community spotlight
Natural Awakenings Fairfield County Seeks New Steward
Franchise Available for Immediate Sale Before Closure
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hen the first Natural Awakenings edition was published in Naples, Florida, 26 years ago, it was to fill a specific community need. Founder Sharon Bruckman wanted to make it easier for people in her area to find information in one place about local farmers’ markets and healthy living activities and events. It may seem quaint in the postGoogle era we’re in now, but Natural Awakenings was born from one woman’s honest desire to help people be informed and empowered. That mission has driven Nicole Miale’s leadership as publisher of the Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley edition for over seven years and the Greater Hartford/Tolland County edition for the past three years. We asked Miale about the role the magazine currently plays and what is next for the Fairfield County edition.
How do you define the role of Natural Awakenings in the local community? This magazine is an extension of the people in the community and a reflection of the interests and passions expressed there. The magazine is for, by and about the local community. Natural Awakenings continues to be a free community resource, supported 100% by members of the community and containing news and educational articles from many others. We connect people in the area who need and want help with people and products they think may help them. We work hard to be actively involved in the community: introducing new businesses, sponsoring events, having a visible presence at workshops and fairs; distributing the magazine anywhere that will have us. The more people who can find us, the more people we can help. That’s my job; to ensure the magazine is easy to find all over the broad area and packed with 16
Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition
credible information people can use to improve their daily lives.
How long has the Fairfield County edition been publishing? I’m the third owner of this franchise; this year Natural Awakenings has been publishing in Fairfield County for 16 years. The magazine’s success in recent years has been gratifying for me and the team but is mostly a mirror for the limitless energy and ability of the people in the local community. It’s pretty phenomenal to appreciate that, in part because of their involvement with the magazine, many practitioners, businesses and enterprises first established themselves and have been thriving for years.
What has been most rewarding to you about publishing Natural Awakenings? The knowledge that information we provide has lasting value and, in some cases, life-altering meaning for so many people. When someone tells me, “I love your magazine!” I say, “Thank you so much. Please tell me what you love about it and what we can do better.” I’m passionately concerned with the reader’s experience.
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