I had been the editor of Inland Business Catalyst magazine for five months when the publisher asked me to meet him in his office one weather-perfect fall afternoon. I had officially sent my third issue of the magazine off to press. I was finding my groove as an editor, feeling empowered in the role, but the requested meeting made me question, briefly, his thoughts on my performance. I murmured, “It’s go time” under my breath and headed for his office.

“Well,” said our publisher, Vince Bozzi, “you’ve really been proving yourself as an editor. So I wanted to talk to you about something we’ve been considering and hear your thoughts on it.”

“Perfect, I would love to hear it,” I said. My body relaxed into the leather-bound chair as my mind absorbed the compliment.

“We’ve been thinking about starting a woman’s magazine, and I wanted to get your thoughts on it and offer you the opportunity.”

I threw my hands in the air as though I had just crossed the finish line—although I knew the journey was just beginning. “Yes! I would be honored—I’m the woman for the job,” I said with zero hesitation.

My fierce love for this magazine sprouted long before that moment. My commitment to sisterhood and to bringing women together to celebrate one another, empower one another, and honor one another has not once wavered. I have referred to this magazine as “my gal pal” over the years and have adored the project and every woman who has shared herself on our pages, bravely, humorously, but most importantly, authentically and vulnerably. I’ve sat through some tough meetings, where I was fighting against content I didn’t believe would excite and empower my readers, and I knew I wasn’t alone. The sisterhood has powered my every decision about content. Every one of you, from those featured to those who read this magazine, makes me a better mother, a better friend, a better professional, a better woman, a better human. I hope the inspiration has been mutual.

After much thought and consideration, Bozzi Media has decided to move Spokane CDA Woman and Prime Magazine, our other bi-monthly publication, into our flagship premier city magazine, Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living. Offering the smaller magazines for free to the public has simply become cost prohibitive. Because Spokane CDA Living has a much superior distribution network, higher circulation count, offers home delivery and exposure on nearly every magazine stand in every major store in Spokane, along with delivery to upscale hotel rooms such as the Davenport, Davenport Tower and Red Lion Hotels, and now increased deliveries to places that Prime Magazine and Spokane CDA Woman audiences gather, we feel that the magazines will reach a much wider audience than the stand-alone publications do. The magazines will appear inside Spokane CDA Living, as separate and discrete publications, on the same bi-monthly press schedule as they’ve been.

Since Spokane CDA Living has a demographic of 64 percent female readership, folding Spokane CDA Woman magazine into Living is simply a logical extension of the brand. We will retain our most popular features of Spokane CDA Woman, such as the hard-hitting and honest discussions in our feature stories and the “If They Only Knew” column, as well as the best in women’s health writing and the fashion spreads. And I am honored to announce I will be following Spokane CDA Woman into Spokane CDA Living as editor-in-chief. This is bittersweet for me and I write this with tears in my eyes. I adore my sister editor, Blythe Thimsen, and I wish her well as she transitions to new opportunities. I have big shoes to fill, and I look forward to creating a city magazine we can all be proud of, one that rivals the best across the nation.

I have come to believe that Spokane is my city. And I want you to feel that way, too. I want readers to be swept up in the resurgent energy of growth, activity and opportunity. Embrace this city with me, honor her by becoming a champion for her and our fellow residents . . . be the change you want to see and share with me your observations along the way. I look forward to this new phase with you: some of my favorite humans on the planet. And remember, no matter where we go, what we do, and who we choose to share life with, we are Spokane CDA Woman, we are Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living, and we are Spokane.

Thank you for your loyalty; it has been, and will continue to be, my honor to carry on as your editor. Please find me on Facebook to stay connected between press dates, and share your thoughts, ideas and stories in real time.

My very best,

Stephanie Regalado

[email protected]