In honor of it being National Volunteers Week, today we're talking to Cindy Hession - scientist by day, hiker and volunteer chair for the 48 Peaks Hike to End Alzheimer's every other waking moment she can manage! Cindy and I talk about her love affair with the White Mountains and hiking, her personal connection with Alzheimer's, and how the 48 Peak…

Sliding in better late than never this week (DAMN POWER OUTAGE!!) with my fabulous new friend, Tarin O’Donnell of the Tarin It Up Podcast. Tarin and I met through a women’s podcasting group, and even before I listened to her podcast, I realized I had to have her on because she’s been living a life that a lot of us glamorize and feel a little bit en…

Today we take a scenic ride through the intricacies of trail development, where the rubber meets the road in terms of community building, advocacy, grant writing, marketing... and bike riding! Marianne Borowski is the absolute force of nature behind the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail. For those of you who haven’t yet heard of it, the Cross New…

Today I bring you another dose of practical, relatable, do-able inspiration with my special guest Val Hopkins from 365 Mile Challenge. Val’s business is all about meeting people wherever they are, bringing them into a supportive community, and providing them with tools, resources and motivation to build a movement habit that works within the limita…

Today we head OUTside with another fabulous wild guide, Rae-a Moughty, Founder and Director of Campfire Institute, an amazing organization that offers wilderness enrichment adventures for girls and LGBTQIA+ youth. I connected with Rae-a right after she’d wrapped up the Institute’s OUT on the Snow program held at Evans Notch Lodge over MLK weekend. …

What you need to know RIGHT THIS SECOND is that we are kicking off the Last Tuesday of the Month Virtual Meetup - for any and all Guides Gone Wild peeps - starting NEXT TUESDAY, January 30th, at 7pm. How can you join the virtual meetup, you ask? CLICK HERE or head on over to GuidesGoneWild.com/meet and sign up for the calendar invite and Zoom link!…

Read more about Emily's decision about GearME: https://www.gearmeoutdoors.com/sale-of-business If you or someone you know wants to learn more about the GearME business sale, please contact Michael Hall, Commercial Real Estate Broker with The Jordie Lee Company: 207-773-1111 (office) or email mhall@jordielee.com ** Way back in March 2021, I talked t…

Hopping into the Wild One Wayback Wagon this week to take a quick look back at 2023 - and while we're at it, grab some last minute gift ideas, giving thoughts and gritty inspiration to take us through this darkest day and into the light of the new year! GIFT IDEAS: https://backcountryfoodie.com/ - use code WILD at checkout to save 20% on membership…

Today we get back to my wild fan-girling business with Renaissance woman and Registered Maine Guide, Kat Ripley. Kat and I recently worked together on an amazing event hosted by Anna Heath and We Built This, where eight wanna-be carpenters were brought together for a weekend of learning, building, mending, yoga and outdoor mindfulness - that last p…

Today I’ve got an awesome conversation with just the kind of everywoman superhero I love to talk to on the pod - Lindsay Currier, a registered Maine guide, mountain bike coach, enduro racer, trail builder, ski patroller, total mom goals and the force behind Bikepack Maine. Lindsay’s lived on both coasts and a few places in between, and has spent a …

Today we're embarking on a culinary thru-hike with registered dietitian and logistical powerhouse Aaron Owens Mayhew, the founder of Backcountry Foodie and the trail mom we all wish we had! I’m not even a long distance hiker (yet?!?), and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve backpacked for consecutive days sleeping outside, honestly - but…

On Guides Gone Wild, we talk to lots of women who do extremely brave things - but I have to say, being vulnerable and open about a life-changing diagnosis and treatment (and the mental *ss-kicking you are still going through as a result), is the bravest kind of bravery in my book. Anyssa Lucena first graced the Guides Gone Wild airwaves in April 20…

Today I’m talking to Bethany Cass, an awesome new friend I met around this time last year when she and her daughter Maddie attended the Guides Gone Wild Iron Chef weekend that I hosted with Ari Leach of Blackbird Guide Service. At the time, as you’ll hear, Bethany was kind of treading water in a sea of discontent, but getting ready to take some bol…

