Let's kick off 2025 with this joyful conversation with an old pod friend, Caitlin Hopkins!

I first introduced you to Caitlin as one of the Two Maine Mermaids, way back in May 2021. At the time, Caitlin (aka Flow) and Kelsy Hartley (aka Ebb) were spreading the gospel of cold water dipping, which they’d started in earnest at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, they’ve built a large and dedicated community around them in Portland with their dips, fun events and what’s become a total freaking movement, their International Women’s Day celebration held every March at Willard Beach in South Portland.

We’re going to talk about cold water again today, but for a very different reason - Caitlin is preparing to travel to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco next month to compete in the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) World Championship!!!

So we are talking about ice swimming, of course, but also oyster farming, lightning bolts, creativity, entrepreneurship, mentorship, joy, intention, alignment…. Caitlin has inspired some new thinking in me for 2025, and I know you’ll get something out of this too.

Give Caitlin a follow in one of her many places:

• @caitlin_virginia
• @twomainemermaids - www.twomainemermaids.com
• @cascobaycuties
• @evenkeelcardco - www.evenkeelco.com

And of course, I hope you'll join me in supporting Caitlin's World Championship effort on February 8th:
www.spotfundme.com/MaineToMoroccoIceSwim

Finally, it wouldn't be a GGW pod without a few more fun links from our conversation:

• International Ice Swimming Association (IISA)
• Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival (VT)
• Coelle Travel
• Peaks to Portland Swim for Kids (ME)
• Alcatraz Open Swim (CA)
• Tri for a Cure (ME)

Happy New Year! Let me know what you thought of the episode, or let me know who else you'd like to hear from on the pod in 2025!!:

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A few weeks ago I was fortunate to attend the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit that was held at Sunday River, and not only did I run into SOOO MANY of my favorite pod people, I also had the opportunity to finally corral a guest I’d had on my wish list for a while - because celebrity fly tyer Selene Frohmberg, aka Selene of Maine, owner of Selene’s Fly Shop in Gardiner, Maine, led two special add-on sessions at the Summit, and was nice enough to sit down with me for a chat at Evans Notch Lodge before she left town.

So we’re celebrating Women-Led Wednesday and Small Business Saturday a little early this year! Selene and I talk about her fishing, tying and guiding origin stories, entrepreneurship and entomology, floods and flies - and best of all, she shares some awesome tips and gift ideas for the wanna be fly fisherperson on your list, even if that person is YOU.

Head on over to SelenesFlyShop.com to check out the huge variety of supplies, equipment, events and experiences that Selene has curated for us all, and make sure to follow Selene’s Fly Shop on all the socials as well.

And speaking of socials, I hope you’ll come on over to the Guides Gone Wild Instagram or Facebook accounts this week, I'll be fast-tracking you to hours of inspiring content to fuel your long drives and cooking marathons this long holiday weekend!

Whether you’re spending some special time with family or framily, I hope you get plenty of fresh air and take advantage of every opportunity to get a little wild this week!

Selene’s Fly Shop: https://www.selenesflyshop.com/

Selene of Maine: https://seleneofmaine.com/

@SelenesFlyShop: https://www.instagram.com/selenesflyshop

https://www.facebook.com/seleneofmaineflytyer

Links to fishy fun and more!:

• ‘Lefty’ Kreh
• Casting for Recovery
• Carrie Stevens
• Grey Ghost
• Dave Whitlock
• Gardiner Main Street
• Dette Flies (NY)
• Johnson Hall Opera House
• Trout Unlimited
• Echo Lift Kit
• Miss Mayfly
• Poly leader
• Angler's Entomology Podcast
• Sign up for Selene’s email newsletter here to keep on t

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Genuine Climbing: https://genuineclimbing.org/

Support climbing retreats for breast cancer survivors!: https://genuineclimbing.org/donate/

Join Anyssa & Moira at Climb for a Cause, October 23rd from 3-9pm at GOAT Climbing Gym, Hackensack, NJ

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, today I’m talking to my long-time pod friend Anyssa Lucena of Genuine Climbing, as well as Dr. Moira Christoudias, a breast surgical oncologist with Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care in Paramus NJ.

Anyssa and Moira have joined me today to talk all about their amazing new initiative, Genuine Climbing.org, which will be providing FREE climbing experiences to women affected by breast cancer.

