Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Author: Karen Putz

  • Let It Go– in American Sign Language

     

    For three hours, we stood in the freezing cold filming one take after another.  We took a few breaks huddling in the car trying to get warm.  All this for a music video.  The song is “Let It Go” from the movie, “Frozen.”

    No professional filming. No expert editing. Just two deaf girls signing their hearts out to music that they love. The two girls, Ren and Keely, have been together since they were six years old.   Here it is in all its perfect imperfections:

     

    More Ren and Keely music videos:  Ren and Keely on YouTube

    Follow them on Twitter: @renandkeely

  • My Three Words to Live By in 2014

    It’s that time of the year when everyone starts out with new goals, new intentions, and new resolutions.  For me, what carries me through the year are three words to live by. I adopted this process after taking Chris Brogan’s Brave New Year course (affiliate).  Here’s Chris’ story of how he started this process and his three words for 2014: Chris Brogan: My Three Words for 2014.

    Last year’s words for me were Passion, Joy, and Imagine.  I definitely lived each one of those words in different capacities and I shared them with others as well.  All throughout the year, I continually reflected on the words and kept them front and center.  Mike Davenport, whom I met through the Brave New Year course, created a photo to keep me on course every day:

    imagine joy passion created by Mike Davenport

    This year, my three words are:

     

    Abundance

    Abundance is often associated with wealth, but that’s not my intention for this word.  Abundance is a profusion, a great plenty, an overflowing quantity.  When I have abundance in my life, my heart is overflowing with love, joy, and gratitude.  It is that state of mind that I want to carry with me throughout 2014.

    Focus

    I’m scatter-brained.  Anything and everything gets my attention.  One minute I will be talking to someone and wham-bam–my mind will wander off.  And oh look, there’s a squirrel!  No wait, it’s an alligator! Did I tell you how much I detest those reptiles?  Oh by the way, before I forget, I need to interview you for my next book. Oh, I’m sorry… what were you saying?

    Yeah, 2014 is the year of focus.  Laser-sharp focus on the moment at hand.  Laser-sharp focus on the conversations and connections.  Staying on track with my business, my work, my writing, and my relationships with others.

    Passion

    I love this word so much I had to include it again for 2014.  Everything I do centers around passion.  In fact, I’m so passionate about the word that I help others unwrap their passions through my coaching sessions.  I’m keeping this word front and center all year.  Whenever I’m deep into my passions or helping others, the whole world just lights up. Every time I choose in favor of passion, I cross paths with some really amazing people.  I want to keep that going.

    my three words 2014

    How about you? What three words will you choose to guide you throughout 2014?

  • If You’re Deaf, How Can You Use the Phone?

    kso putz zvrs

     

    “If you’re deaf, how can you use the phone?”

    For most of my life, the phone was my enemy.  Even though I grew up hard of hearing, my brain couldn’t interpret sound into comprehensible English over the phone. My dad tried for years to get me to practice by calling him at work, but all I heard was a bunch of sounds that made no sense.  Every once in a while, I’d get lucky and understand a phrase or two. We came up with a system where I’d ask him questions and he’d respond with a “No, no.” or a “Yes.”

    As a teenager, my dad handled all the calls coming in, including the ones from guys.  You can just imagine how fun it was to deal with that.  “Yeah, Dad, tell John I’ll go ice skating with him. What time is he picking me up?”

    When I first became deaf after a fall while barefooting as a teen, I had no idea at the time it was going to turn out to be a blessing. After a few months of struggling in my classes at Northern Illinois University, I had an epiphany one morning: I could continue to be miserable about being deaf, or I could change my attitude and become the best possible deaf person I could be.  I chose the latter and began to learn American Sign Language.

    Little did I know, that decision would lead me to be able to access the phone in a whole new way.  In fact, most days, I’m on the phone interviewing someone for articles or an upcoming book. ‘

    So, how does a deaf person use the phone?

