How Bravery Magazine is sharing the stories of inspiring women

When Ashley and Elyse came up with the idea of an inspiring magazine for children featuring strong female role models, they didn't expect the incredible response they received from the public. We caught up with Elyse to discover the story behind this beautiful magazine…

Where did the idea for the magazine come from?

Both of us had similar experiences with our daughters that made us realise we wanted to provide better role model options than what society was offering. We wanted to tell our children stories of real, brave women and empower them through these stories.

What’s your background?

Though neither of us have a background in publishing or magazines, we have talents and skills that work really well together to make the magazine possible. Ashley has a background in design and photography, and I have a background in education and writing, so when we put these skills together, it really covers all the bases we need to make our magazine beautiful and meaningful.

Were you surprised by the response to your Kickstarter campaign?

Yes, we were totally blown away by the response to our Kickstarter campaign. We were funded in just under three days and ended up doubling our goal by the end of our campaign. It was exciting and fun, but more than anything, it proved to us that our mission is needed and desired. So many people want resources that help build up and encourage their children to dream and do and our magazine provides that for them.

What’s your mission?

Our motto behind bravery is "Be Your Own Kind of Brave". Through our magazine, we want girls and boys to realise their potential and tap into their unique kind of brave, whatever that might be. Bravery looks like a lot of things, like trying a new food, standing up to a bully, or making a new friend. We want kids to learn that they are capable of doing amazing, hard, things and that their bravery is special and important.

We also really hope that Bravery inspires kids and introduces new interests to them. We hope that by introducing real, strong women with different backgrounds, careers and experiences to children will help them realise new dreams or have the courage to pursue the dreams they already have.

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Who is your target audience for the magazine?

We've specifically designed the magazine for girls AND boys, ages 4-9. We've heard from many customers that younger and older kids really enjoy the magazine as well.

We also try to connect with parents who want more for their children than what society makes readily available and who value beautiful aesthetic and design.

What’s the response been so far?

We've had a great response to Bravery. We've had customers send us inspiring stories of how the women featured in Bravery Mag have inspired their children to conquer fears they've always had. It's really been amazing to see this take on a life of its own.

What’s in the current issue?

We just released our 2nd issue, featuring Mae Jemison, the first woman of colour to travel to space. It's a space and science-themed issue full of super fun activities.

What are your plans for future issues?

We like to keep our future issues secret, but if you follow along on our Instagram @bravery_mag, we like to give hints about who our future features are and ask about women that inspire our readers.

Are you planning to expand overseas?

Currently we do have wholesale available, and have maybe 1 or 2 international retailers that carry Bravery Mag in their stores. It's definitely an option to those international retailers that are interested, so email us if you are!

What do you love most about the magazine?

We both love the high quality and beautiful aesthetic aspect of the magazine, but what we love the most is hearing how it changes lives. We love hearing how it inspires Bravery and empowers children to be their own kind of brave on a daily basis. That is the reason why we created Bravery, and nothing gives us more joy than hearing that kind of feedback from our customers.

Find out more about Bravery Magazine and order the magazine by visiting their website: www.braverymag.com.