Genuine Climbing's mission is hugely personal for both of these women, as you’ll hear - as Anyssa writes on the website, the lump she felt became the seed for this vision. And now that vision has turned into lots and lots of action - as of early fall 2024, they’ve achieved non-profit status for Genuine Climbing, they’ve got all their ducks in a row, and are now accepting applications for the three amazing climbing retreat events they’ve got confirmed on their calendar already for 2025. I hope you’ll join me in supporting this wonderful organization, the link to donate or volunteer is above - get on it!!

Even if you’re not a climber, you’ll want to listen in today - Dr. Christoudias drops more than a few truth bombs and dispels many myths about breast cancer risk. One in eight (!!) women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Let’s all educate ourselves on our risks, encourage our friends and family to do the same, and do everything we can to detect it as early as possible!!

A few more links for you:

• Anyssa's first appearance on Guides Gone Wild
• Anyssa updates Guides Gone Wild on her diagnosis and first Climb for a Cause fundraiser
• Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care (NJ)
• GOAT Climbing Gym (NJ)
• Casting for Recovery

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Back in July, I posted my episode with Nicole Freedman, the executive Director of NEMBA, and she was the one who introduced me to Paula Burton, a long-time mountain biker, NEMBA CT chapter founder, and instructor for NEMBA Trail School.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet Paula in person at the trail school I attended back in June, but we did connect over Zoom for an article I was writing for the NEMBA Single Tracks newsletter.

We hadn’t been talking for long before I realized that Paula was just the kind of guest I love, love, LOVE to have on this podcast - a real person doing really integral work that is constantly improving the outdoor experience for newbies and weekend warriors like me!

Paula’s been riding since before mountain biking was really a “thing”, and she’s got tons of stories to share that serve to highlight how far we’ve come in outdoor representation in the last 30+ years…. but also how not everything has changed quite so much.

Enjoy this special Friday Funday Feature!

NEMBA (New England Mountain Bike Association) - https://nemba.org/

IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) - https://www.imba.com/

And a few more fun links:

• Thunder Mountain Bike Park (Charlemont, MA)
• Appalachian Mountain Club
• Connecticut Greenways Council
• George Waldo State Park (Southbury, CT)
• What is a pump track?
• Rockhouse Hill (Oxford, CT)
• What is a Class 1 Ebike?
• Bluff Point State Park (Groton, CT)
• Highland Mountain Bike Park (Northfield, NH)
• Pittsfield State Forest (Pittsfield, MA)

Building your Biking Bucket List? Paula’s recs:

• Baja California (Mexico)
• Bear Ears National Monument (UT)
• Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument (UT)
• Moab (UT)
• Grand Junction (CO)
• Fruita (CO)

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Today I am so ridiculously excited to be talking to Lia Lucine and Nicki Ripple, two of the three women behind a film project that is unfolding right now, somewhere off the coast of Maine - it's called Beyond the Compass, and is documenting a group of women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who are on a four-day Outward Bound sailing expedition.

According to Nicki and Lia, ”this short film will chronicle the journey of an all-women crew on Outward Bound Hurricane Island’s Women over 65 sailing course - emphasizing their resilience through challenge and adventure, as well as the practice of enjoying life at any age. While mainstream media often underscores the importance of enjoying youth, these women serve as a reminder that while advancing in age presents its own difficulties, it does not preclude a fulfilling life.”

PREACH! Obviously as someone knocking on the door of 60 (albeit as gently as possible at this point), I am over the moon at the idea of these every-women’s stories being highlighted as they navigate the physical, mental and emotional challenges of this multi-day adventure.

So let's get this documentary onto the big screen already! You can support the production of Beyond the Compass at https://gofund.me/587bfc42 - make a donation, then tell your inspiring-story-loving-friends to do the same.

And bonus points, if you work for a brand or organization that plays in outdoor spaces, let your colleagues know about this awesome film, and maybe YOU will be the reason Beyond the Compass gets the huge corporate underwriter it needs to tear up the outdoor film festival circuit in 2025!

Links to learn more:

• Lia Lucine on Instagram: @lialucine (https://www.instagram.com/lialucine/)
• Nicki Ripple on Instagram: @nicki.ripple ( https://www.instagram.com/nicki.ripple/)
• Go Fund Me site for Beyond the Compass: https://gofund.me/587bfc42
• Short 2019 Maine Public piece about the Burnt Island sailing program
• Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (ME)
• Learn more about Burnt Island (ME)

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The Summer Olympics in Paris kick off in mere hours, so how appropriate that today I’m going deep with the first Guides Gone Wild former Olympian, Nicole Freedman, now the Executive Director of NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike Association.

