The Power of Being Curious: Edge Magazine’s 35-Year Legacy and Bold Vision for Spiritual Community – An Interview with Kelly Wagner

What if the most powerful spiritual practice you’ve never tried was simply staying curious?

Kelly Wagner grew up without a religious framework, and she calls it one of the gifts her parents gave her. She didn’t have to deprogram from anything. She got curious about everything. From a young age, she asked questions, walked into Catholic churches, yoga studios, and crystal shops with the same open energy, and slowly built her own understanding of spirituality from the ground up. She trained as a Reiki practitioner, studied intuitive development, and ran a successful marketing career on the side, always coming back to the same simple practice…staying curious.

Today, Kelly is the publisher of The Edge Magazine, an intuitive practitioner, and the host of the Being Curious show. She and her husband, Steve, are the third owners of The Edge, the thirty-five-year-old spiritual magazine they relaunched as a glossy, art-driven, crystal-charged print publication that now distributes over a hundred thousand copies a year from Maui to Washington, DC. 

In this conversation, Kelly digs into how curiosity became her spiritual path, why she believes the Olympic team approach is the future of the spiritual community, and the synchronicity that turned the worst day of her marketing career into the doorway to her real life. Whether you’re feeling called to build something of your own or simply ready to ask better questions, this one is worth your time.

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What was your experience with faith, spirituality, or consciousness growing up?

Kelly Wagner: It’s interesting because, as I talk with people throughout these communities, I hear a lot about religious deprogramming. One of the gifts my parents gave me was that I really didn’t have any of that. We went to church on Christmas Eve because my mom wanted to listen to the music.

It was all very relaxed. Of course, my grandmother would come into town and say, “Your kids need to be proper,” and she’d bring a Bible and try to teach us. We’d all just kind of look at her and say, “Okay.” But being a good person was very important in our family. “Do unto others” was important. There were values and a code of ethics, but it wasn’t tied to any religion, faith, or belief system.

We were from Minneapolis. We celebrated Christmas, but I was always curious about Hanukkah or other traditions, too. Now, at our house, we actually do a little “Christmas Hanukkah” celebration where we start giving gifts around Hanukkah and continue through Christmas. It’s fun.

That openness really allowed me to explore and stay curious. My husband Steve jokes that he’s a “recovering Catholic,” so he had a very different upbringing. But I think there are simply different experiences. My parents never tried to mold us into one direction or another.

At what point did spirituality or intuitive experiences start to emerge for you?

Kelly Wagner: Probably in my twenties — and I just turned 50, so my goodness, hi. I was always curious. My mom would say, “Well, I think I’m spiritual,” and I don’t even know if she knew exactly what that meant, but for her, it meant not following a strict religious belief.

I was always very open-minded about ideas like energy, the universe, and different ways of thinking. I realized pretty early on that if there were only one belief system or one way to live, then everyone would be doing it. Instead, there are billions of people with completely different perspectives and experiences.

Because I didn’t have one rigid foundation growing up, I felt free to ask questions. I’d go to church with my in-laws at a Catholic church in a small town in Iowa, and people would be standing up, sitting down, putting their hands up, and I’d just look around thinking, “Okay, this is an interactive sport. Fantastic.”

My mother-in-law would just shake her head while I asked questions like, “What’s the importance of Easter?” or “Why do people do this?” I always tried to ask from a place of curiosity rather than judgment or assumption. I genuinely wanted to understand.

That curiosity really helped me. People from all different backgrounds would share their experiences with me, and I’d think, “Okay, that’s cool.”

At what point did you begin to recognize your own intuitive gifts?

Kelly Wagner: That really wasn’t fostered in my home growing up. I had imaginary friends, but my parents mostly brushed them off. I’d know what song was about to come on the radio before it played, or I’d just know things.

And ever since I was young, people have wanted to tell me their life stories — seriously. I just had this knowing. That’s probably the best way to describe it.

Then one day, while I was getting my hair done, the woman doing my hair said, “You need to meet my friend Maureen.” And I’m that girl who says, “Okay, let’s go.” So I went.

