For this first episode of the year, I’m joined by Karen Meades and Barry Finlay, co-authors of the book "My Limitless Life"
Guests:
Karen Meades, Author
https://www.amazon.com/My-Limitless-Life-Karen-Meades/dp/1068973102
Barry Finlay, Author
https://www.barry-finlay.com
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Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society & Technology Podcast & Audio Signals Podcast
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.marcociappelli.com
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Episode Introduction
Book "My Limitless Life" I Interview with Authors Karen Meades and Barry Finlay
Welcome back, storytellers and story lovers!
A new year, a fresh start, and more stories to share. After an intense 2024 filled with thought-provoking conversations, I took a little time in January to recharge, reflect, and prepare for what promises to be an even bigger and more exciting year of storytelling. Many episodes have already been recorded and are making their way into production, and I can't wait for you to hear them.
So, if you love stories—real or imagined—this is the place to be. Audio Signals is not just about storytelling; it’s about the storytellers, the people who craft, shape, and bring stories to life. And what better way to kick off 2025 than with a conversation about pushing limits, embracing adventure, and turning extraordinary experiences into words on a page?
For this first episode of the year, I’m joined by Karen Meades and Barry Finlay, co-authors of My Limitless Life.
Karen’s story isn’t just about endurance—it’s about the power of saying ‘yes’ to adventure. Years ago, she was a busy professional, a mother, and—by her own admission—far from an athlete. But when she signed up for a simple 5K race, something clicked. That one decision led to another, and then another. Before she knew it, she wasn’t just running local races—she was pushing herself into the most extreme environments on the planet.
From conquering 250-kilometer self-supported ultramarathons through the Amazon jungle, the Sahara Desert, and even Antarctica, to swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco, Karen has consistently sought out the toughest physical and mental challenges imaginable. But she doesn’t see herself as extraordinary. She believes that anyone can take on big challenges, step by step—just as she did.
Her story is a reminder that limits are often self-imposed. That the difference between the impossible and the achievable is often just a willingness to try. And yet, life has a way of throwing unexpected twists. In recent years, Karen had to confront a new and very different challenge—one that forced her to reimagine adventure in a whole new way. But, as you’ll hear, she didn’t stop moving forward. She simply found a new path.
Barry, an accomplished writer and adventurer himself, helped bring Karen’s journey to life, weaving her experiences into a compelling book that’s as much about personal growth as it is about adventure. In our conversation, we explore what drives someone to take on seemingly impossible feats, how pushing boundaries can change the way we see the world, and what happens when life forces us to redefine our own limits.
Whether you’re looking for motivation, an adrenaline rush, or just a great story, this episode has something for you.
So, let’s jump in. Welcome to 2025, welcome back to Audio Signals, and here’s our first episode of the year—enjoy!
About Karen Meades
Her story is nothing short of inspiring. From joining a running club for some “me time” to becoming the third Canadian woman to conquer the Racing the Planet/4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, her journey is remarkable. Despite not seeing herself as athletic, Karen's feats in running, swimming, and navigating some of the world's toughest terrains are truly awe-inspiring.
Balancing a successful career as an accountant and executive with her adventurous spirit, Karen's professional achievements are equally impressive. She co-founded a health program in the North, raised an extraordinary daughter, and even married her husband in Antarctica.
After a medical diagnosis, Karen's resilience continued to shine as she embraced new passions like exploring the rugged New Zealand Alps on an e-bike, walking in the woods, and beekeeping. Her story, My Limitless Life, is a captivating read filled with humour, tension, and breathtaking scenes, encouraging readers to embrace challenges with courage and optimism.
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Resources
Get The Book: https://www.amazon.com/My-Limitless-Life-Karen-Meades/dp/1068973102
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Book: "My Limitless Life" I Interview with Authors Karen Meades and Barry Finlay
[00:00:00] Marco Ciappelli: Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of my favorite podcast. Now I say the same thing when I do have the other podcast. So they're both my favorites. It's like asking somebody to choose their five favorite, I don't know, pets or son or daughter or kid. For me, it's different passion. One is technology and society.
And the other one is storytelling. And one I can Can get more creative. And, uh, and this is it. Actually, the other thing that I do on this one is I really get to know people because as you probably know by listening to this, uh, this podcast, it's about storytelling and stories, but also and very much about storytellers.
