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JB Owen, Founder and Publisher of Ignite Publishing, and her husband, Peter Giesin, CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of Ignite, are travelling up to the Top of the World near Dawson City for a good cause. They are cycling 6700 kilometres to raise funds for a Cambodian project.

鈥淟ast year we cycled 5000 kilometres across Canada for Sunshine (Foundation of Canada), and this year, because of COVID, and we couldn鈥檛 travel, we thought we鈥檇 go north, and so we decided we鈥檇 travel to the Top of the World, and raise money for the Classroom of Hope,鈥� relates Owen.

The couple have four children between the two of them. Their two teenage daughters, Lydia Sacallis, 13, and Jorja Geisin, 16, are accompanying them on their latest journey.

鈥淭hey come along with us. They are in our support vehicle. They do all of our sort of mapping out and they find the sites to see, and they help with the cooking and the food, and 鈥� they鈥檙e always cheering us on through the window and they鈥檙e really a great part of the team,鈥� says Owen.

The Red Deer couple started their journey on June 27 and plan to be done on August 28.

鈥淪o last year when COVID started, I really felt like people were waiting to hear what they could do,鈥� says Owen.

鈥淓verybody was sort of in this 鈥榥ot allowed to do this, not allowed to do that.鈥� And what I felt was that we really needed to wake up to what鈥檚 possible. We need to start thinking about what鈥檚 possible, not what we can鈥檛 do. And so I got very inspired to create this idea of igniting possibilities, and I feel, especially with four kids, that we have to encourage the new generation in all of us to feel like 鈥榳hat鈥檚 possible?

What can we go out and do? How can we fulfill our lives?鈥�

鈥淎nd so I just turned 50, when 鈥� this idea came up, and I thought 鈥業 want to cycle across Canada and show people that it鈥檚 possible.鈥� So I gained quite a bit of weight with COVID, and I just had my 50th birthday鈥� I鈥檇 never been an athlete, I鈥檇 never cycled before, and I decided I really wanted to do something to show people you can just get up and do it.

鈥淎nd so the same with this trip 鈥� this whole year we haven鈥檛 been allowed to travel, and again, we just wanted to show people that Canada is a beautiful place to visit. Instead of pining for where we can鈥檛 go, figure out what we can do, what can we make possible, so we thought we鈥檇 cycle to the Top of the World 鈥� what an incredible accomplishment. So we鈥檙e building an Ignite Possibility School of Hope in Cambodia for kids, because again, we feel that every child deserves to believe in what is possible for them and our whole vision is how do we ignite possibilities in people? How do we show people that at 50 years old you can cycle across the country? How do we show people that you can just get up one day and go after a dream and do something that you never thought was possible? But you just make the effort and it becomes possible.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating when you just step into it and you put one pedal in front of the other, things just open up, and 鈥� just like meeting beautiful people here in Whitehorse. Things just happen serendipitously.鈥�

Owen says 50 was a motivating age for her. 鈥淵eah it was. For a lot of people 50, you want to 鈥� go to the Great Wall of China, or skydive, or do something really big, and I thought 鈥榳ell what can I do that I鈥檇 never done before. I鈥檇 never cycled, I鈥檇 never been an athlete,鈥� and this was just like a big dream, to cycle across Canada. And now we鈥檙e really bit by the bug of cycling, and so now cycling to the Top of the World 鈥� going to the Yukon, was like a big dream too. So it鈥檚 been unfolding and unfolding every year.鈥�

According to Owen, the couple are having the time of their lives on their cycling trek.

鈥淭he trip has been fantastic. First of all, Canadians are just so generous. They鈥檙e so giving. They鈥檙e so helpful. We have just met so many people that have just helped us on our next part of the journey, given us suggestions, taken us fishing, given us ideas, and we鈥檝e just had a fantastic trip.

鈥淎nd I would honestly say, like, coming to the Yukon, you have a perception of what it鈥檚 gonna be like, and it鈥檚 exceeded all that. It鈥檚 been beautiful, it鈥檚 been gorgeous, the people have been super-friendly, we鈥檝e had several encounters. We鈥檝e seen seven or eight bears on the side of the road, we had a beautiful experience. We got to run with the buffalo. They were all in the ditch. There was about 60 of them in the ditch, and our bike came down the hill and got them all perked up, and they all started running with us as we were cycling, and they were just charging down through the ditch. It was incredible! I was feeling like 鈥榳ho gets to run with the buffalo?鈥� We just had great food, and great hospitality, and it鈥檚 just completely inspired us of how beautiful Canadians are.

