SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES

The other writes back triumphantly,

GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES

(From The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Stone Zander)

Radiolab

Radiolab is by far my favourite program. Ever. (Other than TED, of course.) Hosted and produced by the uber-talented Jad Abumrad and co-hosted by NPR Science Correspondent, Robert Krulwich, Radiolab is the place where “big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow.” I usually describe the show as science through story-telling, but it’s also about music, human experience, philosophy, exploration, possibility. Insightful. Educational. Awesome. Some of my favourite shows to get you started are Limits, The New Normal?, and In C.

The Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean

The best way to describe the Vinyl Cafe is Oh-So-Canadian. Stuart Mclean‘s Christmas stories about Dave and Morley have been a part of my tradition for the last few years, but his hour-long, independently-produced shows have certainly become a regular listen. The shows feature essays submitted by listeners, fictional stories, and performances by new Canadian talent. Half of his shows are produced in the studio, half on the road in front of live audiences, and many are, as Wikipedia says perfectly, “frequently humorous… and wistfully nostaslgic.” A great Sunday morning, pancake-making listen.

The Moth & This American Life

The Moth began in 1997 in a small New York apartment with friends sharing stories, and the show has definitely maintained this feeling of familiarity and festivity. The Moth has featured a whole range of storytellers, whether it be a Mormon virgin, a former pickpocket, a nobel laureate, a fireman or, one of our favourite storytellers, Malcolm Gladwell. This American Life, on the other hand, is a wonderfully produced show by the fascinating Ira Glass, featuring stories around a weekly theme like testosterone, prom, politics or the fear of sleep. These are both new shows for me, so I personally can’t provide a very in-depth review, but I’ve also had some very strong recommendations from some high-quality friends; hence, my recommendation. The best places to start are the favourites page for This American Life and the podcast feed for The Moth.

All of these shows are so well-produced and provide either superb educational value or just great entertainment (or even edu-tainment?!). Download them to your iPod/iPhone/iPad for the ride to work, or do like me and take a listen while you get ready in the morning. Either way, please do enjoy!

1. THE AWESOME

Besides the gawking at the architecture of Bing Thom and Gair Williamson (check out the before/after pics of the Keefer – wowza!), howling at the antics of the one and only Uncle Weed, and amazement at the pics of the smokin’ 67-year old Martha Sturdy as she built her cross-country horse trail with her chainsaw, rubber boots and tractor, the special moment of the night and the one who stole the stage for moi was a member of the fab Corker crew.

Miss Steph Corker Irwin is the Founder of Bliss for NoMoSolo and the Recruiting Manager at lululemon and she’s a bundle full of energy and gratitude. Although most of our encounters have been far too brief, I’ve had the pleasure to get know Miss Steph Corker Irwin mainly through her Twitter and blog, and I highly recommend checking her out if you ever need a daily dose of bliss and some kick-in-the-butt inspiration.

Last night, she rocked the stage (as expected!), speaking straight from that glowing heart of hers of lessons learned and wisdom shared from her year of coming alive. Everyone in that theatre soaked her right up, and heard her message loud and clear. Thank you for being such a genuine and lovely bright light at PK last night Miss Steph. Check her out!

Yup, that’s me. On Granville Street. In bare feet.

No, I haven’t gone the way of a hippy. It was my One Night Without Shoes.

One of my fave social businesses is TOMS Shoes, and their mission is simple: One-for-One. You buy a pair of shoes, and they give a pair to a kid without shoes.

TOMS hosted a global day sans shoes for people to experience a life without shoes first-hand and to help spread awareness of the impact a simple pair of shoes can bring to a child’s life.

Why?

Because many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk because…

• A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
• Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
• Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.       {Via TOMS.com}

So I decided that I would kick my kicks for the night. I would walk from wherever my car was parked, to the venue, keep the tootsies bare while I was at the event, and then back to my car. I had thought what better place to give it a shot than at an event with 1200 people in downtown Vancouver, right? Well, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be…

First of all, the event was at Vogue Theatre on Granville Street and if you’ve ever walked down Granville, you know that that is probably the last place that you’d EVER want to go walking barefoot. The cement was FREEZING. I was dodging broken glass and tiny puddles of spit (gross, I know).  I don’t even want to think of the types of fluids that have been on that street (ever grosser, I know!), hence why I’m very thankful I didn’t have or get any cuts or scrapes.

