Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Tag: barefoot water skiing

  • Barefooting 50 States: Louisiana

    Barefooting 50 States: Louisiana

     

    “Have you done Louisiana yet?”

    Mark Varnes, a fellow barefooter, left a comment on one of my Facebook posts. He invited me to ski with him in Louisiana as part of my Barefooting 50 States for my 50’s quest.

    The next thing I knew, I had an assignment to speak in New Orleans, just 45 minutes from Mark’s secret spot on the Pearl River.

    Serendipity.

    Or synchronicity, as Wayne Dyer would say.

    I hopped on a Southwest flight, grabbed a rental car, and took off for the river. I met up with Mark and two of his buddies, Brad Ripp and William “Doc” Kutun. All of us were over the age of 50–and we all shared a crazy passionate love for barefooting. Like me, Brad got back on the water just recently–after a 25 year absence. We spent the afternoon barefooting up and down the Pearl River, one of the most calm, tranquil spots I’ve ever barefooted in. Whenever there was a tiny ripple on the water, Mark drove further down the river until we found glass again. As a result, my feet were burning on my first run! On my second run, I decided to try a backward deep start behind the boat–something that had eluded me during the last several barefooting trips. The start was smooth and I found myself up and about–but I couldn’t find my way around the wake. I let go as I was afraid I was going to fall–but I was so, so, so happy to have accomplished the backward longline start once again!

    Each of the guys took turns footin’–and I was impressed with their skills! I still have a ways to go to catch up!

    On the way back to the dock, one of the guys pointed out an alligator lazing between the trees. Fortunately, the boat was going so fast that I missed it. I was really glad I was done footin’ after they found a gator! Check out the amusing alligator sign in the video that Mark put together:

     

    Want some help putting together a Passion Quest of your own? Check out Karen’s book: Unwrapping Your Passion.

     

  • Southwest Storytellers: Sharing Travel Stories and More

    Southwest Storytellers: Sharing Travel Stories and More

    I love to travel–and I especially love to travel on Southwest Airlines. And this year, I have the honor of being among a wonderful group of #SouthwestStorytellers. Throughout the year, a team of us will be sharing our travel stories and having some LUVing fun with Southwest Airlines.

    Early this year, I met up with the team for the first time at the Southwest headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Before arriving, I stopped in at the Ziglar headquarters to see Tom Ziglar and Howard Partridge. (You can find their stories in my book, Unwrapping Your Passion.) This was my first time at the office and Zig Ziglar’s spirit was everywhere. Zig has touched millions and millions of lives everywhere with his wisdom about sales, business, and life.

    Howard and Tom were in the middle of a Ziglar Business Boot camp. While Howard was talking, I spied a big bag of Southwest peanuts lying on a table. I had seen pictures of Howard with the Southwest peanuts and pretzels, but I wasn’t sure what the story was behind all those snacks.

    Turns out, the story can be found in Howard’s new book, The Power of Community.

    During one flight, Howard began to tease the flight attendant about the lack of peanuts on his tray when he awoke from a nap. Southwest Airlines attendants are often playful and fun, the company is known for excellent customer service. Howard ended up with more peanuts than he bargained for–on that flight and more. Howard began tossing the peanuts to clients at his business events and entwined business lessons from Southwest in his talks.

    “When you create a sense of community among your team members and you have a solid mission, it spills over to your customers, creating loyalty and therefore resulting in higher profits,” Howard writes in The Power of Community.

    Both Howard and Tom are on a mission to help people grow–both personally and professionally. Check out their upcoming workshops and conferences: Ziglar Events

    Now, on to Southwest…

    What an amazing company. I have been flying Southwest for a long time now and I choose them every chance I get.  As a deaf traveler, the company is very accessible–I can receive text alerts for gate changes and flight information. I can sit up front where I can lipread the attendants and they can get to me quickly if there are any changes in flight. Whenever I’m in a situation where I can’t use my videophone to call Southwest–they’ve been incredibly responsive through Twitter. And check out the Southwest Airlines intern who is deaf: Southwest Intern Defies the Odds and Soars.

