Genevieve Brown wants to be the first Aruban to ski to the south pole! After being diagnosed with Lyme diseases and being told that she would have to give up all forms of strenuous exercise and possibly on antibiotics for the rest of her life, Gennny knew that she didn't want to be held back by the disease. We think it's an incredible goal and we love following along with her journey!
How would you describe your personality in three words?
Determined, loyal, positive
When you wake up what are the first three things you do?
- Take time to pray and meditate and be thankful for the gift of a new day.
- Check my ‘recovery rate’ by running a 3 minute test with my hear rate monitor. This little test charts how well I’m resting and how quickly I’m recovering from the previous day’s exercise.
- Make breakfast, I wake up hungry so I like to be eating within 45 minutes of having woken up.
What does your dream day look like?
Waking up at my mum’s home in Aruba and going for a quick jog along the coast. Then spending the day reading and swimming at my favourite beach on the island near my grandfather’s house and finally catching up with friends and family over a lovely dinner of fresh seafood as we watch the sunset.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever given and received?
Relationships are not always about getting things right or being the ‘perfect’ version of yourself; instead they are built on and strengthened by compassion, trust, love and respect for each other.
Make it a habit to extend grace and dignity to all who you encounter.
You’ve decided to be the first Aruban woman to ski to South Pole, what inspired you to set this goal?
I suffered with the debilitating effects of Lyme disease for 3 years before being properly diagnosed and was told during that awful period that I would most likely be on antibiotics for the rest of my life and that I would have to give up all forms of strenuous exercise. Within 6 months of diagnosis and treatment I was able resume working out and was feeling so much better. I then determined to find a challenge that would prove that with proper and timely diagnosis you can regain and exceed your previous quality of life. Every time I train, I think back to the period when I was so fatigued that I couldn’t get out of bed for days on end and I think of all the people that are still suffering with this horrible disease. I want to give them hope to know that there is life after Lyme!
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt since beginning your training and
fund raising for this expedition?
Patience is essential and progress doesn’t always look the way you imagined or come as quickly as you’d like. You will have failures and hit bumps in the road and whilst you can’t always control situations or setbacks you get to decide how you react and what you make of them. So when you fall, pick yourself back up, wipe the dust off, cheer yourself on and keep on going. Your perseverance will be well worth it in the end.
Where do you go or what rituals do you have for those moments you need to feel inspired or energised?
Living in the city means that I can’t always get out to the countryside for a scenic hike so I will often take a walk in the Victoria Park and stroll along the canals and when the weather is a bit dismal I’ll head to a museum or art gallery and spend hours taking in the beauty of the artwork.
Every year for my birthday I take myself away for a solo trip to a city/country that I’ve never been to before and spend time reflecting over the past year and setting goals for the upcoming year. I love it because in daring to go outside my comfort zone I’ve met the most interesting people, made lifelong friends, and fallen in love with the richness of the culture and the beauty of discovering hidden gems off the beaten path.
At KINN we believe in clean beauty, for you, your family and your home, what is family to you? 
Family is unconditional love, nurture, encouragement and support. They are the people who love me enough to challenge me to grow beyond my comfort zone and expand my horizons. When I think about my family all our activity has always been centred around our kitchen and good food. Memories of cooking with my grandfather, baking with my mum, sharing a lovely meal with all my aunts, uncles and cousins and my dad patiently trying to teach me to draw on the dining room table bring a smile to my face. Things might not always be perfect but there is always an abundance of love and pride in each others achievements.
What’s your favourite thing about your home?
Waking up to watch the sunrise and take in the incredible view of the water from my
living room.
Favourite podcasts and other digital inspiration?
I’m a bit of a geek so:
Revisionist History – Malcolm Gladwell
Criminal – Phoebe Judge
The inquiry – BBC World Service
Which five sites are always in your browser history?
BBC weather – it’s an obsession
Sheerluxe – I love their coverage of culture, fashion, life and beauty
Delicious Magazine – I love cooking and baking and try to experiment by attempting 1 new recipe each week.
Wordery – I love reading and am constantly ordering new books
Amazon – I get 1-2 new items for the expedition each week which keeps me motivated and doesn’t break the bank.
Once you’ve achieved this goal do you think you will set yourself another “crazy” challenge?
Yes, for sure!! I’m already thinking about what I could do next and feel drawn to doing something along the equator so who knows.. watch this space!!
How important is it to you that your beauty and homecare products are clean?
Very! Lyme disease has severely affected my body’s ability to deal with toxins so my Naturopath advised to switch to using only clean beauty and homecare products as much as I can. At first I was sceptical because I was convinced that the smell of bleach was synonymous to a truly clean home and that nothing would clean as well but I am happy to have been proven wrong. Above all I think it’s important that we become more conscious of the effect that the products we use are having on our environment.
Which are your favourite KINN products?
The range of lavender cleaners, washing up liquid and floor wash. They’re versatile,
smell amazing, clean thoroughly, have no nasty fumes and looks so cute! They are
simply perfect!