Inspirato member Karen Latimer, MD, defines the adage, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” Last fall, the family practitioner, former Good Morning America women’s health expert and mother of five spent four weeks writing the book Understanding Ebola: What the CDC Wants You to Know Now. “It’s a common-sense approach to rebut the media hype and hysteria over Ebola,” Latimer says. It was also something she managed to do during a vacation to Costa Rica.
Such productivity is nothing new to Latimer, who got her start writing for her blog, YesFive.net, after the birth of her twins five years ago. “The name comes from my stock answer to people whenever I tell them I have five kids: ‘Yes, five.’” Her writing covers the intersection of parenting and medicine, but it’s her inclusive tone that has made it a success. “I don’t write from the perspective of ‘Dr. Latimer,’” she says. “What I try to do is write honestly about motherhood and let people know that we’re all going through the same thing.”
With the success of her blog, she realized that where there was a need for information, she now had a platform to fill it. In 2013, she launched TipsfromTown.com, a hyper-local news and lifestyle site dedicated to and populated by contributors from the small towns surrounding New York City, such as Ridgewood, New Jersey, and New Hyde Park, New York. That led to a distribution and video content deal with AOL.com, where she serves as its health and parenting expert.
In between all her media work, she’s still “just” mom to her kids, who range in age from 5 to 13. “As I’m sure any parent knows, it’s nonstop with everyone on their own schedule,” Latimer says. “These days, the only time it seems like we’re all together and not stressed out is when we travel.”
Karen on Travel
The Inspirato Effect: “Since we joined Inspirato, I can say that we’re traveling better and taking more adventures as a family. That’s because Inspirato does the prep work ahead of the trip.
They find out whether the fence surrounding the cliffside house in Anguilla is tall enough that my youngest can’t climb over it. They vet the guides and activities available—on our trip to Costa Rica, there were no height or age restrictions on anything like zip lines, rafting or even surfing. It turned into the best family vacation we’d ever taken.”
Visiting New York City with Kids: “There are so many great Broadway shows—Aladdin is currently my fave. Make sure to do lunch before or dinner after a matinee at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where the waitstaff breaks out into song.
“Rent bikes for everyone at a shop near the Circle Line ferry (around 42nd St. and the West Side Hwy). You can ride the bike path along the waterfront down to Battery Park and back, stopping at any of the playgrounds along the way.
“The Children’s Museum of the Arts is down in SoHo and is a wonderful hands-on experience for kids.”