Maureen from Wings of Freedom has been a mentor to me ever since that first session. She was seeing things around me, sensing things above me, and I remember thinking, “Okay, this lady is definitely intuitive.”

Honestly, I thought I was just going to see a psychic. The woman who had done my hair for years kept saying, “Just go see her,” and I trusted that. I didn’t research Maureen or read about her beforehand. I just showed up and sat down thinking, “Okay, what are we doing?”

Then she started talking about a past life in the very first session.

All I really wanted was to connect with my grandmother, who had passed away in 1987. But Maureen said, “Before your grandmother comes in, we’re going to bring in an aspect of yourself because your wife from that past life has been waiting for you, and she’s holding a key.”

And I was like, “Okay, let’s go.”

She did some energy work, and eventually, my grandmother came through. My grandmother immediately said, “I’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting.”

After the session, I told Maureen, “Well, that was fun. I don’t have to do this anymore.” I paid her, walked out of the office, got into my car, and then suddenly thought, “Holy shit. Pandora’s box has been opened.”

If this is possible, what else is possible?

Kelly Wagner: Exactly. After that, I started doing yoga. At first, I only wanted to feel better in my body, but then we’d start chanting at the end of class, or there’d be candlelit yoga, and I realized something deeper was happening.

It wasn’t just movement anymore. There was something spiritual happening, too, and I was really digging it. It felt super cool.

So keep going. You’ve got me on the edge of my seat. What came next?

Kelly Wagner: I just started seeing Maureen regularly, and then I began joining groups. It was almost like everything naturally started to unfold. I became more and more curious.

At the time, I was working in business. I had been selling medical equipment for my father, and then I moved into marketing in different capacities. Looking back now, I realize I was already using intuition in marketing all the time — and I have a feeling you understand that on every level.

Every office I worked in, there would be a line outside my door. People wanted “Kelly’s advice.” They’d stop by just to talk. I had one boss who moved my office right next to his because he loved our brainstorming sessions. We’d be working on ad campaigns, and I’d bring in crystals and different energy practices because I had just started learning about them.

I’d dim the lights, put on music, and have essential oils going. I was really playing with energy, without yet fully understanding what I was doing. My boss would say, “I love my meetings with you.”

That became my approach to spirituality, too. I’d discover something and try it. I’d play with Oracle cards and Tarot decks, but I wouldn’t have called myself an expert. I was just deeply curious.

Then a friend asked, “Have you checked out crystals yet?” And I said, “No, tell me more.” She started placing crystals on my chakras, and I remember asking, “What are chakras?” It just kept unfolding layer after layer.

Then one experience really changed things for me.

I was on a business trip in New Orleans, walking through Mallory Square, and there were all these psychics sitting at little card tables. One of my clients desperately wanted to get pregnant, and she kept going from psychic to psychic asking the same question.

I had this intuition that she might struggle for a while, but that a baby would eventually come. Still, I didn’t want to interfere because it felt like a sacred space for her.

So while she was getting readings, I wandered over to this younger psychic. The moment I looked at him, I saw his grandmother standing behind him, basically shaking her head at him because he was scamming people.

She showed me something — honestly, I don’t even remember exactly what it was now — but I leaned over and whispered a message into his ear from his grandmother. It was something so specific that only the two of them would have understood.

He looked at me and said, “Who the hell are you?”

And I said, “I’m just a girl from Minneapolis, but your grandmother wanted me to tell you this.”

He packed up his table and left.

Meanwhile, my client is staring at me from across the square like, “What just happened?” And honestly, I didn’t fully know either. Weird experiences like that just kept happening throughout my life.

I stayed curious. I’d go to trainings, workshops, and different classes. It was fun for me.

Tell me about the transition into the spiritual world. Did you eventually leave the corporate world to become a healer or spiritual leader?

Kelly Wagner: For a long time, spirituality was my after-work life. It was my weekends. I took Reiki One and Two. I studied intuitive development with Maureen. I took all kinds of classes.

At first, it was really just nourishment for me.

Then, eventually, I got the nudge to start seeing people professionally. I began doing sessions, and at the beginning, you’re just amazed anyone wants to talk to you. You think, “Oh my gosh, somebody actually wants to hear what I have to say.”

