The Wind Beneath My Wings

A Celebration of Life, Love & Men

With June ushering in Father’s Day, we thought it was a great time to celebrate, honor, and be grateful for all the men in our lives. We have purposefully curated stories of interest to both males and females during VIE’s fifteen-year publishing legacy but will admit there is often more than a touch of femininity in most issues. This is our third issue dedicated to men, and we’re excited to share it!

Life is getting tougher post-COVID, and the pressures are significant for many—and sometimes especially for men, who don’t openly share their feelings as often as women. It’s given me pause to think about the men in my life—my husband and business partner, my dearly departed father, my nephews, my brothers, my pastor, and many of my colleagues in business—and I started thinking about how we could honor them and curate an issue just for them. In my life, I know I wouldn’t have achieved what I have or be half the person I am now without the support, love, and backing of the men who have been with me on the journey. To all of you, I send a big thank you! And to many of you, well wishes for a Happy Father’s Day.

Lisa Marie and Gerald Burwell on the set of How to View a Dream, a VIE documentary by AlohaBorah Media. | Photo by Anthony Smoots

I am in love with this Gentlemen’s Issue for several reasons (yes, I have been told I say this about every issue, but this one is an outlier). It’s new and fresh, and because it celebrates men, it looks a little more rugged and cool. The cover is a unique photo by Noah Custer of the handsome Renaissance man Kurt Tobias, who has been making waves in his life and community since launching his business, Choona, in 2019. Learn all about him and what he is doing to bring style outdoors and offshore when you take a deep dive into his interview with editor Jordan Staggs. Tobias and many others in this issue are disrupting the norm and doing things their way as they make their marks on the world.

Check out all the new initiatives at the family-owned and operated woodworking plant E. F. San Juan as the legacy of quality craftsmanship continues. The company’s third-generation production manager, Eddie San Juan, embarks on filming Season Two of a fresh new web series, Real Wood: Crafted Stories with Eddie San Juan. This behind-the-scenes look into the E. F. San Juan woodshop gives unique insights into how they craft custom architectural millwork, doors, gates, shutters, and much more for custom homes on the coast.

We wish you all a happy start to the summer season and hope long, lazy, sunny beachside days are in your future.

To my husband, Gerald “Jerry” Burwell, I am thankful and lucky to have you in my life. You are all I ever needed and wanted in a man!

To Life and Love!

—Lisa Marie Burwell

CEO/Editor-in-Chief

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