Then when I got to the venue, I didn’t have my ticket printed so I had to go wait in the will-call line. Just 10 more minutes that I didn’t want to be spending on Granville Street.

I got my ticket, arrived at the door, and the manager actually wasn’t going to let me in without shoes. After some explaining and convincing (and maybe a little begging and whining too), he allowed me in with the contingency that I wouldn’t go into the bathroom at any time (liability issues) and that I’d be kicked out if an inspector showed up. Then while inside, I welcomed the stares galore, and I was always wondering what was on the floor or whether someone’s heel might find my little toe.

I only walked up and down one block from my car to the venue and then all around the venue, but it was disturbing enough for the night. I couldn’t imagine having those fears or challenges every day… because of shoes!

I wish I could say I had a more positive experience, but it just goes to prove that life without shoes is not at all easy. I do love TOMS shoes and their One for One model though, so please go check them out if you don’t know about them already. The date for next year’s One Day Without Shoes is yet to be set, but I hope you’ll join me in the next barefoot excursion.

]]> http://njthompson.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/pecha-kucha-my-night-sans-shoes/feed/ 2 njthomps PK Vancouver kickingkicks barefootbeforeafter http://njthompson.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/age-10-and-divorced/ http://njthompson.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/age-10-and-divorced/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:24:59 +0000 NJ Thompson http://njthompson.wordpress.com/?p=304 ]]> This past Monday, the world celebrated International Women’s Day, which, according to the website, is “a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.” A loaded celebration, to be sure.

How did I celebrate?

Well, thanks to my beautiful friend, Sarah Jamieson, I was able to attend an event called Half the Sky Live, inspired by the book and movement by the same title and hosted by CARE. I was incredibly inspired by the stories of just pure courage, but also shocked and disturbed by the very personal stories of sex trafficking, forced prostitution, and gender-based violence. I’ll admit, these things weren’t within my limited span of awareness on this day of celebration.

—

The story that particularly moved me that evening, and that was featured in a vivid documentary by Marisa Tomei and Lisa Leone, was that of Woineshet Zebene Negash. Woineshet is an incredible girl (now a young woman) from Ethiopia, who at the age of 13 was abducted and raped.

As an article by Equality Now explains,

“In some regions of Ethiopia, abduction is an old cultural practice used to take a girl as a wife by force. Typically, the girl is abducted by a group of young men. She is then raped by the man who wants to marry her, who may be someone she knows or a total stranger. The elders from the man’s village then apologize to the family of the girl and ask them to agree to the marriage. The family often consents because a girl who has lost her virginity would be socially unacceptable for marriage to another man. Sometimes the abductor keeps the girl in a hiding place and rapes her until she becomes pregnant, at which time her family feels it has no option but to agree to the marriage.”

“Both abduction and rape are criminal offences under Ethiopian law, but until recently, Articles 558 and 599 of the 1957 Ethiopian Penal Code provided that in the event of subsequent marriage to his victim, the perpetrator is exempt from criminal responsibility for these crimes.”

To Woineshet and her family though, this was unacceptable. She brought her abductor and his accomplices to court, and they were charged to 10 and 8 years respectively to imprisonment. However, just four months later, their appeal was approved and they were released without parole.

Her father and her have since been educating rural communities and fighting to change the laws in Ethiopia; however, to my ignorance and disbelief, this is not a unique case.

—

Today, I finished the book, “I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced”. If that title didn’t make you gasp, the story certainly will.

Nujood Ali grew up in Yemen, where as discovered by a study by Husnia al-Kadri, the director of women’s affairs at the University of Sana’a, over half of the women in the country are married before the age of eighteen. Nujood herself was married off at age nine by her father to a man more than three times her age. She never agreed to the marriage and never saw or signed the contract, but she was married to a dowry of 150,000 rials (around $750) and a promise to “not touch [her] before the year after she has her first period.”

