rescue mission that tested his values and decision-making on the mountain.

“I need to record this because it self-motivates me.”

Turning Back for Safety

17:00 to 19:20

Nims recounts a critical moment when he had to prioritize safety over summiting a peak.

“giving the team confidence that it doesn't matter even if you cannot see here, it is my job to take you up and bring you down.”

The Mindset of Leadership

19:20 to 21:00

He discusses the importance of mindset and leadership in high-pressure situations.

“So this is the only time I have given up because it's not about me.”

Empowering Others on the Mountain

21:00 to 23:00

Nims explains how he motivates climbers who are struggling to push through their limits.

“What can you do when someone is physically fatiguing, when someone is collapsing, that you can get them through it?”

The Best View: Camaraderie Over Scenery

23:00 to 24:40

He reflects on the most meaningful moments of summit success shared with the team.

“You need to have both strength, knowledge, and everything.”

The Evolution of Summit Experiences

24:40 to 27:00

Nims shares how his perception of summiting has changed over time through experience.

“And yeah, so I think that's what I can remember about the best summit.”

The Conversation with My Wife

27:00 to 28:00

He reveals the discussion with his wife regarding the risks of his dangerous profession.

“that also then reduces the chances of you achieving what you're doing, which is why you're doing.”

Nimsdai's Rigorous Training Regimen

28:00 to 30:08

Learn about Nimsdai Purja's intense daily training routine and discipline.

“When I feel good and I wake up at 4 a.m and then I carry 75 to 80 pounds of load and I run to the camp from my house.”

Overcoming Obstacles in Training

30:08 to 31:29

Discover how Nimsdai faced challenges and remained committed to his goals.

“because at this point, no Gurkhas had ever made into SBS special forces.”

The Mindset of a Leader

31:29 to 33:11

Explore Nimsdai's perspective on leadership and responsibility.

“Just going back to that relentless schedule then, and you're still busy now.”

Building Elite Expeditions and Brands

33:11 to 35:10

Learn about Nimsdai's entrepreneurial ventures and guiding philosophy.

“the sea level where if you are cold you can turn the heating on, if you're warm you can put the aircon on and you have all this stuff.”

Pioneering New Adventures and Businesses

36:33 to 38:59

Understand how Nimsdai combines his passions into new business opportunities.

“That's also the entrepreneurial bit I love.”

Creating a Legacy Through Philanthropy

38:59 to 42:00

Learn about Nimsdai's charitable initiatives and community impact.

“I know they can come down to base camp walk, but they say, Nims, can I call the helicopter from Camp 3?”

Impact of Personal Legacy and Community Projects

42:00 to 44:30

Discusses the importance of respect and legacy through community projects.

“So in terms of the big mountain and environment, like I'm an outdoor person, so I love outdoor, right?”

Adventure and Recovery for Military Veterans

44:30 to 46:40

Explores how adventure expeditions help military veterans recover from trauma.

“They were blind and and and I managed to build the house for them You know, and they always said when I go to Pakistan, because I always go everywhere, they say, can we meet NIMS and all that?”

Education and Disaster Relief Initiatives

46:40 to 49:40

Details initiatives supporting education for children and disaster relief efforts.

“But we as a human, we have got enough intelligence to work around it, you know, and that's the very key.”

Ego, Leadership, and Climbing Challenges

49:40 to 51:20

Discusses managing ego and leadership dynamics while climbing.

“And then that brings out the natural leadership and strength training.”

Self-Awareness and Decision-Making Under Pressure

51:20 to 54:00

Examines the importance of self-awareness and strategic planning in high-pressure situations.

“The thing that even people haven't thought about it.”

The Warrior Mindset in Mountain Climbing

54:00 to 56:01

Explores the necessity of a warrior mindset for success in climbing and overcoming challenges.

“I think the biggest is, look, at the age of 18, I joined the Gurkhas.”

The Mindset of a Mountain Climber

56:01 to 58:10

Explore the mental strategies that define success in extreme challenges.

“I'm going to say, I am the best soldier in this planet.”

Overcoming Adversity and Media Challenges

58:11 to 59:19

Learn about the struggles faced by Nims with media narratives and personal attacks.

“People who know, they know, but this is the thing.”

Values, Integrity, and Life Lessons

59:20 to 1:00:28

Understand the core values that guide Nims in life and business.

Empathy and Fairness in Leadership

1:01:32 to 1:05:24

Discover Nims' mission of empathy and fairness in life and business.

“But part of who I am today is her credit, you know.”

Future Aspirations and Challenges Ahead

1:05:25 to 1:07:36

Hear about Nims' upcoming projects and climbing ambitions for the future.

“So you're still on a mission to keep going.”

Inspirational Role Model

1:07:37 to 1:08:22

Reflections on Nims' inspiring journey and impact on others.

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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00This episode is brought to you by Indeed. Stop waiting around for the perfect candidate. Instead, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs to find the right people with the right skills fast. It's a simple way to make sure your listing is the first candidate C. According to Indeed data, Sponsored Jobs have four times more applicants than non-sponsored jobs. So go build your dream team today with Indeed. Get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney+. Let's go! Get ready for a new case. We're the greatest partners of all time! New friends.

0:35Gary Death Snake. And your last name? Death Snake. Dream Team. And new habitats. Zootopia has a secret reptile population. You can watch the record-breaking phenomenon at home. Zootopia 2, now available on Disney Plus Rated PG. And right now you can get Disney Plus and Hulu for just$4.99 a month for three months with a special limited time offer ends March 24th. After three months plan auto renews and$12.99 a month, terms apply. Tell me, who is Nimsdai? My name is Nimsdai Parza. I was born in a very humbling family in Nepal. I was raised in the Brigade of Gurkhas and I was made in United Kingdom's Special Forces SBS.

1:10So, yeah, that's my intro. Tell me some of the things that you have achieved. I came with this idea, a ground record-breaking evolution to climb all the 14 highest mountains of the world in six months. And the previous record was nearly 80 years. In layman's terms, if the world record for, let's say, marathon is two hours, I'm going to do that in 20 minutes. There's the physical element, the situation, the weather, but actually the risks that you take as an entrepreneur. Okay, nobody believed this project. People don't know who Nimzda is. I was undercover. I was in SBS. So I was like, as soon as I start climbing the mountain in the manner and in the style that I say I will do it, I think people will start putting the money.

1:50So I had to just, you know, that's why I sold my house empty settings. and it started the first boom, it started climbing Anapurna, did the rescues. When your purpose is bigger than yourself, you always achieve the impossible. So I think that's the key takeaway from this. What is it you are saying, what can you do when someone is physically fatiguing, when someone is collapsing, that you can get them through it?