And what I'm excited today here is that, uh, uh, the, the storytellers. is the story. I don't know, Barry, you're gonna help me with this and tell me if I if I'm correct with this, but I would like to get started with introducing the main and I'm not not diminishing you Barry, but the main guest today is Karen Meads.
And, uh, she wrote a book called My Limitless Life and, uh, it is, it is a good story for sure. And it's so good that Barry Finlay, which was already on the show with me a few episodes ago, he helped write in the book. in Karen's voice. So I got to talk to both of them. Um, Karen and Barry, welcome to the show.
[00:01:38] Karen Meades: Thank you.
[00:01:38] Barry Finlay: Thanks, Marco.
[00:01:39] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah. So, uh, Barry, I'm just gonna start with you, uh, quickly. And then you, because I, I kind of want you to kind of comment on what I said in terms of the storytellers being the story. And, uh, maybe you, you do a little introduction about Karen for me.
[00:01:59] Barry Finlay: Sure. Well, Actually, the way Karen and I got together was kind of interesting because, um, I was writing a book called Just Keep Climbing about two years ago.
And I was looking for people who were inspirational and I sent a message out on my blog. I sent out emails, looking for people who thought they were inspirational. Absolutely nobody. Came back to me and said they were inspirational. So then I started asking people that I knew who I thought were inspirational.
And I got a few, but I was out, um, snowshoeing one day with, uh, a mutual friend of Karen's and mine. And I told him what I was doing. And I was looking for people who had a story to tell, who had faced challenges, either, uh, handed to them or that they chose themselves. And, uh, he says that he had a colleague.
By the name of Karen Meads, who had done things like run across the Sahara Desert and swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco and run through the Amazon jungle. And that sounded very inspirational to me. You were hooked. Yeah, I was hooked, exactly. So I contacted, I got Karen's information from, uh, from this mutual friend.
And I contacted Karen and she said, sure, she'd be delighted to participate. So part of, a small part of her story is in my book, Just Keep Climbing. So she's one of eight people that, uh, eight inspirational people that are in my book. And once the book was published, Karen contacted me and wanted to, or asked if we could meet for coffee.
And she started telling me her whole story. And asking me if I'd be interested in writing it. And, uh, at that time, I kind of hesitated because I'd never done that kind of thing before. But her story absolutely intrigued me. And so by the time I left the coffee shop, I had made up my mind that I was going to do it.
And we worked together over a number of months. I asked her a thousand questions. I remember sending an email one day with 21 questions. And Karen got back to me in a couple of days with all the answers and, and it came together fairly quickly. And fortunately she had some amazing notes as, as kind of a, uh, kind of the basis for the book.
And it came together fairly quickly. And, uh, I'm, I'm just, I'm just amazed. We had a, I found out that we had a couple of things in common. We'd both climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. We're both, uh, Canadian professional accountants. We both did, um, uh, virtual walks during the pandemic, but the similarities kind of end there because Karen's feats are way beyond anything, anything I ever thought of doing.
So, but that's how the book came about. And, uh, I'm very proud of that, of the book and, uh, it's, it's available now. And I'm, I'm looking forward to people reading it.
[00:05:00] Marco Ciappelli: Very cool. Okay. That, that I was, I think there was a good intro. Karen, what do you think?
[00:05:06] Karen Meades: I think that was an excellent intro and what Barry left out is how much fun he made, uh, the whole exercise.
We met a few times at the coffee shop and he, he says I asked a few questions. Well, it wasn't just in asking the questions, it was conversations that, um, encouraged me to describe, um, you know, these different events, uh, throughout my life. And He was just so genuine, uh, in how he listened, and just so genuine in being interested in writing the story.
He, he really made it fun, um, and he's a fantastic writer. Uh, he takes, he takes what other people would half listen to or, you know, not quite, quite grab, but he just seemed to really get what it was that I was trying to convey, and he managed to put it in such lovely words. So He, um, yeah. Thank you, Barry.
[00:06:08] Barry Finlay: You're going to make them tear up here.
[00:06:10] Karen Meades: I keep saying thank you, but thank you.
[00:06:13] Marco Ciappelli: Well, you know, I, I love to begin with this because when you, when you tell a story, sometimes you just feature, you know, a keynote or someone on a TED. And like it starting goes is a monologue, but I honestly love when stories are told together.
