Alicia Hansen – @poiseinparma
As a lifelong member of the Northeast Ohio community, Alicia Hansen grew up in the Greater Cleveland area and is proud to still call it home. She writes Poise in Parma, a healthy balance blog for Clevelanders. She began her blog in October 2009 to help keep her accountable for a 100 plus pound weight loss while showing others that they too could live a happy, healthy lifestyle in the Northeast Ohio region.
Professionally, Alicia was recognized by CBC Magazine in February 2011 as the Connectors Choice Awards’ Rising Star for 2010 for her work as an events director for local non-profits. She currently serves as Director of Operations for Nishkama Yoga while also developing her own event planning and social media management company. By November 2012, Alicia will have her Yoga Alliance yoga teacher certification through Nishkama Yoga’s teacher training program.
Serving as the Cleveland chapter president of the Ohio Blogging Association, social media has given her a chance to connect with a variety of Clevelanders, as well as folks from around the globe. Alicia lives in Parma, Ohio with her husband Hans and her golden retriever Grady.
Amanda Brooks – @runtothefinish
Amanda, a seven-time marathoner and personal trainer, is the author of RunToTheFinish, a fitness and healthy living website that stemmed from her passion for running. She is an ecommerce consultant, freelance writer, speaker and social media fiend with nine years of experience providing strategic online solutions for Fortune 500 companies nationwide.
Amanda combined her love of writing, strategy and running to develop a site that is a destination for tips, motivation and tools for getting the most out of the healthy living journey. If you ever want to talk running, connect with her on Twitter @runtothefinish
Amy Lupold Bair – @ResourcefulMom
Amy Lupold Bair, blogger, social media marketer, and mom, is the founder of Resourceful Mommy Media. In 2008, Amy burst onto the social media scene inventing the Twitter Party – a hashtagged social event with panelists and a conversational theme catering to the needs of clients ranging from e-commerce start-ups to nationally recognized trusted brands. Developing from her own successful relationships with public relations firms and companies, Amy developed a network for fellow bloggers in early 2009. The Global Influence Network has grown to include over 1800 social media savvy bloggers.
A former English teacher and a writer at heart, Amy continues to blog on her personal site, ResourcefulMommy.com. If you would like just a small dose of Amy, she is always available in 140 characters or less at @ResourcefulMom on Twitter.
Amy Nowacoski – @amynowacoski
“You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me? Seriously? We’re going to a fitness conference? As a speaker? OMG What are we going to wear? We are not spending the weekend in spandex, I’m telling you that right now. Do you know how big my butt looks in yoga pants? We have to lay off the cupcakes STAT and we are NOT taking on training for another race. NOT. Do you hear me?”
Amy Nowacoski has a crazy Fat Girl that lives in her head. She started running when she was 275 pounds and hasn’t stopped. She is the creative voice behind “Fat Girls CAN Run” exploring the idea that “Impossible is just a typo”. Amy is an advocate for falling in love with fitness and ending the “I can’t” conversation. Currently, training for a marathon and a triathlon, Amy is reinventing herself as an athlete while freaking out about having to wear a wetsuit.
When she’s not having conversations with the crazy people in her head, Amy is the founder of Ginger Snap Works , a social media marketing company that ends social media pollution by giving brands and individuals a voice in social media. Trained in international diplomacy and traditional marketing, Amy believes that it is the conversations we have, in social media or in life, that define the quality of our lives.
Amy is obsessed with Pinterest.com, knitting socks, creating the perfect smoothie and being the mom of the best pug on earth. With new adventures always on the horizon, she is expanding her business, writing a book, exploring martial arts and, of course, is running her pants off.
Follow her on Twitter! @amynowacoski, @FatGirlsCanRun
Brandi Koskie – @DietsInReview
Brandi Koskie is the managing editor at DietsInReview.com and takes full credit for the site’s successful five year run. (Fully kidding.) She’s actually one of many who make this leading diet and health site tick. Unfortunately, everyone else wouldn’t fit in her carry-on bag. While in her fifth year with DIR, she’s learned enough to know she’s never done learning and loves finding new opportunities for engaging the site’s loyal and enthusiastic readers.
