BIO • PAST PRESENTATIONS • ARTICLES

Meet the Author: Carolyn Scott Kortge

     Chasing stories and racing deadlines was as close as Carolyn Scott Kortge (Kor'chee) came to athletic effort for most of her life. As a newspaper journalist, she focused her energy on professional achievements and never imagined that a physical challenge could offer as much motivation. But walking crept under her defenses.

     When walking picked up speed as a national trend in the mid-1980s, Carolyn wrote feature articles about this alternative to the jogging fad. Before long, curiosity pulled her into the action. Even a non-athletic "klutz" could walk, she reassured herself, as she joined a group of fitness walkers. One step led to another and in her mid-40s, she found herself on a starting line, entering the first track meet of her life.

The Writer Meets a Hidden Athlete
     Athletic competition brought more than medals. It led to a path of personal discovery and shaped a merger of mind and muscles. "I realized that the mental tools I had learned as a competitive athlete were basically the same focusing techniques I had used at other times as methods of meditation. The discipline required was similar. Athletic focus and spiritual practice joined together as spirited walking."

Award-winning Journalist Finds a Spirited Beat
     During a 20-year journalism career that carried her to the Oshkosh (WI) Daily Northwestern, The Wichita Eagle-Beacon in Kansas, and The Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon, Carolyn received numerous national awards for writing excellence.

Afoot on Trails of Discovery
     She makes her home in Eugene, OR, and begins most mornings by walking with her husband, Dean. On vacations, they travel distant trails. They've walked the 100-mile Cotswold Trail in England and trekked 120 miles through the Lake District. In 2004, they joined tourists and pilgrims to travel 115 miles of the legendary Santiago de Compostela trail in northern Spain.

Contact the Author: csk@spiritedwalker.com


Past Presentations


CURE Magazine Patient and Survivor Forum
Dallas, Washington DC, San Diego
Walking® Well Workshop — 2004 and 2005
www.curetoday.com

Issues After Breast Cancer
Kansas City, MO – March 2006
Keynote speaker

“Thank you again for the wonderful job you did at our "Issues After Breast Cancer" conference. You were great...so many good messages for anybody, not just breast cancer survivors.” —Andrea Ernst, US Oncology, Kansas City Cancer Center

Golden Door Spa, Escondido, CA
Spirited Walker® Week, 2001-2005
Walkways to Healing Week, 2005-2006
Daily walking classes plus evening lectures

“All I can say is ‘Wow’. The guest response to Spirited Walker week was overwhelmingly excellent. Carolyn has a real gift and we were lucky to have found her!”Trish Martin, Director of Fitness, Golden Door

Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, Kirkland, WA
Celebrating Survivors Event - May 15, 2004
Keynote Speaker

Life Beyond Cancer Retreat
Miraval-Life in Balance, Tucson, AZ
Annual retreat presenter 2002-2006

Spirited Walker® Week
2004-2006 — Rancho la Puerta Spa, Tecate, MX

Sunstone Healing Center
Tucson AZ
When You Walk Through a Storm Retreat 
May 2005, Feb 2006

  “Thank you, Thank you. Carolyn was a fantastic leader. Her wit and personality kept us going all weekend long. She created two walking addicts in my wife and I.” — Bob, Tucson AZ

Walking Well
® Program
Willamette Valley Cancer Center, Eugene, OR
Four-week walking program, 2002-2005

  “This class was exactly what I needed at this time. I felt that the lessons were designed precisely for me. I left each class feeling energized, happy, confident, and contented...and it lasts!” —Ruth Keele, Walking Well participant

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Read articles written by Carolyn Scott Kortge on these Web sites:
Article: cancerfit.com
CancerFit News features Carolyn’s article about her personal experience of walking for body and spirit during her own treatment for breast cancer.

Article: Innerself.com
Carolyn introduces techniques from The Spirited Walker
for building fitness for body, mind and spirit.

Essay: Seeding Your Spirtual Path with Pebbles
beliefnet.com


Read a review of The Spirited Walker
At thewalkingsite.com Web site

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