Um, you know, when you're, when you're building a story, I don't know, like in a very poetic way, it may be, you know, in front of a fireplace or the coffee shop. I love coffee shops. So if there is a coffee shop with a fireplace, then I'm hooked, uh, you know, and, and kind of work it together, right? I mean, you say something that maybe makes you remember something that you thought, maybe that was not important, but all of a sudden, maybe it is.
So I'm glad that you guys found each other. Um, so Karen, uh, the first thing that. I grew up doing, uh, uh, track and field, but I would run 100 and 200 meters. After that, I'd run out of breath. But, uh, you started just It's kind of in a funny way, like, yeah, just going to go for a run. And then you never stopped.
That reminded me of Forrest Gump.
Tell me how that started.
[00:07:29] Karen Meades: So it's interesting. I was at that point in life where, um, work was really busy. You come home, home life is busy. I had a young daughter. I just wanted a little bit of something to do that cleared my mind from being busy. Um, at work and at home and, and someone mentioned the running room.
Um, so I looked up a five kilometer clinic. I had been quite sedentary for a number of years. I had worked through university, very little time for anything. Uh, then, you know, married, then children. So life, life is really moving along and you find yourself, Sort of at that point, you're out of shape. What do I do?
I don't have a lot of time. I don't have a lot of money. How can I pull this together? So the five kilometer clinic sounded attractive. It didn't require much time. I could do it around my daughter's schedule. And it wasn't the running. It wasn't the running at all. Something magical happened when I joined the running room.
I met um, about 20 ladies. And we would run together and there's something about running beside somebody, side by side, you're sort of You know, moving along, we're kind of shuffling, and you're talking, but you're sharing and talking in a way that nobody's judging anybody. We all came from different walks of life, different professions.
The conversations were interesting. We were raising kids, we were having challenges at work, and you're moving along and you're talking. It was almost like therapy. It was just lovely, lovely, non judgmental sharing. I kept going back. I went back for the friendships. I went back for the conversations and the running just happened to happen.
Um, I was, I was really hooked when I came to the challenge of doing the five kilometer run and at the end of it, they give you a finisher's medal. Wow. Wow. I had accomplished from what had become a pretty sedentary lifestyle to completing this 5k. And here's this medal and someone at the finish line saying, hey, good for you.
So it inspired me to sign up for the 10k. Another challenge. It was brilliant. And then, you know, at the water cooler, you hear somebody talking about a marathon. You see that glitter in their eye. I did it. I can't believe it. They look ecstatic. And I have this little life pie that I keep by my side. I call it a life pie.
It's a circle. And it's divided into different sections. The sections are the components of my life that I find important to me. And one of them, one of the little slices of pie was adventure. And when I heard this person talking about marathon, I did what I always do. I said, wow, seems interesting. Not sure why, but seems interesting somehow, and I jotted it down.
And that's what I do. I jot it down and I forget about it. Just let it ruminate. Well, the opportunity presents itself not too, uh, not too long after the 10k half marathon marathon. The opportunity is there. It was of interest to me. I had written it down. I pursued it. Oh, just fantastic. So you go through the training, you're, you're, I'm running with these women that I had met at the running room.
Just, just fantastic. And as soon as you cross that finish line, the tremendous amount of work and training that you've put into it comes to fruition. You've completed it. You're proud of yourself. Others are proud of you. Everyone's congratulating everyone. Very positive environment. And I wore my medal home.
And that, you know, that just became, that, that, that just became the addiction that then became. Okay, this, this speaks to my sense of adventure. This speaks to my sense of wanting to take things on and enjoying certain challenges. And off I went.
[00:11:55] Marco Ciappelli: I mean, we're not talking just about yeah, 5k was the appetizer.
But then, then you get the meal. But then like now I can do more. Hey, I've done this, I can do this one. And but so let's get to I don't think people are realizing what we're talking about here. Because you're talking about Racing the Planet for Desert Ultra Marathon Series. And you need to, if I remember reading at the beginning when Barry introduced it, you need to, you need to have finished at least two in order to go to do the final one.