Brandi is a respected health journalist and has worked with some of the biggest names in dieting and fitness. She’s attended seven Biggest Loser finales, shared sushi with Jillian Michaels, made Jimmy Fallon laugh, and was called “an expert” on NPR’s Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me. She’s embraced the world of interactive marketing and is proficient in SEO best practices, so much so that her super dorky hobby is researching keywords.
Personally, Brandi launched the web’s first IVF fundraiser site, BabyOrBust.com. There she “begged” the Internet for money in exchange for bearing all about her (successful) test-tube-baby making. Her story has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR’s StoryCorps, the book “Budgeting for Infertility,” Conceive Magazine, and the Johnson’s Baby “Moments of Joy” campaign.
Brandi lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband and daughter, where she gets most of her exercise being a human swing set for the (almost) two-year-old. Brandi has a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and is, of course, working on her first book.
Christie O. – @christieo
Christie O. is a journalist and news junkie by trade having worked in print, cable and network news. She’s an average everyday mom of 2 little boys blogging at AverageMomsWearCapes.com about fitness, motherhood, and coloring outside the lines. She also has a social media consulting and management business called Christie O. Media. After her second child and a bout with postpartum depression, Christie embarked on Couch to 5k to lose the 50+ extra pounds she gained during her pregnancies. With several 5ks, a 10k and a half marathon under her belt, her (self diagnosed) adult onset ADD and the need to be distracted by shiny objects, she decided to set her sights on something someone (her husband) once told her was impossible: triathlon. After completing her first sprint triathlon and overcoming her fears of getting eaten by large sea animals, she decided that if she could do this, anything was possible. She became addicted to triathlon and has since finished more sprints, several olympic distance triathlons, two half-ironman races and a marathon. This year, she overcame the biggest obstacle of her life: cervical cancer followed by a hysterectomy. Now, she’s starting back at fitness square one but she’s learned (once again) that it’s not about the weight, it’s about LIVING. And living healthy. She’s expecting a full comeback for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November.
Cynthia Crowsen – @itallchanges
Cynthia Crowsen began writing It All Changes three years ago as a reminder healthy living is full of ups and downs. What started as a personal reminder and a way to keep in contact with friends and her mom (Hi Momma!) has become a passion to share how healthy comes in many forms and with many challenges. Weekly blog posts include everything from recipes and fitness to emotional health and goal setting and there’s always lots of mind wandering.
Cynthia is a full time pastor currently residing in the Berkshires of Massachusetts with Hunni (her husband) and two dogs who begrudging share their apartment. She previous presented on Making Friends Through Social Media at Healthy Living Summit 2011.
David Hylton is a marketing writer/editor by day and a father, husband, blogger and co-moderator of #runchat, the most popular chat about running on Twitter.Emily Sandford – @skinnyemmie
Emily Sandford is the weight loss blogger behind Skinny Emmie: a journey to get fit and live life. Since starting Skinny Emmie, she has lost over 110 pounds through workouts, clean eating, and addressing emotional issues and triggers. She is a social media consultant, blogger, and brand marketer with over eight years of experience in directing traditional, interactive, and social media marketing management to companies with revenues over $100M.
Emily owns Authentically Social, a social media marketing consultancy. She serves as community manager for Enell Sports Bras, fashion blogger at Emmie Loves, contributor to ShePosts, contributor to HerKentucky, and marketing consultant to several companies. She is nearly always available via social media at @skinnyemmie or @emilysandfordon Twitter, and facebook.com/skinnyemmie. Emily has appeared in Skirt! Magazine, Spry Magazine, Shape Magazine online, Health Magazine online, Ace Weekly, and the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Emily resides in Lexington, KY with her murse (male nurse) husband David and their airedale terrier Lilly. She loves traveling and reading, and is easily distracted by sparkly things.
Erin Stutland – @EStutland
Erin Stutland is a transformational specialist and life coach. She is the creator of Shrink Session Workout: Tighten Your Body, Rewire Your Mind and Magical Manifesters: A 5 week Digital Course to help you get clear on what you want, create a blueprint to get there and then, make it happen.
