Featured Bloggers

Jackie Culver: Fitness Tips

Jackie Culver was a devoted stay-at-home mom to her two young boys putting all of her time and energy into the family and did very little to take care of herself. She ended up overweight and extremely out of shape. Then, suddenly, her life changed. Jackie soon became a certified personal trainer and started a business that catered to moms, dads, and busy professionals. She specializes in helping people find fitness routines that they can do in their homes and offices with little or no equipment. Her favorite part is seeing the “aha moment” when people realize that being fit is something they can truly manage.

 Jackie Culver is President of JOC Fitness, a company that provides personal training and fitness consulting in clients’ homes and offices. She is an AFAA certified personal trainer and has done extensive work with Shannon Miller Lifestyle. She is the featured trainer on Shannon Miller’s Fit Pregnancy and Body After Baby exercise DVDs. She is also heard giving expert fitness advice on the Shannon Miller Lifestyle radio show. She is the author of articles promoting a healthy lifestyle and consultant for the Shannon Miller Runner’s Journal.

Jackie is an avid runner and has completed six marathons and one ultra-marathon. She has shared her love of the sport by creating and overseeing award winning children’s running programs. Jackie is the Executive Director of the Shannon Miller Foundation which provides running clubs to over 7,000 children. Jackie is also the developer of “Moving the Student Body”, an in-class exercise program for elementary school students.

Married and the mother of two boys, Jackie currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Renee Parenteau: Pro Makeup Artist

Bring out the celebrity in you! Renee has had an exciting and extensive career as a professional makeup artist in the advertising, television and fashion industries nationally and internationally. Her makeup work appears regularly in magazines such as Men’s Health, People, Shape, Hers, Runner’s World and in catalogs such as Land’s End. She works with some of the country’s most prominent photographers and directors and with celebrities such as Selena Gomez, John Travolta, James Cameron, Denzel Washington, Roberta Flack, Sergio Garcia, Kelly Preston and, of course, Shannon Miller!

All her experience gives her an ease of bringing out “celebrity beauty” in everyone!

Susan Smith Jones: Author, motivational speaker and wellness consultant

For a woman with three of America’s most ordinary names, Susan Smith Jones, PhD, has made extraordinary contributions in the fields of holistic health, optimum nutrition, anti-aging and balanced, joyful living. For over 30 years, she has taught students, staff and faculty at UCLA how to be healthy and fit.

As a renowned motivational speaker, Susan travels internationally as a frequent radio/TV talk show guest and wellness consultant. She’s also the author of over 1,800 magazine articles and 27 books, including her latest titles: Walking on Air, The Joy Factor, Recipes for Health Bliss, The Healing Power of NatureFoods, Health Bliss, Be Healthy~Stay Balanced and, for children, Vegetable Soup/The Fruit Bowl.

Alma Schnieder: Take Back the Kitchen

Alma Schneider, LCSW, is founder of Take Back the Kitchen. Like TBK, her blog is dedicated to helping people recognize and overcome the common and unique psychological and practical obstacles to being everything they hope to be in the kitchen. She is a frequent contributor for Woman’s Day on line magazine, CBS local.com, has a video cooking show on aol’s Patch.com, is a recipe contributor to suzysaid.com,baristakids.com, rolemommy.com, Parent Times Magazine and numerous other websites and publications.

Alma is a native New Yorker, transplanted to the suburbs, where she lives with her husband and four children. She is also the founder and President of Parents Who Rock, a non-profit organization, recently featured in Family Circle Magazine, which raises money for charity through concerts performed by musicians who are parents.

Gina Pongetti

Gina Pongetti, MA, MPT, CSCS, ART-Cert. is the owner/president of MedGym, a company focused on the health, injury prevention, and medical education of the Performing Artist, including gymnastics, dance, figure skating, cheer, musicians, and theater. She is a physical therapist, specializing in advanced biomechanics and movement assessment, manual therapy techniques, and injury prevention for the athlete. She is an accomplished gymnast herself, spending over 14 years as a competitive athlete, and is a nationally sought after speaker, presenter and writer for gymnastics and performing arts -specific injuries. She has worked with National, International and Olympic Team members as well as over 20 dance studios and 50 gymnastics gyms for prevention and treatment. She formerly served on the National Health Care Referral Network for almost 10 years for USA Gymnastics, speaking more than 30 times at USAG Congress and regional conferences, A former dancer and current choreographer as well, she has the highest understanding of return to sport as well as biomechanics of injury. She has co-authored the only American Physical Therapy Association’s approved gymnastics medicine course and is a member of the Special Interest Group to increase awareness of Performing Arts injuries and prevention with physical therapists. She is also the medical provider to a majority of Broadway in Chicago touring and local Musicals and Stage Performances, including Mary Poppins, Billy Elliot, Memphis, Jersey Boys, Shrek, A Chorus Line and more. She is presenting the first ever course for gymnastics sports medicine this June in San Jose called “Gymnastics Sports Medicine for You.” Outside of performing arts, Gina specializes as well in Endurance Sports, as a competitive age-group triathlete, and competed in the highly coveted Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, WI in 2006. Her involvement with Endurance Sports spans club sponsorship as a medical provider to some of the most Elite groups in the Midwest, lecturing and writing, as well as treating professional triathletes through Ironman events, stateside and World Championships. She is treatment and biomechanics certified, and is an instructor for Active Release Techniques, a highly coveted certification in advanced manual therapy and soft tissue work. Visit www.medgym.net for articles, national presentations, course registration and other health care information. Email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.