    There are eleven of us who make up the team of #SouthwestStorytellers:

    Dani Austin

    Justin Forsett

    Lucas Hoge

    Joey Price

    Kody McCormick

    Kyler McCormick

    Leslie Harvey

    Rob Sesser

    Rocky Turner

    Sakura Considine

     

    We met for dinner the first evening and got to know one another. Kyler and Kody McCormick are also from Illinois–and we discovered we knew a fellow barefoot water skier as a mutual friend.  The next day we took a tour of Southwest headquarters–learning about operations, social media, and their specialized training. In one area of headquarters, the meeting rooms are named for the different languages that employees speak. Of course, I had to stop and take a picture of the American Sign Language meeting room!

    You can read more about each of the storytellers here: Meet the #SouthwestStorytellers

    I had such a blast getting to know the other storytellers and learning their stories. We all love to travel–follow the hashtag and watch for our adventures! I’m on a quest to barefoot water ski in all 50 states during my 50’s and I’ll be touching a few states this year.

    And I’m patiently waiting for the day that Southwest touches down in…

    Hawaii!!!!  I can’t wait to barefoot there!

     

     

  • Is Your Weight Holding You Back from a Passionate Life?

    Is Your Weight Holding You Back from a Passionate Life?

    Ugh, I’m so fat. 

    That was the thought going through my head after getting off the water during Women’s Barefoot Week. I had packed on the pounds from too much writing and too little exercise and I was really feeling the results.

    Not to mention seeing the results.

    Photo by Betsy Gilman

    I cringed at the pictures that showed up online. On the water, I was struggling each day–not only with the extra pounds but also with the mental beatings I was giving myself every time I squeezed into the wetsuit. I was holding back and not really having fun on the water.

    I blamed my weight.

    Things finally came to a head one day when all of us gals were walking back to the house after an intense day on the water.

    “You have to stop being so negative,” one of the gals said. “You’re too hard on yourself. You’re beautiful.”

    As a “fat” girl who has dealt with up and down weight gain and loss over the years, I was struggling deeply once again. I had shed the weight several years ago after getting back into the sport of barefoot water skiing–and now it was all piling back on. There was a whole myriad of emotions going on–and there was no escaping any of the feelings that were swirling around inside.

    To top things off, Community Voices on Facebook released a video that we filmed a year ago–and at first, I didn’t want to share that video with anyone. I was ashamed of the pounds I had put on.

    I was really lucky that my friend had the courage to call me out about my negative views about my body. I had to do something different about the messages that were going around in my head. It was affecting my ability to have fun and to enjoy the sport that I’m usually so passionate about.

    So the next time I went on the water, I decided to say something positive to myself–to appreciate the body that was performing amazing things despite the extra pounds.  The mental conversations took on a happier tone. I enjoyed my session on the water so much more, because I was able to focus on the things I could passionately do–and forget about the weight.

    Photo by Lynn Novakofski

    So if this is you–if you’re struggling with weight issues and it’s holding you back in life–join me in making a pact in moving forward–toward the things you’re passionate about–without letting weight hold you back.

     

     

    Want a dose of passion in your life? Grab Karen’s latest book: Unwrapping Your Passion

    Or take a class: Unwrapping Your Passion Course

  • How Can a Deaf Person Do Podcast Interviews?

    How Can a Deaf Person Do Podcast Interviews?

    I just wrapped up an enjoyable podcast chat with Thom Walters over at Zen Commuter. I actually enjoy doing podcasts. For one thing, I can do them in my pajamas and I’m always talking about my favorite topic: PASSION.

    But wait a minute…

    How does a deaf gal do podcasts if she can’t hear over the phone?

    I use a system called ZVRS–it’s a videophone service that provides a sign language interpreter for every phone call. The interpreter listens in on the podcast interview and signs everything that the podcaster says. (And I mean everything–if a podcaster burps, the interpreter signs that burp!) I speak directly back to the podcaster using a headset. Whenever I do interviews for the books I’m writing, I use this system as well. You can view it here: How a Deaf Gal Uses the Phone.

