He has a big heart for helping others, so he’s reflecting on how the next third of his career can focus on giving back. He wants to continue to grow his Wild Med Adventures wellness retreats so he can help other physicians and health care clinicians find the same peace he gets from being outdoors. He also wants to use his personal experience as a teen dad to help show at-risk youth that they can accomplish more than they may think.

“I could spend two hours talking to these kids. Most of them just need guidance and confidence and somebody to tell them that they can actually do something with their life, you know?” Dr. Mattingly said. “You could take these kids to Kilimanjaro and show them something they’ve never seen … You can combat like all kinds of things by giving them some other meaning.”

For Dr. Mattingly, the Seven Summits feels like the start of more to come. He’s always been goal-oriented, and his overarching goal is to use his experiences as a father, husband, emergency physician, business owner and extreme adventurer to make a positive impact on others.

“I think you can change people’s lives,” he said. “I really do believe that.”

Jordan Grantham is senior content manager at ACEP.