After two years of writing for this magazine, I’m excited to introduce myself as the new editor of Plymouth Magazine. My story with Tiger Oak Media began in 2019 as an editorial intern for our sister titles, Lake Minnetonka Magazine and Woodbury Magazine. From there, I’ve written for several of our sister titles within different metro communities, including Plymouth.
I’m excited to delve more deeply into the stories that build Plymouth and the community members that shape them. I’m also grateful for the example set by our outgoing editor Renée Stewart-Hester, who has been an incredible mentor to me over the years working at Tiger Oak Media.
For this February/March 2022 edition, our focus on health and wellness strikes a personal chord with me. The pandemic gave me the leeway to discover a hobby I never thought I’d have—biking. Growing up in Edina, my neighborhood was under construction during the prime learning years when everyone else shed their training wheels. COVID-19 found me in empty streets on a second-hand bike, taking overlong turns and making shaky hand signals until I grew enough confidence to start taking the Greenway 40 minutes to my day job in Hopkins.
In a similar way, blogger Ali Van Straten found herself looking for new ways to exercise during the pandemic. She uses her blog Champagne and Coffee Stains to detail her journey as a newbie-turned-aficionado of the Peloton app. Read more about her health and wellness journey on page 12.
Wellness involves what we put into our bodies as well as how we use them. When I can’t be found biking around nearby Lake of the Isles, I’m often trying out a new recipe in my kitchen or playing around with drying and preserving my own ingredients source either from my AeroGarden or the Lyndale Farmers Market. Brit Williams has her own tale to tell when it comes to holistic foods. Her locally made Please & Thank You Granola Bars started as a way to cut preservatives out of her family’s diet. Now, she’s baking granola bars with manners for customers nation-wide. Read more about her story on page 36.
As we’re looking toward spring and new growth, now is a great time to break out of our hibernation and become more connected with ourselves and the community around us. I look forward to connecting more with the Plymouth community as a whole and learning how you’ll spend these lengthening days.
Madeline Kopiecki