As a professional dancer she has toured the world internationally with acclaimed dance companies such as Melissa Thodos contemporary dance and Mark Jerecke Dance. As an actress she has starred on The Soprano’s, Sex in the City, Chappelle’s Show, and Mad Men. As a fitness professional she has appeared on/in WPIX, The Today Show, Dr. Oz, New York Live, Well + Good and Crazy Sexy Life among others.
Her 30 day at home transformational Shrink Session program will be released Jan. ’13.
She currently lives, teaches and coaches in NYC.
Hank Hanna – @losing100lbs
I woke up one morning and realized that I was tired. Tired of being the biggest guy in the room. Tired of the fact that I had to buy most of my clothes online because they didn’t carry my size in the store. Tired of being held back because of my weight. But I had woken most mornings being tired like that. The difference that morning was that I knew what I had to do. It was like the light bulb in my head had suddenly flickered on. I was going to lose 100 pounds or more and I was going to do it the right way. I needed to run my weight loss like a business. Thus was born the Business of Losing Weight. I have taken my endeavor public. My readers are my shareholders. You are in on the IPO and now you are a shareholder. Hold me accountable. Help me succeed.
Web: http://www.businessoflosingweight.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/losing100lbs
FB: http://www.facebook.com/BusinessOfLosingWeight
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/TheBOLW
Jack Sh*t – @JackSht
Jack Sh*t is the driving force behind the one-of-a-kind weight-loss/healthy living site Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit. Jack’s numerous accomplishments include completing a half- half- half- half- half- marathon, a regular guest blogging stint at Anytime Health and coining the phrases “bad hair day,” “this ain’t my first rodeo” and “coin the phrase.” Besides being a full-time blogger, Jack works as a Knife Thrower’s Assistant’s Assistant where he sharpens knives, sews sequins back on the Assistant’s outfit and stands in for the KTA in case of sickness or injury.
Jamie Walker – @FitApproach
As co-founder and president, Jamie drives the vision and strategy for Fit Approach. She is dedicated to helping others achieve their own fitness goals and healthier lifestyles. Jamie’s athletic pursuits include tennis, cycling, snowboarding, swimming, dancing, and running. A competitive ultra-marathon runner, Jamie has won Ohlone, Dick Collins, Chimera, Cinderella, and Skyline to Sea ultra marathons. She also placed first overall at the Solana Beach triathlon.
For the last four years, Jamie has also trained and taught bootcamp classes, helping her students lose weight, gain strength, increase flexibility and endurance, and develop healthy habits. She has also developed healthy meal plans for her bootcamp clients and regularly does kitchen makeovers to help her clients achieve their nutritional goals.
Jamie has been practicing yoga for over 11 years. As a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor, she shares her love for athletic, challenging yoga with her students.
She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Berkeley, and completed her 7 year corporate career in PR and marketing to create Fit Approach.
Jan Baxter – @HealthyLoserGal
Jan Coffinger Baxter has been a reporter, photographer, and editor of upstate New York daily and weekly newspapers including serving as Editor in Chief of the nation’s oldest weekly newspaper, The Washington Co. Post. Since growing up in an agricultural and dairy community, Jan has an ongoing interest in promoting farm-to-table farms and businesses.
Having worked in advertising and public relations for over 30 years, Jan started her career in Nashville, TN working for the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland Hotel. She moved with her son to Lexington, Massachusetts in 1990 and has worked in public relations in the Boston area for over 20 years.
Jan’s fitness and weight loss blog and website, www.healthylosergal.com, was started in March of 2009 when she embarked upon a journey to ‘reclaim herself’ by getting healthy and setting out to lose 100 pounds. In August of 2010 she hit her weight loss goal and chronicles her experiences of striving to be ’50 and fab” through a positive
outlook on life while trying new fitness routines and wellness programs. As “Healthy Loser Gal”, Jan has been featured in national magazines (First for Women, February 2011 and Fitness Magazine, June 2011) for her weight loss and fitness success story. As
@HealthyLoserGal, she enjoys interacting on Twitter with over 10,000 friends.
A believer in the two spaces after a period rule, Jan is an avid Red Sox fan and counts spending time with her son and laughing with friends as two of her favorite pastimes.