I remember one night my husband and I were at a comedy show at a casino, and I’d probably had one too many cocktails. I started talking to this man at the bar, who told me about a horrible car accident he’d survived.

And I immediately said, “Oh, you weren’t alone. Your angels were with you.”

He kept insisting, “No, I was alone.”

And I said, “No, your team was with you. They saved you.”

At that point, he’s looking at my husband like, “Your wife is absolutely nuts.” But then I described details about the accident and how he had been pulled out and protected. He just got up and walked away.

Afterward, my husband looked at me and said, “Okay, we need to create some boundaries here. You can’t just walk up to strangers and start telling them their grandmother is there.”

Later, Maureen explained it to me using the image of an old radio dial. She said, “You can’t walk around completely wide open all the time.”

That’s when I started learning about energetic protection and grounding myself. I began actually using the tools I’d been learning instead of just being excited that people were interested.

Because at first, people wanted “Kelly’s party tricks.” I’d go to parties, and people would ask me to read them or tell them things. And for a while, I loved that people didn’t think I was completely crazy.

But eventually I realized, “Okay, wait a second. That’s not what this is about.”

I think a lot of people go through that phase when they first awaken to intuitive abilities. You’re just excited to finally be seen and understood. But over time, discernment develops too.

So for a long time, I kept it somewhat quiet and off to the side — until eventually I got the nudge that it was time to fully step into it.

At that point, how did you describe yourself professionally? An intuitive? A psychic? A medium?

Kelly Wagner: That’s actually something I still struggle with from the marketing side of my brain.

Honestly, what people get is just Kelly.

Because when someone comes to me, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the session. Yesterday, for example, we started talking about PTSD and narcissism, and then suddenly her grandmother came through. Then I connected with her higher self and spiritual team, and after that, we did ancestral clearing work.

Then I said, “Okay, now let’s get you on the table and do some energy clearing.”

Lately, I’ve also been incorporating rose healing into sessions because roses carry one of the highest vibrations on the planet.

So really, I feel like I have a Mary Poppins carpet bag. I never fully know what’s going to come out during a session.

So you’re still seeing clients while also publishing Edge Magazine?

Kelly Wagner: Yes.

Is that because it feels like your calling? Is it financial? Is it about helping people? Tell me more.

Kelly Wagner: Thank you for asking that. I absolutely love my sessions.

Right now, I’m actually developing a more one-on-one container so I can work with people on a deeper level. I’ve had clients tell me, “We accomplished more in two hours than I did in a year of therapy.” And while that’s beautiful, I also started realizing that people need support with integration afterward.

I don’t want it to just be, “Okay, here’s your checklist, good luck.” I want to be able to walk with people longer, check in, unpack things, and help them build real support systems around themselves.

One of the blessings of Edge Magazine is access to this incredible network of practitioners and thought leaders. So if someone needs breathwork, for example, I can say, “That’s not my specialty, but go see Terry Peterson.” If they need hands-on healing or a Harmonic Egg session, I know who to connect them with.

I really believe in building an “Olympic team” around people. I’m not a sports girl, but that’s the best analogy I can think of. I love surrounding people with practitioners who each have their own gifts and strengths so they can become their best selves.

If I trust someone and know their work, I feel good referring clients to them. So honestly, I love both worlds.

Talk to me about Edge Magazine. How did you become the owner and publisher?

Kelly Wagner: Oh my goodness, this is such a fun story.

At the time, I had my big-girl VIP corporate job. Great office, the whole thing. I was the Director of Marketing for a dairy industry company that manufactured aseptic sampling systems.

Basically, we worked with farms and beverage plants to ensure quality testing systems were accurate, that farmers were paid correctly for the quality of their milk, and that beverage facilities were properly cleaning their equipment and pipelines.

It was very technical. Very practical. Very needed.

But I couldn’t find the words for it anymore.

And that’s a big deal for me because I’m the girl who can usually find the words for anything.

This was also right in the middle of COVID. I helped build their customer service and client success systems, and honestly did a great job. But my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. The company didn’t really know how to communicate what made their work meaningful either. They wanted case studies and technical language, but energetically, it just felt flat.