As you'll hear, Nicole’s Team USA experience is impressive, but even more amazing to me are the decades of devotion she’s applied to making bikes, and bike transportation, a bigger part of our everyday lives.

Nicole was the city of Boston’s first-ever 'Bike Czar'; during her tenure, she helped transform Boston from the three-times designated 'worst cycling city in the country' (according Bicycling Magazine), into a national leader in cycling accessibility and safety.

After some additional stints leading both urban and rural active transportation initiatives, in 2022, Nicole took the helm of NEMBA - only the third Executive Director in that organization’s 35 year history. NEMBA is a community of mountain bikers committed to creating epic riding experiences, preserving open space, and guiding the future of mountain biking in New England through its 35 chapters across all six New England states.

It’s almost like we’re e-biking our way through this conversation, we cover so much ground! From metro-west to Stanford to Sydney to Seattle, with multiple boomerangs back to the Boston area, all with the goal of making bikes the new normal for commuters, conservationists, and casual riders alike (no hot dog costume required!!)

Links from our conversation (not chain, the other kind!):

• New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA): https://nemba.org/
• Elevate: https://elevatemtb.com/
• Guides Gone Wild talks with Sabra Davison, Little Bellas
• Vermont Mountain Bike Association: https://vmba.org/
• Kingdom Trails Association (VT): https://www.kingdomtrails.org/
• Hub on Wheels (not happening any more, likely a victim of COVID, sigh - but here's link to a Hub on Wheels FB page showing info and images from 2019): https://www.facebook.com/HubOnWheels/
• Toole Design Group
• Co2 Inflator Kits
• Bear Brook State Park (NH)

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Today I’m welcoming one of my wild new Western Maine friends, Julie Sloan, an owner and the lead instructor at Maine River Runners (https://www.maineriverrunners.com/) in Bethel, Maine.

Maine River Runners came to town the summer of 2023, and jumped right in to the local business community with their fleet of kayaks, canoes, stand up paddleboards, and accessories for rent, as well as a lesson program and shuttle service that brings paddlers up and down the Androscoggin from their riverfront home base in Bethel.

But this is no ‘Julie-come-lately’ story - even though her business just celebrated its first birthday, Julie Sloan has more than 20 years of experience teaching (both in classrooms and on the water), and holds certifications in swift water, coastal kayaking, SUP yoga teaching, and as an ACA Paddle Sports Safety Facilitator.

Julie’s story is one that fills me with joy because she has managed to meld her many interests and curiosities into a life she loves, that’s also creating so much good in the world and in her community as a result.

So get that river adventure on your calendar ASAP!:

• Maine River Runners : https://www.maineriverrunners.com/
• Evans Notch Lodge

Are you a registered Maine Guide itching to get your community and clients on the water this summer?

• Let’s talk paddle retreats!: https://www.evansnotchlodge.com/retreats

Or are you a land-lubber looking for some fun (and fabulous fundraising!) hiking opportunities this summer? :

• Join or Support the Guides Gone Wildcats hike for Alzheimer’s - July 27th
• Join or Donate to a Summits in Solidarity hike: https://givebutter.com/SummitsInSolidarity

Or has Julie inspired you to start your own outdoor business? Check out my Guide for Guides on Liability Insurance and Social Media Marketing!

A few more links from our conversation (come on over to GuidesGoneWild.com for the complete list):

• Ari Leach - Blackbird Guide Services
• Androscoggin River Watershed Council
• HALA inflatable paddle boards (CO)
• Zapstix Surf Shop (NH)

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• Rasputitsa - https://rasputitsadirt.com/
• @rasputitsadirt - https://www.instagram.com/rasputitsadirt
• Heidi Myers on Guides Gone Wild (debut!)
• Trish & Jen talk about Vertical
• Specialized
• WHOOP
• Bourne's Energy
• Zero Gravity
• Jay Peak
• MidSouth Gravel - @midsouthgravel
• GroundedNE - @groundedne
• Big Red Gravel Run - @bigredgravelrun
• For the Love of Food Catering
• Bivo
• Trash Gear Co (bike fenders and mud guards made in VT from recycled plastic!)
• Julbo Eyewear
• Castelli
• Plink!
• Columbia Forest Products

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