Mark has logged more than 30 years as a creative professional. He had an 11-year gig as a professional musician and songwriter, owned a graphic design firm, was assistant editor of Tennessee’s most tenured agricultural and rural living publication — the Tennessee Cooperator — and served as communications director of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation where he was editor and senior writer of Tennessee Out-Of-Doors magazine.

A longtime freelance writer, Mark’s work has appeared in numerous national publications and his humor, health, and fitness blogs are read worldwide. He has won more than 100 national awards in writing, photography, advertising, and editing.

In 2017, Mark and his wife, Holly, launched a “side-hustle” business, Hobnail Trekking Company, that provides treks the Mt. Everest Base Camp (EBC) and other iconic destinations in the Himalayas of Nepal. The couple completed their first bucket-list adventure to EBC in April, 2018.

The Johnsons have three kids — Sam, Ava , and Pete — and live in Kingston Springs, Tennessee.