Maine Thrive Voices

Chris Mendoza's life changed with a piece of mail.

He was living on Long Island, working in retail, engaged to be married — and then a hand-written letter arrived from his grandfather Jack, who had run The Appliance Doctor in the greater Bangor area for 36 years and believed Chris was the right person to carry it forward. Chris and his fiancée Dorothy read it together, took the leap, and moved to Maine in 2016.

In this episode ...

"These animals aren't damaged, and they aren't broken. They're just waiting."

In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Britney Ellis, Public Relations Specialist at The Animal Orphanage in Old Town, Maine — a no-kill shelter that has been giving lost and abandoned animals a second chance since 1990.

Britney is the voice for animals who can't speak for themselves. If you've seen the adoptable pet s...

Tony LaPrino was standing in a half-finished new build, picking up a check from his builder, when he said the five words that changed everything: "I'd love to learn how to do this." The room went quiet. The builder asked if he was serious. He was — and one year later, North Star Property Solutions is booked solid across the Greater Bangor area.

In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Tony to tal...

Peter Richmond never grew up with a dog. But when his son got a husky named Luca, something clicked — and it never stopped. What started as a friendship with a dog daycare owner named Hallie Tyler turned into an opportunity Peter couldn't pass up. He took over her property in Glenburn, put his name on the door, and built Woof LLC into the top-rated dog daycare in Penobscot County — two years running. This episode is the...

Laura McIntyre has been running large-scale event logistics since before most people knew that was a job. From managing 5.5 million square feet of warehousing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to coordinating Hurricane Katrina relief operations in Baton Rouge, she spent thirteen years as part of a loose network of professionals who get called in when the stakes are high and the margin for error is zero. When her parents needed her, she ...

In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, Sandy Smith sits down with Flori Davis of Hermon, one of the original runners of the Bangor Marathon and the 2025 women's course record holder. Flori has been running for more than twenty years, and her story is anything but a straight line — a Boston qualifier derailed by injury, a second qualification missed because life with four kids and a real estate career got in the way, and a th...

Episode 3: Amber Willey — 207 Wellness, Veazie, Maine

In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, Sandy Smith sits down with Amber Willey, co-owner and nurse practitioner at 207 Wellness in Veazie, Maine. Amber shares her powerful personal transformation — losing 150 pounds through her own GLP-1 journey — and how that lived experience became the foundation for a practice that has helped hundreds of Mainers reclaim thei...

In this special founding guest episode, Anik Derphilibossian shares her inspiring journey from nurse to food entrepreneur. From growing up in a food-loving Lebanese household to chasing her American dream, Anik opens up about the challenges of starting a food truck and restaurant in Bangor, Maine.

She talks about the power of dreams, the importance of community, her famous stuffed grape leaves, and why she created the Dream Board at...

Brad Libby of Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation joins Maine Thrive Voices to discuss helping Mainers recover from injuries, stay active, and improve long-term mobility and wellness.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• physical therapy
• sports rehabilitation
• injury recovery
• staying active as we age
• common misconceptions about physical therapy
• helping people move and feel better throughout the Bangor and Brewer regio...