I mean, it's not, I mean, it's not just because you like it, it means you can also do it. So it's not like, oh, I want to run the marathon, but can I do it? I mean, you must have a certain predisposition also. So in your mind, in your body, or are you one of those that's like, yeah, everybody can do it.
[00:12:50] Barry Finlay: Sorry, Karen.
I was just going to say one thing that Karen said when we first met that made me laugh. She said she's not athletic and she had just finished telling me about all these things she'd done.
[00:13:04] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah,
[00:13:04] Barry Finlay: and she said she's not athletic, but I began to understand that. I think Karen will probably get into that.
[00:13:11] Marco Ciappelli: All right, let's let's get into that.
So describe a little bit. What are these desert ultramarathon? Just to give,
[00:13:19] Karen Meades: uh, so, you know, it's, you know, you say, can anybody do it? Yes, I believe anybody can do it. I, you know, to, to Barry's point, I'm not an athlete. Um, it, it is in the preparation for these events. Um, the, the standard ultra marathon that I've participated in have been self sufficient stage races.
So they're 250 kilometers in length, so they're about six and a half marathons back to back, um, over the course of a week. So you're in a climate that's as unfriendly as the race organizers can put together. So you might find yourself in the Amazon jungle, or you might find yourself in the Sahara desert.
Or to your point about having to pre qualify, you may find yourself in Antarctica. Um, so they're, they're trying to
[00:14:18] Marco Ciappelli: Just around the block.
[00:14:19] Karen Meades: So they're trying to make it a challenge, uh, both mentally and physically, uh, for you. But, you know, the sport of it all is, um, you, you do this incrementally. You know, you see somebody with a black belt and you say, wow, a black belt in karate.
Well, you're not a black belt in karate. What you are is a white belt. Who then became a yellow belt? Who then became a red belt? So, you know, in the training and in the progression that I built, the resilience, the athleticism that I built over time, all of that enabled, um, enabled me to get to these, um, to get to these races.
So when you say, What's special or, or what's different? There's nothing, there's nothing special. There's nothing different. I'm not, I'm not athletic. I've just, I've just written down in my life pie that this is something that interests me. It speaks to my sense of adventure. And it's just something that I said, what do I have to do to get there?
And, and I broke it down into all the little steps that you take. to find yourself one day waking up after having slept on the ground in the Sahara Desert to say I need to get up today and I need to run. Um, the races are organized where you're self sufficient as I mentioned. Um, so you have a backpack on your back with everything that you want to bring.
So I don't bring a change of clothes. I don't bring a toothbrush, hairbrush. I don't bring makeup. Um, I'm, I'm in the same clothes day after day. Cause I don't want to carry that, that extra stuff.
[00:16:04] Marco Ciappelli: So I really couldn't care less. Yeah. I gotta go there.
[00:16:11] Karen Meades: So, you know, you have your food and you have some, some bandages for your feet when you get your blisters, um, and you have your sleeping bag.
Um, on your, uh, on your back and the race organizers provide you with, um, a map where to go from checkpoint to checkpoint and, uh, and they provide you with some water.
[00:16:34] Marco Ciappelli: Can you use GPS or is it all by orientation and reading the map and no tech?
[00:16:44] Karen Meades: No tech. No tech. The, the courses are changing now as time goes on because tech, tech is more and more readily available.
So you can see more and more phones on the field. But, uh, back in the day when I first started, there was no tech at all. The race organizers would give you a flare. So for the first, uh, for my first race across the desert, the Marathon de Sables, um, we had a flare in our backpack and, and you were to sort of set it off if you ran into, uh, you ran into trouble.
So wayfinding is, is quite important. Um, and, uh, and, and of course, being aware when you get to the checkpoint about whether or not you feel confident about getting to the next checkpoint.
[00:17:31] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah. Barry, what, what, what was the thing that really made you walk out of from the coffee shop and like, yeah, I'm going to do it.
Not even going to think about it anymore.
[00:17:44] Barry Finlay: Well, it was the adventure for sure. But I think what makes me most proud of the book is that there's adventure, there's humor, there's, uh, grandma. You know, it wasn't easy in, like, not all the races were easy in quotation marks, if they could ever be easy, but, um, some were more difficult than others.
And, uh, and Karen has a way of telling her story that's self deprecating. And, uh, so there are some funny things that happened along the way and just a combination of everything. I thought it could make a fantastic book. So I was convinced. When I walked out of the coffee shop.
