Barry Finlay

I'm a Canadian author with ten published books but the real story is how I got to this point.

I was raised on a farm in central Canada, but quickly decided farming wasn't for me. I moved to the city at 18 where I worked toward a professional accounting designation. My working career involved various capacities for the Canadian federal government for over thirty years, including designing financial systems, writing financial policy and doing the accounting for over $300 billion in revenue.

I retired at 55 with no plan. After about six months I decided I needed something to do and started consulting. I consulted off an on for about ten years, but a health scare during that time changed my life dramatically. The doctor warned me that my lifestyle had to improve, so on the way home, I signed up with a personal trainer and worked on improving my fitness level and losing weight for about a year. With my sixtieth birthday approaching, I wanted to do something with my newfound energy, so my son and I climbed Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.

We used the mountain as a platform to raise money to help the kids of Tanzania, Africa and over the next ten years, my wife and I organized multiple events to complete four projects in Tanzania and help the Canadian Wounded Warriors Service Dog Program.

The climb and fundraising was a book waiting to be written, so my son and I wrote Kilimanjaro and Beyond: A Life-Changing Journey. I enjoyed the process so much, I wrote another...and another...and another... The Kilimanjaro book was followed up with a humorous travel memoir, five thrillers, and two mysteries. I continue to write thrillers, but I discovered I wasn't finished with nonfiction and my story came full circle.

When I was reflecting on the climb about two years later, I realized we accomplished our goal by putting one foot in front of the other. We just kept climbing. I came to the understanding that the mountain was a metaphor for any challenge we face in life. I came up with the motto, Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing, and published it on my blog. People started quoting it...on t-shirts, coffee mugs, posters... One person tattooed it on their arm. My readers encouraged me to write a book around the motto, but I resisted. I just didn't think I was ready.

Then, with my 75th birthday approaching, and with people seemingly becoming more and more disgruntled coming out of the pandemic, I thought maybe it was time for an inspirational book. I had my life experience to offer, but I wanted more than that. I interviewed eight people I considered to be incredibly inspirational for the book. The stories include everything from a woman who went through a bad marriage and struggled with obesity to became a champion bodybuilder at age 40 to two people overcoming drug addiction to someone who is handling a devastating medical diagnosis with tremendous courage. The book, called Just Keep Climbing: Inspirational Stories for Overcoming Challenges and Living Life, examines the commonalities among the eight, as well as how they each define success. Lessons learned from my life experience is woven throughout the book.

I think my story is unique in a way that would be interesting to a podcast audience. I've had a great career as a senior executive in my working life, but much of my success and satisfaction has come post-retirement, including receiving the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal for philanthropy. I think my story and the life lessons I have learned would appeal to anyone facing a challenge, and we all do from time to time, whether it is big or small.