Inspiring New Perspectives

At a recent Emerald Coast Storytellers open mic night, I stumbled upon an unexpected reconnection. While in line for the restroom, I overheard words of support in a conversation between two women on the other side of the door. When the door opened, the night’s featured storytellers, Erica Spivey and Noelle Manasco, emerged.

The moment felt full circle.

I realized it was the very same Erica Spivey that I worked with in the early years of my career with Rowland Publishing, some 17 years ago.

For the event’s theme, Redemption and Second Chances, Spivey was the perfect keynote candidate. As the executive director of the Florida Foundation for Correctional Excellence, Spivey works to increase investment in reentry programs for incarcerated adults nearing release. She co-founded a mentorship program that supports these individuals in pursuing success.

That night, Spivey shared inspiring stories of the impacts she and her organization are making in the state. Too, she expressed a humbling reminder that everyone is one bad decision away from incarceration.

Housing more than 80,000 individuals, the state of Florida’s incarceration numbers rank third highest behind only Texas and California, according to a 2022 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

“We have a problem in the state of Florida,” Spivey said during her speech. Still, she sees an opportunity to improve the future for those released. A content campaign she is working on sharing soon will give a platform to some of these incredible stories.

Listening to Spivey, I was reminded of the power in sharing our stories.

I was humbled by the opportunity to share my own story and also a little nervous. I was reading an excerpt from my story published in the April/May issue of Emerald Coast Magazine about my trip to Africa but also candidly discussing how this trip inspired a new perspective and a second chance for me. After Africa, I’ve reevaluated my future and my outlook on life. I was overwhelmed with the feedback I received and learned that others were having experiences similar to mine.

Having that common thread inspires hope. It creates connection and commonality for relationships to grow. I offer many thanks to Kristy Holditch and Ali Diamond, founders of Emerald Coast Storytellers, for creating this platform for creatives to share their stories.

At Emerald Coast Magazine, we are honored to be that platform for all in our community. We recognize the impact each of these pages has on the featured businesses, people, artists and more.

There couldn’t be a more compassionate, intelligent and inspiring person to help bring these stories to life than our new editor, Paige Aigret. You might recognize her name as Rowland Publishing’s production editor for Custom Publishing projects. Too, she’s been a contributing writer for all of our titles, including Emerald Coast Magazine, for more than two years.

A proud graduate of Columbus State University, Aigret brings journalism and creative writing experience from her English literature education and work on her college newspaper and local magazine titles.

One of her first stories written for Emerald Coast Magazine appeared in our 2022 April/May issue as a cover feature. The story, highlighting Nicole Hemmerly’s textile artistry, is still one of the top art features we have covered in Emerald Coast Magazine. Her writing and editing craft is performed with the utmost care and attention, and her leadership at Rowland Publishing is already making waves.

As a Fort Walton Beach local from birth, she brings a knowledge and expertise of Northwest Florida that only continues to grow. We couldn’t be more thrilled to see her Rowland Publishing evolution continue with a focus on Emerald Coast Magazine as our editor. There couldn’t be a better leader for your local lifestyle publication covering everywhere from Pensacola to Panama City, and everything in between.

Enjoy this first edition of her editorial leadership, and may the stories within these pages inspire you to share yours.

Much love,

McKenzie Burleigh, Associate Publisher
mburleigh@rowlandpublishing.com