Blog Contributors | Guiding Stars

Sarah Wallace

Guiding Stars Contributor

Sarah Wallace works as a freelance writer specializing in social media writing services. She is a mother of two who enjoys quality time with her friends and family while trying to stay fit. Visit her website. Sarah contributes regularly to the Guiding Stars blog.

Jen McNally

Guiding Stars Contributor

Jen McNally moved to Maine from Colorado four years ago, in search of a simpler, more natural lifestyle. Since then, she has planted her first-ever vegetable garden, raised a flock of six hens, and continues to learn about healthy living. She is a stay-at-home mother of two active girls, ages five and three. In her former life, she studied in Germany for two years, traveled to 6 continents and 31 countries, and was the marketing manager for an adventure travel company. Jen contributes regularly to the Guiding Stars blog.

Nicki Hicks

Guiding Stars Contributor

Nicki is a fitness and nutrition enthusiast with a passion for all things healthy and organic. A web marketing specialist and search geek at flyte new media by day, Nicki works to increase her clients' search engine visibility. By night, you might find Nicki coaching, practicing yoga, or pretending to be an artist. Nicki regularly contributes to the Guiding Stars blog.

Erin Dow

Guiding Stars Expert Chef

Guiding Stars Expert Chef Erin Dow balances three food worlds. As a mother of three young children, she’s fighting the battle every parent faces: how to keep her kids interested in the foods that keep them healthy. As the chef and owner of her catering company Eatswell Farm, she utilizes original recipes and techniques--focused on enhancing the enjoyment of locally-sourced ingredients--to best interpret the client’s vision. And as Consulting Executive Chef for Falmouth-based Professional Catering Services, a business specializing in production and backstage catering for concerts, she develops and executes menus that accommodate the strict nutritional requirements of the music industry elite. Erin and her family raise their own chicken for meat and eggs, have dabbled in pastured Narragansett turkeys, and have a very weedy but very large and productive garden.

Amanda O'Brien

Guiding Stars Contributor

Amanda is originally from Peaks Island, Maine and currently works at Hall Web Services managing their inbound marketing team. She is a self proclaimed workaholic who tries to maintain a busy lifestyle. She is an amateur yogi and runner. Amanda contributes regularly to the Guiding Stars Blog.

Mark Nutting

Guiding Stars Contributor

Mark Nutting, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT-AR*D, National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2009 Personal Trainer of the Year, holds 12 certifications in the field and has 30 years experience in personal training. A national presenter and an educator of Personal Trainers, Mark’s areas of expertise include weight loss, post-rehab conditioning, and brain fitness. Mark contributes regularly to the Guiding Stars Blog.

Sarah Frederickson

Guiding Stars Student Contributer

My name is Sarah Frederickson. I am a junior Nutrition & Wellness major at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). I have a strong passion for promoting healthy eating and overall wellness. With some help from the UNH dietitian, I recently finished a project called Creative Eating which is an approach to educating students on making interesting, delicious, and smart choices in the dining halls. Along with a personal blog that I use to support this project, I have a Facebook group where Creative Eating enthusiasts can stay updated with project events, news, and recipe ideas. I am also an active member of Students Promoting Information on Nutrition (SPIN), a UNH student organization meant to spread nutrition knowledge to students through peer education.

Guest Bloggers

Stefan Pinto

Guest Post

Fitness model, Stefan Pinto was once over 50lbs overweight. His motivation to lose weight manifested by doing something different and persevering through informed dieting and exercise. Stefan advocates weight loss with a combination of proper nutrition and effective, daily exercise. He can be reached at Pinto Factory.

Heather DeSimone

Guest Post

Heather is a wife & Mom of 2 boys living in North Yarmouth, Maine. She runs a jewelry design company called Leetie Lovendale where she refurbishes vintage pieces, giving them a contemporary spin, as well as co-owns The Beadin' Path, a bead company based in Freeport, Maine. In her free time, Heather enjoys antique hunting and flea marketing, making things & being with her boys outside.

Heather Wasklewicz

Guest Post

Heather lives on Peaks Island, Maine with her husband, Dave and 2 boys, Atticus and Silas ages 5 and 3. Heather is a social media marketing consultant to 32north.

Melanie Hansen

Guest Post

Melanie is searching, always searching. For what, she’s not sure, but when she finds out, she’ll let you know. Currently she finds herself in India and from there plans to travel to Thailand and… to be continued. At the moment she is enjoying taking photos of her travels, eating strange new foods, and blogging about her adventures.

Angie Muhs

Guest Post

Angie is a journalist who lives in Gorham, ME with her family, which includes a husband, two children, chickens, a rabbit, an occasional foster Labrador retriever and two cats.

Steve Clifton

Guest Post

Steve lives in South Portland, Maine with his wife and 14-year-old daughter. When he isn't geeking out reading comic books, playing videos games or watching movies, Steve works on building his freelance commercial writing business and is always on the lookout for easy ways to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle.

Jon Plodzik

Client Post

Jon is the Director of Dining at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. UNH launched Guiding Stars in their dining halls in August 2009.

Rich Brooks

Guest Post

Rich Brooks is founder and president of flyte new media, a Web design and Internet marketing firm in Portland, Maine. His monthly flyte log email newsletter and company blog focus on Web marketing topics such as search engine optimization, blogs, social media, email marketing, and building Web sites that sell. He is currently an Expert Blogger at FastCompany.com and a featured blogger at MaineBusiness.com.

Lynnelle Wilson

Guest Post

Lynnelle is founder and president of BOLDBusiness.tv and Bold Vision Consulting, both of which help people and organizations integrate digital and "new" media in their 'old' world. She also blogs at Lynnelle.com - highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly of a Single, Self-Employed and Wickedly Happy Over 50 (ish) Woman in Maine. Originally from Dallas, TX, Lynnelle lives in South Portland, Maine with the cutest, littlest Pablo Ruiz.

Jen Ecker

Guest Post

Jen is a busy mom who strives to balance running her life and a business. As chief pixel surgeon and co-founder of shines & jecker laboratories, she combines her design and coding skills to create great websites. When she's not on the web, Jen spends her time with her 11 year old son who faithfully contributes his opinion on all her projects.

Dave Weinberg

Guest Post

Dave Weinberg is Chief Creative Therapist and Creative Services Professional at daveweinberg.com and creator of cellphoneSketchpad™ - mobile journal. cyber comic. digital rorschach. Now a popular note card line. Check out the daily blog at cellphoneSketchpad.com.