Janet Oberholtzer – @janetober
Janet Oberholtzer had big plans for her late thirties. Waking up the hospital to discover that she’d almost died twelve days earlier was not part of her plans. Nor did she dream she’s have to spend four years recovering from horrific leg and hip injuries. Somewhere between the ongoing surgeries, therapy and meds, she was sucked into the dark vertex of depression.
Finding herself debating whether or not life was worth living scared her enough to seek help from counselors. With their help, her determination (some may call it bull-headed stubbornness, but determination has a nicer ring) exercise and good food, Janet has learned to live well again in spite of the pain, limitations and deformed leg she now lives with.
By doing what she can, with what she has, where she is… she has recovered better than anticipated. At least twenty doctors told her running was a thing of her past, but with her ‘determination’ she was able to return to running four years after the accident. And on May 20, 2012, the 8th anniversary of the accident, Janet completed a full marathon. She is now training for the New York City marathon on November 4, 2012.
Janet is an author, blogger and motivation speaker. Her memoir, Because I Can: Doing what I can, with what I have, where I am won a publishing contest and was published in September 2011. You can connect with Janet on her blog, Facebook and Twitter @JanetOber.
Jim “James Bondage #007” Doran – @JimDoran
Jim “James Bondage #007” Doran is The Spy who Shoved You at Chesapeake Roller Derby, Maryland’s original co-ed roller derby league. Jim started roller skating following FitBloggin’ 11, after retiring from dead end careers as Kung Fu instructor and non-professional skateboarder. Roller derby was the obvious next rung on the ladder of dangerous hobbies, and Mr. Bondage discovered an thrilling world of intrigue, glory, bruises, fishnets, speed, eyeliner, bruises, agility, whips, girls with cute braids, bruises and unmeasurable amounts of fun.
When not pounding the shit out of people, Mr. Bondage is a professional Web designer/developer, WordPress expert, faculty at CCBC, technical book editor and international artist. Learn more about roller derby at http://chesapeakerollerderby.com/ and Mr. Bondage at http://jimdoran.net/ .
Kara Richardson Whitely – @fatwmnonthemtn
Kara Richardson Whitely is a plus-size adventurer who hikes mountains on her way to better health and a better world.
She is committed to telling her story — with a mission to encourage others to be active with their bodies and in their community — because she is one of the two-thirds of Americans who struggle with their weight. Kara has been featured in Self, Redbook and American Hiker magazines as well as several television, radio and online outlets.
Kara, who is now a content developer for Monaco Lange, a top NYC branding agency, has been a journalist for the past decade. She has written for daily newspapers, as well as Self, Every Day with Rachael Ray and Runner’s World magazines.
Her book, Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half of Myself and Found Happiness
Visit Kara on bigfatmountain.com and fatwomanonthemountain.com
Karen C.L. Anderson – @kclanderson
Karen C.L. Anderson: Author. Blogger. Speaker. Creator of ah-ha moments. Lover of what is.
Karen is the author of AFTER (the before & after): a real life story of weight loss, weight gain and weightlessness through total acceptance. Her blog, “Before & After: A Real Life Story,” continues the conversation she started in her book and explores how self-acceptance heals the mind, body, and spirit.
She is currently enrolled in the Psychology of Eating coach training program where she is learning about Dynamic Eating Psychology and Mind-Body Nutrition.
Karen is also a freelance writer and speaker. Prior to becoming a freelancer, she spent 17 years trying to fit her right-brained self into a left-brained career as a trade magazine journalist in the field of plastics (and if she had a dime for every time someone mentioned that line from The Graduate…). She worked mostly in New York City, which helped make up for the trauma. She lives in New London, CT, with her husband, Tim who is most definitely a left brainer. She sincerely appreciates that in him.
Kelly Olexa – @KellyOlexa
Kelly’s extensive professional experience is a mixed blend of Sales, Marketing, Business Development and now Social Media Strategy. She has worked for tech startups, several small to medium-sized businesses, as well as Fortune 500 organizations. Her skilled tenacity has produced strategic partnerships with companies such as: ConAgra, Orbitz, Travelocity, Marriott Hotels, Doubletree Hotels, Choice Hotels, Best Western, Microsoft, N.A.R., 7-ELEVEN, Valero Energy, SBC, Exxon/Mobil, Safety-Kleen, Sally Beauty, Halliburton, H&R Block, Sprint/Nextel, Brinker International, Carlson Restaurants, A.C.S, Lennox International, and Dean Foods among others.
