Powered by Passion

My name is Karen Putz (yes, I married a Putz!) and I’m known as The Passion Mentor. My mission is to help people unwrap their passions at any age.

I’m passionate about my message, my experiences, and my ability to help others go on the most passionate journey they can take in their life. The very word, “passion” just gets me so excited and I could talk about it for hours.

My journey has taken me in the path of Growing Bolder–I love the people, the mission, and the tagline, “It’s not about age, it’s about attitude.” I share that same message here and on the road. I love to share the stories of people who are out there living their passions and breaking the age barrier in everything they do.

If I can help ONE person with my gifts and abilities and change their life to incorporate passion, joy, and laughter–then I will have fulfilled my purpose. I don’t believe in playing small with this. I believe we all have it within us to create a life of joy, purpose, and meaning. And live PASSIONATELY, of course!

All around me, I see people who are stuck in a routine of mediocrity and complacency. They may dream, but they do not DO. They wait for permission to put their dreams in action. How do I know this? I was that person five years ago. Life was good, but it was ho hum. I kept waiting for the mythical “Someday” to appear and a person to say, “Hey, you’re good at this, go do it.”

Well, guess what, there is no Someday on the calendar and the person you have to kick in the rear is YOU. Yup.

Let me Back the Story Up a Bit…

I discovered barefoot water skiing as a teen. I fell head over heels in love with the sport and I was crazy passionate about it. I barefoot water skied every chance I could. Then one day, I took a hard fall and instantly went from hard of hearing to deaf. I abandoned the sport and took up volleyball instead. My husband and I traveled all over the U.S. playing in Deaf tournaments. Then we had kids. Three of them. All three of them lost their hearing when they were very young. Life became busy and full. I loved being a mom.

Yet, something was missing…

How I Found My Passion Again

On my 44th birthday, I had a low moment. I looked back on my life and thought about the moments of joy. Barefoot water skiing was one of those moments and I just wanted to try experiencing that feeling once more. I tried barefooting the day before and could not even get my feet on the water. So that day, I resigned myself to the belief that it was all over–I’d never be able to experience that passion again. I was filled with regret. Why hadn’t I pursued my passion back when I had the youthful body and energy?

That same year, an unexpected mentor popped in my life via the TODAY show–a 66-year-old barefooter. Judy Myers invited me to Florida, where I met Keith St. Onge, the 2-time World Barefoot Champion. Not only did I barefoot again, I ended up competing for the first time at 45 and wrote a book with the champion— which was endorsed by Tom Ziglar (son of Zig Ziglar), Dan Miller, and Dave Ramsey.

I have trained with the top barefoot water skiers IN THE WORLD. At the age of 50, I can barefoot backwards on one foot with my hands in the air. I don’t say this to brag–I share this because as a teenager, I couldn’t even fathom being able to do such advanced tricks on the water.

I’ve learned the principles to living life with passion and loving your work. I share these principles and the UNWRAP process via workshops and keynotes.

I love to see others living their passions and enjoying life. As a Passion Test Facilitator, I love teaching the simple steps to unwrapping YOUR passion. And hey, there’s even a book on this topic: Unwrapping Your Passion.

Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait for perfect. The key is to take action. Act on your dreams. Act on your vision. Let’s work on that, together.

Contact me for a complimentary 30-minute Passion Session or to book me for a speaking opportunity:

karen@agelesspassions.com