Guides Gone Wild

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 lot about cold water dipping today - and so...

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 challenges she was facing as she fought for her life...

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 my guest today, Torey Brooks , who is one of my ori...

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 Maine guide who featured prominently in the ear...

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 bathroom access, parking, whether our butts wou...

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 and Wellness , a community-driven, culturally cen...

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://whrl.org/programs/owl/ Or join OWL on Facebook:  h...

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 Solidarity fundraiser is the Bosto...

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 demand for recreational guiding, and creat...

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 Spandits on Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guides...

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 -- 'Tall' Ashley's Guide Service - Ashle...

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 outdoor equipment manufacturers. Ange...

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 Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcas...

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 here to help you find your path through all...

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 - but that doesn’t mean she spends all of her days...

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 thing of all - action taking! If you’re an aspiring,...

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 be diving into more details, especially around t...

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 knowledgeable about social media marketing , a...

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 young woman I’m talking to today, Anna Dye . Ann...

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, Heidi Myers . If you’ve been listening for a littl...

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 Portland, Maine. Like many of us who become...

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 this one - our conversation starts out all...

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 big hit out west, but it was a novelty on the eas...

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 that make up this fabulous flock include fiv...

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 safely and comfortably. It’s clear from our convers...