Change CAN be a good thing. When the company where Kelly was employed declared bankruptcy in October of 2008, that unexpected “time off” provided the ideal timing for a lesson in Social Media 101. Her blog, primarily focused on her passion for fitness and health, garnered a captive audience and rather serendipitously, produced myriad opportunities to provide vlogging (video blogging/interviewing) services for other brands. Kelly’s natural on-camera presence and charisma landed her a spot as one of 100 Ford Fiesta Agents for the “Ford Fiesta Movement” in April 2009. In addition, Kelly’s engagement on Twitter has resulted in over 43,000 followers, regular placement among the “Twitter Elite” Top 100 (via Hubspot, TwitterGrader) nationally and in the Top 25 for Chicago. In August 2010, Kelly became a member of the Sears(R) FitStudio team (FitStudio.com), creating weekly content and motivating others to get FIT! In 2011, Kelly joined Polar as an ambassador for their superior Heart Rate Monitors and other fitness measurement devices.
Every day, well over 100,000 subscribers are listening to what Kelly Olexa has to say. Brands are paying attention. Even Kelly’s Starbucks habit got her noticed when Brian Solis penned this piece: The Interest Graph on Twitter is Alive: Studying Starbucks Top Followers
Kelly was also featured as one of the “Top Young Female Entrepreneurs in Technology by Business Week”, 2009.
In April of 2011, Kelly founded FitFluential– a nationwide network of highly influential fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline via multiple social media platforms. As of June, 2012, FitFluential has 5300+ Members reaching over 100 Million people online each month.
Passionate about social media- but more passionate about creating real RELATIONSHIPS, Kelly is a Social Butterfly- both online and off. For inquiries, please email Kelly directly at KellyOlexa at Gmail dot com.
Kia Ruiz – @bodhi_bear
Kia Ruiz is a yoga instructor, writer, photographer and holistic wellness advocate. She uses her science background (former academic and ecologist) to work with clients on simple green and health actions. Kia is currently training for the summer triathlon season and backpacking weekends in the Colorado mountains.
Laura Yamin – @lryamin
Laura Yamin is a NYC based blogger and life coach. Thanks to a groupon and perhaps a bit of luck she stumbled upon her first burlesque class and well the rest is history. For most of her life, Laura struggled with a deadly eating disorder and over the past 5 years she has immersed herself in the journey to recovery. From 12 steps to acupuncture, dietitians to intuitive healers, her journey to body acceptance and self-love have taken her to unexpected places. In her 5 minute speech she will share how she shimmied her way to body love. You can read more about Laura Yamin at http://www.joyfulshimmy.com
Leah Segedie – @bookieboo
Leah Segedie has been working with bloggers since 2007 after she lost over 100 lbs. and started up her own social networking site to connect moms who wanted to live healthier. Over the years, she has built a reputation for being “real” among mom bloggers—someone who doesn’t sugar coat things and lives her imperfect life out loud. As a fitness matriarch, she organizes and leads the Mamavation campaign, which is an obesity prevention campaign for families championed by moms. Mamavation is now one of the best branded campaigns in social media among mom bloggers having over 180,000 related tweets since 2009. Moms affiliated with the campaigns have lost over 1,500 lbs.
Professionally, Leah Segedie is a community builder and marketer. She got her start in politics working on community campaigns, guerrilla marketing and public relations in California. She’s also been involved raising over $3 million dollars for various propositions and candidates, but she does not consider herself “political” anymore. She also understands corporate communication needs having worked as the Manager of Public Relations for an insurance company that was in the news constantly thanks to her contacts and hard work. When Leah became pregnant with her first child she was also caring for her dying father part time and decided to exit the workforce to raise a family and be present for family needs. Her hobby turned into a profession in 2007 after entering the world of social media and within a year she picked up several clients helping them reach out to moms online. Social media has been like second nature to her because of her eclectic experiences in industries that require very special talents to excel.