     

    Here’s what Chris Brogan, Owner Media, has to say about using the system for an interview:

    “I wondered exactly how she’d interview me. You have to know that this was the MOST seamless experience I’ve ever had with translations/interpretation tools.”

    (By the way, Chris has an awesome newsletter that goes out every Sunday chock full of helpful stuff for running a business and life: chrisbrogan.com/nl)

    The first time I did a podcast, I loved it. There’s something so fun about just having a conversation and sharing what you know with others. I still get nervous now and then and my voice cracks occasionally, but I find that the more I do, the better I become at answering questions and sharing stories.

    For many, many years, the phone was my enemy. It was the barrier between me and the rest of the world. My father had to handle all my phone calls during my teen years ( my mom was deaf). As you can imagine, it’s really no fun having your dad relay messages from friends and boyfriends!

    It took me six years and over 200 interviews to write Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want. Many of the interviews were done over the phone. I typed my notes word for word while watching the interpreter sign on screen.

    So, I often give thanks to the amazing technology we have today that breaks down the barriers for communicating with one another.

    Here’s some of the podcasts I’ve participated in:

    You Leading You with Sean Ackerman — Conquering Adversity Barefoot

    Natural Born Coaches with Marc Mcwhinney — A Passion for Life

    Marketing for Public Speakers with Jason Owens — How to Break Free From Being Paralyzed by Perfection

    She Wrote a Book with Lena Anani  — Living With Passion

    Newstalk 1010 with Jeff Sammut — Author of Unwrapping Your Passion (audio only)  transcript pending

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

    Be Inspired with Jen McDonough — Overcoming Adversity

    Reinvention Radio with Steve Olsher

    B-Now Radio: Unwrap Your Passion at Any Age

    Cynthia Mazzafero interviews Karen Putz

  • 50 States for My 50’s: New Hampshire

    Deep in the middle of The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau, I paused to contemplate my own quest.

    What did I love to do more than anything in the world?

    Barefoot water skiing.

    And just like that, the quest appeared before me:

    I will barefoot water ski in all 50 states to celebrate my 50’s–and to encourage, inspire, and prompt others to unwrap their passions at any age. 

    Maine and New Hampshire were on the calendar for the #Barefoot50 in August. I had planned to barefoot with Sun Sports Maine, but due to scheduling conflicts and high wind, I ended up at paddleboarding with my co-worker instead. Stephanie Olson and I had a blast. We were the only ones out on the water due to the wind.

    My first time on a paddleboard!

    After a speaking gig in Maine, I took off for New Hampshire to hang with Jackie and Claude St. Onge, the parents of 2X World Barefoot Champion, Keith St. Onge (we wrote Gliding Soles.)

    New Hampshire was absolutely beautiful and it was my first time in this state. In some ways I felt like I had visited it before–then I realized it was simply from all the stories that Keith shared when we were writing his book.

    Claude arranged for me to barefoot with the Leclerc family at their lake. It was a little windy and rough, but we all had a great time on the water. Claude is in his 60’s and he barefoots a like a teenager, proving you’re never too old to do what you love.

    Claude St. Onge enjoying the water!

    The Leclerc family, St. Onges, and me. I left the group too soon!
    A Gliding Soles fan!
    Barefooting backwards–my favorite thing to do.

    The three of us took off for Lake Umbagog in the late afternoon, meeting up with Jackie’s sister and her husband. for a ride around the lake while the sun was getting low in the sky. Lake Umbagog is a man-made lake which flows into the Androscoggin River. The name comes from the Abenaki Indian tribe meaning “shallow waters.” Indeed, the average depth of this 10.5 mile long lake is only ten feet.

    Breathtaking sunset on Lake Umbagog.

    Umbagog is absolutely pristine and many parts are completely untouched by civilization.

    The sunset was beautiful that night. When we arrived back to the cottage, we had a wonderful dinner with Jackie’s sister Collette and her husband, Stanley.

    I checked out the map of Lake Umbagog and learned that half of the lake is in Maine. I’ll be back to barefoot on that side of the lake for my Maine adventure!