In her book, she tells the explicit story of the horrifying months of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse by her husband and in-laws, and let me remind that she was ONLY TEN YEARS OLD!! But in her incredulous bravery, she escapes to a courthouse and becomes the first child bride in Yemen to be granted a divorce. After Nujood’s day in court, two other young girls – Arwa, who was nine, and Rym, twelve – pursued their own battles to be granted a divorce, and won.

I have become so aware of the young girls around me at the cafe and on the bus, taking a guess at their age and quivering every time. Yes, it may be distant, but it is also still real and real today.

—

And so, with Woineshet and Nujood in mind, International Women’s Day became a much more meaningful day this year. Yes, it was still a celebration in the most gracious appreciation of where I am, of what I am able to do on a daily basis, and of the incredible women that have allowed me to be here. But this year, I have also developed a new appreciation which is not one to celebrate, but rather one to talk about: an appreciation that perhaps I am the one in the unique situation.

(Also, please note that these girl’s stories are much more complex and their lives much more beautiful than what I’ve been able to describe today. I highly recommend both of these books to get the full story!)

Thoughts friends?

I am giddy and anxious and just absolutely thrilled to say that Beyond Pink 2009 is almost here!

What is Beyond Pink? Well, as the website says:

Beyond Pink is a two-day conference that will host 350 energetic young women from November 13th-15th at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver, Canada. This unique, high-impact and eco-friendly conference will create a space for young women to engage in intimate workshops, partake in interactive roundtable discussions, engage with industry professionals, build lasting personal connections, and celebrate inspirational women in business. Beyond Pink inspires through action, enriches through connection and empowers through ideation.

I had the absolute pleasure of working with a group of 24 amazing women to launch Beyond Pink last year, and to say the least, it was magical. Within three months, we decided to organize the conference, found a hotel, recruited 20 speakers and 50 tradeshow exhibitors, we raised corporate sponsorship and somehow found 200 ambitious young women to join us at the Sheraton Wall Centre for the weekend.

Serendipity certainly played it’s part in making the event happen, but it was the ambition, talent and sheer awesomeness of the team, delegates, speakers, sponsors and mentors that made the weekend remarkable, and the feedback confirmed this:

“You guys did such a great job! Thank you for everything – this has had such an impact on my personal and professional life. I cannot stress that enough!

“It was one of the most beneficial conferences I have been to. I was able to take something away from every one of the speakers. The OC should be so proud of themselves. AMAZING!”

“There is always one event/activity in the year that stays with me for very long, and leaves behind great experiences. Beyond Pink is definitely that event for me this year! I loved the positivity of the event, the intellect & experiences that all delegates had to share and offer! Further, I loved the small things that the OC thought to integrate i.e. the ‘what I would like to help with’ board, the trade show with some amazing entrepreneurial women, and the keynote speakers (who were incredible!). Thank you!”

“A very unique, one-of-a-kind type of conference tailored towards ambitious young women. It was great meeting wonderful young women with minds alike!”

“I would like to start by saying Thank You! I have never met so many amazing women in the course of 48 hours. I found this experience incredibly eye-opening and learned so much about myself, my goals, my passions and so much more. I was incredibly moved by the speeches from the guest speakers, and I know that what I have learned over the weekend will stay with me forever. I have gained so many valuable tools that I need to do to be a success, not only with my career, but my life. “

Yes, there were a whole lot of exclamation marks (!!!!) and a lot of “amazings“. We heard about career changes, incredible personal insights, businesses being launched, new invaluable mentor/mentee relationships – all of which stemmed from a two-day conference. Yeah, I know. Wow. Which is why I’m so giddy and anxious and absolutely thrilled that Beyond Pink 2009 is just around the corner!

