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:
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):
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:
One week ago, I was sitting at the table with my brother and sister-in-law talking about their upcoming move to Houston. Just weeks before, they were scheduled to move when Dennis had a heart attack and landed in the hospital. He ended up having bypass surgery and was in the middle of a painful recovery. Their son was going to drive with them but he had the possibility of starting work at a construction site. They were trying to figure out Plan B.
Suddenly, I was overcome by a strong urge to go with them. At first, I tried to ignore the urge. I was in the middle of finishing a book and preparing three presentations for the end of the month. The gnawing feeling inside would not stop. I had long ago learned to listen within. God often guided me in powerful ways with those internal nudges.
“I’ll drive you guys down,” I said. Instantly, I wondered how I was going to justify it with Joe and the kids– because I had been traveling so much with the launch of my speaking and SendOutCards business this year. Thankfully, they were all supportive.
Less than a year ago, I made a commitment in my journey back to God and found a church that I feel very much at home in. I felt as if I had lost my way over the years and I needed to find my way back to a faith which I actually knew little about.
One day, Joe brought home a box of books from my mother-in-law. In the box was Joel Osteen’s book, “Live Your Best Life Now.” I had just started watching Joel on Sundays and I loved his uplifting messages and lessons. More than once, the same thought popped into my mind: I would love to attend a service at Lakewood and meet Joel. I wrote it down in my Dream book.
That’s exactly where I found myself on Sunday morning/Mother’s Day. I arrived at Lakewood church early and walked around. A man in a business suit approached me. “Would you like to meet Joel?” I could hardly believe my lip reading eyes! He walked me over to a roped off section. “Joel will be coming off the elevator here,” he said. “No pictures, though. Do you have something you want signed?”
Instantly, I wished I had bought a book at the bookstore. Then I remembered my Dream journal– I would have him sign that!
Just seconds before it was my turn, my hearing aid gave the warning sound of a battery about to die. (Ok, God, your sense of timing is funny!I have never changed a battery so fast in my life.) Not that it would have mattered much– but I wanted to make sure I could moderate my voice.
It was an amazing moment to shake the hand of a man who inspires many and makes a difference with his gifts. I enjoyed the lessons he shared at the service. The interpreters, Sally and Debbie, did a wonderful job translating. Sally took notes and gave out copies– I was SO grateful for that!
This morning, my brother and I were sitting in his new family room and reflecting on how everything worked out–and how everything magically unfolded beautifully. My brother was in no shape for this move, but the trip went well and we managed to unpack everything in one day so they could move in that evening.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend the “Born to Win” workshop with Tom Ziglar (author of Born to Win with his father, Zig Ziglar)and Howard Partridge (Seven Secrets to a Phenomenal Life). I met both of them last fall at a Business Expo– what a dynamic duo!
“Gliding Soles is a powerful book about life detailing the many steps, choices, and falls Keith St. Onge took on his way to becoming World Champion. I highly recommend it for everyone. Why? Because Keith’s story is really your story. Life is tough and we all take some hard falls along the way. The key is getting up, making a better choice, and getting back on your feet. This book will encourage you to do just that no matter what your goals are in life.”
Although I’m a solepreneur with my speaking and writing business, I found lots of business gems from this workshop which applies to my work with Hands & Voices and SendOutCards. Speaking of SendOutCards, this service received a mention from Howard as a valuable business tool to keep in touch with others and to spread gratitude.
If you are considering attending a “Born to Win” workshop, I highly recommend it! Both guys truly live the Ziglar legacy: “You can have everything you want in life if you will help others get what they want.”
A first glance, you might thinkGliding Soles, Lessons from a Life On Water is a book about barefoot water skiing. It certainly looks like that, with a cover shot of two-time World Barefoot Champion Keith St. Onge gliding on one foot. And two years ago, when I first started writing the book, I had a scary thought: “Who’s going to read a book about barefooting, except barefoot water skiers?”
Gliding Soles turned out to be so much more.
Do you know what it’s like to have a dream? To have a passion for something so deep it burns something fierce inside of you? To have a goal so big it seems impossible at times?
