🎙️ I Love Kelowna
🎙️ I Love Kelowna is a long-running conversational podcast celebrating the people and stories that make Kelowna and the Central Okanagan vibrant and unique.
Across more than 243 episodes, host Luke Menkes sits down with entrepreneurs, creators, founders, community leaders and fascinating locals to explore three simple questions:
1️⃣ Why Kelowna? How did you choose this place as home?
2️⃣ What’s your journey? The real story of how you became who you are
3️⃣ What are you building now? Your work, purpose and impact
This show isn’t about products or services – it’s about people. Guests open up about their lives, lessons, challenges and inspirations, offering real insight into what makes the Okanagan such a special place to live and work.
About the Host
Luke Menkes is a dual-licensed real estate broker (British Columbia & Alberta), author, mentor, podcaster and long-time Kelowna advocate. He believes that business and life move at the speed of know, like and trust. This podcast is his way of strengthening community connection.
📩 Interested in being a guest or want to connect?
Email Luke at luke@lukemenkes.ca
📍 Learn more about Kelowna Real Estate:
https://mykelownaagent.com
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and all major podcast platforms.
🎙️ I Love Kelowna
Blake Harper proves every day that nothing is impossible in life!
While snowmobiling in the Greystokes near Kelowna in March of 2002, an accident resulted in Blake suffering a broken back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
From the very start he refused to let this life altering disability break his spirit or stop him from living his life to the absolute fullest. On September 17th 2002, just six months to the day of his injury, Blake started pushing himself to swim across Okanagan Lake and has consistently "gone big" ever since.
Blake began power lifting for Canada, competing in Las Vegas at the WABDL, breaking the national bench press record for his weight class. He also competed in Australia at the Pan Pacific Paralympics where he placed 2nd overall. He then competed in Greece at the Worlds and was ranked in the top 25 of the world. Blake altered the PADI course by becoming the very first paraplegic in North America to be a certified diving instructor. He has tackled wakeboarding, mountain biking (with a specialized hand cycle), quading, and sit skiing. He is one of only a handful of people to do a backflip on a sit ski. These are just a few of his "hobbies" to date. Blake’s vocabulary does not include the word “can’t”.
While doing research on Stem Cell Treatments, Blake found a Doctor in India that was having some success with paralyzed patients. In January of 2012 Blake traveled to India for nine weeks to begin receiving these treatments. Within three weeks, Blake began to move his right leg and ten days later his left leg. These were the first movements he had experienced in 10 years! Once back in Kelowna, Blake dedicated himself to a six days a week regimen of physiotherapy and rehab to regain as much function and sensation as possible. Seven months later in October, after continuing to see improvements, Blake traveled back to India for a second round of treatments. These trips included daily physical therapy, and Stem Cell Treatments.
Blake inspires everyone he meets with his positive outlook and determination. He has done speaking engagements motivating and educating schools, nursing students, old age homes, and business executives.
Blake is a TD Mortgage Specialist here in Kelowna
Blake Harper I Mobile Mortgage Specialist I Kelowna I TD Canada Trust I Blake.Harper@td.com I tel: 250 869-2285 I
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