I’ve got another special encore for you this week to remind all of us of the absolute power and beauty that can come from making connections, staying curious and just saying YES! (despite your nagging doubts...) Picture yourself in April 2020, flailing around in and out of lockdown, wondering if the world was legit ending. That’s about the time I d…

Coming in HOT this week! Amy Hopkins is the founder of Saltwater Mountain Co., a cold-water dipping and wellness outfitter based in York, Maine, so I was stoked to talk to her, hoping that a tiny bit of thinking about all the cold water would translate into cooling me down in the crazy humid September summer we're experiencing! We do indeed talk a …

I’ve got a special encore for you this week. Back in June of 2021, I talked to Rebecca Sperry, aka SockedInHikes on Instagram, as a result of the powerful story she was sharing on social media at the time about her cancer diagnosis, treatment, and desire to continue to hike (mostly solo) despite, and kind of because of, the mental and physical chal…

Summer is winding down, school and fall sports and work obligations are winding back up, and that has me thinking about winter! Or should I say, what passes for winter these days in New England (which at least last winter, was three months of rain and chilly gray skies, followed by 87 snowstorms in like 2 weeks...) So what better time to bring on m…

The last few weeks I’ve enjoyed checking in with some of my guests from WAY BACK - like, 2020-2021 - to find out what they’re up to now, and I've been reveling in all the growth and expansion (and sometimes pivoting!) that’s occurred since our initial conversations. Today is no exception - I’m checking back in with Jackie Stratton, a registered Mai…

Long time listeners, first time callers might remember a conversation I had with Paige Emerson of Chubby Hiker Reviews, back in June 2021. At the time, Paige seemed to be on the cusp of absolutely blowing up on social media with her inspiring and relatable posts about hiking, and her trail reviews that highlighted things most of us care about, like…

Last week I mentioned the Diversify Whitewater Community River Float happening up in Veazie, Maine this Saturday, July 8th - and today, we’re hearing more from a true force of nature behind this event, Saige Purser. Saige is a citizen of the Yakama Nation, a whitewater guide and the Director of Future Generations program for Wabanaki Public Health …

Outdoor Women Lead (OWL) fundraiser at Fogtown Brewing Company, Ellsworth, Maine - Thursday, June 29, 2023 Enjoy a special spritzer release made from locally foraged and harvested deliciousness, all to benefit OWL programming and OWLette summer camp for girls! Get more info about Outdoor Women Lead and Women for Healthy Rural Living here: https://w…

Welcome to a special in-between-isode of Guides Gone Wild - I'm going to get right to the chase with this one for a change! This Saturday, June 24th, is Summits in Solidarity's annual Solidarity Day fundraiser, which is designed to get everyone outside to celebrate and support BIPOC in outdoor spaces. One of the recipients of this year's Summits in…

Ever wondered how to blend your passions into a successful business? Today, we're getting one approach - allow me to introduce you to Tori Gray, a registered Maine Guide for the past few years who is going into her second full season of business as The Wilderness Guru. In creating The Wilderness Guru, Tori has taken advantage of the rising tide of …

Spandits Adventurewear Pop-Up at the Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race - Saturday, June 17, 2023 Get more info or buy Spandits Adventurewear here: https://www.spandits.com/ Get more info about the Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race here: https://mt-washington.com/mount-washington-road-race/ Listen to Sarah Doscinski & Kelley Cullenberg of Sp…

Summits in Solidarity - June 24, 2023 (Solidarity Day) https://www.summitsinsolidarity.org/ for more details or to register for a Solidarity hike! Listen to Serena Ryan on Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw024-serena-ryan-the-notch-hostel https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw052-summits-in-solidarity-serena-ryan -- 'T…

