Summit Steps and Neutral Productivity: Lessons from Emma Schwerin & Ross Edgley

And why I’m not doing 900 squats or swimming 1,000 miles.

Jun 22, 2025

“Endurance feats are impressive. But you know what else counts as an endurance feat? Getting up each morning with a positive attitude, being there and being kind to others.
Today I enjoy being consistent.”
- Johnny T. Nguyen

CT student becomes youngest American woman to climb Everest — Emma Schwerin at the base camp of Mount Everest.

“Denali was the most physically demanding in part because Emma is just 4’11” and had to carry nearly her body weight in gear and food between her backpack and sled. To prepare, she pulled a tire around her high school campus and built up to 900 weighted squats in a single session. Her Denali guide, Jordan, was wildly impressed by Emma’s strength and skills, noting that he’s seen men twice her size struggle to carry the same load up the mountain.” - Climbing the Seven Summits

Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not climbing Everest anytime soon, and I’m definitely not pulling a tire around my neighborhood. But when I read about Emma Schwerin—who at 17 became the youngest American to summit the Seven Summits—I couldn’t help but see the parallels to our own daily climbs, even if our “mountains” are inboxes, family logistics, or just getting out of bed on a Monday.

You know I don’t endorse hustle culture or the “one right way” to be productive. Neutral productivity is philosophy I developed: it’s about awareness, acceptance, and gentle iteration. Emma’s story is a masterclass in that spirit. She didn’t wake up one day and decide to be superhuman. She started with curiosity, built systems that worked for her, and respected her limits along the way.

Chunking the Climb (and the To-Do List)

Emma didn’t train for Denali by visualizing the summit every day. She trained by pulling a tire around her high school and working up to 900 weighted squats in a session. That’s not a typo. But the real lesson? She chunked the impossible into the doable.

Summit Step #1: Chunk Your Day

Break your work into micro-milestones. Don’t try to “summit” your entire to-do list at once. What’s the next rock you can reach? That’s enough for today.

Acclimatize to Your Environment

Altitude sickness doesn’t care how fit you are. It affects 25% of people at 8,000 feet and 40% at 14,000. The only proven method is acclimatization—slow, patient adaptation. That’s the heart of neutral productivity: respecting your current performance, whether you’re at a high or low output, and not judging yourself for it.

Summit Step #2: Acclimate, Don’t Force

In your work life, this means making the best of your current environment. Maybe you’re in a cubicle, maybe you work from a couch, maybe today’s a “two-monitor” day and tomorrow you’re just fine with a notebook. Adapt, iterate, and give yourself grace as you adjust.

Strength for the Long Haul (Without Burnout)

Emma’s physical prep was wild: rucksacking, tire pulls, hill sprints, 900 squats.

rossedgley

A post shared by @rossedgley

Let me introduce someone else who’s physical prep is even more wild - Ross Edgley, who’s currently swimming 1,000 miles around all of Iceland. He’s 200+ miles into the swim.

“Specifically looking at tendons, ligaments, fascia and cartilage, these all play a crucial role in force transmission, joint stability and overall movement efficiency. Unlike muscles, these tissues adapt more slowly and are more prone to overuse and overload injuries if not properly trained and maintained.” - Edgely, Independent interview

Ross Edgley calls it “bulletproofing” connective tissue—training tendons and ligaments, not just muscles, for the unpredictable. The parallel for us? Build systems that support you for the long term, not just for this week’s sprint.

Summit Step #3: Build for Durability

What habits or routines help you feel strong and supported, even when the terrain gets rough? Maybe it’s a walk after lunch, a “Good Form” check-in, or just a five-minute breather between meetings.

Present-Oriented Positive Affirmations (the Venture Out Way)

Emma’s toughest mountain wasn’t always the tallest. Everest was a mental marathon—weeks of waiting, weather, and self-doubt. She kept moving with present-tense mantras and support from her team. I call these Present-Oriented Positive Affirmations - affirmations that ground you in the present, not some future version of yourself.

“I am steady and focused, right now.”

“Today I’ll add to this world.”

“I have what I need for this phase.”

Summit Step #4: Writing Your Own Story

I’ve used affirmations like these not to hype myself up, but to ground myself and accept where I am—neutral productivity in action.

Just came back from DC and got to squeeze in a run towards the Lincoln Memorial.

TAKEAWAY

You don’t need to summit Everest to use these lessons. Our daily “mountains” are real and worthy. The goal isn’t to be the most productive person in the room, but to find your own rhythm, respect your limits, and keep moving—one micro-milestone at a time.

So, what’s your version of a Summit Step? And how can we make it a little more sustainable, a little more you?

Neutral productivity isn’t about grinding harder—it’s about building systems that help you acclimate, chunk the climb, and stay resilient for the long haul. Emma Schwerin’s and Ross Edgley’s story is inspiring, but your daily wins—however small—are just as summit-worthy.