Do you know what it’s like to stumble and fall? Yeah, we call that “faceplanting” in barefooting, but surely you’ve encountered times in life where nothing is going according to plan and you’re not sure if you’re even on the right plan in life. You’ve probably had times in your life when you’ve wondered if it was time to give up on your dreams and throw in the towel. Or maybe you’ve met with nothing but roadblocks on your life path.
That’s what Gliding Soles is about. It’s about the lessons learned on the journey of life. To me, the most poignant lessons of life always come from the people you meet on your journey and in this book, there are many. The most heart-touching is the story of Patrick Wehner, who gave Keith a quote card which changed his life and the lives of others in the book. I won’t give away any more– let’s just say you’ll need to pick up Gliding Soles to read the rest of the story.
“I have been a barefoot water skier since age 16. I never learned the right way to do things, so I got Keith St. Onge to spend a week with me, my son, and some guys to show us how it’s done and teach us some tricks. As my family and I spent time with Keith, getting to know him on and off the water, what really impressed me more than anything was this guy’s character, his integrity and his relentless determination to succeed. I learned a lot from him, and you will too. This book is must read for anyone who wants to win in life.”
Dave Ramsey, New York Times best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio show host
“Too many people walk away from their passion with the negative belief that pursuing it would be unrealistic. Keith skied right toward his passion and has a life of purpose and meaning as a result. A great example for all doubters and small thinkers.”
Dan Miller, Author and Life Coach (www.48Days.com)
“Gliding Soles is a powerful book about life detailing the many steps, choices, and falls Keith St. Onge took on his way to becoming World Champion. I highly recommend it for everyone. Why? Because Keith’s story is really your story.
Life is tough and we all take some hard falls along the way. The key is getting up, making a better choice, and getting back on your feet. This book will encourage you to do just that no matter what your goals are in life.”
Tom Ziglar, Proud son of Zig Ziglar, President of Ziglar Inc.
We were honored to have our first two reviews from Steve and Diane Brogan from Mom Pop Pow. They had just moved into a new home and were still unpacking when they sat down to read Gliding Soles. Their wonderful words warmed my heart and made me cry. Because you see, after two and half years of working on this book, we learned that writing a book is just 10% of the process, the other 90% is getting readers to crack open the book.
So we wrote this book for everyone out there who has hopes, dreams and passions–no matter where you are on your life path. At the end of the book, we’ve included a piece in inspiration that we’d like you to include in your life and then pass it on to others. Grab a copy today (the PDF version is here), and let us know about the ripple of inspiration that begins with you– email us at: glidingsoles@gmail.com.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to share my story of unwrapping my passion for barefoot water skiing after abandoning it for two decades. It was for a movie, I’m Fine, Thanks.
Heck, I didn’t know Grant Peelle, the director, or Adam Baker, the guy behind Man vs. Debt when this opportunity first presented itself, but my intuition said, “Say yes.” The movie would include interviews with Pat Flynn, Chris Guillebeau and Jonathan Fields–guys who were well known in the social media/blogging arena. So the crew was set to come to Chicago in early April.
But there was one problem: I had ACL reconstruction surgery in December and I wasn’t cleared to ski. The doc said, “No way. Absolutely not.” My custom-made brace wasn’t ready.
The next day, I posted a request on Facebook to borrow a brace. The flurry of responses I received were not pleasant. My dearest friends had decided I lost my mind. I was not cleared to ski, the graft was at its weakest point, and I was planning to borrow a brace that wasn’t even made for me. I received some texts, emails and messages basically telling me how stupid I was for even thinking about barefooting on a newly-reconstructed-still-healing ACL.
I told the film crew about the situation and thought we’d have to drop it. But something deep down kept gnawing at me. My intuition was still telling me, “Do this.”
So I prayed for a sign. I needed the reassurance I was doing the right thing. The gut feeling was so strong, I could not ignore it.
Sure enough, I found my sign. Moments later, I opened the door to the garage and saw my hip-to-the-ankle hospital brace lying there. I had placed the brace on the garbage heap several times but my husband and kids had never hauled it out to the curb on garbage day. It sat in the garage for two solid months.
That’s my sign!
Adam gets ready for the interview
So that’s how five guys landed on my doorstep on Tuesday morning on the last leg of their U.S and Canada trip covering nearly 15,000 miles of terrain. Besides Grant and Adam, the crew included Bryan Olinger (cameraman), John Cropper (cameraman) and Dustin Koester (production assistant).