Lucky for us, Beyond Pink promises to be even bigger and better this year. The 350 delegates will get to soak up the speakers line-up which includes Patricia Graham (Editor-in-Chief of the Vancouver Sun), Judy Brooks (President & CEO of Blo Blow Dry Bar), Chris Flett (Founder of Ghost CEO), Allison Mack (Actress on Smallville), the Smart Cookies and many more. There will also be the Connect! Women in Business Tradeshow, a celebratory Gala and Silent Auction, an All-Male Panel Session and a Mentorship Lunch. An inspiring and fun-filled weekend indeed.

If you want to register now, you can get your tickets here. Or if you want to learn a bit more and connect with the YWiB gals, you can head to Facebook, Twitter (@msbeyondpink) or the amazing Beyond Pink Website (!!!).

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” – Helen Keller

This morning I was sipping on my homemade chai and looking out over my new rainy Vancouver view. I just moved into a tenth floor apartment with floor to ceiling windows looking North, East and South over the city. (And I’ve been in basement suites with no windows for five years now, so I’m allowing myself to be excited and brag a little!)

I just sat there watching the mass of cars driving back and forth over the Burrard and Granville bridges, the continuous flow of people crossing the streets, the constant movement of the city – things you don’t see from the basement… I was fascinated by the buzz.

And then I looked up and to the West, and became completely entranced by the contrast of the city and the mountains. Softened with the gray haze of the September rain, the backdrop just sat there. The mountains, the tankers in the bay, the highrises of downtown, the great trees of Stanley Park – they all just sat there.

It looked so peaceful, so relaxing – people weren’t rushing about trying to get to the next appointment – and I had this sudden urge to forget it all and just go sit on a rock in the forest and do nothing. I thought, how nice would it be to get away from this need to run about, go from project to project, make stuff happen, get more, make more, see more people, do more things, and rather, just sit there and watch the squirrels play and the leaves blow in the wind. (Ha, I know!)

Now, I’ve always been ridiculously impatience. I want a perfect world, I want to see change happen and I want it to happen now, and I’ve come across a lot of friction because of this impatience. Climbing the corporate ladder has never been my schtick and believe me, bureaucracy and I do not jive well!

But now, looking out from my new apartment, I finally get why and my urge to sit in the mountains quickly disappeared….

Over time, the tankers will move, the trees will grow, the tide will come in and out, the mountains will shift. And the same goes for these bureaucracies and ladder climbers – one day they might move – but my rate of movement is completely different than theirs.

If you want to move but feel like you need to put in your “time” so you can earn your ranks, if you’re impatient for change, or you feel like your potential is being ignored, please don’t slow down. Just as there is a stark contrast between the movement of the mountains and the city, there also exists contrast in the rate of movement amongst people and organizations. It’s all a matter of relativity.

We don’t have the lifespan of the mountains, so we don’t have the time to just sit there. We don’t have the time to waste waiting for other people to move or give us that next opportunity. If you are naturally a busy bee, then don’t let anyone slow you down. People say life is short, and how right they are. Realize your potential, dream big dreams, and make no compromises. Keep on moving and be your fabulous busy bee self.

On May 4th, 2008, Steph and Matt began their 369-day journey running one marathon a day around North America (totaling 11,000 miles!) to inspire the rest of us to take action for our One Planet.

I really can’t say enough about Matt and Steph and their incredible journey. They made a commitment to changing the world and in the process, ignited a flame in myself and so many others to take action and change into our own hands. Their ripple is far larger than they could ever imagine and I will ever be thankful to them for their inspiration.

I encourage you to please read their story below. It’s worth at least 430 marathons…

***********************************************************

This was how it all came together for those who are reading this for the first time. And for our friends and supporters who’ve been along for the duration, a re-cap of all things running to inspire action for a beautiful Planet that wants to keep on sustaining us for the long haul.

For everyone, enjoy and remember: 1 single action can change your world. It did for us.

That was the motto for our 17,700km “Run For One Planet” run across Canada and around the perimeter of America, to inspire Environmental Action, one step at a time. Our goals were simple: 1 marathon each per day, inspire 1 million new actions for Earth from our website’s top 10 action steps list and raise $1 million for our Legacy for Kids, to fund their “green dreams” and connect them with their daily habits and our Planets health.