2:21Nims die. Yes, yes. I've been so looking forward to this conversation. You're a hard man to pin down. Yeah. I've been all over the world. Literally came from Antarctica. So, yeah. I know. I know. I know. I think it's probably taken a year to be able to know that you're not up the top of a mountain somewhere. So I feel super privileged. Tell me, who is Nimsdai? I think despite all the achievement and everything that I have achieved and when people ask me, you know, who are you? And my answer is very simple, you know. My name is Nimsday Parza. I was born in a very humbling family in Nepal. I was raised in the Brigade of Gurkhas and I was made in United Kingdom's Special Forces SBS.

3:10So, yeah, that's my intro. Love that. You mentioned the word achievement there. Tell me some of the things that you have achieved. In terms of achievement, I came with this idea, which is a ground record-breaking evolution to climb all the 14 highest mountains of the world in six months. And the previous record was nearly 80 years. So what I was saying in layman's term for people who doesn't understand mountaineering is if the world record for let's say marathon is two hours i'm gonna do that in 20 minutes so that's why nobody believed in so yeah that's one of them and and of course you know i led the first winter ascent of k2 um k2 was the only mountain that was never climbed and in winter and and it was the only last remaining the final great challenge in the mountain in fit so i led the whole expedition where 10 Nepalese, you know, climb together.

4:10And in terms of, you know, record breaking, of course, I have the fastest ascent of all 8 ,000 meter peak without oxygen. That's what people criticize for me, say, oh yeah, he did 14 peaks with oxygen. So I just have to do something for that. And then I did that while I was guiding and leading the expedition. So if I have to really go for the full on record, I think I can do all 14 in maybe three months without oxygen as well. And in order to back up what I'm saying, I had climbed all the five, 8 ,000 meter peak of Pakistan, like K2, Nangar Parbat, G1, G2, Broad Peak. While I'm leading the expedition from the front, while I'm guiding, that means it's harder, you're looking after the clients and all that.

4:53And I achieved that in 26 days without oxygen. So I'm not just bluffing. There's no bluffing. Yeah, yeah. And then here we are. He knows you. Yeah. My journey to learning about you was The 14 Peaks, which came on, I had blockbuster onto Netflix, watched it with my family and just thought, wow. But I think what was so remarkable about it wasn't just the achievement, it was the fact that it represented so much more than just you. It was an incredible achievement, but it showcased and highlighted how talented, how hardworking, how resilient the Nepalese Sherpas are, that often accompany a Western climber that gets to the top and takes the glory.

5:35And you really reverse that to say, hey, firstly, in a very non-egotistic way, look what I can do. These are my people. I really felt that from that documentary. Yeah, it was much needed because we always have been on the shadow and the brutal reality is whatever the Western media says, even if it's not the truth, that becomes the truth and out of everything i would say 90 of the people who have achieved everything on the mountain ring has taken the support of the of the neapolis climbing community but um and also i understand of course they cannot say in every time where they go in i was supported by this and that every time we needed our own voice um so i wanted to change that and And in order to change that, if you do something small or NIFNAF or break one record, it's not the highlighted event.

6:30So I had to come with something that no one ever could even imagine. It's like saying, OK, the world record for marathon is two hours. I'm going to do that in 20 minutes. So it has to be a mind boggling evolution. And for me, this project was not about myself. So, anyway, I was able to give up my, the most prestigious career for me, which is, you know, my UK Special Forces career. I had to give up my full pension. That's what, you know, we as Agarcas, you know, work throughout the whole life for full pension. That's the goal. So, I kind of give up my goal and financial securities. And also, I emptied all my savings, literally, and even remortgaged my house and lived you know, only nine or ten grand in the house and emptied everything into the project.

7:24So I think the difference here is everybody can talk and say, but talking is one thing and doing actually is something. So my biggest step to this success, which later became success, is the commitment. So I committed everything, you know, because I had the bigger purpose that that was not about me. And I keep saying to even when we're arguing at the house with my brother who sent me to school, he's like my father. I owe him so much. And I had to go against them and everybody else. They said, Nims, why? Why? If you are the main person in this family who is looking after the whole of the financial part, you're sending money to the parents, mom and dad.

8:12But, you know, there's a lot, you know, and also the emotional bit associated as well, you know, from the family. So I always believe that this project was bigger than myself, my family and everybody else. So when your purpose is bigger than yourself, you always achieve the impossible. So I think that's the key takeaway from this. So much there. I mean, achieving the impossible, that mindset, the risks that you take. You see, for me, the risks are very obvious and evident up the mountain. There's the physical elements, the situation, the weather, and the whole kind of risks that something could happen to you there.

8:50But actually, the risks that you take as an entrepreneur walking away from the pension. And I imagine, without knowing this, but I assume that these Western climbers were either affluent enough to afford to do it themselves or had a community around them that funded them to do it. You had to come in completely differently, take these risks, and you smashed the record. But your analogy of 20 minutes against eight hours, you know, it's compelling. Yeah. And, you know, I must say that it's good and people do see the success, but the hardest part is giving up the a good possible future that's been literally you can literally take away for example so when I put my cheat in to leave the SBS SAS you know which is tier one unit they invited me I went to Harry Ford in the headquarters and and and the command level said okay Nims you know look you have no sponsorship which is a million pounds you don't have any secure pensions if you leave that you know if you leave pool and out of the military your wife will not get anything or your family will not get anything if you die on the mountain which is almost a lot of chances is there look i we will give you three rank of promotion and i was never promoted in pool and it hurts me it's okay, we will give you three rank of promotion.

10:23Not only that, we'll send you to go and do this mountaineering course where you become pretty much a guide. So you go and do this course in Germany for two years. So that's what I really want. That's like it touched me. And then after that, you will come and you will lead the mountain sail in Hereford. That's for me, I think no one had ever offered me this kind of thing during my whole military career. and I knew that I would probably be the most decorated soldier in the planet, you know, being able to, the first Gurkha to serve in SVS, then go into the Harry Ford, you know, lead their mountain troop and not only that, you know, there's a huge amount of support backing, I don't need to resign but for me, when there's a tough decision-making evolution, I always go back to basis and the Gurkhas are known for loyalty.

11:18I repeat, for loyalty and bravery. For me, if I can add any value to that name, I must, but I have no right to even let anybody question that name or that brand or who we are. We're known as most, the fearful, loyal and bravest soldier in the planet, right? So I said to them, I said, thank you so much. No one had ever offered me like this. And I'm actually, you know, it gets me so much into my heart. But look, the brand girl, because everything, our reputation is not created by me. God knows how many people died, you know, for this name. So many wives have to kind of live as a widow. So many children, you know, lost their father in First World War, Second World War, everything.

12:10So, no, I can't, you know. And I said to them, yes, you all probably like me, but there might be another guy who doesn't probably like me, who probably have an S. And they will say, yeah, you know, look at Nimsh, he's a Garkar. We throw a bit of bread on the floor and he's just coming and there is no loyalty. Somebody might say that. And I have no rights to give anybody a doubt on that element. So I know, I remember. So I rejected that offer and I was driving on the car and they invited me again. We discussed exactly the same thing. Again, I think probably they were more impressed with what my core principle and ethos and values were.