We're back with Part 2 of the latest Guide for Guides, all about insurance! Today we're talking to Angela Ziogas of Cross Current Insurance, which at its very core came out of a woman guide's need for insurance for her fly fishing business. Cross Current now offers all kinds of options for fishing and hunting guides, outfitters, lodges and even out…

Skills4Lumberjills - June 10-11, 2023 axewomen.com for more details Listen to Alissa Wetherbee on Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw065-alissa-wetherbee-axe-women-loggers-of-maine -- F**k Cancer Fondo - July 15, 2023 susan @ carolinesdream dot com or DM Jen @GuidesGoneWild for more details! Listen to Susan Shashok on Guide…

It's the topic most of us love to hate or avoid... insurance. But for anyone who's thinking of taking folks outside, out of their comfort zones and into the wild (even if the wild is a nicely manicured campground just off a main road), you NEED to protect yourself from the random things that might happen! My guests for the next two episodes are her…

Whether your affinity for water involves multi-day backcountry paddling or just grabbing a cold beverage and a tube for some floating (while you watch the bald eagles and kingfishers fly by), the Northern Forest Canoe Trail has a spot for you to put in and play! Karrie Thomas joined NFCT in 2014 and serves as the organization’s Executive Director -…

We are back with Part 3 of our Social Media Marketing Guide for Guides series - Jaimie Crawford and I are picking right up where we left off last time, and discussing how showing up on social media is basically the same lift as being a decent human and friend. We’re also getting into community connections, collaborations, and the most important thi…

And we are back - welcome to the second installment of our three part Social Media Marketing Guide for Guides, featuring Jaimie Crawford. In Part 1, we started at the beginning, going over some foundational concepts of marketing and brand building, so if you missed that episode, you might want to go back and listen to that one first. Today, we’ll b…

Today we are kicking off a special series called 'Guides for Guides'. This idea boinked into my brain back last year when I talked with Jaimie Crawford, one of the marketing and social media brains behind the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce’s fantastic “Hire a Guide” campaign and profiles. Jaimie, as luck would have it, is super knowledge…

One of the things I love most about doing this podcast is the way that almost every guest seems to spiderweb into more cool connections that I get to make, and today’s another great example of that. Last time I hit the podwaves, I encored a conversation with Heidi Myers of Rasputitsa, who also works at Sterling College, where she met the wonderful …

Huge thanks for joining me today! I’ve been noticing a lot of new ears around these parts lately (plus I’m on the road and a bit time starved this week, to be honest), so I decided it was a good time to hop into the Wayback Machine and encore a conversation with one of my favorite people and one of the best connector friends this pod has ever had, …

If there's one thing I love almost as much as getting active outside, it’s sitting inside with a giant coffee, watching it snow and geeking out about start-uppy stuff with an outdoor industry entrepreneur (who also happens to be a woman)! My guest today is Michelle Boyer, the founder and visionary behind Arctic Lynx Maternity Activewear, based in P…

Today’s guest, Susan Shashok of Caroline’s Dream Handcrafted Skincare, based in Middlebury Vermont, has three big goals for 2023 - and she is already well on her way to nailing them all. Never mind that she spent the last few months of 2022, as she puts it, in "a game show where the prizes behind doors 1, 2, and 3 all suck." Trigger warning for thi…

We are embracing mid-winter with a giant Yeti hug again this week over here on Guides Gone Wild! Repeat listeners will recognize one of the voices - Kristina Cannon of Main Street Skowhegan is back today with her marketing maven sidekick Mary Haley of MXH Marketing, and we are talking skijoring, and Somerset SnowFest FUN! Equestrian skijoring is a …

Welcome to the latest Guides Gone Wild special release! Today we're hyping A Flying Flock, the intrepid all women team who’ll be layering up in their bright pink and yellow snowsuits this weekend (February 4-5, 2023) to compete in the U.S. National Toboggan Championship taking place at the Camden Snow Bowl in Camden, Maine. The flamingos and ducks …

Today we are catching up with another new friend I made at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit last fall, Emily Mackeown, who is the outreach coordinator for Maine GearShare, a Brunswick-based gear library that completed its pilot year in 2022 and supported tons of youth groups and non-profits successfully in their quest to get more people outside saf…