    Jackie and Claude St. Onge

    We packed a lot into three short days and I could have easily stayed there for a couple of weeks. The area around Mount Washington is simply beautiful. It’s a soulful place. This quest has been so much fun–check out the gallery below for the rest of the adventure.

    Grab a copy of Chris Guillebeau’s book and begin a quest of your own. I promise you, your life will light up!

  • 50 States for My 50’s: Missouri

    Deep in the middle of The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau, I paused to contemplate my own quest.

    What did I love to do more than anything in the world?

    Barefoot water skiing.

    And just like that, the quest appeared before me:

    I will barefoot water ski in all 50 states to celebrate my 50’s–and to encourage, inspire, and prompt others to unwrap their passions at any age. 

    States barefooted June 2016

    Back in 2010, I rediscovered my passion for barefoot water skiing after seeing a 66-year-old woman, Judy Myers, barefooting on the TODAY Show. At the age of 44, I put my feet back on the water and the passion just keeps multiplying! I now look forward to Growing Bolder instead of older.

    IMG_4330

    At the beginning of this quest, I’ve already barefoot water skied in eight states. In July, I added Missouri to the list while on a trip to visit my brother, Brian. We joined up with Brian Tillema, an attorney from Kansas City and headed out to Lake Lotawana, home of the famed Don Thomson, a true pioneer superstar of barefoot water skiing.

    In the same month, I headed down to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, my family’s hometown. Both of my parents were born there. I never in a million years would have ever thought that I would be able to barefoot water ski in this tiny, rural town. My cousin, Jerry, introduced me to Seth Burgett, an entrepreneur who has patented over 40 items, including YurBuds, semi-customized sports ear buds.

    IMG_4509

    Six-time World Barefoot Champion David Small held a two day ski clinic on a beautiful, private lake. The barefooting conditions were fantastic and everyone in the boat had a blast.

    seth burgett missouri 50 for 50

    IMG_4500

     

    Next up: Maine and New Hampshire!

  • Reinventing Yourself at Any Age

    boomers reinvented

    “All our life experiences are building blocks to the next opportunity, to the next path, to the next journey, and it’s up to us to take that and go in that direction.”

     ~Karen Putz

    I’m turning 50 this year and I am so looking forward to celebrating that milestone.

    But at the age of 44, I felt quite the opposite about life. I was NOT looking forward to the years ahead. Life had become ho-hum and I wasn’t thrilled with approaching mid-life. Instead, I was looking back with regret, wishing I had done this or that. I had the feeling that the best years of my life were over and done with–and that aging was a downhill process.

    karen and judyMeeting 66-year old Judy Myers turned all of that around for me. I first saw her on the TODAY show which featured her story of taking up an extreme sport at the age of 53. Judy was older than me and truly living life to the fullest. We both shared a love for barefoot water skiing, and she brought me back to the sport I loved as a teen. Our story has been shown on PBS and CNN:

    A Mom Who Walks on Water

    Making a Splash on Water

    In the last five years, I’ve reinvented myself over and over by trying new things and experiencing new paths. In fact, I love helping others to the same–to unwrap their passions and start living life wide open.

    karen love

    Over at Boomers Reinvented, LeAura Anderson is on a mission to encourage the Boomer generation and beyond to reinvent themselves and live their best life.  I shared my own reinvention in an interview with LeAura in which we talk about passion:

    Life Wide Open (Captioned)

    If the first half of your life journey hasn’t quite been the life you wanted, you can simply start reinventing yourself right now and pivot in a new direction. Learn new skills or try something you’ve always wanted to do. Connect with a mentor and receive guidance. Experience something you’ve been putting off for “Someday.”

    Life begins now. Don’t put it off. Reinvent yourself.

  • The Power of She: Don’t Put A Limit on What You Can Do

     

    karen-and-judy-2015

    Five years ago, my husband Joe sent me a link that forever changed my life. It was a TODAY Show segment featuring Judy Myers, a 66-year-old barefoot water skier from California.

