Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Tag: barefooting

  • 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

  • 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!

  • Old Age–It’s a State of Mind

     

    Every muscle ached when I sat down in the plane for the flight home. I had just left the World Barefoot Center in Winter Haven, Florida, where I spent a few days barefoot water skiing.

    “What happened to your eye?” my son asked when he picked me up at Midway airport.

     “Ah, I fell backwards and popped a blood vessel,” I explained.

    I was also sporting a colorful collection of bruises dotting my body and a swollen tongue.

    At the age of 44, I took up the extreme sport of barefooting again–more than 25 years after becoming deaf from a fall.  I spent three days in a boat with three other gals, but at age 45, I was the youngest one there. Kim Taylor is 48, Claudia Landon is 58– and at 68 years of age, Judy Myers is the world’s oldest female competitive barefoot water skier.

    “Suck it up,” Judy told me when I dared to complain about my aching body on the second day. When I watch her on the water–I find it hard to believe that this woman is almost seventy years old. Her nickname is the “Old Lady,” but she skims on the water– backwards, forwards and on one foot. Even when she falls at 36 mph, there’s a smile on her face when she surfaces.

      I’m thankful I met Judy– because she changed my life and gave me a whole new way to look forward to the years ahead. She smashes the stereotypes of what it means to grow older– reminding me that “old age” is nothing but a state of mind. As we add more candles to the birthday cake each year, it seems like it’s all too easy to buy into the notion that we are supposed to slow down and become more careful as we age. We are often bombarded with messages that perpetuate the stereotypes of aging, or what I call the “I’m-too-old-to-do-that” syndrome. Instead of accepting the status quo, why not go out and be the first person to shatter the age myth?

    Take Jim Boyette, for example. He took up barefoot water skiing at the age of 45 and began to compete in barefoot tournaments. Every single year, he shows up at the Barefoot Nationals and has not missed a tournament since he started in 1978. That’s right– do the math– Jim is 83 years old and still competes in an extreme sport. And to top it off, Jim has Charcot Marie Tooth disease– which atrophies his feet and arms, but he doesn’t let that stop him on the water. As Samuel Ullman once said, “Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

    Published in the Chicago Tribune, May 2011

  • 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

    20140730-060032-21632751.jpg

    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

  • Tommie Copper: All in the Family

    “I got up at 4 a.m. and couldn’t sleep so I turned on the TV and saw you barefooting,” my father-in-law said the other day.  That’s probably the first time he’s ever seen a video of me on the water.  No one on my husband’s side of the family is into water sports, so I’m probably the oddity in the family.  Or heck, in my neighborhood too. I often forget that barefoot water skiing is a fringe sport reserved for those who like physical torture of the extreme kind.

    But everyone can relate to experiencing pain and the desire to find relief from it.  I have several family members sporting various Tommie Copper products and I wanted to share one story involving my nephew, John Putz.

    Back in high school, John loved to play football, but he tore up his knee and had to quit the sport. He ended up with torn ligaments and a dislocated kneecap. His physician advised a full knee replacement, but John opted not to go down that route at such a young age.  Pain was a constant thing in his life.  After college, John took a job as an Emergency Medical Technician and enjoyed the work.  One day, he was helping to lift a patient over 500 pounds and suffered an injury.  “I was lifting a very large patient who had fallen in the bathroom and while unloading her from the ambulance, the weight of her and the stretcher, even with others helping, yanked my shoulder right out of the socket, tearing my labium and doing some damage to my rotator cuff as well,” John explained.

    john putz with tommie copper products
    John with his Tommie Copper wear.

    While on medical leave while waiting for surgery, John decided to try some of the Tommie Copper products to see if he could obtain some relief.  He used a wrist band, compression shirt, and a knee sleeve.  After the first week, I asked him how he was feeling and if he was getting any relief.

    “Hey, Aunt Karen, the wrap for my wrist really seems to be working. I’ve been wearing it 24/7 since I got it and not only has the pain gone down significantly but my range of movement has increased and it really supports my wrist well.  As for the shirt, it’s hard to tell. As far as sleeping, it seems like I sleep better through the night when I am wearing it and I don’t wake up from pain or discomfort as much.  I have torn ligaments, so sleeping through the night is always tough as it’s hard to relax comfortably.  All in all, I’m very happy with the Tommie Copper products and they’ve definitely helped.”

     

    I always enjoy hearing stories of relief from people who have reached out after seeing the Tommie Copper #LifeRecharged segment on TV.   If you have a story to share, I’d love to hear yours. Share below or email me at karen@karenputz.com and let me know how you’re living a #LifeRecharged.

     

     

     

     

  • 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):

     

  • 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