12:47So my answer was same. And I again, you know, when I drove outside the, you know, the Hediford camp, I was crying because for me as a personal, this was the best offer I could have in the planet. But for as a wider perspective, I felt that wasn't up to me to give anybody an opportunity to raise a finger or point a finger towards Gurkha saying that, you know, okay, they are not loyal, they are not this, that and all that. So, yeah. So, you know, I believe in those kind of stuff. And I think because of all those strong values and principles, I'm who I am today. But it was hard. It was hard. I heard it was.

13:31been some validation to be made that offer but it was also probably very empowering for you to keep control of what is your values and say that i would love to bring your wife into this one thing you know before that so i came that and and and the hardest thing people need to know who are going into this challenge is the fundraising part okay so i came out announced the project then you would meet hundreds of people if not thousands of people who said they will help you in in words only. And then when it actually comes to putting the money and all that, there was no one. And I felt like, you know, I hit the brick wall.

14:09And it was the most demoralizing time of my whole, I think, my life, I would say. And it's coming from you. Someone who's so capable. It was like, oh my God, now I have jeopardized my career. I didn't say yes to, you know, Harry Ford. And now I'm here. No one is literally, no one is putting the money and all that. And And it's still, you know, like, but I had this belief. The belief was like, okay, nobody believed this project. People don't know who Nimzda is, like, because I was, I had no Facebook, no social media, no Instagram, all this. I had no, you know, so I was undercover. I was in SBS.

14:43So I was like, as soon as I start climbing the mountain in the manner and in the style that I say I will do it, I think people will start putting the money. So I had to just, you know, that's why I sold my house empty settings. And it started the first boom. we started climbing Annapurna, did the rescues, you know, yeah, a lot there, a lot there, you know, and then that's when people start coming in. Like, for example, we, people give up on Annapurna, like, you know, some of the guys who were there, they have tried seven times, you know, and then, you know, even fixing the new lines on the does rip.

15:16And then when people were giving, I was just saying, you know, giving up is not blood, you know, that on the 14 picks, I was just saying, you know, like, I just got the camera out, I need to record this because it self-motivates me. So I just, yeah, you know what? Giving up is not in the blood, sir. And yeah, fixing. Then we came into the base camp after the summit. And we're supposed to go to Dhawlagri, which is our next mountain. But then I got the rescue call from somebody who is alive, you know, just below the summit. So I was like, okay, what do I do now? Do I go and continue my mission for which I have literally put everything on the line?

15:49Or do you want to be this wise man and be strategic guy? or do you want to leave everything behind and go and rescue this guy? And you're probably going to miss the weather window in the whole library and you probably fail your mission. And I was like, well, again, go back to basics. Nims, when you're in the Gurkhas, when you're in war in all those places around the world, when you're in special forces, you never left anyone behind. So why in this peacetime? There's no one shooting at you. Yeah, so that's when I said, okay, we go up again. So I went and did the rescue and all that. So you need to have core values and principles inside you.

16:27It needs to be ingrained in you to bigger things because this is all about the energy. Because a good energy, a good spirit, a good soul attracts good things. Yes, Dawlagari was brutal for me to climb. It was really hard, the hardest. We could not even see. I had to navigate from my surface, how can we go up and how can we come down? We cannot literally say, and I say, guys, I'm a tier one UK Special Forces. Nav is in my bag. I'll get you all. And that level of confidence and kind of leading from the front, pulling the path, giving the team confidence that it doesn't matter even if you cannot see here, it is my job to take you up and bring you down.

17:10Let's work. And it worked, yeah. You have an incredible track record, which could be attributed to success. I want to know if you've ever had to kind of abandon or turn around if something's gone wrong. Yeah, you know, a lot of people think Nims is a full-on aggressive climber, you know, he always care about his track record, you know, 100 % success rate and all that. And guys, look, I have been able to do that with a full-on responsibility, you know. And as I said, that comes from huge amount of experience in the mountain, plus being as a special forces kind of, you know, mindset and the way we meticulous to plan the expedition.

17:54But to answer the question, yes, I have turned around once. Okay. So we were on G2, Gasser Bomb 2 in Pakistan, and I was part of the fixing team. And we are pushing on this mountain. And this is one of my final mountains in Hat-Trick Project. So as we were fixing the lines, at first it just went, and I kind of ignore that you know that's like that's the noise triggering to create an avalanche okay I was like okay maybe we go and see so at that point we're opening the route a bit diagonal so I said to the team guys it stopped so I went at the front and I start opening 90 degree because you know because if you if you open the the three-verse way because you you create the avalanche so now i changed the tag i went straight up i was like then there's a hoop and that's like and i can see the crack of the snow i have never been scared in my life my legs were literally severing because now the whole there's everybody including you know the qatari princess you know with my vvip clients to everybody from other teams are following me you know and i was like oh my god if I make the wrong decision, all these people are going to die, including myself.

19:12So that's when I said, guys, turn around. This is the point where we're going to have to save another time. So this is the only time I have given up because it's not about me. And for me, look, I could have said, okay, in order to just do my track record, guys come and I just probably go alone and summit. But it's not about that. I try to, of course, people need to be honest. People say, a lot of people these days say, oh you know it's not about the summit it's about the journey i think that's you know because if that is the the your thing then why don't you say oh i'm just going to climb to every sub to camp three you know because it's about the journey why don't you say i'm just going to camp four about the you know don't say that you know it's about both success and safety in parallel it goes hand in hand so i care about that so hence why you know i got 99.9 percent of you know success and safety I love the fact you articulated that.

20:06It's important, you know, it's important that. There's a fearlessness that can go with the association with you without the recklessness and the fact that you just said your legs were shaking. This is Nims Day, right? Legs shaking. You knew that that was a terrifying moment. Yeah. And it puts everyone in danger and the right decision is to go. I mentioned the word success. Yes. What is Nims Day's definition of success? Jesus, I have no clue at the moment. for someone that's achieved so much. You know how humbling that is. I mean, I love that. Yeah, I don't know. World records. All these accolades.

20:41I will figure out as I get old, I think. But yeah, at the moment... You can tell me over a drink later. We both know that any one time you could practically run up the mountain compared to someone you're taking up as a client you're climbing with. And you help get them up that mountain. And there's something you're saying and you're looking with that self-awareness to help. So what is it you are saying? What can you do when someone is physically fatiguing, when someone is collapsing, that you can get them through it? I was on Everest and I was at the South Summit, which is 8 ,700 meters. Then there was a climb at the balcony, which is 8 ,450 meters.

