Jeffrey Zorn: Why Goals Are BS and Expectations Win

Jeffrey Zorn and Pat DiCerbo go way back...Union College rugby days, decades of friendship, and a whole lot of life lived in between.Jeff opens up about growing up in the Bronx and Long Island, including an early childhood incident rooted in anti-Semitism that helped push his family out of the city. He shares the complicated story of his biological father, being adopted by his stepfather, and the emotional realization (years later) that what he wanted wasn’t paperwork, it was for his dad to fight for him. He also describes the surreal twist of fate: his biological father and stepfather died on the exact same day, forcing him to write two eulogies in the same stretch of grief.From there, the conversation shifts to the lighter (and classic) stories: high school football glory in the middle of a legendary losing streak, getting fired for being too honest, and the chaos and camaraderie of Union rugby.Then it turns serious again - Jeff’s career path into sales and Northwestern Mutual, and how he thinks about success: goals don’t move him; expectations do. He talks candidly about feeling a little uninspired lately, and how mountaineering became his way of proving something to himself, while also creating deep bonding experiences with his kids.Jeff shares his path from local hikes to major climbs like Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Denali, and Rainier, the brutal reality of carrying 100+ pounds of gear, and why he refuses to use porters or supplemental oxygen.