The Second Mountain: How Kirk Souder Guides Leaders To Their Next Ascent
Kirk Souder
There frequently comes a moment in the lives and vocations of high-impact leaders when they realize they’ve reached the goals they originally set out to achieve—usually ones with audacious meaning, aliveness, and impact. But instead of feeling fulfilled, they sense a new possibility emerging—one filled with meaning, energy, and a drive to create something even more significant. It’s what David Brooks calls The Second Mountain.
The phenomenal coach Kirk Souder and I caught up to talk about the work he does with leaders at this pivotal moment—helping them navigate the shift from success to significance, from external achievement to something deeper. His approach isn’t about pushing harder or accumulating more skills; it’s about peeling back layers, shedding what no longer serves, and stepping into a way of leading that feels authentic and alive. “The work we do together is about clarifying their vision—what that second summit looks like—letting go of what no longer serves this vision, and taking new action that aligns wholly with their new vision of creation,” Souder explained.
The Challenges Leaders Face Today
Souder describes a common experience among the leaders he works with: they feel a pull toward something greater, yet they don’t always know how to step into it. “The challenges in the world are beckoning high-impact leaders into a bigger inner and outer game. Leaders sense there is an even higher gear of creation within themselves that they can apply to those challenges and that it’s way beyond the outer procurement of yet more skills, tools, and training. It’s about moving toward the inner instead and accessing a deeper, greater intelligence and wisdom that is innate in them, that is not only exponentially more innovative and prolific but also transcends old paradigms like struggle and force,” Souder noted.
He loves this quote from McKinsey Quarterly’s Leadership for a New Era: “CEOs are recognizing that barriers to boldness and speed are less about technical limits and more about mindsets toward what is possible.”
For Souder, this shift is critical. Many leaders feel pulled toward bigger, more meaningful work yet are held back by old mental models, outdated ways of operating, or a sense that they don’t quite know how to step into this new phase. His work is about helping them move beyond those limitations—away from struggle and force and toward a more natural, generative way of leading.
The Core Principles of Souder’s Work
Rather than prescribing a rigid philosophy, Souder invites leaders into a new way of operating. His work is built on four key principles:
Own your authentic purpose to create a legacy of impact.
Live a paradigm of purpose and abundance thriving together.
Expand from limiting beliefs to creating from limitless possibility.
Evolve from force and struggle to authentic power and flow.
“When these four pillars come together, I have never seen a leader not realize what they set out to create in the world,” he added.
Who Souder Has Helped
Souder describes himself as fortunate to serve as a sherpa to some of the most courageous people on the planet—leaders in business, entrepreneurship, and the arts who are driven by purpose.
“I work with a force of nature in Davida Herzl. Davida is Founder/CEO of Aclima, a climate tech firm that measures air quality and is now right in the center of things in helping address the enduring issues of the LA fires.”Herzl was equally complimentary about Souder. “His gift is not in telling you what to do but in helping you see what has always been within you. He is a guide, a mirror, and a force of unwavering belief. Because of him, I didn’t just endure—I reclaimed my future. There are no words that can fully capture his impact, but I know this: I would not be standing where I am today without him,” she said.
Souder has worked with other high profile leaders. “For many years, I have been blessed to work with Kim Culmone, SVP Product Design Head at Mattel—the woman responsible for evolving Barbie from the least to the most diversified doll in the world and laying the foundations for a $1.5B film and its giant diaspora of positive impact. And for over ten years, I have had the privilege of working with Sam Polk, Founder/CEO of Everytable. Sam is an ex-Wall Street hedge-fund ninja who decided one day that healthy food should be a human right and is using Everytable meals to break the stranglehold fast food has had on challenged neighborhoods. And then there’s Barb Groth, Founder of Nomadic School of Wonder—they invite leaders into deep experiences of wonder and awe to help unlock limitless creativity and innovation. And while we are on awe, there’s Shannon Sinunu, Director of Community Investment at Apple—thanks to Shannon’s remarkable consciousness, an iconic brand moves right to our biggest challenges and brings help and resources.”
For those who have worked with Souder, its abundantly clear his impact isn’t just professional—it’s deeply personal.
“Kirk has been an incredible CEO coach and mentor for me. His intuitive, heart-led style mixed with real-world business practicality, all wrapped in a philosophy of love, kindness, and understanding, has helped me reach new levels as a leader and CEO,” said Sam Polk, Founder/CEO, Everytable. And Shannon Sinunu, Director of Community Investment, Apple said “Working with Kirk has been a revelation. He helped me dismantle the barriers I didn’t even know were holding me back, allowing me to step into my true self. The changes I’ve experienced have rippled through every area of my life, transforming my relationships, my career, and my sense of purpose.”
Souder also designs and leads retreats for groups like Mattel Future Lab (designing the future of play), a Vision2030 team in the AlUla desert of Saudi Arabia, and the Soul Purpose accelerator at the New York Academy of Sciences.
And then there is his pro-bono work. Many times a year, Souder works with men and women inside maximum-security prisons through the Freedom to Choose Project. He also leads workshops with Rising Worldwide, supporting survivors of human trafficking in finding new entrepreneurial paths. Additionally, he collaborates with street artist Sam Rodriguez, who has transformed his work supporting Black Lives Matter into a thriving enterprise that unites business, community, and artists in bold neighborhood activations.
Souder often references a quote from Howard Thurman: “Ask not what the world needs. Ask what brings you alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people brought alive.”
And his final reminder? “If your purpose isn’t blocked off in your calendar like any other critical project, then you don’t really want it—yet.”
