alive Contributors

Deena Kara Shaffer, PhD, is a learning specialist and lecturer at Ryerson University, co-creator of the Thriving in Action initiative, and owner of Awakened Learning, resilience-based educational coaching and consulting. 

Christina Chandra, BSC FNH, is a freelance food, nutrition, and health writer. Based in Vancouver, she enjoys exploring local eateries and advocating for wellness.  

Tiffany Mayer is a journalist based in St. Catharines, Ontario. She finds no shortage of inspiration in the Niagara Region where she lives.

Nancy Coulter-Parker writes about all things organic and the natural products industry. She and her family live in Boulder, Colorado where her vegetable gardening skills are challenged by the dry weather.

Lisa Truesdale is a full-time freelance writer who lives in Colorado with her family (including three cats). She writes about healthy living, food and drink, and travel and tourism for dozens of publications. Her passions are cooking, traveling, and reading.

Tracy Peternell is a mother of two, a certified school teacher, and a healthy living enthusiast.

Melissa Curman is a writer and editor from Vancouver, Canada. She enjoys spending time with her family, being in nature, and has a true passion for natural health and wellness.

Vegan since 2003, Karina Inkster, MA, PTS, is a fitness and nutrition coach, author of five books, and podcast host. She and her coaching team help vegans worldwide live their healthiest, most plant-strong lives.

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time Vancouver-based freelance writer, alive contributor, and the author of Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back (Baker House Publishing, January 2019).

Amy Green is a writer, counsellor, and registered psychologist based in Salmon Arm, BC

Katie Swanson is a world traveler and a health and wellness writer. She writes to help others live healthier, wealthier, happier lives.

Margaret Littman is a journalist, stand-up paddler, author and lover of all things Nashville. 

Roohi is a freelance writer and journalist based in Vancouver, Canada. She enjoys writing about wellness, culture, and social issues. She is also the co-founder of Didihood.

 Kristy is a media and communications specialist based in beautiful British Columbia

The managing editor, digital, at alive, Colleen likes baking healthy(ish) desserts and cooking up a good pun.

Lisa Beach is an Orlando freelance writer whose work has been published in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, and Eating Well. 

Erin Jackson is a writer and editor based in Vancouver, BC.

 Desiree Nielsen, BSc, RD, a registered dietitian, host of The Allsorts Podcast and author of the bestselling plant-based cookbook, Eat More Plants.

Gail Johnson is an award-winning digital, print, and broadcast journalist based in Vancouver. @gailjohnsonvancouver

Julia Murray, RHN, is an Olympian, certified plant-based chef, and co-founder of 80/20 Plants, the plant-based health app.

Heather Burt bicycles to Langara College, where she teaches literature and writing. Her novel Adam's Peak (Dundurn Press, 2007) was shortlisted for the 2008 BC Book Prizes.

Kate Rhéaume-Bleue, ND, is the author of the best-selling book Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox (HarperCollins, 2013).

Thalia is the Nutrition and Health Education Manager at NOW Foods. She has spent over 30 years in the health industry, including an eclectic background in herbal medicine, nutrition, essential oils, and working as a wellness coach, fitness instructor, and personal trainer. Thalia is also the author of “The Confident Shopper: The Guide to Food Labels and Fables” and “The Expert Patient: Health is Not a Spectator Sport.”

Ciara Walker Williams, M.Ed., is a freelance writer and lifestyle blogger based in Bartlett, TN. She is a wife and boy mom who enjoys inspiring others. Visit www.ajourneyinspiredllc.com to learn more.