Leah has a Masters in Communication Management from the University of Southern California. She was given the Presidential Scholarship to attend USC and graduated among the top of her class and gave the commencement speech for her Bachelors ceremony in 2001. She works from home in her fuzzy slippers and workout clothes in Simi Valley, CA while doting on her husband and three sons.
Liz Neporent – @LizzyFit
Liz Neporent has spent her entire career helping people realize their fitness dreams and improving their health. She passionately believes in the power of healthy living as a means to a better life. It’s important to her that health information is based on real science and delivered in an easy-to-understand manner.
Although she started out as a health & fitness professional working in corporate wellness, somewhere along the line, Liz realized she could reach a very large audience by stepping out of the gym and sitting at her keyboard to write about health and fitness topics. She garnered work in numerous national publications including The New York Times, The Daily News, Shape Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Fitness Magazine, Men’s Health, etc. She’s written for iVillage, AOL, Shape.com, ABCNews.com, Dr. Oz’s Youbeauty and scads of other destination websites.
Liz soon branched into books. She co-wrote two best sellers: Fitness for Dummies and Weight Training for Dummies. Books really kicked in the compulsive nature she developed as a lifelong distance runner: To date she’s written/co-written 20 titles including last year’s smash hit, The Winner’s Brain with Mark Fenske, Ph.D. and Jeff Brown, Psy.D., two brainiacs with Harvard pedigrees and the newly release Harvard Health Publication’s The Migraine Solution and Change your Gambling Change Your Life.
Liz has been on all the morning shows as well as CNN, New York One, The Food Network and more. She serves on the emeritus board and is a national spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise and is the fitness and media advisor for The Hudson Valley Women’s Health Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the health needs of an underserved community. Liz also regularly consults with companies, authors and medical experts on developing successful social media strategies. She herself has more than 18,000 followers on Twitter.
When not pounding the pavement or pumping iron Liz can be found hanging out with her super cute hubby and daughter. For more info, check out her website www.liznep.com and follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.
Lyn Trier- @lifelynstyle
Lyn worked in the materials and operations field for over 15 years before bicycling across Ohio and meeting her husband on the way. After a courtship and a wedding, she quit her traditional job to become a mom. Now in her early forties and the mother of a 2½-year old and a 4-year-old, Lyn enjoys teaching her children about healthy, local foods.
Lyn is overweight and working hard (off and on) to get healthier. In the meantime, she doesn’t let her excess weight hold her back. She exercises regularly at a gym and elsewhere. Recently, she became a certified lifeguard mostly to prove she could.
Lyn writes about her health and fitness journey at http://lifelynstyle.com. In a year and half of blogging, she has written regularly about her family’s two CSA subscriptions as well as their U-Pick and farmers’ market adventures. She loves that her kids became locavores at an early age, eating balanced meals and understanding where their food comes from.
Lynda Lurei- @hittheroadjane
Lynda is a Cuban American writer from Miami with a whole lot of passion for healthy living, the arts, and travel. She is the blogger behind HitTheRoadJane.com a site that started as a way to stay accountable and share her latest finds in fitness,health news, and trends. After a yearlong health scare that involved invasive cardiac testing ,she was diagnosed with Vasovagal episodes caused by circulation problems. Finally having a diagnosis was empowering! Her Doctor taught her how to control it and even gave her the ok to continue running because it was helpful. She immediately signed up for her first half marathon to celebrate being in control again! At the end of that first year, she had completed 7 of them, qualifying for half fanatics and solidifying her love of running.
The blog name Hit The Road Jane was chosen because it represents the average Jane or Juana looking to turn her life around with healthier habits. Anyone can do it! Follow along this Fall as this Latina trains for her first full marathon In California taking place February 3rd 2013 and tries to lose 26.2 pounds to be in tip top race shape. Also make sure to keep a lookout for her new Latina Fitness Website www.Latinasmove.Com with fellow runner Debra Rivera of miles to run. Follow Hit The Road Jane on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, youtube and subscribe to the blog via e-mail here . Lynda is a Oiselle race team member, Honey Stinger Athlete, and FitFluential Ambassador.
Mara Glatzel – @maraglatzel
Mara Glatzel is a self-love coach + author of Body Loving Homework: Writing Prompts for Cultivating Self-Love. She works with women who are ready to create the lives they want — and deserve. Her blog — Medicinal Marzipan — has inspired thousands of women to heal their relationships with their bodies, and treat themselves with relentless compassion. Catch up with her on facebook, twitter, or join her body-loving mailing list for bi-monthly secret swapping and insider news.