[00:18:22] Marco Ciappelli: You got this, you got to challenge yourself.
I think as a writer, it is daunting to think about writing a book as well. I mean, I'm not comparing, but I'm just thinking like somebody can get into have an objective that is, it seems so far away, so unreachable, right? But eventually you do it. Maybe you write a page every day and maybe you get to write in the book in the end.
And you know, in your case, it also include sleeping in the desert. And I don't know. Tell some of, I don't know, funny moments or scary moments, like, What are some examples in the book that you find yourself, because I'm sure you find yourself in a lot of situations.
[00:19:09] Karen Meades: I loved, um, I loved my jungle story. So we get to a particular, um, checkpoint and, uh, there's, there's a hundred runners in the jungle ultra marathon and, um, four of them are women.
So we're running along, we get to a checkpoint and they say, hang on. And there's 10 of us. You, you can't proceed. You're gonna have to wait. It's too late in the day. Dusk is upon us. And between dusk and dawn, the jaguars feed. So you can't go from this checkpoint to the next checkpoint. You're gonna have to wait.
So we're in the deep primary Amazon jungle and there's a race organizer there telling us to stop. Okay. They had um, a couple of army guys there and they set up these sort of, you can stay within this perimeter. So we hung our, our hammocks between two trees. You can't lie on the ground in the jungle. The carnivorous ants will eat you in about three hours.
So you hang your hammock. Between the trees and I climb in, you have netting that goes over your hammock so you're all nice and tight so that nothing comes into your hammock, uh, over the night, but it's mesh. So you can still look up and you can see the, the sky between some of the, the treetops and I'm lying there and it's as loud as a street corner in New York City.
I can hear, and I can hear the howler monkeys going. So I'm lying there. I'm an accountant from Ottawa and I'm lying there. My eyes are like this and I'm just thinking to myself, I am so alive. Who gets to do this? This is in, this is incredible. And I'm listening all night long. The sun starts to rise. And the race organizer there says, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, everyone, you can go now.
So we unzip and I had been running with a friend that I met there, um, Debbie from Scotland. So I'm running with Debbie. She looks at me, I look at her. And we just kind of shrugged and go, he says it's okay. Let's go. So we go to the next checkpoint. It was fantastic. Fantastic.
[00:21:56] Marco Ciappelli: But that's the attitude that made you do that.
Cause probably 95 or more percent of people would have been like, I'm out of here. And you're like, I feel so alive. I mean, I don't know. That's probably what made you do it. That is. I don't know, energy.
[00:22:16] Karen Meades: There is a certain something in me and, you know, Barry and I have talked about it. What makes you do this?
What makes you do this? I certainly have a sense of adventure and it's a combination from my young years and, you know, reflecting on how I was raised with my parents and uncles and aunts. Um, so there's definitely a mix of what makes a person do what they do. And we talk about that in the book to, uh, you know, to try and inform the reader of that storyboard.
Um, I do have to say though, if you do it once, I guarantee you're gonna do it again because it's like a chicken and egg. I know I want to do it again because I've done it. But why did I do it in the first place? I don't know. But now that I've had an adventure like that, I want another one.
[00:23:12] Marco Ciappelli: And the fact that you can do this.
You see part of the world that most people see from an airplane if you look down maybe or, or on TV or movies and stuff like that. That's, that's amazing.
[00:23:28] Karen Meades: I have seen, I've run on every continent and, uh, I, I've seen very, very special cultures. I've seen very special animals, um, very special landscapes. The world is people and the world is just beautiful.
[00:23:48] Barry Finlay: The other thing that comes out in the book that Karen hasn't mentioned yet is, uh, for her, it's not about winning. It's about finishing. And I think that's an important point that, uh, and that's, I think, going to be inspirational for everybody is, is the fact that You know, you don't have to win at whatever it is you're doing, as long as you finish.
And finishing is winning in
[00:24:10] Marco Ciappelli: a way. She gave that away at the beginning with the 5k. She was proud to have finished her medal. She wasn't proud about winning it, or it was the finishing that she said it right away. So I love that you just highlighted this.
[00:24:26] Karen Meades: I'm slow as molasses. So if you want to run, I'm And you want to go fast.