21:20Just to put people into perspective, it normally takes up to maybe six hours to get from balcony to the South Summit. okay so I was at the South Summit and then the radio got in and this guy his name is Dan he's coming tomorrow by the way so he said Nims you know I'm maxed out buddy you know I cannot do this anymore I'm going to turn around and you know my serpa is also like you know confident that I can't do it I'm going to turn around and I try to talk to him on the radio bro you can do it you know you have the best team in the world I can literally if anything happens there's no one on this mountain we can literally carry you and take you down so you can do it on the radio tries again he said names no i cannot do it i said okay hang on there half an hour boom i run down the mountain got him in half an hour at the balcony okay give him the water so you can do it i'm coming here to get you so then we went up bam bam bam we start overtaking and And we literally reached the summit pretty much two or three minutes behind the main group.

22:33That's what I do. What did you say? What did you say? I was with him. I just said, look, you know, you need to, when people see it, they need to believe in that leadership. You know, and many people don't believe that. A lot of people think that, oh, you know, because it's a mind. The mind plays a big role in this. Insecurities, fear of dying and all that. You need to give that confidence. and when people see that of course they're going to push because I keep saying when you think you're fully only 40 % you have to push through that to find out but you need to have the safety expect because some people might do that and when they don't have the right guides that's when they die but that's why having the key subject matter expert or person who can not only talk but can act on can perform you could be the biggest knowledge in the high altitude mountain, but that's nothing.

23:26You need to have both strength, knowledge, and everything. When you get into it, you must be so inspiring to be around. I have a question for you. Yeah. You've summited, you've been at the top of the world, virtually. What is the best view? What is the best view? Oh, I think for me, if I remember the best view, I don't really have a best view. I think, okay, I'll tell you this story. So, k2 winter yeah so we're not going to go into the details but we we stopped short before the summit we got everybody together and then we said okay now we're going to walk to the summit together sharing the equal glory equal success and equal happiness and we walk together right and i remember I feel the power of this energy where you cannot experience ever because everybody felt the same.

24:25Everybody had the same energy. There's no sadness, no bitterness that somebody has been the first. It was everybody getting the same credit, you know. So that was the most happiest moment for me. You can feel the whole energy of the mountain, the guys, everything. And yeah, so I think that's what I can remember about the best summit. That was all about the camaraderie and the feeling rather than the view. I love that. First time you did it must have been unbelievable, eclectic. Yeah, I agree. But has it diluted over time or is there something special about each time you've done it? I have submitted Everest nine times, 50 to 8000 meter summits.

25:01So every time other than the first... Okay, the first summit I think you don't even realize because you are so worried about, okay, I'm going to go there, take a picture and I need to be down for safety, otherwise I'm going to die. first is like that you know because uh every guide every people on the mountain say that as soon as you eat into some you have to go down and you don't have the experience you don't have the true ability or sense of what your strength and weakness are so i didn't really kind of know but my second was when i kind of fixed the lines when the official fixing team gave up and this was the everest expedition of the british army garkha expedition so this year the official team couldn't set the lines and the British Army expedition and we are the Garkas you know we we are the best and I didn't want you to come to UK and they said my friend saying oh Nims you know you couldn't even climb the mountain in your back garden you know stop going off and I was like oh you know that's a reputational you know alarm so I when everybody give up I stood up and I said okay I'm going to fix the line so and that summit was beautiful because at this point I was very experienced I had the knowledge and all we fixed the lines not only for my team but rest of the seasons mountaineer and it was a beautiful day you know everything was below and you know to to be able to enable the whole of the the Gurkha expedition to put the first serving soldier on the top of the world and with so much confidence passion and strength you know oh the view was yeah amazing you know I remember it was so sunny right no wind nothing clear sky you could see as far as your eye can see and it was amazing yeah but i want to go to the part where your wife and you're having the conversation and if you think about how much you just said there there's the uh financing the house oh yeah there's a lot of but there's the decision that you made to go and rescue someone else which puts you in danger that potentially takes you away from your wife family that also then reduces the chances of you achieving what you're doing, which is why you're doing.

27:07There's so much there. Take me to the moment where, because you're clearly a force for good with those values, but your wife's got to kind of almost agree and have a conversation with you that she's almost giving you almost permission to do this with the risks, if you know what I mean. I want to know how that conversation happens. I think, you know, when you are in the war and when the bullets are flying around, you don't ask your wife, can I go and risk you? So you just go and do it. And she knew who you were before she married you, right? Yeah. But I just wanted to... We got married in a very young age.

27:35And the fact that, you know, she saw me, how I trained to go and pass the selection for special forces. And even I say today, you know, if people see my training every day, they will probably cry. They will probably bleed, you know. Even I know myself, you know, like, I cannot do that now. You know, I was waking up, you know, sometimes, okay, if I feel good, you know, the distance from my house to Chatham which is military barracks is 20 kilometers. When I feel good and I wake up at 4 a.m and then I carry 75 to 80 pounds of load and I run to the camp from my house. Then I get to the camp because I was doing a kind of, you know, what we call it a basic level of course.

28:28So you have to go and do some physical training before you go to the course. So I go there, I have a breakfast, then I do the physical training part of the military mandate. Then the whole day, because I was building an instructor finisher, it's a very cool name, but it's all in, it's like plasterer. So a whole day of plastering the wall, taking down, it's full labor work, do that. In the evening, I don't carry the weight. I leave the weight at the barracks and I run back to my house. That's another 20 kilometers. Okay. Then I have my food. Then I go to the gym. I cycle on the cycling machine, you know, 65 kilometers every day because you need the strong legs.

29:10And then from there, I go to the swimming pool because I wanted to go to SBS. I need to be a strong swimmer. So I do, you call that front call? Yeah. Yeah. So I do that 100 times nonstop. and sometimes it would be like 10 p.m. You know, where the gym is closed, you know. And I train like that for six months, six days a week. And sometimes, okay, I wake up at four, but if I feel tired, then I wake up at three because it's going to take longer. And I know tomorrow, because I have to be there on time because it's a course. If you wake up late, the military is going to punish you. So then sometimes I wake up even at one o 'clock.

29:45Sometimes it would take me double the time, But I never said, today, you know, my knees are hurting, my body is painful, I'm, you know, and then, or I want to sleep more. I never said, oh, there is ice outside or, you know, because it's slippery, it's cold, it's dark. I never said, I never made excuses. I committed every day. And that comes down to self-discipline and also a desire to represent the Gurkhas. because at this point, no Gurkhas had ever made into SBS special forces. So I was like, okay, if we are the best soldier in the planet, why we are not in the SBS? I need to do that. So my mindset was bigger.

30:28It becomes bigger than you again. Yeah, it was bigger than me. It was bigger than everything else. And one thing to highlight is my command, they didn't give me the time to train. Normally when you say you go into this kind of selection, they give you six months off. okay but probably I was questioning the authorities now and then I'm a very straightforward person and I used to say I'm here to serve but not to to be a servant and then obviously some of the high command doesn't like that kind of thing to serve I can give my life like this this is me but I'm not here to kind of do servant kind of in a job so I think they didn't like that and then so I wasn't given any time off but you know I was entitled to by the you know I'm free you know but how all my guys who tried and failed many times, they all had six months off.

