019 | The Unknown North with Jennifer Kingsley
Jennifer Kingsley is the founder and project lead for Meet The North, a project that emphasized the lives of the people who call the Arctic their home. The project's focus was to allow the world to know the four million people living at the top of the world: their culture, their stories, and how climate change is affecting the way they live. The project ran from 2015 to 2018 and investigated the parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, and Svalbard that have been rarely explored. Jennifer is also the author of the book, Paddlenorth: Adventure, Resilience, and Renewal in the Arctic Wild, which tells the story of her adventures as she and five companions canoe through the icy and harsh―yet breathtaking―Arctic landscape.
Jennifer joins me to share what drives her to explore the northernmost regions of the planet and the events and people who fueled her adventurous spirit. She describes what the Canadian North is like and why she recommends it for group adventures. She explains the reason behind the book, Paddlenorth, and where her passion for writing started. She discusses how the pandemic made her look at her life choices. Jennifer also shares the beauty of listening to a person’s story and what she’s been doing recently.
"We have no idea what extraordinary things people have been through.'"- Jennifer Kingsley
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
Who Jennifer Kingsley is and her adventures around the world
Jennifer's earliest memories and her most significant influences
Jennifer's passion for journaling and her writing habits
Why Jennifer recommends the Canadian North for adventurers
The craziest bear encounter Jennifer's ever had
What made Jennifer write Paddlenorth
The life lessons Jennifer learned from the pandemic
Phone calls and the anxiety they brought Jennifer all her life
Why listening to someone's story can be a gift
The first time Jennifer ran away from home
Jennifer's thoughts on climate change and how it affected countries differently
Why Jennifer was accused of avoiding the topic of climate change
What the pandemic has been like for Jennifer
What is next for Jennifer in the coming months
Jennifer answers my lightning round questions
The one thing Jennifer wants everyone to understand about the Arctic
Connect with Jennifer Kingsley:
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.