Eleven years ago this month I was working on the production of my very first issue of Natural Awakenings. Our oldest son Mays was only 8 months old and we were still relatively new to the area, having lived here for less than two years. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill had just occurred and the first article I wrote for the magazine was about the inspiring clean-up efforts of local nonprofits.

Filled with mixed emotions, I write this letter knowing it will be my last as publisher of this magazine. My husband Josh has accepted a new job in the Nashville area and with great excitement, our family will embark on a new life adventure this summer as we relocate inland to Tennessee.

So many memories flood my mind as I reflect on the last 11 years. How exciting it was for little Mays and I to watch an 18-wheeler deliver two pallets of magazines to us that first month! As a long-time yogi, the September yoga edition was always my favorite to put together, and I love thinking about the first Yoga Month event that Natural Awakenings organized with area studios. We were hoping for a couple dozen people to show up, and were overjoyed when around 150 people unrolled their mats in Cathedral Square that beautiful afternoon. As a music lover, I’ll always feel grateful for the opportunities I had to interview health- and planet-conscious musicians such as Michael Franti, Jack Johnson (while I was in early labor with Thatch) and John Butler. And I’ll never forget the sense of reward I’d feel when an eager reader would stop me on my distribution route to request one of the magazines before I had a chance to put them in a rack.

I will not miss dealing with unexpected challenges such as snow storms that delay the delivery of 15,000 magazines, working late hours to make up for workdays lost to motherhood, or a pandemic that turns distribution plans upside down. The national editorial angle of our publication has always been committed to solution-based perspectives versus dwelling on the problems we face, and applying this philosophy to day-to-day hiccups has proven fruitful.

When a heightened sense of divisiveness took over our country last summer, I overcame my feelings of being emotionally overwhelmed by sharing a constructive, multicultural and interracial dialogue via a new monthly magazine department, Diverse Conversations. Working on this series of articles has been the most fulfilling part of my job for the last 10 months, and with May being Asian Awareness Month, I found it fitting for my final contribution to tell the story of my Japanese American grandparents. Although they endured immense discrimination and hardship through World War II, they lived their lives with dignity and hope; their stories now serving as inspiration for anyone facing adversity.

I will spend the next several months fully focused on transitioning our family to a new place, and while I publish my final edition with tears in my eyes, I look to the uncharted path ahead with a sense of joyful anticipation. My office has always been a one-woman operation (with some encouraging pups nearby), but the last 132 issues of Natural Awakenings would not have been possible without a list of supportive individuals. I’ve leaned on my mom (Anne), my brother Michael, my dear friend Gabrielle and my editor Michelle for tedious editing and proofing each month. You’re able to hold this magazine in your hands thanks to my dedicated team of distributors—Stephanie, Tonya, Linda, Nikki, Beth, Beaulah and Don (to name a few)—who get the magazines on stands for you, rain or shine. This publication has remained free year after year due to the ongoing partnerships with many local business owners who choose to advertise with us. It has been an honor to connect with so many movers and shakers in our local health and wellness community and I wish all of them continued success.

Of course I couldn’t have done this work without the support of my family. From putting extra sand in our outdoor stands before hurricanes to helping me close many of my publisher letters, Josh has been here whenever I’ve needed him. In addition to being the subject of many personal stories I’ve shared, our spirited boys represent the future stewards of this planet and have always inspired the ongoing mission of this magazine. 

But the most important part of Natural Awakenings is you, the reader. You are the people we seek to educate and empower and your interest in healthy living and a healthy planet has been the driving force of my work for more than a decade. Whether you’re picking up the magazine for the first time and unfamiliar with natural living, or you’re a long-time reader and Natural Awakenings poster child, thank you for taking the time to read our meaningful content. As we say in yoga, the light in me, honors the light in each of you.

Namaste,

Meredith Montgomery, Publisher