    Barefoot Water Skier is Landing on her Feet at 66

    Judy inspired me to get back on the water and dive back into my passion for barefoot water skiing. The “Old Lady” taught me many lessons on and off the water, including the biggest one of all: don’t put a limit on what you can do. Age really truly is a number–and you can choose to grow bolder instead of older.

    Catch Judy’s story (and mine) on “The Power of She” on Headline News:

    Making a Splash: Senior Barefooter, 71, Inspires

    Transcript included.

  • Barefoot Water Skiing Featured in DevinSuperTramp Video

    Barefoot water skiing goes mainstream in the latest video by Devin Graham, aka DevinSuperTramp. Devin is a guy who truly is living a passionate life doing what he really loves, capturing action on film. Here’s more of Devin’s story: DevinSuperTramp Behind the Scenes Interview.

    The video features the World Barefoot Center crew, Keith St. Onge (co-author of Gliding Soles), David Small, Ben Groen, and Keith’s wife, Lauren. Take a moment to watch barefoot water skiing captured every which way:

    Barefoot Skiing Behind an Airplane

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    I love the behind the scenes video (no captions yet). It’s fun to watch Devin and Todd Nyman from Vooray barefoot water ski for the first time.

    Behind the Scenes Barefoot Skiing with Vooray

    In less than 24 hours, the video captured over 100,000 views and it’s just now making its way across the web:

    Barefoot Water Skiing Behind a Plane is Too Extreme for Words – Mashable

    DevinSuperTramp’s Latest Video, Barefoot Skiing Behind Airplane

    Devin’s Video Captures the Unusual

    Man Tethered to an Airplane Casually Water Skis

    Well That’s One Way to Do It – Daily Mail UK

    Barefoot Water Skiers Get Towed by Airplane

    Water Skiing Behind and Airplane and Other Insane Tricks – Fox News 13

  • Writer. Speaker. Barefoot Waterskier. Mom.

    “Writer, Speaker, Barefoot Waterskier, and Mom.”

    That’s basically me in a nutshell. The more expanded version is this:

    Due to family genetics and a hard fall while barefoot water skiing at age 19, my path in life drastically shifted direction. One beautiful summer day I turned to cross the wake and caught a toe. After I cart wheeled to a stop I realized that I could no longer hear anything. In an instant, I went from hard of hearing to deaf. After months of grieving, I finally dried the tears and embraced life as a deaf person. I graduated with a B.S. and M.A. in Counseling, helping others learn how to embrace new life paths of their own.

    Life handed me more challenges raising three deaf and hard of hearing children–and tackling a world that doesn’t embrace people who are hard of hearing or deaf. I provide support to families with Deaf/Hard of Hearing children at Hands & Voices, a parent-driven organization dedicated to providing non-biased support to families with deaf and hard of hearing children. I founded the Illinois chapter of Hands & Voices.

    In 2008, a simple visit to a local fast food joint turned into a viral rant heard around the world when a Steak and Shake denied service to myself and family because we were deaf. The incident was picked up by Fox and ABC news and several newspapers. Bloggers from around the world chimed in: Steak ‘n Shake, Looks Like This Touched a Nerve. The Consumerist landed over 200 comments as people discussed the situation. Deaf Life did a five-page spread on the story. Down in Australia, the topic was a large part of a presentation given at an RMIT Communicator of the Year Awards banquet. Diversity, Inc. did a story and a video interview with captioning. As a result of the Steak ‘n Shake incident, other food services and companies are now changing their policies and providing training programs to ensure access for deaf and hard of hearing customers.

    I previously worked as a Sales Manager for a videophone company and for the Chicago Tribune TribLocal.  Today, I write for Hearing Like Me and the Chicago Now Blog.

    Twenty five years after becoming deaf from barefoot water skiing, I embraced my passion and took up barefooting again. I manage the blog for the World Barefoot Center and train with the World Barefoot Champions, Keith St. Onge and David Small.

    I love helping others unwrap their passions. Shoot me an email at karen@ karenputz.com if you’d like to unwrap yours.