You never know how close you are to a great story.

I (Justin) learned that on my recent trip to Africa on my way to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Boarding my flight I met Caitlin James as she was on her way to climb the very same mountain.

The more I heard from her, the more I realized I had come across a truly amazing story.

Caitlin was paralyzed in a boating accident.

Through surgery and rehab, she eventually regained the ability to walk.

Walking was just the start though.

She jokingly said if she could walk again she'd climb a mountain in a banana suit...and that's exactly what she did.

That first mountain hooked her, and she has racked up an insanely impressive list of summits in just a couple of years.

This story may not seem relevant to some for this show, but we thought it made perfect sense.

Many people want to do something adventurous, travel, and spend their days outside instead of behind a computer.

These reasons are what drive them to retire.

But Caitlin isn't waiting for retirement to live out her dreams and pursue her passions.

Instead, she is making her passions her career.

Caitlin reinvented herself and her career. Check out her expeditions over the last couple of years:

NORTH AMERICA

DENALI Alaska 20,310

MT WHITNEY, California 14,505

MT RAINIER, Washington 14,411

MT HELEN, Washington 10,786

SOUTH AMERICA

ACONCAGUA 22,837 (Normal route)

Ojos del Salado 22,615

(Argentinian side)

PERU

Cordillera Blanca Range;

Huascaran 22,205

Chacraraju 20,039

Salkantay 20,574

Ausangate Nevado trek;

Machu Picchu 7,972

Huayna Picchu 8,835

Rainbow Mountain 17,060

Nevado Ausangate 20,945

Nevados Ojos del Salado 22,569

ECUADOR

Chimborazo 20,549

EUROPE

MONT BLANC 15,777

MATTERHORN 14,692

The EIGER 13,642

The ALPHUBEL 13,799

DOLOMITES 10,968

MONTE ROSA 15,203

BRITISH COLUMBIA

MT LOGAN 19,551

MT FAIRWEATHER 15,325

MT ROBSON 9,281 FT

AFRICA

Kilimanjaro, 19,341 (3x in two years)

Umbwe, Marangu, Machame Route

Mt Meru 14,980

Cape Town 3,563

CHILE

Torres Del Paine (Patagonia)

JAPAN

MT Fuji 12,388

MT Tsurugi 9,839

NEPAL

EBC TREK 17,598

LOBUCHE 20,062

ISLAND PEAK 20,252

MANASLU C3 23,622

INDONESIA

SUMATRA 12,484

AUSTRALIA

MT KOSCIUSZKO 7,310

MT TOWNSEND 7,247

GREAT OCEAN WALK 240 Kilo/149miles

We hope this inspires you to consider how you can chase your dreams now and not feel as though your life is chained up until retirement.

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Links from The Episode

Caitlin on Instagram

Caitlin's Website

Caitlin on TikTok

Caitlin on Facebook

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