Our names are Stephanie Brooke Tait and Matt Hill. We Co-founded this dream together from a collective desire to give back and step out of our comfort zones to use running as the vehicle to deliver the message of simple daily actions all adding up for our Planet’s health.

The idea was conceived while on a flight to Detroit as I had been asking for many years, what was my life purpose and how can I use my love of running, people, the planet, and now Steph, to make a big difference. So when the captain said we’d reached our cruising altitude of 27,000 feet above the surface of our big blue Planet, the answer came rushing in like a torrent of water, freshly released from a long held dam.

I knew I was on to something much larger than I. I also knew I wanted my partner in crime, to leave her life and hop onboard this crazy but purposeful dream. I think destiny stepped in over the next 3 weeks as I finally uttered the dream to Steph and tentatively asked, “do you think I’m crazy”? She had this instant feeling of, “I remember” and responded with an emphatic “YES, but I love crazy people”!

So exactly three weeks after, as we ran along one of our favorite urban trails, Steph said “let’s build this together and we made a pact to each other, that stated “if we decide to go for it, we’ll never look back and we’ll do everything in our power to make it a success. And as the final miles tick away under our blistered feet and tired bodies, we’ll smile in the knowing because we left it all out there on the pavement, left no stone unturned and we will have nothing left. We will truly be spent”.

Thus ensued 18 months of the biggest, most stretching, largest life learning’s we could have ever signed up for, willingly. 80-hour weeks of training, planning and team building were the norm. We had a tour fundraiser Barn Burner that raised well over $25,000, supported by our personal “army of peeps and peep’ettes” from the four corners of our lives.

We spent a year securing a 28-foot diesel powered RV (affectionately named Racy Verna) and retro-fitted her with as much and as many Earth friendly alternatives as we could, to make a lighter foot print for the tour and to show people what they can also do in their own lives and homes, to make a lighter foot print.

On May 4th, 2008 we hit the ground running along with our world class team of R41P volunteers (30+) and in 369 tour days, Steph and I ran about 215 marathons each, presented to over 30,000 people (mostly elementary school kids), in 200 presentations, burned roughly 1.5 million calories each, destroying 14 pairs of Asics running shoes in the process.

The kids we presented to and met in each town and city became our “army of pint-sized eco warriors”, 30,000 and growing and was the wind beneath our feet, especially when the days got long and miles ran deep. They met us with 100% ebullient enthusiasm, eagerness to commit to change and became the main mission of our tour’s message as we constantly presented and connected with the real leaders of our NOW, not just our future. Kids don’t make an appointment in their day timers to think about eliminating plastic bags, they just say, “ok I’ll do it” and it’s done.

We received letters from teachers and parents saying things like, “know that you changed these children’s lives and ours. Why? Because since you were here, they’re now always reminding us to turn off our cars and please turn off the water and the lights when we leave a room”. This confirmed to us a we ran each day, that people just need to feel inspired to care and to change because it makes them feel good, not because they feel guilty. This was why kids made the tour so special, because they look for fun in the moment and believe in their own power to do the right thing.

The big kids (adults aplenty) were also a huge source of inspiration along the winding, twisting, ever changing, ever exciting, Run for One Planet highway. We would have been lost without the hundreds of “local hero’s” everywhere, lending their expertise, sweat equity and connections within their local communities to ensure we made an impact everywhere we ran through. The power of the human spirit is alive and thriving as we were always welcomed in like old friends and treated like family everywhere we went.