    For me, it requires a sign language interpreter on a videophone. I simply dial the person I want to call and the interpreter appears on the screen.  I use my voice to talk on the phone and an interpreter signs everything the other person says.  I use ZVRS for this service.  Keith St. Onge (2x World Barefoot Champion) and I spent two and half years on the phone while writing his book, Gliding Soles, Lessons from a Life on Water.   When we first started working together, Keith and I didn’t know each other at all.  We spent hours and hours on the phone crafting his life story with interpreters switching places to keep the conversation flowing.

    The ZVRS team came to the World Barefoot Center in Florida to capture how a deaf mom and a World Champ wrote a book together:

     

     

     

     

  • Life Recharged, Stories to Inspire You

    When I first saw “Life Recharged,” the Tommie Copper TV segment on cable TV, I was completely blown away.  For the past couple of months, Keith St. Onge and I worked with the marketing team at Tommie Copper to film our stories for the TV segment. What the team created is beyond amazing. The 30-minute episodes are a true blend of storytelling, marketing, and product.

    For more information on how I discovered Tommie Copper:

    Solution for Knee Pain

    More Praise for Tommie Copper

    How I Landed in a Tommie Copper Commercial

    The Tommie Copper segment begins with an introduction by Olympic swimmer, Dara Torres. Dara shares her story of discovering a passion for swimming at a young age and her meteoric rise to become an Olympic swimmer. At the age of 15, Dara set a new American record in the 50 meter Freestyle and when she returned to the Olympics at the age of 41, she set another record in the same event. Dara inspires me because she did the “impossible” when others were calling her “too old” to make a comeback.

    Keith and I are in two different episodes featuring stories from people who overcame challenges to find pain relief from injuries, aches, and pains. Each story will captivate you or inspire you in some way.  You can watch “Life Recharged” on your cable station at various hours and on different channels.  Check your cable TV schedule to find the next episode or watch the TV segments (captioned) online here:

    Life Recharged (Female show featuring me):

    Life Recharged (Male show featuring Keith St. Onge):

     

  • My Form of Meditation

     

    Every day, I take some time to meditate in the morning.  I also practice what I call the “Stop, drop, and meditate” ritual.  Quite simply, I drop everything and go within.   If I’m outside, I often capture a picture of my surroundings and share it with others.  To my great delight, I find others sharing their meditation pictures with me as well. I especially love the photos I spontaneously get from friends.  In the middle of busyness, it is a wonderful reminder to pause and reflect on what really matters.

    You don’t need anything fancy to start meditating. There’s nothing mysterious about it, although you will find many variations, processes, and rituals out there.  For me, meditation is my quiet time with God.  I’ve heard it said that prayer is “you talking to God” and meditation is “God talking to you.”

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  • Mark J. Sorokin, Attorney

    mark deaf attorney
    Mark Sorokin, Esq. is an attorney practicing in Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
    Tell me about your job, career, or calling. How did you get into this line of work?
    I fell into it somewhat.  My father is an attorney, and upon graduating college, I had no idea what I wanted to do.  He helped me get a job as a paralegal at a law firm, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to apply to law schools.  Have not looked back since.
    What are some of the challenges?
    As a solo practitioner, I don’t have the benefit of a supervising attorney, so I have to do tons of research to make sure that the decisions I make are correct.  Also, marketing is a huge challenge – getting my name out there and gaining prospective clients’ confidence.  Sometimes prospective clients or opposing counsel will call me and not understand how the relay system works.  But usually once they understand it, it becomes a non-issue.
     What was it like growing up deaf/hard of hearing?
    It was difficult.  I was mainstreamed through all of public school, and I experienced a lot of difficulties socially as the only deaf student in my school.  My mother always told me that things would get better as I got older and people started understanding  (in a good way) what made me different.  And as I got older, I understood that I controlled what I did far more than what other people did.
    What advice would you give a deaf/HH person who is looking for a job, career or calling like yours?
    Read a lot.  Write a lot.  Understand how the world works around you – both on a macro and on a micro level – and how to communicate with other people effectively.  This concept is vastly different from the ability to argue with other people, which doesn’t always win you favors.