31:19But I had to do during my military parade, military time, military working hours. I had to do outside the working hours. So yeah, no excuses, no excuses. What do you like with time off? Just going back to that relentless schedule then, and you're still busy now. You're very much an entrepreneur coming in here with the challenges that come with that. often can be quite lonely because you've got really interesting dynamic where you are a clearly very natural leader inspiring with that integrity and and all the knowledge you've got but you're also pioneering a lot of things which comes back to nims making the decisions and where i'm going with that is there's the business side of things but also that element of like you're not climbing a mountain right now and on days like this do you can you chill can nims sit and put his feet up and watch a film or are you thinking about the next thing and Always work.

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32:09I can watch the film, but I don't think I'm a chill because my brain is always, it's who I am. The biggest thing for people to understand is who you really are and accept that fact. Look, yes, I think I'm now more entrepreneur than a world record-breaking climber, which I guide 11 months a year, but I respond to my team from 8 ,000 meters, you know where people can make thousands of excuses excuses not really where people can make thousands of excuses so it's like oh you know I'm climbing I have got you know 30 people to lead you know or you can say we don't have internet at a thousand meters and all that no you know I respond to my team even when I'm climbing you know I'm that person so I even tell to my team that if I can respond from a thousand meters while I'm guiding while I'm leading the expeditions and all my track record is 99.9 % success with the safety.

33:10Why you guys at the sea level where if you are cold you can turn the heating on, if you're warm you can put the aircon on and you have all this stuff. You press that button there's a drinking water available. Everything is there and why is the complaint? But of course not everybody is in the mindset. So So, of course, I have founded Elite Expert. We guide people on all the 14 highest mountains, seven summits, South Pole and North Pole. But the important point here to note is with us, now we have taken more than 100 plus people on the summit of Everest. But these people, when they first came us, they had never done anything.

33:51They literally started with us either on Kilimanjaro, so total novices. they started with us on Kilimanjaro or Akan Kagawa with me and their journey started so within two years of their two months time within two years more than 100 people have submitted average with us so this is this is what we do yes you know and we are the subject matter expert of this one and we enable other people who have no idea who even who doubt themselves we enable them and then And sometimes it's very hard for me as a guide, you know. People would be very slower. They cannot catch up in the same manners that I do. Sometimes it could be safety.

34:32But I have to dial down to their level to make them comfort. Even if sometimes my ego could be hurt. It could hurt me, you know. But I have to think, you know. So I have to go to their level and then bring them up. Then my kind of the biggest happiness is when, boom, they summit and they are with me at the base camp. That's when I take the joy. That's when I take the fright. So I did that. And then, of course, the second important element is I launched the clothing brand, which is really kind of focused on the outdoor environment. But also, we do normal stuff as well. But the key is outdoor extreme environment where your life matters the most.

35:14We come with the clothing where it has the functionality and safety. So it's technical. It's technical. And that is the core of the business. But we, of course, in order to make the money, you also have to do high fashion and all that. So we do that. And in this, you know, the Nimzai store, I'm involved from really scratch, from the designing of this stuff to getting out there, testing in terms of functionality and performance. So you'll see loads of stuff. I'll be giving the feedback in a while. I'm going to CAM 1 or CAM 2 or CAM 3 always. And now when I summit, it doesn't excite me anymore because I've done, you know, 50 to 8 ,000 meters summits.

35:54So I think I get more excitement when I design something and everything that's been tested. I got my final sample. Oh, yes, guys, can we? That's my excitement. Did you know your hair ages just like your skin does? The new Chronolojis line offers luxurious youth revitalizing care for aging hair. It reverses the five key signs of hair aging, lack of thickness and volume, dullness, dryness and frizz in just one night. Use the full range of Chronologeist shampoo, mask and overnight serum and wake up to visibly fuller, smoother, healthier hair. Shop the new Chronologeist line at kerastos.com. That's also the entrepreneurial bit I love.

36:35I was going to ask you, you've summited Everest, which is a lot of people's, maybe everybody's kind of ultimate, if you like, in context. if you kept looking at what are the ultimate challenges climbing Mount Everest is almost a clear and you so that losing that dopamine hit from doing about having the reasons to build around it and actually I guess you'd almost call that influencer marketing ahead of your time yeah you're climbing mountains and you're in your and also if I have so much passion for building something why not because it's already in my in my DNA so if I'm helping other brands you know why don't I build my own brand and the other thing as well is now I'm connecting all the business that I have established.

37:12So I love skydiving. I used to jump when I was in Special Forces and all that. So what we created with Skydive NIMSDA is if people want to jump on Everest with the view of Everest, Amar Dublin and all that, or jump anywhere in the world, Seven Wonders of the World, Antarctica, whatever, we have the team that they do it. And now, of course, with that, with the expeditions, everything and all that, I managed to buy the helicopter company because for many reasons, Okay, one, to be self-sustained in order to do the business. And the reason why I had to buy the helicopter was in 2021, we had a very high number of BVI physical clients, really high end.

37:54And a lot of competitors got very jealous about it. And then I found out that they held a special meeting at the base camp with all these owners. and then of course the helicopter company that and then they said okay let's not give any helicopter flights to NIMS and how he can prove how he can you know run the the VIP business when I found out that it really hurt me so then I say you know what I'm gonna buy the the helicopter company that's one part of it but also second part is I was involved in one of the the critical rescue of you know Jim when his wife died on Manaslu and the other company where the helicopter company were almost trying to charge him 10 times the price and I said in the face guys if you try to make the money out of this person whose wife has just died stand by so people don't like that when I'm so vocal about things and and I wanted to do things by the book no fake rescues under my heli company, neither in elite expat.

38:58So when people climb with elite expat, like I will give you a recent example. I had somebody else on Manaslu. They summited. They're coming down. Of course, you are tired and all that. I know they can come down to base camp walk, but they say, Nims, can I call the helicopter from Camp 3? For me, whoa, it's a good business because I send my helicopter. I make four times the money, you know, for my business. but ethically no as an expert leader i want everybody to earn their respect so i i was on the read i said look you know if you want to bring the helicopter it has to be rescued and unless you tell me that you need a rescue my guide is there you are just tired i can't allow that okay and then we will do a check in the hospital the hospital needs to be clearing and all that and then i'm not going to sign your summit certificate because it's a you know you didn't you didn't went to the summit and come down to base camp a summit is you walk from the base camp you summit and you come down to base camp not like helicopter this and that so it's all i have the evidence of this i flimmed all this you know so but then when i i kind of you know help them to make the decision but when they come to base camp walking then they take self-pride oh yes i could do this i didn't cheat and all that but of course i'm sacrificing my business so i'm i do everything ethically so now and of course the biggest part now here is the the nimstai foundation um which is i think this is the biggest thing and the most important thing and this is who really i am yes of course i have achieved all the the world records i don't know 16 plus guineas world records all this business and all that but uh this proves your legacy doesn't it but yeah who i am you know I'm a giver.

