20 - Blaine Penny
The Explore84 Podcast
English - July 30, 2019 07:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBSociety & Culture Business personal growth entrepreneur wellness soul body mind healthy goals explore health topics self improvement Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
This week’s guest has a reputation that precedes him, and has been mentioned as a source of inspiration for previous guests on the podcast. Today we welcome Blaine Penny, President and CEO of the MitoCanada Foundation.
MitoCanada is Canada’s first and only registered charity focusing on mitochondrial disease. The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, and when affected by genetic disorders our cells no longer properly produce energy at the cellular level. Blaine’s son Evan was diagnosed at just 5 years old, Blaine has since founded MitoCanada to help support those affected by mitochondrial disease through MitoCanada’s three part mandate: supporting families, raising awareness in the general public, and working towards a cure along with better therapies to help improve day to day quality of life.
Outside of MitoCanada Blaine is an endurance athlete and holds several Guinness world records for his performance. His first foray into endurance sports was at 12 years old when a new teacher in his small Newfoundland town had started a cross-country skiing program, and Blaine says he’s been “givin’ ‘er ever since!” This passion will come as no surprise for those already with MitoCanada, as many of their fundraising events draw on his passion for pushing what the human body can achieve. In addition to the world-record setting 112 person group race Mark has mentioned on the podcast before, Blaine and MitoCanada have also partner with the Canada Goose Ultra, a 24 hour straight marathon.
Blaine’s all or nothing outlook on life is best summarized in his own words: ‘The human spirit is unbelievable in terms of what it knows is capable and possible"