     Sorokin Law Offices

  • One Direction Features an American Sign Language Version of “I Would”

    If I wasn’t already deaf my daughter’s scream would have done the trick.  Lauren and I were checking out the fan music videos on the One Direction website for the #1DDayMusicVideo and  the music video that Lauren and her friend, Lauren Holtz, created was one of the featured videos.  It was early in the morning and their American Sign Language version of  “I Would” was one of five.  I’m sure when I joined Lauren in the screaming we might have woken up a few neighbors too.

    You can see the featured video here:  One Direction #1DDayMusicVideos Playlist  It remains to be seen if it will be featured during the 7-hour webcast of 1DDay on November 23rd.

    The girls filmed the video in just 30 minutes as the video had to be submitted the next day and the sun was going down.  All in all, despite some bloopers and messed up signs, the girls put together a fun video:

    The two girls had the time of their life at the One Direction concert over the summer. Harry Styles signed to them a few times during the concert:

    Harry Styles Does Sign Language.

    Harry Styles Signs to Deaf Fans at the One Direction Concert

    Lauren’s guest post on ChicagoNow: Signing with Harry Styles at the One Direction Concert

     

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  • Back to Blogging!

    It’s been a long absence, but I’m back to blogging here! My site was attacked by a nasty malware and it took quite some time to clean it up and get it functioning again.  Meanwhile, I did my blogging over at ChicagoNow, where one of my posts went viral: Harry Styles Signs to Deaf Fans at a One Direction Concert.  Yes, a simple post about a One Direction concert hit the number two spot on ChicagoNow at one point.  My daughter ended up in M magazine as a result of her own guest post on ChicagoNow: Signing with Harry Styles at a One Direction Concert. 

     

    Back in January, I started a speaking business and I have been traveling all over the U.S. speaking to schools, businesses, and organizations.  I absolutely love it!  This year alone, I have spoken in Florida, Maine, New York, California, Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, South Dakota, Indiana, and Colorado.  I can’t wait to see what next year brings!  If your school, business, or organization would like me to speak, email me at karen (at) karenputz.com. For more information about my speaking topics or how I can serve your speaking needs:  Karen Putz Speaking.  I speak frequently on the topics of overcoming adversity, parenting, and of course, PASSION!  I’m a Passion Coach who helps others unwrap their top five passions.

    Of course, I’ve been spending a lot of time enjoying my passion of barefoot water skiing this summer.  The sport has brought me many new friends and allowed me to barefoot in so many new places.  I unwrapped my passion for the sport just four years ago when the hubby sent me a link to this TODAY Show which changed my life:  66-Year-Old Judy Myers Barefooting.  In March of 2010, I went down to the World Barefoot Center for the first time and life has never been the same since!  I’m proud to be a part of the World Barefoot Center staff and a contributing writer to WaterSki and Water Skier magazines.  Joseph Campbell was right– he said, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.”

    Over the summer, I also released a new book, The Passionate Lives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.  The book features 22 deaf and hard of hearing people in all kinds of professions, hobbies, and sports.  I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to cross paths with many amazing deaf and hard of hearing people all over the world and I wanted to share this with parents of deaf and hard of hearing kids as well as deaf and hard of hearing teens and adults.  This book is the first in a series–stay tuned for more!

    And… if you’re at the store, grab a copy of the October issue of O Magazine and you’ll find a little blurb from me on page 22.  This is the third time I’ve been in O Magazine and I’d love to see a full-fledged article in there next!

    Here’s a few more interviews and blurbs from over the summer:

    Putting Your Feet Back on the Water — The Shut Up Show

    Helping Others Help Themselves — Healthy Hearing

    The Parenting Journey — Book Review

  • The Passionate Lives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

    For a short time in college, I toyed with the idea of becoming a nurse. I wanted to become a labor and delivery nurse and work with babies. I was sitting with a counselor, planning my future classes and trying to select a major. She expressed her concern at my choice of a career: how would I communicate with the doctors? What if I misunderstood a patient?