Off you go. I'm happy to step aside and let you go. I'm there for a different reason doing a different thing. Um, and, and, you know, like I said, it's, it's about those people that I'm shuffling beside and chatting with. And, um, it's about all the jaguars that I hear. And, uh, you know, the beautiful night skies in Chile.
I mean, that's what it's about.
[00:24:57] Marco Ciappelli: But you also, it says in your bio that you are Third, third Canadian women to conquer the race. So, um, that tells a lot about not everybody can do it. That may
[00:25:11] Karen Meades: just mean that there's not a lot of people who want to do it.
[00:25:14] Marco Ciappelli: not enough crazy
[00:25:15] Karen Meades: people. You mean
[00:25:17] Marco Ciappelli: crazy? In a good way, obviously.
Yeah. , uh, incredible. How, how, uh, Barry, I, I just want to go a little bit on both, both side here, 'cause I do remember we talked about your Kilimanjaro. Adventure with your son and it's kind of like a moment in your life that also needed to challenge Yourself in in a different way, but still a you know, pretty pretty big size challenge right there.
Have you found any similarity or Angle that did you you could have shared? I mean obviously you you presented in your book But with your personal experience, did something click there?
[00:25:56] Barry Finlay: Well for me, it was a life changing experience You know, I think, uh, everything Karen does, I'm sure, is life changing, but, uh, for me, that particular moment, uh, reaching the top and with my son was, uh, was life changing, and we, uh, and meeting the kids in Africa, we ended up raising money for 10 years to, uh, build schools and, uh, latrines and, uh, a number of other things in Africa, and, and it was, uh, meeting the people there and, uh, And the whole experience for me was absolutely life changing.
And, um, even the nutritional and, uh, and fitness part of it, you know, I've tried to continue that it's, uh, 15 years now since I climbed Kilimanjaro. And, uh, I've tried to continue that all the way along. So it really, uh, something clicked for me when, when, uh, we completed that.
[00:26:51] Marco Ciappelli: That's really cool. Um, Karen, how, how long ago was that you did all this race?
[00:26:58] Karen Meades: Uh, my most recent race was 2018. Okay. And, uh, I was training for a race to, uh, to head out to in, um, to 23. In order to complete these races, they require that you have a doctor's certificate. And that usually entails doing an ECG or an MRI, depending on, uh, on the physician that's, that's watching you. And, uh, well, I, I failed miserably the, the last, uh, the last checkup.
I have, uh, cardiomyopathy. So, uh, a certain percentage of my heart is scarred. So just a mix between genetics and the training and, um, yeah. So the physician suggested I don't do these races anymore, that I find some other adventures to do. And, uh, and, and suggested that, uh, perhaps I start to run 5Ks again instead of, uh, ultramarathons.
So I, I had a bit of a, um, I had a bit of a life change. Uh, it's, it's been a year and a half now, so it feels like ancient history, but I've taken up e biking and, and, uh, I have some bees in the backyard. So I've taken up some different things and, and looking at adventures in different ways, um, as opposed to, um, as opposed to those extreme races.
[00:28:29] Marco Ciappelli: So when you got this news, I mean, I'm sure you were not happy in general. I mean, that's not how we feel when we get that kind of news that are, you know, kind of like life changing, or maybe you might consider your. Maybe that eventually you have to, but you, I mean, I'm sure you, you enjoy doing the things that you're doing now.
I mean, it sounds to me that you are someone that if that's not possible anymore, I'm just going to take another challenge. I don't know that.
[00:29:02] Karen Meades: I don't see it that way, Marco. It's not a limit. So I mentioned a life pie early when we started earlier when we started chatting and it is that life pie, the running and those adventures have been brilliant.
No question, but there's many other slices. Life pie. There's many other things that define me. I enjoy going back to school. I enjoy, uh, you know, romantic adventures with my husband. Um, there's lots of other things on that life pie. So it was really about, it was really about going back to those basics to say, okay, okay, what can I do?
And. Pretty, pretty quickly out the gate, we went down to New Zealand and did an e bike, um, through the Alps to the ocean on that trail. So it's just I love New
[00:30:08] Marco Ciappelli: Zealand. Were you on the North Island, South Island?