Monica Olivas – @RunEatRepeat
Monica Olivas started blogging four years ago to document her weight loss and training for her first marathon at Run Eat Repeat. For some odd reason people started reading and the site has grown into a dream job! Now she blogs daily offering running tips, food diaries, weight loss features and random musings that are mostly only entertaining to her.
Monica is an ACE certified personal trainer living in southern California. She has presented at Fitbloggin ‘11 on Blogging 101 and the Healthy Living Summit ‘11 on Blogger Safety. You can follow her on twitter @RunEatRepeat or check out her site www.runeatrepeat.com
Ryan Sullivan has three awesome sons, an amazing wife, and lives in the gorgeous state of Utah which has been ranked one of the top 50 most beautiful states in the nation! No big deal.Sara Hopson- @sahopson
Sara spends her days gushing about the power of technology to impact behavior change and her nights transforming her former mac’n’cheese addiction to something more helpful in supporting her workout habits. Her background is in social media, creative writing, and education: she previously tutored home-bound students in the greater Boston area and also worked for a MassChallenge finalist startup that helped consumers support education projects they cared about by shopping locally.
At DailyFeats, Sara nurtures relationships with the company’s nonprofit and blogging partners, as well as works closely with customer service to glean member feedback. She is passionate about showing people what DailyFeats can do, both for personal growth and as an actionable platform for communities. She has helped launched the first iteration of Healthy Huntsville, a program that is using DailyFeats to encourage citizens of Huntsville, Alabama to participate in free events throughout the summer and check them in on DailyFeats to better their health as individuals and the health of their community at large.
Sara migrated to Boston after finishing her undergraduate degree near her hometown in northwestern Pennsylvania. Growing up in a rural farm town had its perks: Sara had plenty of time to write, as well as read everything she could get her hands on (including the back of the cereal box, if there was nothing else). Now she’s thrilled to use that love of all things written to promote positivity and community.
Sarah Dussault – @DietSarah
Sarah Dussault is one of the most viewed fitness personalities on YouTube. She has produced over 700 videos, earning over 100 million total views. Since 2006, Sarah has pioneered the YouTube channel for diet.com, DietHealth, as the senior video producer. From Bethenny Frankel to Ellie Krieger, Dussault has worked with some of the most influential names in the
health industry. She created her own channel, SarahsFabChannel, in 2008 and began blogging shortly thereafter at SarahFit.com. As a full time blogger, she produces, hosts, films and edits her own videos. She also hosts the YouTube produced series, Next Trainer.
Sarah is a proud Laughing Cow Community Leader. In 2011, she appeared in Women’s Health and Men’s Health from June to November as a blog editor to promote the Urbanathlon race series, called Crushing The Course. Sarah stars in the JCore Body DVD series and infomercial starring Shape contributing editor, Jay Cardiello.
Sarah is a certified personal trainer through the ACSM and trains clients privately in Boston. She was additionally named one of Stuff @ Night Magazine’s “Bodies of Boston” in 2010. She is also a reporter for a local nightlife TV show, “Dirty Water TV” which airs on NESN.
Shauna Reid – @Shauna
Shauna Reid is an Australian writer living in Scotland. She’s co-creator of Up & Running online running courses, where together with renowned coach Julia Jones, she helps women around the world of every shape and size start running.
Shauna’s memoir The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl (Harper Collins) tells the tale of her 175 pound weight loss. She’s been blogging since 2001 at dietgirl.org. Her blog and book have been featured in People magazine, CBS The Early Show, The Washington Post, ELLE, O magazine and Marie Claire to name a few.You can find out more about Shauna’s adventures at www.dietgirl.org.
Shira Miller – @theshiramiller
Shira Miller is a healthy living blogger, speaker and award-winning Public Relations maven whose twenty-year weight loss success story has been recognized by Shape, Health, First for Women, Quick & Simple and the Atlanta Journal & Constitution.