    I was dealing with the newness of becoming deaf and my self-esteem was in a shaky place.  I dropped the idea and focused on a major which seemed to be a better fit, a vocational rehabilitation counselor. Never mind the fact that my heart wasn’t really into it, but hey, I liked helping people and counseling was right up my alley.

    Fast forward a few years and I began to meet more and more deaf and hard of hearing people from all over.  Heck, I met lawyers, engineers, pharmacists, vets, doctors, dentists and yes–deaf and hard of hearing nurses! Deaf and hard of hearing nurses in the emergency rooms, operating rooms, schools, nursing homes and heck yeah–working in labor and delivery! Oh, and musicians, athletes, actors, realtors, motivational speakers and more! All of them deaf and hard of hearing. Where the heck were these people when I was growing up? Where were they when I was picking my major in college?

    I’m a mom of three deaf and hard of hearing kids and I’ve raised them with the idea that they can do whatever they’re passionate about. I made sure to expose them to as many deaf and hard of hearing adults as I possibly could while they were growing up. I also wanted them to understand they might have to lead the way if they chose a path that someone hadn’t gone down before.  That’s how the idea for my newest book came about: “The Passionate Lives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.” The book features a collection of stories of 22 deaf and hard of hearing people living out their passions and doing what they were born to do.

    It is my hope that every deaf and hard of hearing person will pick up this book and realize they can live the life they’re passionate about–all that’s needed is the courage to unwrap their passion and put it in motion.

    Bulk orders are available at a discount–email me at: karen(at)karenputz.com.

    Other books by Karen Putz 

  • Out of the Comfort Zone at the Hands & Voices Leadership Conference

    The 10th Annual Hands & Voices Leadership Conference took place this week in Madison, Wisconsin.  The topic of the conference: Out of the Comfort Zone.  In the ten years I’ve been with Hands & Voices, I’ve had to step out of the comfort zone time and time again. In the process, I’ve grown in so many different ways. It is cool to see that same transition happening with the chapter leaders and parents over the years.

    A little over ten years ago when I first joined Hands & Voices, the leaders all fit around a single conference table.  I started the fourth chapter of Hands & Voices. I wasn’t sure how in the world we would create a 501c3 with no funds to begin with, but the Lions Club of Batavia and Barb Sims from the Special Education department in Illinois pitched in to give us start up funding.  I remained President for four years, and then Beth Donofrio took over. Today, Andrea Marwah is currently running the chapter.

    And today, Hands & Voices is expanding worldwide.  There is a strong need for a parent-driven organization which provides support for families with deaf and hard of hearing children– no family, no child, should travel the journey alone.

    As I watched Andrea  speak on the topic of Advocacy during her plenary, I thought back to the first time our paths crossed. I served as a Deaf Mentor for their family. One of the resources I often share with families is a book, “From Emotions to Advocacy” by Wrightslaw and I brought the book with me during one of the visits. Andrea, being the tenacious mom she is, took notes of everything. She followed up in getting the book and learning everything she could about education law.  Today, she teaches classes on special education law and advocacy. She has taken Illinois Hands & Voices to a whole new level with her leadership. I am so inspired by her leadership and her journey as a parent. She embodies the Hands & Voices philosophy on every level.

    I’ve been with Hands & Voices for over ten years now and my commitment and passion are stronger than ever.  There was a time I lost my passion and lost my way, but one day, I sat down and figured out my “why” of doing what I do. At the conference, a mom came up to me and introduced herself. As we chatted, she mentioned I had helped her seven years ago. When she walked away, I realized the value in what we do at Hands & Voices– we just never know who we help or how we inspire or impact families. This is why we continue to reach out and travel the journey with other families–this is our passion, this is our “why” of what we do every day at Hands & Voices.

    “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

    Albert Schweitzer