[00:30:11] Karen Meades: South,
[00:30:12] Marco Ciappelli: South. That's the one I need to go to.
[00:30:14] Karen Meades: It's just about that, right? It's, and it really isn't, it really isn't a limit.
It's, it's, life is limitless. It's about saying not the one thing that I can't do, what are the million things that I can do and, you know, what interests me. So, for example, in December, we're going to do a hike and we're going to go and see the gorillas. In Rwanda, Uganda, so I can do that. The cardiologist says, that's fine.
Uh, walk slowly.
[00:30:48] Marco Ciappelli: Well,
[00:30:48] Karen Meades: you're
[00:30:48] Marco Ciappelli: already like molasses anyway.
[00:30:52] Barry Finlay: To me, that shift from doing all the things she did to doing what she's doing now is as impressive as, uh, as what she did before. You know, it would have knocked a lot of people on their butt, I think. And they would have had a hard time recovering.
But I think just the way Karen has, the way you've been able to, uh, to make that shift is, is really impressive.
[00:31:19] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, no, I, I love that and I, I share it, you know, you, you define it as a pie with different slices and they're all good, you know, just enjoy them, right? And they may be full of different, different experiences, not a pie just made.
It's almost like a different taste with different slice, but it's good. Oh, one pie, right? That's how I'm doing it. And, uh, and I love that. Um, what kind of experience do you, do you get now from doing these things where you don't have the pressure of the run, where you don't have to do it all by yourself, but you're probably enjoying?
I mean, you're still going in an adventure, but, Yeah. Yeah. Maybe a little less challenging. Did they give you a different perspective about the experience that you do? Because I feel like it's hard to enjoy the, enjoy the environment while you are actually doing it. Running for 250 miles in, I mean, kilometers in a week, it's kind of like, you're not like, whistling and going around and
[00:32:28] Karen Meades: it's, it's different.
So every adventure that every adventure that you have is different from the adventure that came before it and special in its own way. Um, so maybe there's less training involved with an e bike. in New Zealand and maybe that has, um, its advantages. Maybe it has its takeaways. I, I don't know. It, it depends on the particular adventure, but because I've selected that adventure, because I've said, Hey, I want to go back to school and I want to pursue this degree.
I know it's of interest to me because I know it's on that pie that I have. And I know that, um, I'm going to enjoy the process of going through it. I'm interested in it. I'm engaged. I'm there. I'm present. I want to do this. So they're different in different ways. I can't say that one is better than the other.
The fact that I've had many, and they're all in different sections of what I define as my total life, is what has made it quite fun and, and quite, um, quite interesting.
[00:33:51] Marco Ciappelli: And Barry, do you want to write more about Karen? Maybe another book with this other adventure? He must be tired of me by now. No, I can tell.
[00:34:02] Barry Finlay: Well, there's lots to write about, probably. Sure. If something comes along, sure. Right now I'm going back to the world of, uh, imagination.
[00:34:13] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah.
[00:34:13] Barry Finlay: So, uh, nonfiction, I'm working on another nonfiction book, but, uh, I'm always open for something new.
[00:34:20] Marco Ciappelli: Okay. I'm going to ask you this, cause I remember what we're talking about.
You, you've done different kinds of books and, uh, as you said, fiction and mystery and detective and, and, uh, nonfiction, of course, Um, how do you jump from one kind of writing to, to the other, because this is completely different from, from writing about detective.
[00:34:45] Barry Finlay: It is, but, but writing Karen's story and writing our own story and, uh, about Kilimanjaro, um, it's real life and it's, uh, I find it's, I don't know if it's, I think it probably is a bit easier than writing fiction.
You know, when you're writing fiction, you have to make all these things up, and you have to make sure that all the pieces fall into place, and you have to make sure that everything makes sense in the end, and you don't reveal too much as you're going along, and you know, there are a lot of different things you have to, uh, take into account, but whereas writing Karen's story, or writing my story, uh, or, or the story of the eight individuals, um, I was just writing real life and, you know, I tried to get as much out of the people as I could that I thought would be of interest and fit in the book.
So, I don't find it a big challenge jumping between the two.
