OUR TEAM
Click each persons image to read their bio.
FERTILITY AWARENESS EDUCATORS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OUR TEAM
Click each persons image to read their bio.
FERTILITY AWARENESS EDUCATORS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NATIONAL PROJECT STAFF

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“Guiding Star Cedar Valley does not refer for or provide abortion, contraception, artificial means of conception, or sterilization.”
220 Southbrooke Dr.
Waterloo, IA 50702
The Guiding Star Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit
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It’s an honor to serve the Cedar Valley in this role as Executive Director. I am most excited to be a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge and information as I can about the services we provide. Then I want to take this information and tell as many people as I can about the beauty of womanhood and how Guiding Star Cedar Valley can help them understand this.
Danielle will greet you over the phone or in person as our Client Care Coordinator. She is passionate about sitting with women and providing them with space to share their journey and connect them to the care they need.
Danielle has training as a postpartum doula, FEMM education and lactation counseling. She loves meeting women where they are at on their fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding journeys. She is humbled by the opportunity to be invited in some of the most vulnerable times with women and families. She believes everyone should have the opportunity to be seen and share their story.
Danielle, her husband Seth and their son Bentley live in Cedar Falls. Her favorite thing about living in the Cedar Valley is running into familiar faces everywhere she goes! You can find Danielle at an Iowa Hawkeyes football game, reading a book, cheering on the Fever and spending time with friends and family.
Susan brings years of experience as an RN and retired Lactation Consultant to our families at Guiding Star. She shares her grandmotherly wisdom and kindness to help women find confidence and joy in their journey as mothers.
Susan coordinates Breastfeeding Mothers’ Community twice a month with Danielle. She is available for personal consultations, as needed, as well as phone, email, and text contact.
Working at Guiding Star Cedar Valley has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. It’s been an irreplaceable opportunity to work in a life-affirming, Christ-centered environment. I have been at Guiding Star Cedar Valley in one capacity or another since 2020. In all the experiences I have had at this beautiful organization, I have loved working in Childwatch the most. I love providing a familiar face for all the kids that come through our doors. At an organization that focuses on wholistic healthcare for women and their families, their kids are no less important! We play, do homework, talk about important things, and above all we provide a safe space for kids to be seen while their mothers are seen.
My purpose at Guiding Star is to provide education to couples and women by teaching Fertility Care through Creighton Model. I also teach the Intro to Womanhood class; I love teaching girls about themselves! I was drawn to Guiding Star from the beginning. As I was meeting with my Creighton Practitioner, Jamie, she introduced me to everything Guiding Star. Seeing the building transform, seeing the community come to our center and beginning to trust that they were made good. It was an amazing thing to experience! I love working as a Fertility Care Practitioner at Guiding Star because the two naturally go so well together.
Julie Grunklee is a Registered Nurse, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, FertilityCare Practitioner and holds a Master’s Degree in Community Health Education. Julie teaches women & couples how to chart their cycles with the Creighton Model FertiltyCare System. She also teaches our Introduction to Womanhood puberty class and Gracefully Navigating Perimenopause & Menopause class in our center as well as in schools and community organizations.
Julie enjoys spending time with her family as well as going for walks in the woods and working around the acreage she shares with her husband, Dave. She is passionate about empowering others about how their body is designed so they can create health by aligning with that design. Julie is also a Service Partner with Guiding Star Cedar Valley offering health education & coaching services.
My husband and I first encountered Guiding Star while learning about the Creighton Model of fertility awareness with Jamie Rathjen. Jamie taught us what women’s health care should be and soon I was learning all I could about how to honor God’s design for women, men, and families. I had an opportunity to expand my knowledge about women’s health at the St. Paul the VI Institute in 2020 which lead to where I am today, teaching Intro to Womanhood classes with Guiding Star. Educating girls about the changes they’ll soon be experiencing is so important to helping them learn to appreciate their femininity and learn how to keep their bodies healthy.
My journey to Guiding Star occurred over a period of years. I first met Jamie Rathjen, founding Director, through UNI and St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center, so I’ve been quite aware of Guiding Star, the mission and all the good that’s been accomplished in a short time. My wife, Sue and I have been supporters and Gala attendees the last few years. I’ve recently retired after 42 years in banking, insurance, and financial services, most recently affiliated with Veridian Credit Union and Lincoln Savings Bank. We’ve been married over 40 years and have two married children with four grandsons total. We credit one of our grandsons to being connected to Jamie and Dr. Pranger. After a couple of problem pregnancies, Jamie and Dr. Pranger successfully assisted in Gracen being born a few years ago. I see my involvement now as an opportunity to give back and trust that my background and experience benefits the overall mission.
Dr. Staudt is a proud 3rd-generation chiropractor and the owner of Cedar Valley Mobile Chiropractic in Waterloo. Dr. Staudt has been a partnering provider with Guiding Star since 2020 and a member of the Executive Board since 2023.
My mission is to change our healthcare system one patient at a time. I am passionate about Guiding Star Cedar Valley’s “wholistic” approach to women’s healthcare and the life-affirming care they provide to the women in our community.
Outside of practice, I enjoy reading “all the books”, going to the movies, and attending the fantastic shows at the Gallagher-Bluedorn. I’m a member of St. Edward Parish and P.E.O. I love our community here in the Cedar Valley and am so grateful to serve you.
As husband to the founder of Guiding Star Cedar Valley, Jamie Rathjen, my passion for the mission and vision runs deep and dates back to Jamie’s Fiat, or call to open its doors. Whereas in the early years it was about supporting Jamie’s vision from the homefront with a family of 6, I’m now loving the transition to the “front lines” of sorts. I love my role in the Introduction to Manhood course as a presenter and as board treasurer, it’s surreal to be part of the detailed conversations that reflect the health of an organization I care so deeply about.
Guiding Star has had a profound impact on my life as this organization has been there every step of the way in support for each one of my wife and I’s four children’s births. With my wife having previously worked at Guiding Star for seven years, I have had the privilege of witnessing first hand how deeply this organization serves the greater Cedar Valley. Its impact is not only meaningful but essential for the next generation of mothers in the pursuit of a natural holistic healthcare
A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to learn more about Guiding Star Cedar Valley and felt a calling to be a part of its mission. Although, at the time I wasn’t sure exactly what that would look like. Now, I’m honored to have been selected to sit on the Board and lead with others who support the amazing work that Guiding Star does. I am passionate about healthcare, mental health, and my faith. I believe that God, through His word, gives us the perfect design for life and marriage and I am glad that, through Guiding Star, I am finding a way to share this believe with the community. Although my career is in healthcare and I love what I do, my passion is my family and faith. I am a wife to a loving, supportive husband, and mother to two lovely girls.
I serve on the Board of Directors to do my part to help build a culture of life in the Cedar Valley. My wife and I have been using Creighton for over 10 years and have seen the fruits of the method in our marriage.
We have two elementary aged children and suffered the loss of twins to miscarriage in 2020. Guiding Star’s No Matter How Small service gave us the gift of being able to bury our twins and to begin the process of grieving. The support of the Guiding Star community has shown us the Lord’s care for us during the season of infertility and healing that has followed. I serve on the board so that my wife has the community she needs in the present and so that my son and daughter have the support in the future.