It wasn’t easy for a former Oreo addict to lose 50 pounds (more than one-third of her size). But Shira did and has kept if off since 1992 by adopting healthy habits, journaling non- stop, learning how to quickly regain motivation after a weekend cupcake-binge, and most importantly, laughing all the way to the gym (which burns an extra two pounds a year, no joke).
Combining healthy living topics with irreverent pop culture commentary, Shira’s Lighter Perspective blog aims to make the road to wellness more successful and entertaining. Outraged by the high failure rate of diets, but unwilling to organize an Occupy-type protest because of her aversion to Port-a-Potties, Shira is currently finalizing a book that helps others win the battle of the bulge for good.
Her firm, Shira Miller Communications, promotes companies that make the world happier, healthier or more livable. The national publicity and branding expert has worked with thousands of broadcast, print, radio and electronic media outlets on behalf of clients like Cox Communications, Farm Rich, Spanx and the Synthetic Turf Council. Much to her mother’s delight, Shira has won a boatload of PR awards and participated in dozens of speaking engagements. She lives in Atlanta with Justin, her super cool British fiancé.
Susan Ito – @foodiemcbody
Susan Ito, aka FoodieMcBody, has been blogging at foodfoodbodybody since 2009. She has gone from a type 2 diabetic couch potato to a half marathon runner, triathlete and Weight Watchers leader. She is also a published author, solo performer and editor and has taught at UC Berkeley Extension and privately.
Susan Lacke – @SusanLacke
Susan Lacke does 5Ks, Ironman Triathlons, and everything in between to justify her love for cupcakes (yes, she eats that many). After earning Masters and Doctoral degrees in Health and Wellness, Susan did the most responsible thing a graduate with a giant mound of student debt could do: She became a writer. Today, she has featured columns with Competitor and Triathlete, serves as Resident Triathlete for No Meat Athlete, a website dedicated to vegetarian endurance athletes, and has worked with multiple popular fitness sites, including Fit Bottomed Girls, The Blog of Impossible Things, and Bliss Tree. Recently, she signed her first book deal with VeloPress Publishing. You can find all of her work at www.susanlacke.com.
Susan lives and trains in Phoenix, Arizona with four animals: A labrador, a cattle dog, a miniature pinscher, and a freakishly tall triathlete boyfriend. She claims to be of sound mind, though this has yet to be substantiated by a medical expert.
Tara Martin & Meegan Dowe – @theHDD
Tara and Meegan met online in early 2009 when they were just beginning to crack the shell of their true selves, blogging about losing 100+ lbs and the physical, mental and emotional process involved. As they reached the high point of their life changing journeys they met in person as friends and ended up unexpectedly falling in love.
At The Healthy Dynamic Duo, Meegan & Tara write about how they are living their lives to the fullest together blogging about everything from recipes tested and tasted to how they currently maintain their combined weight loss of 230lbs.
At A Life Changing Journey Tara shares her story of being lost and uncovering herself. The way she tells it, she “began her life changing journey in a 270lb body dying a slow and very sad death.” She writes a lot about how her journey is about more than just weight loss, its about how she is saving her life on a mental, emotional and spiritual level. She writes candidly about the absolute truth of the process of uncovering your true self and how making her journey public has helped her in ways she is unable to explain.,
At Redstar5 Meegan writes about how she decided to reclaim her life at 30 after a battle with depression that left her feeling fat, tired and worthless and how she came out the other side feeling more like herself than she could have ever imagined. Her Life Changing Journey is chronicled as her weight loss progresses and the ups and downs of maintenance now unfold.
Tara and Meegan eloped in Vancouver, BC in July of 2001 and now share their healthful lives together in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 4000 miles away from Tara’s hometown of Tacoma, WA. They have joined together in their mission – to help others along their own Life Changing Journeys and build and army of people who care about who they are, feeling loved and deserving of happiness and then to turn the happy loose on others, especially those who don’t think they deserve it. Because, as they would tell you, “we know now, that everyone deserves it.”
Tim Woodbury – @midpackrunner
As a Certified ScrumMaster, Tim specializes in helping people find better, faster ways to fail. When he’s not working on improving his agility in the office, Tim works to improve his agility in the field as an RRCA certified running coach.
You can find his running ramblings on MidpackRunner.com.
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