I purposely picked this conversation with Anne Parmenter to kick off the year, because I need to hear so much of this right now. For someone who was told by a middle school teacher that she wasn’t going to amount to much, Anne has done pretty ok for herself. She will blow you right off your feet. Literally! Anne is a Hall of Fame field hockey coach…

Welcome to the very last episode of Guides Gone Wild for 2022! I’m still recovering for the crazy pace of stoke we had going on here a few weeks back, but rather than take a week off, I decided to squeeze in one more inspiring guide - today I’m talking with Lisa Holcomb of Wander the Whites. If you plan to listen to this in the car on your way to t…

Adventuring for Two Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or listen online here Canyon Wren Coaching @trailrunningbabycatcher on Instagram Sacopee Midwives - on Instagram Acadia Gantz on Guides Gone Wild (August, 2021) One last shorty for you today, and it’s a good one, because my lovely podcast friend Acadia Gantz, aka the Trail Running Baby Catcher,…

She Summits Co. - on Instagram - on TikTok Keep an eye on the site for the release of 2023 Women’s Week dates in the new year! New summer camp offering this year, four weeks on the Maine portion of the AT for 9th/10th graders (totes jelly, much?!?) Amanda Hatley on Guides Gone Wild (September, 2020) Amanda Hatley talks small business excellence on …

Rooted MTB Festival - July 21-23, 2023 (NY) Cosmic Dirt - get in on the Zodiac Pant pre-sale! Heather Kinal on Guides Gone Wild (January, 2022) Jen & Trish’s Rooted MTB Festival Recap - Voices of Rooted Who’s ready for a road trip? You would be if you’d gone to the Rooted MTB Fest last summer with me, Trish and our 26” hardtails of doom! Today we’r…

Mooney Mountain Guides Laurie Watt on Guides Gone Wild (in her previous life!) We are back on the ropes again today with Laurie Watt, the Women’s Program Director at Mooney Mountain Guides in New Hampshire. Laurie was a full-time PT and a part-time climber when we first chatted back in April of 2021, but she has totally flipped the script since the…

Genuine Climbing - on Instagram Confident Climbers Club Empowered Women’s Goal-Setting Workshops - January 8th (NJ), 11th (Zoom), 15th (MA) - not just for climbers! Just because these episodes are short, doesn’t mean the guests aren’t bringing the FIRE! Anyssa Lucena of Genuine Climbing has had one hell of a year, which she’s going to come back and…

Maine Yoga Adventures - on Instagram and Facebook Holly Twining on Guides Gone Wild Washington Baths (Portland, ME) Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and by that definition Holly Twining of Maine Yoga Adventures has been LIV-ING. Based on her update, I’m thinking she needs to change her business name to 'International Yoga Adventures' - wa…

Follow Skyline Maine Adventures on Instagram and Facebook #LoveMaineAdventures DD + Co Danielle Dorrie on Guides Gone Wild Shorty short for you today, I caught up with Danielle Dorrie and her partner Chris Francis when they were out of town sipping bloody marys before heading out on a hike - girl knows how to live! Danielle's was one of our first t…

Spirals of Wellbeing Women’s School for Spiritual Warriors - starting in January, one spot left! Swan’s Island Vision Quest Canoe Coaching in a gorgeous wooden canoe (treat that bum right!) Jen Deraspe's first visit with Guides Gone Wild It’s the Jen Team - Guides Gone Wild Jen and Jen Deraspe of Spirals of Wellbeing, née Nurture Through Nature - d…

Mahoosuc Guide Service (Newry, ME) @mahoosucguideservice - on Facebook too Polly receives the 2022 Legendary Maine Guide Award! Today we’re bringing back the legend, that’s right, the 2022 Legendary Maine Guide Award Winner Polly Mahoney of Mahoosuc Guide Service in Newry, Maine. Polly and her partner Kevin guide single and multi-day dog sledding t…