Kevin O’Connell (boat driver), John and Grant
It was a blast working with the Crank Tank crew–five great guys! They filmed the interview in my living room and the next day, we took off for the Fox River in St. Charles and met up with my footin’ buddies, Kevin O’Connell and Tom Hart. I slapped on the huge brace, crawled out on the boom and did two runs down the river. It was a beautiful, cold spring day. The crew also captured Tom and Kevin on the water, but that footage didn’t make it in the movie.
Both Grant and Bryan did some barefooting for the first time. Oh wait, let me say this: Grant did some spectacular faceplanting that day.The poor guy was sore for days afterwards.
Bryan barefooting for the first timeThis is gonna hurt!
I’ve watched the movie twice so far and plan to watch it again and again. If you’re living a life of mediocrity and complacency, the movie is a great wake-up call. Shape your life so the next time someone asks how you are, you can say, “I’m more than fine, I’m $%&* awesome!
Grant sums up the movie so perfectly at the end:
“If I learned one thing on this road trip is that there is no script. Life isn’t about which job you take– it’s about chasing your passions and holding on to them through the ups and downs.”
I’m giving away a DVD of the movie randomly to one person who leaves a comment by midnight, November 12, 2012. Tell me what kind of answer you’d give if someone asked about your life today.
The crew gets ready to film.Tom gives Grant a barefooting lesson
Early this morning, while flipping through the cable channels at a hotel, I came across the Tommie Copper segment and thought back to the first time I came across the company in the early spring:
To have my knee pain disappear completely after all those weeks of taping my knee over in therapy– priceless!
I had another opportunity to experience the miracle of these copper sleeves over the summer. During one of my slalom practices while barefooting, I pulled a muscle in my forearm. I had trouble gripping the handle for three weeks and the pain just would not go away. I skied the Regionals and the Nationals and kept icing the same spot.
It was time to test out a Tommie Copper arm sleeve to see if I could get the same relief I received from their knee sleeve. The company sent me an arm sleeve to try.
Sure enough, within 48 hours of wearing the copper-infused compression sleeve, the pain was cut in half. After two weeks of wearing it, the pain had disappeared completely. So now that I’ve experienced two of their products and gained relief with both, I’m even more of a fan of this company. I’ve been recommending the products to everyone I know who has experienced pain of any kind.
Next week, I’ll be heading out to the World Barefoot Center for a week of barefooting. As always, by the third day, my body will start screaming. I think if I order every single Tommie Copper product, I would be covered from neck to toe. That should work!
The 2012 Barefoot Nationals were held in the same place as last year at the Barefoot Ski Ranch in Waco, Texas. Even the heat was the same as last year, hitting 108 on one of the days.
Since the doctor was adamant about waiting the full nine months after ACL surgery, I took it really easy over the summer and didn’t do anything new. I was pretty much happy to be able to stand up and make it down the lake. I stood up a little too fast on my trick run, but the nice crew granted me a re-ride. My brace flew off, so we headed back to the dock to tape it. It didn’t matter– the darn thing flew off twice on both falls, leaving me with bruises on my left leg and a black eye. Slalom wasn’t much better– the first run was okay, but I fell on the second run.
Back to the drawing board to learn how to barefoot all over again for next year.
But the best part of the tournaments is not the skiing, it’s the people. I’ve met so many people who inspire me and push me to new heights. They’re accomplishing amazing things with their lives. I took a moment to grab a photo with Jim Boyette, the world’s oldest barefoot competitor:
Jim is amazing– he’s been to every single Nationals since the first one in 1978. You can read more about him here:
Keith St. Onge and I were interviewed by KWTX TV Channel Ten and we had the chance to talk about his upcoming book, “Gliding Soles,” which will be released in September. Keith and I spent the last two years writing this book together and we uncovered some amazing stories from his life journey and the lessons he learned along the way.
The print version of the interview is here (the video portion was removed):
I was bummed to miss the baby shower for Operation Precious #CARgo last night, but I had a lot of fun gathering the baby stuff for expectant military moms in the Chicago area. Chevy supplied me with a cool Sonic, a compact car that was great on gas.
Donations came in from all over. My mom and two sisters bought a sleeper, toys, and stuffed animals. Various friends tossed in diapers, wipes and other items.
