Keynoter shares search for truth

When keynote speaker, Carine McCandless, takes the Black River Coliseum stage at this year's Women Aware Conference, Thursday, Sept. 24, be prepared for a powerful and unexpected experience. In the 90s, it was Carine's brother, Christopher McCandless's story, Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, which touched the heart and soul of the world. Chris had given away his savings, hitchhiked into the wilderness of Alaska and starved to death in 1992.

When consulting with both Krakauer and Sean Penn, who directed the film, Carine enlightened both that there was much more to Chris' story, but at the time she was not prepared to reveal all to the public. Both Krakauer and Penn honored Carine's request to limit what was revealed. Now, some 20-odd years later, Carine has written her own book, The Wild Truth, in which she shares her own truth.

Carine said, "I wasn't prepared for the messages received every day from such diverse people throughout the United States and various countries around the world. These accounts of how they'd been affected by Chris' story were as different as they were similar, and reading them was both joyous and heart wrenching, because they served as constant reminders that I'd done a disservice to Chris through my unwillingness to share his entire story. Our story."

Carine shared on her website, "We had grown up in the same troubled household, sharing the secret reality that was our dysfunctional and violent family dynamic. I knew why," Carine explained, "Chris had embraced the harsh wilderness of Alaska, and why he had done it alone. I'd learned from my own private journey into a life without my brother and best friend, that the greatest inspiration comes only from that which Chris valued above all else --what he referred to often in the margins of his beloved books and in the letters he wrote to me before embarking on his great adventures: TRUTH."

Women Aware Conference Director Chris Waite explained, "Carine McCandless was chosen as keynote speaker because of the notoriety of her brother's story in the book "Into the Wild" that later became a movie, produced by Sean Penn. Carine collaborated with the author Jon Krakauer and Sean Penn on the movie, bringing insight and life to her brother's character." Waite added, "'Into the Wild'" is required reading in about 3,000 colleges and high schools across the United States. I believe Carine will share many valuable life lessons that will touch every attendee in some way."

The other side of the coin is why Carine accepted the invitation to be the keynote speaker for Women Aware. "In working with students across the country," Carine said, "it became apparent that they learned best from stories, not from lectures. Relevant life lessons came from real experiences. The rawness of these true stories are what made them so relatable. Over the years," she continued, "speaking to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, I found that sharing my own journey has helped people better understand their own. This is especially powerful when I work with women's organizations, and I look forward to what will come to fruition at the 2015 Women Aware Conference.

"Women are indeed a force of nature," Carine added. "Women are natural nurturers. Too often, we forget the importance of nurturing ourselves, succumbing to the notion that somehow that makes us selfish. But it's imperative that we understand the difference between selfishness, and self awareness. Fulfilling our obligations to ourselves makes us of better service to others, and truly allows us to move beyond the mechanics of daily existence, to achieving personal goals and truly living our dreams with no regrets."

In The Wild Truth, Carine reveals her own story and fills in the blanks of Chris' story. As she explained on her website, "During the past two decades, I often felt that I was living for the two of us as I found my own path; as a daughter, as a sister and the youngest of eight siblings, as I made mistakes in personal relationships and created success as an entrepreneur, and most importantly in the priorities I realized as a mother."

Waite explained, "The theme of the conference, 'Living Dreams with No Regrets,' was chosen because no matter what our past life experiences have been or where we are currently, we have the opportunity to change. We can focus on what we want from life, and do it in a fashion that we can enjoy the journey without having regrets. Chris McCandless was a free-spirited, intelligent young man who loved nature and set out on a mission to explore. Along his journeys he met many people who became his mentors, just as we venture out, we find mentors to guide us along the paths we choose."

As Carine reveals her story, it will become evident that she, too, like her brother, is a free-spirited, intelligent women who is facing life courageously and "Living Dreams with No Regrets."

We, all of us, have much to learn from Carine McCandless.

Early Bird registration is $40 until Sept. 12, after that date, registration will be $50. To register go to womenawareinc.com. The group's email address is pbwomenawareinc@gmail.com. For information over the telephone, call 573-686-8064.

Women Aware Inc. is a community-based organization dedicated to providing an educational and informational conference for women. The group has been active for more than 28 years and is run entirely by volunteers and supported by businesses in the region. The group's mission is to create an environment where those attending may gain a fresh outlook on life while gaining the motivation to achieve success in every area of life.