Branching out into the magazine world seemed like a natural for Aamirah Branch-Sticca after moving to Bermuda. Just before coming to our shores she was the manager of a Jenny Craig Weight Loss Center in Maryland.

“When I moved to Bermuda I wanted to stay in the wellness field and support people on their way to living healthier lives,” she said. “I want to try and ensure their needs in terms of wellness are met.”

Mrs. Branch-Sticca is the publisher of New Horizons, the local health magazine that began in January. The publication has been monthly since its start but will now be produced every two months. It focuses on alternative and natural health practices and practitioners. The first three editions were widely circulated available at local supermarkets and newsstands free of charge. That will now change.

Mrs. Branch-Sticca said readers would now have to pay $2.99 for a copy of the April and subsequent editions. “We are moving to a subscription format that begins with this month’s edition. Some people have already subscribed,” she said.

The first three editions were “well received by the local community,” she said. And she feels this good reception has set the magazine on good firm ground to make the change from free to $2.99.

“When we introduced it, it was on a test run,” she said. Feedback from advertisers, the reading public and contributors were all going to be scrutinised to determine the best way forward for the magazine and the public.

“I got a lot of useful feedback,” she said. “For example many people say they love it but that they didn’t get a chance to read all the articles. I realised that people may not have finished one month’s magazine and then were faced with the next month’s.”

Mrs. Branch-Sticca said that’s one of the reasons she has scaled back publication to every other month.

“Actually when I really looked at the market I saw that we were the only monthly magazine in Bermuda. Nobody else was putting out a magazine every month. From a business point of view, we found it a bit hard to do so,” she added. New Horizons is printed in Canada and shipped to Bermuda. Doing this monthly has been hectic especially as there are only two staff — Mrs. Branch-Sticca and a sales representative.

“Some of the columnists are locals but I do all the design and layout,” she said. Acting also as the editor, she decides exactly what topics she would like covered and has to assign and buy them. Making the magazine bi-monthly will give her more time to plan and improve the quality, she said.

Personally committed to the health of people and the environment Mrs. Branch-Sticca is proud to say the magazine is made using only recycled paper.

“You will see the next edition will be larger and a little more focused on quality. There will be more colour pages because our readers love colour. People are more visual and colour attracts them. But we are committed to being as green as possible and we will not use glossy paper. We will continue with the recycled paper and soy based ink. Even the colour pages are done with soy based ink,” she said.

Her husband and co-producer of the magazine, Larry Sticca noted that because harsh chemicals are absent in the paper New Horizon is safe to use as animal bedding. “But only after you have read it,” he added.

And the magazine is popular with many locals. “People are becoming real fans and tell me they read everything in it. Even the advertisers love it,” she said.

And Mrs. Branch-Sticca said she is feeling heartened that she is doing something that is substantively benefiting the community.

As manager of the Jenny Craig centre she said she always had to help and advise clients on the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise. “People always had a lot of questions on how they would achieve this given their particular living situation or health,” she said. The familiarity with looking into these queries peaked her interest and she said producing a natural health magazine was a natural progression for her.

The opportunity presented itself last October when the Sticca’s met a friend who had a natural health magazine. There was a template and resource they could follow. “We went to North Carolina to see her magazine and to work out the development and production for a Bermuda version,” she said.

After a course in design and layout Mrs. Branch-Sticca said she was ready to launch the Bermuda magazine. “It took about three months to put it together. We aimed for January 4,” she said. And that’s when New Horizons hit newsstands. “We are more than just a magazine,” she said. “We put on events that support the community physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are looking for things to uplift and enhance the community.”