My boss eventually pulled me aside and basically said, “We could hire an ad agency to do what you’re doing.”

And the truth was, he was right.

Now, here’s the wild part. About six months earlier, I had booked a session with an intuitive guide named Kelly Thiebaud. She happened to have an opening that very same afternoon.

So after that conversation with my boss, I went home and had my session with Kelly. I told her everything that had happened that morning, and she just laughed.

She said, “You knew this was coming.”

Then she told me, “You’re an entrepreneur. You can go get another job if you want, but eventually you’re going to end up working for yourself.”

She explained that there was a reason I had spent 17 years working for my father and then ended up working for another family-owned company. I was learning entrepreneurship the entire time, even if I didn’t realize it.

After that session, I randomly picked up a copy of Edge Magazine. Edge has been around for about 35 years, and Steve and I are now the third owners. At the time, it was mostly a newsprint publication you’d find at a grocery store, library, or little metaphysical shop.

I picked up an issue with Christine Day on the cover, started reading it, then went to the website. Across the top, it said: “Looking for a new owner. Serious inquiries only.”

And I remember thinking, “Okay… I’m already having one hell of a day.”

Then I called Maureen, and she immediately said, “I was thinking about buying Edge. You and Steve should buy it.”

So we reached out to the owners, Kathy and Tim. They had taken the magazine as far as they could, and during one of my sessions with Maureen, we actually connected with Gary Beckman, the original founder of Edge.

He said Edge had been “a stallion in the ring that never got to be in the show,” and that it was finally time for it to step fully into its potential.

Looking back now, everything in my life had prepared me for that moment. Right out of school, I sold advertising for a local newspaper. My husband is a graphic and web designer. I had spent years inside entrepreneurship and marketing.

All these experiences that seemed disconnected suddenly fit together.

So we bought the magazine.

And honestly, what we bought wasn’t much. We got the publication, an outdated customer list, an old CRM, and the name of the printer. But we also had a vision.

We didn’t take out loans. We built it slowly and sustainably from what we could manage and grow ourselves.

And now here we are, five years later.

What changes and improvements did you bring to Edge Magazine?

Kelly Wagner: The first big shift was visual.

Steve is a Pirelli Award-winning artist, so design and imagery really matter to him. We immediately knew we wanted to move away from newsprint and into glossy pages, so the art and photography would actually feel beautiful and alive.

At first, we could only afford glossy covers with nicer newsprint interiors because this was during COVID, and paper prices had gone completely insane. What we had budgeted based on the previous owners’ costs suddenly became almost ten times more expensive.

But quality mattered to us.

Steve pays attention to every detail — typography, color, image quality, layout. We wanted the magazine to feel elevated.

We also wanted Edge to become more thematic and intentional. Previously, there were classifieds and many different topics squeezed into 24 or 32 pages. We wanted each issue to have a cohesive theme and a deeper editorial vision.

One thing I’m especially proud of is how we positioned the directory. Most publications place directories in the back, but I wanted our practitioners and thought leaders to literally sit in the center of the magazine because they are the center of our ecosystem and community.

We also wanted to bridge worlds.

Edge has a long history of bringing major names like Greg Braden and James Van Praagh to the Midwest. We wanted to reconnect with those kinds of thought leaders while also shining a light on quieter, gifted practitioners who may not have huge marketing budgets or know how to get themselves on a stage.

That’s something I really admire about Awakened Magazine, too. You create space for beautiful voices from all over the world — people who may not know how to grab the microphone, but absolutely deserve to be heard.

For me, that’s what this work is really about: creating safe spaces where those voices can finally shine.

How often does Edge Magazine come out, how many copies are distributed, and is the focus primarily local or national?

Kelly Wagner: Thank you for bringing me back to that because I completely skipped over it. I’m just really enjoying this conversation.

We publish six times a year, so every other month, and we distribute over 100,000 copies annually.

We now have drop spots all over the country, from Maui to Washington, D.C. We just picked up five new locations in Salem, which has been really exciting.