Some of the tour highlights would be:

• Having the privilege of running your dream with your partner in crime at your side.
• Witnessing change happening right before your eyes as people become empowered by their goodness.
• Running 26.2 miles everyday, watching the miracle of sunrises and sunsets that leave you speechless.
• Realizing just how BIG Canada really is.
• Experiencing that “Maritimer spirit”.
• Being part of history in New York City on election night, Nov. 4th 2008 and seeing “yes we can”, happen.
• Receiving the gifts of “Southern Hospitality” and actually gaining weight in the process.
• Standing in the exact spot where your childhood hero “Terry Fox” had to leave the pavement and know what it took to get there having two legs.
• Standing in the exact spot where your childhood hero “Terry Fox” had to leave the pavement and not knowing what it took to get there, having one leg and cancer in your lungs.
• Seeing the beautiful blue Pacific again after 10 months and running into a southern California sunset.
• Knowing we made a difference by just continuing to go “one small step at a time”.
• Having a 14-day homecoming celebration as we hit Canada again on April 24th 2009 at the ferry dock in Victoria and made a run for home up Vancouver Island and had some our most treasured experiences as a result.
• That same homecoming back into to Canada day, seeing the faces of the two beautiful souls who gave us life, our Moms.
• Feeling totally complete in our mission as we ran the final tour day #369 under full Police motorcycle escort as we were brought across the Lions Gate Bridge in our own lane and greeted by a collection of family, friends and hundreds of supporters to unlace at the Epic Expo and change the “miles ran” to read: 11,000.

Never underestimate how powerful just one single step can be. It was the sole reason we eventually completed 11,000 miles, covering two countries. It’s the same with environmental action and the core reason we decided to ask people all along our journey, to just commit to doing 1 single daily step from our website’s list of top 10 action steps (see above link).

In closing, we’d like to end with one very worn, very old, and VERY truthful quote from Indian Leader, Mahatma Gandhi as he led his country’s men and women peacefully headlong to meet the British Army, vastly out numbered and outgunned.

“Be The Change You Would like to See in The World”.

And our quote, as we reflect on our odyssey to heaven, to hell and back because our journey was hard, was fraught with a few disasters and we were very much out numbered (especially by cars passing us on the highways and a business as usual from many). But like Mr. Gandhi, who continued to ask his people to go peacefully and know that even though they were hugely outnumbered, the fire in their hearts for change would be all the power they would need, if they stuck together.

So we ask you, “What’s your marathon a day”?

Matt Hill / Stephanie Tait

Since you are so passionate about family, how do you find a balance when you just want to grasp on to so many other things and make so much change happen?

It’s my favourite: the Work/Life Balance Question.

I’m fascinated when people ask this. The answer, in my mind, is simple: work is just a part of life. There exists no balance between work and life.

I decided early-on that there were certain things in life that were non-negotiable:

1. My family, first and foremost.
2. Being there for my friends for a good chat, a good time or just good company.
3. Feeling great. For me, this includes good-for-me food, a glass of wine, enough sleep, lots of water, a good hair cut, great clothes and generally doing things that I enjoy.
4. Growing constantly. Reading, learning, trying to new things, listening, watching, ideating, experiencing.
5. Doing good for my world through giving back, helping people when they need it, and so on and so on.

Nothing will ever come in the way of these priorities. I defend these priorities like I would my Grandfather’s grave. I know that, if anything gets between me and my priorities, I need to change something in my life.

Now, I know this may seem like a drastic stance, but I don’t believe that you should or can settle when it comes to your life. People start to feel unbalanced when their priorities fall by the wayside and almost immediately, my favourite Work/Life Balance Question comes up. I truly believe that you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone or anything else, including work. There is no balance between work and life. This whole journey – work included – is your life.

Know what makes you happy, what makes you feel good, what allows you to live your values, and what moves you toward your life goals and dreams. Define these non-negotiables and defend them. I promise, you’ll be better at home, at work, at life, and especially, at changing the world.

What better day than today to give the performance of your life.

Take it from Danyl. Think he had any hesitations? Think he regretted seizing the opportunity to give the performance of his life? Think he would’ve given that performance if he held back even an ounce?

We don’t need The X Factor and Simon Cowell to give the performance of our life. We only need what we have today to make the leap, to create the change.

Danyl took the leap.

So can you.

So can I.

(Big hugs to Corker for sharing this absolutely remarkable clip!)