Holistic health has always been a great passion of mine. I am forever eager to learn more about natural means to improve the quality of our lives. In an attempt to quench my thirst for diverse experiences and learning in this realm (combined with a hefty dose of wanderlust, I admit), I moved around the country for some time. I have been truly blessed to spend the last several years traveling as a psychiatric nurse in Oklahoma, Missouri, Vermont and Hawaii. This career path allowed me to utilize and observe firsthand the powerful synergy of contemporary medicine and holistic health measures to improve patient outcomes. I was able to explore other states, meet new faces and discover novel communities along the way. I might still be in Hawaii if it weren’t for the opportunity to join Natural Awakenings Milwaukee. This publication is the perfect platform to help empower, educate and connect the community to all things holistic. Natural MKE catalyzed yet another move. One face mask, two overweight suitcases and three planes later, I was back to Wisconsin. Now, I am excited to begin sharing this passion with the community in which I grew up.

From holistic dentistry to physical therapy to reiki, Milwaukee offers a multitude of holistic approaches to optimize our health. Though allopathic medicine has its place, I envision continuous improvement in the quality and length of our lives through the pragmatic combination of allopathic and alternative health measures. The intersection of modern scientific medicine and ancient wisdom is where optimal quality of life can be found. I look forward to connecting with local resources that align with this vision and promoting their continued success.

As I step into this role as owner and publisher of Natural Awakenings Milwaukee, I first want to express sincere gratitude to Gabriella Buchnik, the previous publisher who created the publication from the ground up. She has done a remarkable job in instituting this platform to connect our content to our community.

Second, I want to offer many thanks to our readers. I am with you. I, too, have been a dedicated reader for years. Whether this issue is the first one you have picked up or the hundredth, we appreciate your support and loyalty of the magazine and its advertisers. Sure, other health magazines are published each month. What sets us apart? Our publication scales wellness at all levels.

We strive to promote the health of individuals, our community and our planet alike. We do so by promoting global awareness through a local lens. Our content involves the latest worldwide research tied with local content that hits home. Our Natural Awakenings staff, readers and advertisers are all united by one commonality: the desire to be educated, and thus, empowered, on the best natural health strategies to alleviate suffering and promote health.  

Finally, on behalf of our team, I would like to thank our loyal advertisers. We appreciate you. Many of our advertisers have partnered with us since the first year of publication. We love supporting these local businesses that align with our values of health, wellness, community education and empowerment. In return, we provide marketing expertise and ongoing support to promote their success. We encourage our readers to support our advertisers as well. This is what a connected community and collective consciousness involves—multi-directional education, empowerment and support.

In addition, I want to share my aim to add even more onto our already solid foundation. We have increased our page count from 32 to 40 to offer greater content to our readers. We are printing 3,000 additional copies to share with our community. We now offer expertise in targeted digital marketing to help advertisers expand their reach. Natural Awakenings has also partnered with the next HUGE opportunity, KnoWEwell. It poses the perfect opportunity for anyone—natural or holistic health provider, patient, educator and more—to join. Providers find patients, patients can find providers and both find education, events and other supportive materials on healthy living. More info to come on this prime opportunity.

I greatly appreciate the support of all who believe in Natural Awakenings. Together, we will continue to improve the health of individuals and the community as a whole.