Launching dreams

Tracy Stroderd (Left) and Lee Nessel (Right)

Sometimes you sit down right next to your dream. It would be a few months after we met that we’d reconnect and realize how we needed each other and how extraordinary the partnership would become.

We were two business professionals on different journeys who intersected at the 9th Annual Business Acceleration Summit in Melbourne last fall. Experts and those looking to them for sparks convened to network and find the magic that would propel us — somewhere.

Tracy had built EverythingBrevard.com into a force of advertising and connecting the Space Coast community to information on local events and lifestyle. Her content showcases events, health, wellness, family and entrepreneurship.

Lee had worked in daily newspaper journalism for 17 years, some of those doubling up as a media director for CrossFit, Inc., followed by four more years in communications — less than a year as public affairs and information manager for Brevard County Fire Rescue and then three years as managing publisher for a pro sports league.

The extraordinary thing is we both were at the summit in September chasing what we love. Tracy knew exactly what she was after — she would soon launch this magazine to compliment her website. The first issue published the next month and it’s grown exponentially ever since. EverythingBrevard.com Magazine will finish 2017 as a quarterly publication then go to six issues per year starting in January.

At the summit, Lee realized she wasn’t chasing the right thing. And the serendipity of sitting next to Tracy would soon manifest into a new partnership. Lee had freelanced for magazines when she lived in Key West and had been harboring a love for that specialization for almost two decades. Tracy had the vision for this magazine over a decade ago.

We are two hard-working women who put family first and seek work-life balance. We love Brevard County and telling the stories of the people who enrich it. Our mission is to foster a healthy community where families and businesses thrive. We want you to find balance, enlightenment and growth through new connections and by sharing information.

Each of the amazing women on staff met Tracy in a fortuitous way. Lee is the newest addition to the all-women team where each member works her strengths to make sure EverythingBrevard.com best serves the Space Coast.

Tracy needed an editor for her magazine. Lee wanted to be an editor for a magazine. The universe found a way to make sure we connected to continue down this path together.

If you enjoyed this story and want to read more click here.