One of our contributors is Witch Jodi. She’s a witch, a mother, an RN, a small business owner, and an herbalist. She also has a podcast through our platform. When I went to Salem and introduced the magazine, people immediately said, “Wait, is that Witch Jodi?” And I was like, “Yep, it sure is.”

Those kinds of connections have opened new doors for us.

I recently had a client on a business trip in New York City. We now have four drop-off spots there. He wandered into one of his favorite shops to kill time and suddenly saw Edge Magazine sitting there. He sent me a photo saying, “Kelly, my goodness.” Those moments still feel surreal to me.

Most of our events are centered in the Midwest because that’s where we’re based, but our contributors come from all over the country and internationally. At our last event, we brought in Alexandra Wenman and Lorraine Flaherty from the UK as keynote speakers.

We’re really starting to expand outward.

I’m especially interested in places tied to spiritual tourism — Salem, Sedona, Mount Shasta, Maui, Asheville, the Carolinas. Those places already attract people seeking transformation, healing, and deeper experiences.

People still love beach vacations and mountain getaways, of course, but a lot of our readers are also intentionally traveling for spiritual experiences. They want retreats. They want vortexes. They want places that feel energetically significant.

So we’re building relationships with those communities, and honestly, they’ve been incredibly welcoming.

What’s the benefit for a coach, healer, thought leader, or brand to work with Edge Magazine?

Kelly Wagner: Thank you for asking that because people don’t always understand the deeper purpose behind what we’re building.

A lot of people feel very alone in this work. Sometimes one person in a relationship is deeply spiritual and open-minded, while the other isn’t there yet and feels isolated.

What we’re creating is an ecosystem — a safe place where teachers, seekers, practitioners, and curious people can come together and have open conversations without judgment.

People are awakening and integrating so much faster now than they used to. I know for me, I had to explore a little over here, then over there, piecing things together slowly. Now people can go deeper much more quickly because there are communities and resources supporting them.

Edge is also a very trusted name. People around Minnesota will host events and say, “It’s an Edge event,” and I’m always amazed by how much trust and recognition the brand carries.

And honestly, where I feel so much synergy between Edge and Awakened Magazine is that this is our community, too. We’re not standing outside observing it. We live it. We nourish ourselves through it. We nourish our families, clients, partners, and readers through it.

For me, it’s really about creating spaces where people feel seen, safe, supported, and connected.

What has been your greatest challenge in publishing a magazine — and what has been your greatest joy?

Kelly Wagner: It’s so much more work than I ever imagined it would be.

I’m always working. But at the same time, I’m always curious. I’m always exploring what’s happening in the world, what’s emerging, what conversations people need right now.

One of the biggest challenges is simply keeping all the balls in the air while still staying true to my values. I really care about people. When someone emails, texts, or approaches me at an event, I genuinely want to connect with them and respond thoughtfully.

Sometimes someone will walk up to me and say, “Last year you did a session with me, and it changed my life,” and I’ll think, “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing.”

There’s also the challenge of balance — balancing family, business, working with my husband, events, publishing, relationships, all of it.

But authenticity matters deeply to me. Discernment matters deeply to me. I want people to feel seen, heard, loved, and safe within our community.

It sounds like the challenges and the joy are all woven together.

Kelly Wagner: They really are. It’s everything.

I’ll be honest, there are days when I think, “Maybe I should just go get a job at Costco and work the checkout line.” But then something magical happens, and I remember, “No, this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

One thing people don’t always realize is how expensive media actually is. Sometimes people think, “I have a great article, so you’ll just publish it for free.” But even online publishing comes with enormous costs.

There has to be an equal energy exchange.

So I’m constantly learning how to say, “Thank you so much for your beautiful content — and here are the ways we can collaborate.”

For me, it’s really about partnerships.

I always joke that maybe I have the peanut butter, someone else has the jelly, and together we just need to find the bread. That’s how I see collaboration.

What events or experiences are coming up that people can participate in right now?

Kelly Wagner: We host events throughout the year, and right now we’re preparing for several upcoming expos and retreats.

Our Maple Grove Expo is happening July 25, 2026, and then we have Reawakened in Sioux Falls on August 7–8. We also host Art on the Edge, which is one of my favorite events.