Debbie from Geneva crocheted owl hats:
Tasha from Plainfield crocheted baby photo props (think Anne Geddes):
Jeanne from Romeoville sewed baby blankets and donated a sleeper too:
More blankets and baby items from the girls from ICODA:
This was such a fun project! Thanks to all who contributed– you made a difference for expectant military moms!
Four years ago, Jodi Cutler and I connected in the blogosphere as parents of deaf/hard of hearing kids and bloggers. Her blog, An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan’s Cochlear Implant Story chronicles her life in Italy with her son, Jordan. After years of connecting via the written word, I gave her a call and we talked on the phone for the first time. The ZVRS interpreter had amazing skills and the conversation flowed smoothly. I was so excited to finally connect with Jodi via phone.
After we ended our conversation, I quickly thanked the interpreter and was about to hang up. “Wait, don’t hang up!” she signed. “Are you a barefooter?”
“Yup!” I said. I figured she must have read my story in the media in the past year. She pointed to a picture that was propped up on a desk behind me. “I recognized Keith St. Onge!” she said. “He taught me ten years ago in a clinic in Ohio!”
Deaf World. Barefooting World. Bam!
Jess and I skyped one night and she shared her story. Jess was in fourth grade when her father bought a Ski Nautique and he taught her to water ski. Her father grew up on the Ohio river and he loved hamming it up on the water. “He could ski on a paddle!” Jess said. A year later, they saw a guy barefooting and Jess was fascinated. “I want to learn that!” she told her dad. So he went over and asked the guy to teach her. Gripping the boom outfitted in a long-sleeve wetsuit with a vest on top, Jess put her feet on the water and skied away. “I thought it was the coolest thing!”
And boy, was she hooked. Her parents bought property on a private lake. Jess wanted to learn more, so she taught herself. In the mid-1990s, she pulled up video after video of Keith St. Onge on the Barefoot Central website and watched them over and over. She learned the deep water start off the five-foot line through a lot of trial and error. Jess became friends with another barefooter on the lake, Ron Kara, who trained with Keith in Florida. “Ron taught me to barefoot backwards, I think in ninth grade,” said Jess. “I struggled with backwards– I couldn’t get my chest off the water. I ended up bleeding and bruised, but I wouldn’t give up.” It took Jess a year, but when she finally got up backwards on her feet, it was a sweet achievement.
Jess joined the Sea World ski show in Ohio when she was sixteen. Barefooting in a ski show was a whole other form of barefooting– Jess had to get used to skiing in all kinds of water and weather conditions. Ron brought Keith to Ohio, and he worked with Jess to improve her skills.
One day, after Sea World practice, Jess was sitting on a bench waiting for her father to pick her up. She noticed a girl sitting next to her and began to make conversation. The girl pointed to her ear and shook her head. “I realized she was deaf, so I remembered some sign language that I learned in second grade and signed to her,” said Jess. Hi, my name is Jess, she signed and fingerspelled.
That encounter unwrapped another passion for Jess. She wanted to learn American Sign Language so she signed up for a class. After high school, she went to the University of Pittsburg and then transferred to McDaniel in Maryland. She graduated with a degree in Deaf Education, with minors in education, deaf studies and art history. “I’m an overachiever,” Jess chuckled. After teaching in a public school, Jess realized that she wanted to work in a one-on-one setting, so she decided to pursue a Masters in counseling at Gallaudet University, where classes are taught in American Sign Language. She now has her own private practice: Counseling for Children and Young Adults.
“I stopped barefooting in college, but that summer, I wanted to get back into it,” said Jess. Her father did some research and located Dave Miller, a competitive barefooter near the D.C./Virginia area. Jess got back on the water in 2005 and continued to improve her skills.
I was so thrilled to connect with Jess and invited her to ski at the World Barefoot Center Women’s Barefoot week next year. An interpreter who barefoots– wow, that’s a path connected by a higher power! After we ended our skype conversation, I was thankful for one thing: my procrastination, project-to-project jumping, and disorganization. My nickname may be Skippy because of that, but if I had nailed that picture on another wall like I intended to do weeks ago, I would have hung up on that phone call without two worlds colliding.
with his father, Zig Ziglar)and Howard Partridge (