40:44So for example, in 2012, it's my first trip to F.S. Beskamp. So I had a porter with us and all that and we went to this village called Lobuche. So you trek from Feruche six, seven hours. We go to Lobuche and my porter were not allowed to stay there. okay they were not allowed to stay in the in the lodge because of who they are and all that and for me two things and and they didn't have a designated porter house or something to sleep so for me this is a humiliation because you come from maybe a poor background or this and that and all that so these guys had to go down to to this village we came from and they have to come next day to pick up the load and go to the final village and that really hurt me so again going back into into my basics way of thinking when i joined the garakas you know we started with 500 pounds per month you know and then when i after the training what 1000 whatever it is by the time i finished the training and all that but when i go in the war that 1000 pound or whatever doesn't justify me to give my life like that and fight for in the uk no but what it gives me that is the the respect the garghans are getting our legacy right so you could be probably the less honor you could be the person who owns who owns who earns so the english who earns very less in this world but you need respect right so that really tells me so back now for what after being successful and all that we just launched the project in Lobuche you know which is over half a million dollar project so now they have this place where you know they would be respected they have place to sleep you know you know so so I'm doing that things and that's only one part of that you've affected a lot of change yeah and then the second thing is you know I I'm not a billionaire or you know in that level I can change the world and but I can change what I can change.

42:49So in terms of the big mountain and environment, like I'm an outdoor person, so I love outdoor, right? So the foundation also does things like, you know, big mountain cleanup project where people, if people are living the rubbish and all that, we clean that up. And it's a very expensive project because you still have to pay the share pass, the team and all that. So it's super expensive, but we do that because it's not only about cleaning the mountain, but it's also about you know there's about 500 million life that depends upon on on the mountains the glaciers and all that it's a bigger impact yeah so of course we've been doing you know multiple big mountain cleanup projects through the foundation and um the other one is you know i'm as i said in my intro you know i i come from the military background and he is it's a huge part of who i am Unfortunately, all those friends that serve in the military, when they go in the operations or whatever, they don't come back home the same as they left home.

43:56So I believe that a lot of this post-trauma stress and everything that they are going through can be recovered through adventure. So the foundation helps the people to come on the expeditions and be part of this adventure. so community as well right yeah to to to kind of help them recover to reconnect and all that so the foundation does that as well and then the other angle is we also help in education um so if if the serpa died on average and and their kids are there and and and no one of course their father died they are the bread owner of the family and they don't know who's going to pay for this school and stuff so we pay until they get you know up to year 12 is it like you know well high school You know, so we send obviously we pay we cover all the expenses for them to do that and the other one Which we're going to this other one is we also do the disaster relief so When there was a big flood in in Pakistan the whole of the mountain community we support more than 10 ,000 people And there was a whole couple and I always think this you know, so they had no children in their house was You know taken away the blind people as well.

45:08They were blind and and and I managed to build the house for them You know, and they always said when I go to Pakistan, because I always go everywhere, they say, can we meet NIMS and all that? But I'm on a very tidy schedule, leading experience and all that. I don't need to meet them and get what I just say, you know, they can just bless me from far away and I can do that. So it has got so many angles. So when we went through the charity commission, they said, each of this angle is a charity itself. Who is this guy coming with all these four angles? Like, can he even handle it? No, no. And then they said, oh, it's NIMS DAPARZA.

45:41and we cannot say it's impossible to this guy so managed to register with all those pillars so yeah oh your legacy i mean i mean the fact that you're sitting there bright-eyed and still about to climb everest again this year and so much left in the tank the amount you've already done this i mean it's it's it's just a huge you know appreciation from for me just to learn from you in this environment let alone the amount of people that already know this and are benefiting from what you're doing. You brought up ego earlier. You brought up respect. And I want to frame that where it's very clear how important that is in terms of respect, honor, and how you manage your own ego.

46:19You just, because of this environment, you just told me what you do. But actually, there's a very humble side to you where actually you'd much rather just do what you do and not necessarily be seen. I want to know how those hundred summits that you've done where people that have come to you wanted to climb there's going to be an ego there there's going to be I want to climb over this and how do you manage that because you've got incredible self-awareness you have got a gut feeling but there are people that will potentially come to you and you wouldn't necessarily want to climb with them before I forget before I forget the research how do I manage them so people when they come in you could have the biggest ego in the earth but the nature will put into perspective without doing anything the humbling yeah the nature is the biggest thing here you know you could be who am i in this bigger scheme of things i'm no one i'm even tiny dust you know i'm no one so if i don't know how to see that happen how to respect the nature you've done and and you know you could be like i have got people who are like triathlon champion you know the gym all the but they cannot even make it because of this kind of enough problem so no one can beat the nature no one it doesn't matter who you are you bring the biggest force no nobody so So the first thing is you start understanding that, you know.

47:31But we as a human, we have got enough intelligence to work around it, you know, and that's the very key. If you don't know how to adapt and if you don't know how to work around it and if your ego gets ahead of it, then you don't exist. Because you have clearly got a mixture of relentless energy but patience as well. have you been really tested up the mountain with someone where you've really had to manage that yeah many times and for me um it doesn't matter what individual's background is sometimes i have billionaires and i have millionaires and very successful people who comes and climb to me and for me my promise to them from day one is i will take you to the top i can ride with everybody else pretty much, I cannot say 100%, but 95 % plus, maybe 99 % I can go, I can take that.

48:26And if you sign up with me, you know, if you don't submit with me, I can give you full refund. I can say that. I'm 100%. Because that's my thing. I know my game. So for me, I have to, of course, know that individual. And no one is that stupid when it comes to life. That's the self-awareness piece. You need to make a judgment that that person is capable of it. Yeah. And then when they come in, and of course they want to submit whatever the ego and all that, but I have to make them understand what it takes. And of course, when you are in that environment, they do listen to you. They will not listen to it until that point where they think they're power.

49:05But as soon as the elements and all that come in, then it makes you humble straight away. It's a level playing field. And then you kind of listen to a strong leadership who has got a track record of all these things and who is performing when everybody cannot even move. And that gives you the leverage. So, yeah. Sometimes, you know, of course, I have to, the word shout, so people take it. For me, Mr. Nice doesn't save life. you know for that moment if i have to be a bit you know i have to shout or if i have to be a horrible person i will say but the you know what is important to you is is me making things and making you listen or making good or you just die because of your thing which is important you know so mountain is not about being super nice and just because he has paid you know hundreds of thousands all it's about being factual being factual and and when people don't know the fact then that's where the problem is is there but you know at the end of the day I have to make it happen so I would know what is required in order to enable that you know person so yeah it's no I find it fascinating because you will be dealing with as you say successful big egos but there's such what a leveler when you're in a position where literally if they don't listen to you it could affect your life let alone very much all right yeah that must be a very humbling experience for someone that's achieved a lot of success and they need to have their own self-awareness to listen and you've got to gauge that quickly that one and also there will be people who would massively massively don't believe in themselves they're there but they say oh no i cannot do this jesus how you know a lot of them actually i get probably more of them than people who believe you know so then how you make them believe do you see that developing as you go up the mountain oh yeah but my point being i guess to start with the the confidence is that does that get whittled away with the lack of oxygen with the fatigue and so on.