What I’ve discovered is that many of these so-called “smaller markets” — places like Sioux Falls, Fargo, Omaha, the Quad Cities — are incredibly hungry for this kind of connection and information.

I was recently invited to speak at a holistic wellness event in Minnesota’s Iron Range, which is way up north near Canada. The people there weren’t used to having access to holistic expos or metaphysical communities, and it was beautiful to watch.

They went table by table, genuinely curious. They spent time talking with vendors, asking questions, and exploring. In larger cities, people sometimes rush through events because they already have access to these kinds of resources. But in these smaller communities, people are deeply engaged because it’s something new and meaningful for them.

Art on the Edge is especially close to my heart. It started five years ago with gallery owner Susie Marty and me, and now it’s part of our Edge Life Events and Reawakened event platform, alongside my amazing collaborator, Eric Earl, from Awakening Store.

The event itself is this beautiful mix of art and metaphysical community. It takes place outdoors near Father Hennepin Park in Minneapolis by the Stone Arch Bridge. We’ve had mandalas, music, food trucks, a dog rescue charity, Tibetan monks opening the event, and around 80 vendors.

And because it’s Minneapolis in late summer, you can literally experience all four seasons in one day — which has absolutely happened to us.

Then there are the retreats.

I’m currently involved in three.

One is in Arkansas at a crystal-bed lake retreat with Terry Peterson and Dr. Dan Matthews. Then there’s Sedona from November 8–13 during the 11:11 portal, which just feels magical. And in February 2027, we’re doing Kauai with Julie Seiler and Amber Meyer, combining astrology, Akashic Records, plant medicine ceremonies, and other transformational experiences.

Everything kind of folds together — the magazine, the events, the retreats, the practitioners. It all becomes part of the same ecosystem.

You seem to have many collaborations and partnerships. Why is collaboration so important to you?

Kelly Wagner: I just love it.

Everyone brings different gifts and abilities, and for me, it always comes back to community.

Over the years, business mentors have told me, “Edge is strong enough that you could do this all on your own.” But honestly, collaboration feels much more nourishing to me.

I watched my dad spend 30 years as a solopreneur, carrying everything by himself, and I think he felt very alone a lot of the time.

There’s something deeply healing about being able to call a friend and say, “Hey, let’s build this together.”

That’s where I’m at now.

I love working with people whose strengths are completely different from mine. My husband, for example, can go build a website while I’m over here grabbing the microphone, helping vendors get settled, organizing signage, and supporting speakers.

We each bring different energy and skills to the table.

And beyond that, collaboration allows us to share resources, ideas, wisdom, and support. It creates a “we” instead of an “I.”

At the retreats and events, especially, I genuinely have fun. It feels alive. It feels aligned.

Could things change someday? Sure. But right now, this way of building community feels deeply right to me.

Where can people find Edge Magazine online?

Kelly Wagner: You can find us at EdgeMagazine.net.

And please make sure you don’t accidentally go to .com, because that’s a gaming magazine.

Actually, I have the funniest story about that.

A woman once ordered a subscription for her son, who was incarcerated in Florida. We were thrilled and thought, “Great, Edge Magazine will be wonderful for him.”

A few months later, I got this handwritten letter from the prison. At the top, the son wrote, “My mom ordered the wrong magazine. I wanted the gaming magazine, not your hippity-hoppity spiritual stuff.”

But then he added, “My cellmate loved it. And so did everyone else.”

Attached to the letter were eight handwritten notes from inmates talking about how much the magazine had touched them.

One man wrote about not feeling loved. Another talked about finding hope. I remember sitting there crying while reading them all because you could feel how much care and thought they put into every word.

The son finished his letter by saying, “By the way, I will not be renewing my subscription.”

But ever since then, I’ve continued sending complimentary copies to that prison because I know the magazines are being passed around and helping people.

And honestly, that felt like one of those moments where you realize the work is reaching exactly where it’s supposed to go.

You can subscribe to Edge Magazine and have it delivered to your home through EdgeMagazine.net as well, right?

Kelly Wagner: Absolutely. We’ll drop the link in the show notes, too.