Geisin adds, 鈥淲e get caught up in our daily activities and we forget what or whom is in our own backyard. Just now we are out exploring our own back yard, and it鈥檚 all of Canada. And it is just so beautiful. Every day we have met a new person that has been so kind and so friendly, and so inspiring. A couple from here, from Whitehorse, that we met down in Lake Atlin, took us out on their boat, took us fishing, they caught six fish, and then they filleted it right there and gave us that. So that night we had fresh fish for dinner.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just such a beautiful journey, and the people here in Whitehorse have just been amazing. Everyone we met has just been outstanding.鈥�

鈥淲e broke a chain on our bike in Dawson Creek, and they just fixed it for us and didn鈥檛 charge us. People have just been so generous,鈥� added Owen.

Owen explains the concept behind the Classroom of Hope.

鈥淐ambodia is where their initiative is, and there鈥檚 so many children there who live in rural areas that have absolutely no access to education whatsoever. And again, I just feel that, being a parent of four, that it鈥檚 so imperative that children have access to what鈥檚 possible for their future, and knowing that I could be influential in building a school, that could be for generations to come, was just an absolute yes.

Giesin adds, 鈥淎s an empowerment publishing house, our vision is to impact a billion lives through a billion words, and what better way to do that through a school for underprivileged children. Just to give them that opportunity to read. Like the literacy centre here, just giving away free books, how beautiful is that just to give away words? It鈥檚 inspiration.鈥�

The end goal of their journey is to raise $35,000, which would be equal to 35,000 bricks towards the construction of the school. They have paired their fundraising with downloads from their latest publications.

Every download equals one brick towards the school.

As for some of the memorable experiences they鈥檝e had along the way, there鈥檚 been a few.

鈥淔ishing with some local people was really beautiful,鈥� says Owen.

鈥淛ust a beautiful lake, and then just spontaneously 鈥� we鈥檙e going into the lake,鈥� relates Geisin. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 just such beautiful clear crystal waters that you don鈥檛 find no place else. Swimming along the road at this beautiful lake. I鈥檒l never forget it.鈥�

鈥淎nd we did a bit of rock climbing through a canyon 鈥� that was really beautiful,鈥� says Owen. 鈥淎nd then Peter jumped in the water, it was freezing cold, glacier water. We鈥檝e just been like living in the moment, just really diving into the moment and taking those experiences.

Geisin adds, 鈥淭he trip to Fort Nelson 鈥� I guess it鈥檚 not Yukon, but part of it into Yukon, and into Watson Lake, we had six days of no cell service whatsoever. So to be able to unplug for six full days in this world, is unheard of! But it was so precious. The girls got nothing, we got nothing, it was just connection as a family.

So where do they go from here? Owen explains.

鈥淪o we鈥檒l go to the Top of the World, and we鈥檙e super excited, because that鈥檚 kind of the pinnacle for us, we will cycle all the way down to Kelowna 鈥� we鈥檙e gonna renew our wedding vows in Kelowna, and then we cycle all the way to the U.S. border, and across through Frank Slide, back into Alberta.鈥�

And what about when it鈥檚 all over?

鈥淲e have a TV series that we鈥檙e creating called Ignite Possibilities, and so we鈥檙e doing a 12-part episodic series that we鈥檙e building to show people鈥檚 other Ignite experiences and how they鈥檙e igniting things in their lives,鈥� says Owen.

The final word also goes to Owen. 鈥淭he great thing is we can create our ignite moments. We can build these wonderful powerful life-changing moments into our lives, we just have to take the effort, take the risk, take the chance, and so we鈥檙e all about inspiring people to live their ignite moments, and really enjoy them, and notice them, and recognize them.

鈥淥ur company is called Ignite, our stories are all about ignite, we鈥檝e published over 700 stories of people鈥檚 ignite moments, and it really is to bring us together. We all have this human connection for emotion, and perseverance, and dedication, and if we can recognize that in each other, then skin colour and gender and nationality and any differences don鈥檛 matter, because we鈥檙e in this human condition together.鈥