Life and Work with Holly Battista-Resignolo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Battista-Resignolo.

Holly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2011 I found myself in a position where the needs of my family outweighed the needs of the company I was currently working for. I had 3 children, one in elementary school, one in middle school and a third in high school who had been gravely injured in an accident (but since has recovered, thankfully). It was during that time that I realized I needed to pursue my dreams because life is filled with uncertainties and death waits for no one.

I had carried an idea for a long while of creating a website and publication that celebrated Colorado’s mountain town communities. At that time it was a resource sorely needed by locals who lived in this region. Media outlets were always talking about the Front Range and occasionally talking about Colorado’s mountain towns. There were no authentic voices (I wanted to share the realities of living in a mountain town, things like scraping your windshield in July) representing our fantastic little towns and the unique businesses and people that inhabited them.

I began by building a website teaching myself through WordPress tutorials. I then learned how to create magazines through InDesign with the guidance of my good friend Julie Rathke who owned Rocky Mountain Bride at the time and now owns Colorado Yoga + Life. In the Spring of 2012, I launched my first digital issue of Mountain Town Magazine. This was a time when everyone said print was dead, however, I found people asking me if they could have a copy. Advertisers too were more interested in print advertising and did not feel digital advertising would serve their marketing dollars well. I decided to take the magazine to print a year later with Spring 2013 marking my first issue and I haven’t looked back.

After our first year publishing Mountain Town Magazine, I looked through our pages and realized that the majority of our articles discussed men, their businesses and male-related subjects in our communities. Very few articles celebrated women contributing to the region and I decided then that each year I would create one issue that recognized the women in our towns who were making a difference. This was to become the ‘Women Who Rock The Rockies’ issue, which became quite popular. As I was preparing our fifth annual ‘Women Who Rock The Rockies’ issue I had an epiphany to launch a second publication, Mountain Women Magazine. It was a title that I had started as I was beginning Mountain Town Magazine but decided to let sit idle and it felt right to begin this new endeavor.

Mountain Women Magazine Issue 1 launched October 2019 and was greatly received in Colorado’s mountain town communities. I am now preparing Issue 2 of Mountain Women Magazine and preparing to celebrate 8 years of publishing Mountain Town, I couldn’t be more proud. Today our Mission Statement reads “To assist our mountain town communities by promoting the people and businesses that make each town unique; raising awareness about issues that affect us and champion the environment that surrounds us.”

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road I have followed has been exciting. My biggest struggle was financing as I bootstrapped the entire company myself. My advice to any woman is to jump into your dream wholeheartedly, don’t look back and work hard every day. It is not easy, and success takes time, but if you love and believe in what you’re doing then it’s not quite as hard as others think it is.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mountain Town Magazine & Mountain Women Magazine – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I’m incredibly proud of Mountain Town Magazine and how we have grown and gained recognition over the years. The launch of our new publication Mountain Women Magazine has been so much fun and I have loved the enthusiasm our audience has expressed in the form of new ideas and stories we should publish.

Although most of my endeavors have been a one-man show I have some wonderful contributors who have made our magazine’s smart and engaging to the reader. Writers -Kristen Lummis, Anna Winger, Joy Elizabeth Martin, Linda Rokos Watts, Claudia Carbone, Scott Rappold, as well as my mother Gaynia Battista have all assisted me in achieving success both in print and online. In addition, I have so many cheerleaders, including my husband and kids, on the sidelines who continue to lift me up with their words of encouragement. We do not reach success alone, it takes a village and our Colorado mountain towns are mine. I love this place!

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Gosh, so many! Oprah has been one of my first inspirations, I have been a huge fan of her magazine. The Power of Now has been a go-to in times of struggle and successes and I love works from Dr. Wayne Dyer, Jen Sincero, Elizabeth Gilbert and Dale Carnegie. We have a great group up here in Summit County that I enjoy and gain inspiration from called Summit County Mindful Manifesters. I am always listening to books on tape and podcasts as I travel around the state and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: MTNTownMagazine.com and Mountainwomenmagazine.com
• Phone: 970-485-0269
• Email: mtntownmagazine@gmail.com
• Instagram: MTNTownMagazine MTNWomenMagazine
• Facebook: MTNTownMagazine MTNWomenMagazine
• Twitter: MTNTownMagazine MTNWomenMag

Image Credit:
Linda Rokos Watts

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