51:02And then that brings out the natural leadership and strength training. So what I'm saying is that when people are literally struggling to walk, you know, I'm this guy, you know, like, I can run off these things, you know, all this, you know. So yeah, and my mind works from the special forces mentality, so I plan everything meticulously. The thing that even people haven't thought about it. For example, I'll give you this one. I was on this A mountain where I had a very high-nate thought individual, okay. The mountain this season was super, super dry. So there's like so many rock falls. And then normally what they do is they put the clients on the device and they get down to the anchor, okay.

51:52but sometimes you cannot even fit the device because the rope is so tight because it has been pulled down so you cannot fit your device so what you do is you just put your safety and then you kind of you know hold the rope and you go down so i'm already thinking ahead it's like that slope blue ice you cannot even put your cramp on if i go all the way down to anchor this person cannot hold so i had to think ahead so i stopped in the middle already preempting that this person cannot hold there so when when this person slipped i have to be in the position to hold before the speed is gained because if you if you if you gain that speed with that velocity you're gonna you're gonna die so obviously i i went and i stopped at the middle even you know my calf is burning and and i'm waiting to see if my anticipation is correct or not then yeah client couldn't hold off he started getting getting the speed everything and I'm just like, now what I do, I need to mask the force.

52:51I'm bang, hold. And you know, like, I had blood everywhere and everything is severing. And she started crying and in a panic attack, I said, hey, look, it's all good. But now, this is not the time to think about what's happening. It's time to just get down because the rock is coming every second. When we survive this, we could be hit by rock and we could be dead. But you need to think way ahead. This is the, nobody says this kind of thing. because you know sometimes people disappear from mountains and all that because you need to be that person with that level of experience with that level of anticipate to look many things in detail like this and there's no one like that no i mean it's your self-awareness it's almost like a match for the strategy the chess the chess game of this this is going to happen because of experience you cannot train people like this you cannot train unless they serve in the gurkhas then they go into special forces, do 10 years, and they have been planning and learning and all that.

53:49No, you cannot just, you know, you can't train the IFM or anybody, nobody, you can't train like this. I mean, I've been telling countless people before we sit down together that I'm going to be talking to you and the resilience piece, the mindset, that you probably get talked to a lot about that leadership, that kind of unlimited beliefs. But I want to humanize the fact that when we walked in here and we were talking, you were like, you know that's kind of 10 % of what I and I can you can turn it on in the mountain god you're probably there's no one that can touch you in that moment but real life that that that again mindset resilience and so on that that whole sort of humanizing the fact that there is an emotional nymph there is someone that has challenges and struggles talk to me more about that what where where is that almost the sort of the bit where you almost need help with if you like and and or it's sort of vulnerability?

54:38I think the biggest is, look, at the age of 18, I joined the Gurkhas. I have been taught how to be honest, integrity, honesty, and how to fight. And that even went into next level when I was in Special Forces. You trust people. And I think I trust people so much. And I've been let down in so many ways. Also, what people need to see is when you go in the war, I'll give you an example. When you go in the war, you cannot just be, I'm going to be the nicest person here. You can't. You have to go with the full mindset of a warrior to win the battle. You cannot say, oh, this guy has a full of ego on that one.

55:19You can't. So people need to be first able to identify what that is. When I go on the mountain and I'm leading the packs and the wind is coming speed, I need to match that environment, that everything there. Right? And if I just say, okay, I'm this nice guy here. I just want to learn very soft. You're going to be killed. You're going to be destroyed. There is a time to be a very nice person. And there's time to be like where you believe that you are the God of all. You are the number one. Because that's the only way you achieve that goal. If you go into the war and just start, okay, you know, I'm going to be the nicest.

56:00I'm going to be like this. I'm humble. How are you going to win the war? I'm going to say, I am the best soldier in this planet. I'm gonna out on everybody else. I'm gonna be faster, quicker than every... That's the mindset you need to win that wall. People need to understand this. And that's transferable. You've taken... One of the things I was gonna ask you is... Bum, bum and everything. You know, you need to... Because you need to adapt. Which also means that you've already said there's no one else like you. That background of training, mindset that you've taken into what other people that climb mountains do, sets you so apart.

56:33Because when you need to turn that on, I mean, there's no one that works to you, right? There's a different level and the other way, you know, what I say is what I have realized is God knows, you know, and I never knew that when it comes to money, people can be very evil. Okay, because I was never that rich. I never made that line. I never caught that threshold. So when one person came from nowhere, from literally a humbling family, no business background, my father never did business. My mother never did business. So I came from literally nowhere and I changed the whole guiding industry. Not only that, I came into this clothing industry where I'm the face of it.

57:11And what I say, I have the integrity. I'm not just saying I'm making the best product just in words. I'm not a word man. I'm an action man. I believe in my integrity. So I came with the product. I have a faith. It will go into a billion-dollar industry because it's me. Then I came with the skydiving idea where people are not doing anything. You know, there was only one company who used to do that before. Now we came in. We managed to be more successful because I jumped myself. Who wants to jump with someone who's doing the business from Kathmandu or UK or USA? They would jump with me, no? So that's my USP.

57:47So people then upset that business person. I bought the helicopter company. So then people say, oh, now he's going to take over the world. We need to get him down. So they even held this gang up to bring one person down. They tried to break my record. They even sent the serpats to break my record. No, nothing in terms of who I am, I'm who I am. And then, you know, they came with this disgusting stuff to bring me down. You know, which I don't want to talk about. I think people probably know. People who know, they know, but this is the thing. You know. Okay, let me get into that. One article come on, let's say, Western media.

58:24People didn't even interview the witnesses who were there. 13 eyewitnesses. I have no court cases, I have no legal thing, but that media can literally take you down. They tried it for the last two years. I have been through so much to fight that, to overcome this and all that. And when you see all this and you know the players that were involved behind this, because everything you're going to find out, some of them have already said sorry to me. But sorry doesn't bring anything back, you know. Damage is done. If it was not me, people have probably suicide. Considering all you do and all you've done, it's heartbreaking to hear that.