And I’ll share something people may not know — we actually keep a large quartz crystal in the magazine area and charge the magazines with it before they go out. Steve also incorporates sacred geometry throughout the publication, and people genuinely collect the covers. He’s won awards for some of them.

He gets to be creative, I get to be Kelly, and together we get to make something really beautiful and fun.

What’s your vision for the future of Edge Magazine?

Kelly Wagner: Community. Collaboration. Growth.

There are so many people waking up right now, transforming, questioning things, becoming more conscious. I want to continue building relationships with other ecosystems, publications, and platforms that operate with integrity, discernment, and heart-centered leadership — like Awakened Magazine.

I want to keep growing our audience, social platforms, email list, events, and, most importantly, our impact.

I want Edge to continue being a trusted place where people can discover thoughtful, meaningful content and where gifted practitioners and thought leaders can truly be seen and heard.

And I want it to feel like a win-win for everyone involved.

Steve and I put everything right back into the business. We believe in investing into the vision. And honestly, one of my favorite parts of this journey is the people I get to meet.

I get to attend events like Conscious Life Expo, connect with amazing people like you, meet incredible speakers and creators, and then bring all of that inspiration back to Minneapolis and the Midwest — especially to communities that may not otherwise have access to it.

And print isn’t dead. It’s really not.

People love print because it feels special now. It feels tangible and intentional. There’s something powerful about holding a beautiful magazine in your hands.

And honestly, I love what you’re doing with Awakened, too. You can feel the care, the love, and the investment inside it.

That’s why collaboration matters so much to me. Edge isn’t for everyone. Awakened isn’t for everyone. But for the people who resonate with these spaces, they matter deeply.

One thing I love is that even though we’re technically in the same industry, we’ve found ways to collaborate instead of compete. That’s something I really hope more people begin to understand. There’s room for collaboration in this space.

At the Awakened Lifestyle Expo, we included Edge Magazine in all the attendee bags, and I love that kind of partnership because it models a different way of doing business.

We don’t have to compete for the same audience. We can support one another and grow together.

What’s a question you wish I had asked you today?

Kelly Wagner: Hmm. Honestly? Probably about working with my husband.

Because I know you and Mandy work together too, and Steve and I have been building this together for almost 30 years now.

It’s interesting because we’re very different people. I’m more like a hummingbird, and Steve is more like Eeyore mixed with a turtle. Our priorities and energies are completely different.

Working together can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also incredibly challenging.

There’s already a deep level of trust between us because we’ve built a life together, but business adds another layer. It forces you to communicate differently and understand each other in deeper ways.

I honestly think some couples would absolutely get divorced trying to do this together.

But there’s also something beautiful about locking arms and saying, “We’ve got this.”

That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned — collaboration inside a relationship takes intention, patience, trust, and respect for each other’s strengths.

I think that’s true in every collaboration. The more you truly know someone — their gifts, strengths, fears, and challenges — the more trust can grow.

Kelly Wagner: Exactly.

That “know, like, and trust” phrase sounds like a marketing slogan sometimes, but it’s real.

And it matters in every relationship, every partnership, every collaboration.

Where can people find you online and on social media?

Kelly Wagner: The easiest way is through EdgeMagazine.net.

On social media, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

We also have The Being Curious Show, where I interview incredible people — and David’s episode is already here.

And if people want a physical copy of the magazine, I highly encourage them to subscribe.

We still package subscriptions by hand. I told myself that once we reached a certain number of subscribers, we’d automate it through the printer, but we’re not there yet. Right now, it’s still something our family does together.

I bless every single magazine before it goes out.

I used to handwrite personal notes on them, too, until the post office told me I had to stop because it interfered with mail processing.

But I still try to bring that personal touch into everything we do.

Kelly, thank you so much for everything you’re doing. I love collaborating with you, and I deeply appreciate your encouragement and support.

Kelly Wagner: Thank you, David.

Honestly, you make it easy.

And I appreciate your encouragement and support, too. I hope people watching this conversation can see what it looks like when two people genuinely come together to lift each other.

That’s what this work is really about.

Thank you for who you are, for your magazine, and for the gifts you bring into the world. I love watching you continue to unfold and grow, and I genuinely love being part of the journey.