“Never take no for an answer—if you are determined, you can find a way to overcome the obstacles,” said Everest explorer/former Wall Street businesswoman/West Point professor/Elite Mountaineer Alison Levine 
as she headlined the Jewish Federation’s Network Event last week.
At this largest networking event of the year for Washington’s Jewish scene, Levine took an audience of some 400 government officials, business leaders, industry executives and philanthropic donors through her stories of hardship and triumph, translating her experiences from expeditioning into the
everyday.
Among her stories, Levine shared about her first attempt at Everest, describing how — at the last moment — she became overwhelmed and fear set in, so she decided to attack the mountain in sections: much like life, inch by inch, two steps forward one step back.
And then, though she didn’t reach Everest’s summit on her first go, she did return to complete the journey 8 years later.
Encountering a dangerous storm, she persevered and made it to the top by simply continuing to put one foot in front of the other, understanding that, regardless of making it to the top, the most important thing is the journey you take to get there — and the lessons learned along the way.
