I first met J.B. Lester and The Healthy Planet Magazine in the late 90’s. I was an instant fan of both. At the time I was teaching advertising and other media classes at St. Louis Community College -Meramec in Kirkwood. I called J.B. while doing an advertising class assignment in which I wanted to incorporate his magazine into our project. He kindly obliged. We instantly became friends. We’ve kept in touch and worked together throughout the years.
Last year I called J.B. and I told him I was going to retire in December. He told me he was thinking of retiring also. We discussed the possibility of me taking over The Healthy Planet Magazine and as the timing was perfect, things worked out and I made the difficult decision to retire from teaching. To say teaching at STLCC was a great career is an understatement. I had the pleasure and honor of meeting thousands of amazing students. I taught them a variety of courses in both Media and Oral Communications. I learned how to be a better professor and better person because of them. I also became friends with other faculty and many staff. I was chair of the Communications Department for 7 years. STLCC is an excellent institution and the faculty and staff are dedicated to helping and supporting a diverse group of students. I’m still teaching part time at Meramec. I can’t give it up completely yet. Our students are and have always been smart, funny, creative, polite, and very nice people. They inspire me. I’ve also been fortunate to teach several years at another great institution, Webster University. As an adjunct there, I taught Advertising and Mass Media to many fantastic students, some from other countries.
Thankfully J.B. will stay on with The Healthy Planet, hopefully for a long time to come. His experience and knowledge in publishing and advertising is very valuable. J.B. has been working with a great team of people who collectively create an amazing monthly publication. Fortunately for me, that team will continue forward. Additionally, we’ll be adding new team members with fresh ideas to keep the magazine updated and relevant. I’m also working on bringing some STLCC and Webster U students to The Healthy Planet as writers, designers, and interns. We will continue to keep an online edition and will be adding print back in the fall.
I have a lot of great things planned for The Healthy Planet. Some things can be started right away, while other things will take time to develop. However, the integrity, professionalism, and news worthiness that J.B. started 25 years ago will remain. I want the publication to feel comfortable, inspiring, and inclusive for all. Our mission at The Healthy Planet Magazine is to provide health, wellness and environmental news and information that all people can use to feel empowered, motivated, and uplifted.
I look forward to meeting current and new readers & advertisers. We can all work together for the greater good of STL and the surrounding areas. To me health and wellness are so many things, including mental, emotional, physical, nutrition, spiritual, financial, etc. Health and wellness encompasses humans, animals, our environment, and all living things. It’s a great feeling to be working with like-minded colleagues, readers, community members, businesses, and advertisers. Together we can help one another and help ourselves to be the best we can be and to do our part to help keep our planet healthy.
Susan Hunt-Bradford