“The first mountain is about building a résumé. The second is about building a soul.”
— David Brooks, The Second Mountain

Lately, this one’s been sitting with me.

For years, my focus, like so many of my clients, was on the first mountain. Building, proving, achieving. The titles, the milestones, the motion. It served a purpose, but it also shaped identity in ways I didn’t fully see at the time.

The second mountain feels different. It’s quieter. It’s about asking deeper questions: Who am I becoming? What truly matters now? How do I spend my time, energy, and wealth with intention?

It’s a transition I see often. Clients who’ve reached financial independence or hit their number, but are still searching for what’s next. They have freedom, but not fulfillment.

That’s the real work of the second mountain: turning success into something bigger.

Physical Wellness

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how the choices we make now determine the life we’ll be able to live later especially when it comes to physical health. For me, it’s always been about building a foundation strong enough to carry me through whatever the next season looks like.

A few weeks ago, while picking my oldest up from practice, he asked out of nowhere, “Dad, why haven’t you run a hundred in a while?” Then he smirked and added, “You only made it to 78 last time.” It was a jab, but a good one.

I told him honestly, I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because lately, most of my energy has gone toward supporting them and their sports, their travels, their goals. Then I asked, “Do you want me to run another?” He said yes. So I told him I would… but only if he did something big too.

He laughed and said, “Run 100?” I smiled. “Not quite, something big for you.” That’s when we landed on it: a 10K. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll do a 10K next summer.” So I added one more zero to my goal.

That moment hit me because this is exactly what I hoped for all those years ago. Early on, exercise and eating right were about pulling myself out of a funk. Over time, they became something deeper, a foundation that’s allowed me to keep showing up for the moments that matter most.

The training, the nutrition, the discipline…marathons, Ironman, early mornings…they all built something bigger than fitness. They built freedom.

The strength to commit. The endurance to keep going. The consistency to keep showing up.

That’s the real gift of physical health. It lets you keep saying yes to life. Because what we do today determines the kind of second mountain we’ll be able to climb tomorrow. And the best part? When you get to climb it alongside the people you love.

Mental Wellness

Every so often, you meet people, certain people who seem to have things aligned. They know why they’re here. They’ve figured out what really matters.

In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores what sets those people apart. He writes about the two-mountain shape of a meaningful life.

The first mountain is the one we’re all taught to climb…success, achievement, independence, happiness. It’s the mountain of résumé virtues and personal accomplishment. But for many, when they reach the top, something unexpected happens. The view isn’t what they thought it would be. It feels empty. They realize it might not have been their mountain at all. They climbed the wrong peak.

That’s when the second mountain appears.

The second mountain is about moving from self-centered to self-transcendence. It’s about building a life anchored to something bigger: relationships, vocation, community, and faith.

Brooks writes that real joy comes not from freedom but from anchoring ourselves to the right things. Saying yes to people, to purpose, to causes that pull us beyond ourselves.

It’s a message that feels especially relevant now, in a world that celebrates autonomy but often leaves us isolated. The book is both deeply personal and quietly challenging. It asks what happens when we stop chasing what looks good on paper and start pursuing what feels right in our soul.

If you’re in a season of reflection, transition, or searching for what’s next. The Second Mountain is worth reading (or rereading). It’s a reminder that the real climb isn’t about reaching the top. It’s about finding the people and purpose you want to climb with.

Financial Wellness

In my early years in wealth management, when I worked for Vanguard, almost every question revolved around the math: What’s the right product? What’s my asset allocation? How did my portfolio perform?

It was logical, tactical, and measurable. But the longer I worked with advisors, the more I realized something: the questions that mattered most weren’t being asked.

They weren’t asking, What’s this all for?

What does this give me the freedom to do?

What kind of life do I actually want to live once I have enough?

Those conversations rarely happen in statements or spreadsheets. They happen in the gaps. In transitions. Inflection points. In the quiet moments when someone realizes they’ve climbed the first mountain and are standing at the top wondering what comes next. Where is everything I want?

That’s when financial planning stops being about money and starts being about meaning. It’s when advisors stop being portfolio managers and start becoming life partners in the journey ahead.

Because real wealth isn’t just the freedom to stop working, or even to do what I want all the time, it’s the freedom to live with purpose.

And that’s the climb worth making

Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness isn’t about rituals, it’s about presence, purpose, and the quiet sense that your life matters beyond the balance sheet.

According to Pew’s findings, most Americans place the highest importance on having a job they enjoy, 71%, and close friends, 61%, when it comes to living a fulfilling life. In contrast, only 24% say having a lot of money is extremely important.

What that suggests is simple but powerful: fulfillment is found less in what we own and more in who we are, what we give, and how connected we feel.

For me, spiritual wellness has become the lens through which I see the second mountain in life. The one that follows achievement and asks: What am I building the rest of my life around?

It’s mornings when the world is quiet and you feel the warmth of the sun and gratitude in your chest.
It’s the walk with a friend who listens without agenda and you come back more connected.
It’s the decision made not because it makes sense on paper, but because it simply feels right.

The data tells us that enjoyment in our work and connection with others matter far more than money when it comes to a fulfilling life. That insight gives us permission to shift priorities — to stop chasing fragments of success and start aligning with meaning.

Because when spiritual wellness is present, money and achievement become tools, not destinations.
We build less for approval and more for authenticity. We gather less for accumulation and more for alignment.

In short: the first mountain may have taught us how to climb. But spiritual wellness teaches us how to be.

That’s what fulfillment looks like.

And In The End

From all of us at The 9:03 Collective: thanks for reading. Keep showing up. Stay curious. And never forget that the clock is running, so make it count.

If you’ve been enjoying Four Pillar Friday, the best way to support is simple: share it with a friend, forward it to someone who might need it, or subscribe if you haven’t already. The more people we reach, the more conversations we can spark about living with intention.

Until next week — keep building your moments.

The Journey Team & The 9:03