59:00Do you know the other thing is... Crazy. Crazy. I'm not a person. I don't care about the money, but I care about the success. If I do something, it's not about the money. I want that thing to be successful. That's what I'm driven by. You need to understand that. People don't understand that. And that, of course, that brings them money, but money is secondary. I don't fool people. I don't scam people to make money. you know people need to understand the core values and principle and i think with everything now it even even becomes more apparent when it comes to money people are happy to kill you know forget everything so yeah here we are guys remember you know every day to everyone who is watching this so you wake up and you remember that one day you will die you will not be doing any evil things one day you all have to die so live in peace guys goes back to values and integrity and bringing up peace uh your faith so there's this immense strength that goes with nims and what's interesting is if i'd ask you what's the hardest thing you've done up the mountain and there's probably all sorts of things that you could count you could bring up that have been close to death but the pain that you showed then talking about the mistreatment no but you see where i'm going with that yeah your face then was pained to have to explain that people have wrongs you people have tried to bring you down if i brought up something that was a proper challenge on the mountain it would have been a very different face it would have been nearly killing you but you didn't die but it was a different face yeah just get where i'm going with that yeah where does your faith sit with this your favorite local grocery stores like kroger ralph's fred meyer and more are now delivering on uber eats get 40 off your order of fresh quality ingredients whether you just got home to an empty fridge or suddenly got a craving to whip up something new you can get everything you need delivered in as little as 25 minutes.

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1:01:31I think I just have to do what is right in all honesty and you know at the last breath of your life you know that okay you know I have always been true to myself and I've been honest and I think you can you can die in peace it's very important you know when you are taking few last breaths and and you go into back and all and you know it's important for me it's important you know and you got to be who you are and I was brought up by my mother and my mother is probably the strongest woman that I probably ever know in this planet. And yes, she was very smart. She didn't go to school. She didn't go to anywhere else.

1:02:16But part of who I am today is her credit, you know. Yeah. So we just want to be nice, you know, you just want to be nice to people, but also you don't want to be weak. Because if you are nice people and you're weak, the evil will destroy you. Where are you with the vulnerability that goes with this is a very vulnerable conversation yeah probably wrong man yeah wrong mindset let alone probably that yeah no one's stronger than you physically um but that vulnerability piece you know that the the fact that you've shown so much willing to try and help people with ptsd to try and help your your people in any number of different ways the the the way you articulated the fact that the um uh the sherpas in 2012 had nowhere to stay i'm going to go and do something about that this this part of NIMS is inspiring do you get that do you get that feeling enough from people like myself and others alongside the fact that you've obviously had to battle people that tried to bring you down because I hope you really feel you are an absolute inspiration I think there are so many good people in this world there are and without the existence of them I would not have been able to come through all these things and I wouldn't be where I am without their support.

1:03:28So that is a fact and I acknowledge this. Now the other thing, I think in everything that I do and everything that has evolved me throughout this, the whole period of my life is, you know, what do you really want to achieve in life? What is your mission statement? and my mission statement I'm going to tell you what my mission statement is my mission statement is to be fair on every people in this world doesn't matter where you come from either you are white black asian whatever it is because I know how it is to be on the other side of the road which is empathy everyone everyone is looking you know this this interview and all that yeah Nims says don't think I'm against western and all that I'm never against them because these are the people who brought me to this place but I'm against racism I'm against unfairness because for me every decision I have made in my life is I have always put myself in that person's shoes I have always done that including the rescues to everything and all that so doesn't matter who you all are human we all are human so why why you want to be unfair to people depending upon how they look, where they come from, their gender and all that.

1:04:50So my statement, my mission statement is to be fear on the people. That is my mission statement. Yeah, there's a word for that for me, which is empathy. Why would you do something to someone that you wouldn't want happening to yourself? And there's not many people that live like that. And I love in the mountain. Mountain never say which country you come from. Are you good looking? Are you ugly? Are you handsome? Are you strong? Are you decent? No. it's pretty much neutral yeah to everybody you know yeah so I want to be neutral to people doesn't matter you know I like them I don't like them or where they came from and all that and it's very hard to do sometimes and I really want to do that I want to be fair on people doesn't matter where they came from so I want to bring our conversation before we close to what you're doing next we're at the beginning of 2026 okay so I had a conversation last night with friend of yours, Ant Middleton, who tells me he's climbing Everest.

1:05:45So you're still on a mission to keep going. But just tell me what's ahead of you and what have you not done that you still want to achieve? So I announced the project, Hat-Trick project, which is to climb all the 14 ,000 meter peaks three times and all the seven summits, that's like the highest mountain of its continent, three times with the aim to raise uh one million one hundred thousand something it's the height of all those okay okay yeah clever so i have got only two mountains left to complete that so i have got g2 and choi um so only those two two mountains left and i'm no way near to to achieve my goal in terms of fundraising for the foundation that has been doing amazing stuff so that is my challenge but breaking down yes of course i'm leading the expedition from abbas north side where ann and his son are also joining me and before that you know i'm guiding on various mountains and i guide 11 months a year but hopefully towards the end of this year i might have something big to announce but we see you know how we can pull through that is there a challenge that nims would come up with that would be seen as audacious but that you know you could do because the 14 peaks was a challenge that you broke.

1:07:02It was a world record. But you live in a world where you kind of create your own... Yeah. So I kind of... Well, I led the first winter SNFK too, and it's amazing. So we are making the film about it, about the first winter SNFK where the 10 Nepalese summited together and all. So anyway, that's one. But the second thing is, I'm not sure. Maybe I announced my final retirement project in terms of my own professional mountaining career i'm going to be guiding because i love helping people to achieve their goal this is what my this is this is what it gives to the kick yes someone who i have there they don't even believe in themselves they're like oh i can then i get in there and i kind of train them physically mentally psychologically all that and then when they achieve that they they're surprised because of themselves but then of course and i was part of their journey this is what it gets me so I will continue guiding um but but other than that um you know I want to be success in the business you know now because I have started so many business so I need to I need to go full on well I'd love to help you with that you made time to come and talk with me today I had the pleasure of seeing you do a talk tomorrow so I can't wait for that limbs you are you're a role model that empathy piece that that vulnerability is strength is uh so inspiring to be around so It's just massive.

1:08:21Thank you, brother. Thank you. Lovely to see you. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for$15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three month plan equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Default terms at MintMobile.com.

From the publisher

In this extraordinary conversation, John Reynolds sits down with Nimsdai Purja, the record-breaking Nepalese-British mountaineer whose feats have reshaped the world of high-altitude climbing. From humble beginnings in Nepal to serving in the elite Brigade of Gurkhas and UK Special Boat Service, Nimsdai’s journey is defined by resilience, discipline, and a relentless belief that nothing is impossible  a phrase that became the title of his hit Netflix documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible .


Discover how he shattered the record for summiting all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in just six months and six days, led the first winter ascent of K2 with an all-Nepalese team, and now champions mountain communities through his foundation. This is a conversation about courage, leadership, teamwork, and the transformative power of setting audacious goals.

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