[00:35:42] Marco Ciappelli: And Karen, I know you, you, I was reading on your bio that you co founded a health program. Want to tell me a little bit about that and and also maybe the what was the driver for you to say? Okay, I'm gonna book about my life my experience like I'm thinking So you have to write a book you want people to know Okay, the reason is there a connection with the fact that you've founded a health program between what you've done who you are and the book itself
[00:36:16] Karen Meades: So, up north, I was working at the Heart Institute, and at the time, telehealth was, um, it was hopeful that telehealth would be a solution to remote healthcare.
And um, the individual at the Heart Institute responsible for this telehealth technology said, um, folks in the north were saying that they don't have good access to healthcare. And, um, A couple of colleagues at the Heart Institute looked into it. And thought that, um, there was opportunity to have physicians from Ottawa rotate up, uh, to the north, provide clinics.
If the Inuit needed medical intervention, we would organize to fly themselves with an interpreter. And, uh, and, uh, uh, uh, fly themselves with a, uh, an escort. And while they're here in Ottawa, offer them interpretation services, transportation to their appointments, and so on. Case management. So, they asked if I would jump on board.
I had had an experience with, um, an Inuit, uh, person who had been adopted by a family in, in my community where I was growing up. So, there was. There was that interest in that connection that I had had and I jumped on board right away. I said, yes, yes, I want to be part of this. So, of course, my piece was finance.
So I put together the budget within the proposal. We won the proposal. The organization continues to this day. It's here in Ottawa, and it's coordinating this case management and this interpretation for the Inuit as doctors from Ottawa travel north and offer these clinics. So, just such a nice opportunity, and sometimes we see opportunities just by looking.
for the work that they are, but I also saw a tremendous amount of meaning in this opportunity and I really wanted to be part of it. So I, I left the organization, retired from the organization a few years back now. The organization continues and I, I feel that it's continuing doing really, really great work.
So Really fun, really happy to be part of that adventure. How does that relate to wanting to write a book? I really wanted to write a book to let people know that what I've done, um, if it resonates with you, if any of it resonates with you at all, What I've done is not in any way extraordinary, it's ordinary, very ordinary people just being mindful about living life to the fullest.
And I really wanted to write a book to let people know that it's possible. I had done a number of talks throughout the years. I had had a number of leadership positions as my career grew over the years. And I, and I just found if I can influence one girl or one woman or one man or You know, if I could influence somebody to live life bigger than they're living it, to get more from life, I want to write this down, and I hope it resonates with you.
[00:39:49] Marco Ciappelli: Very. I think you got that in the book.
[00:39:54] Barry Finlay: I think so. I think it comes across that you don't have to be Karen, but you can pick your own challenges and, uh, and, uh, and finish them.
[00:40:07] Marco Ciappelli: Well, I think that is the lesson. And I think everybody It's a limitless life. I think that we impose our own limits. I don't know if we want to finish with this, but you know, the limitless is when you realize that you don't have to be who you are just because that's where you were born or that's environment where you're at.
And, and again, it doesn't have to be, not that you finish this book and you have to go run through the Amazon. Some people are not going to deal with the Jaguars the way you did, right? But it may be that thing that you always wanted to do. Just, just do it one step at a time, right? Is that the lesson?
[00:40:56] Karen Meades: Just do it.
[00:40:57] Marco Ciappelli: Just do it? I heard that before, that just do it part. Or I've never heard it before. Or, as Barry was saying, and we were making fun about, you know, Uh, Doris in Finding Nemo, just keep swimming, or just keep climbing, or in your case, just keep running, I guess. That's, uh, that's the lesson. Well, I am glad that you guys both made it.
Uh, Barry, you brought Karen. Karen has a wonderful spirit, and, uh, and I think it comes through into the book. I'm looking forward to, to read it myself, and, uh, and I will let, uh, Uh, everybody click on the notes and connect to get the book and Karen anything you want to share with us about Either the organization that you have or anything any resource that you want the people to listen to or watch us on youtube On this podcast just share with me and everybody can find it in the notes Of course, there'll be the link to barrier as well.
Maybe to the other episode that we had together so that We can share it and uh and enjoy more stories So thank you very much, Karen and Barry.
[00:42:09] Karen Meades: Thank you.
[00:42:09] Barry Finlay: Thank you very much.
[00:42:10] Marco Ciappelli: I appreciate it. And everybody stay tuned, subscribe, and, uh, I'll come back with more stories for sure. Take care.