(PRWEB) August 10, 2005
Michael O. Brickell, CEO of Holistic Junction has been the driving force behind the revolutionary site, Holistic Junction — geared toward positive community awareness; a portal to alternative & holistic education, and a plethora of healthcare information resources and the arts.
I had an opportunity to speak candidly with Michael and asked him what inspired him, and why he wanted to create an online holistic journal with such a wide array of topics:
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] Good Morning Michael. Tell me a little about yourself, personally — Where were you born, a fond childhood memory, or perhaps what makes you — you?
[Michael O. Brickell] First of all, let me say how appreciative I am of all the work our team members, including those not directly connected to Holistic Junction, have done. So much positive energy has gone into this challenging and wonderful endeavor. Every single contribution regardless of size and detail, was and still is so very important. Each one of our team members bring certain talents to the table and everything we have accomplished and continue to do is done with such cohesiveness and great attention to detail. Everyday in some way there is an improvement within the site and it’s such a joy to see all of the integral pieces of this giant puzzle come together as it does.
Most of the improvements have been program related but in the very near future we will also begin to see notable changes in the site design itself. It’s all very exciting to me and I look forward to these visible changes as they occur. It’s something that we will all be able to see and share.
Now before I get carried away, you wanted me to talk a bit about who I am. Well, being that I really am an introvert at heart, I am not always comfortable talking about myself, but I’ll give it a go here…
I was born in Seville, Spain in 1956. When I was 2 days old I was taken to a Spanish orphanage where I stayed until I was about 3 and half years of age at which time I was adopted by a very charismatic couple who at the time were not able to have children. My Father, now deceased, was from Colorado Springs and my Mother is a native of Canada. My Father was a Civil Servant, which gave us the opportunity to live in various countries including France, Greece, Turkey and Germany. I graduated from high school in Wiesbaden Germany.
My fondest childhood years were those years I spent in Greece from age 10 to 14. I have felt for a very long time that my heart and soul belong in the Mediterranean. I love the life style, the culture and spent many summers on the Greek Islands Mykonos and Crete with young Swiss friends. I also remember on one separate occasion while visiting Crete with my Mother, actually sitting on the throne of King Minos of the Minoan civilization and secretly thinking how I would have liked to be King of such a colorful and advanced culture and society.
Wonderful memories while on the mainland too, of standing on the cliffs at Sounion overlooking the great and beautiful Aegean Sea, visiting the mighty Acropolis in Athens and of course one of my favorite pastimes, going boating on weekends during the summer with Scandinavian friends also stationed in Greece at the time. I remember how beautiful and clean the water was. Swimming in that turquoise colored water was such a joy. I remember very well going snorkeling with my Father and actually seeing the ruins of ancient civilization right there on the ocean floor. I even remember falling in love for the first time with a beautiful Swedish girl with whom I shared many swims in Greek waters. Still to this day, I think about her with great fondness. I have so many great memories of my childhood, but those are a few of my favorite.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] Thank you for that. I have always wanted to ask you — why did you decide to create an online journal, and what made you choose it to be holistic, in nature? Is there any particular reason that stands out?
[Michael O. Brickell] Yes there are numerous reasons. I have worked with many different people and organizations throughout my life. Much of my work has been in public relations, advertising and marketing. I gained a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge from all of this, and I wanted to parley these experiences and knowledge into work that I felt would be more interesting, exciting and meaningful to me.
I have always had a thirst for knowledge and truth. I certainly don’t claim to have the answers to all of the mysteries of life, but I have always had a deep desire to understand the truth behind all that we call `reality’. Much of what we call reality it seems to me, are really illusions so it’s interesting to look at life from a metaphysical and holistic perspective- things such as cause and effect, the physical and metaphysical organizational structure of the universe and the role that we as individuals play in all of this. I have felt for a very long time that to truly understand life and one’s self, it is important to view life from metaphysical and holistic points of view because it takes into account everything to do with the God Source.
Traditional schools don’t typically teach this. We live in a very fast paced world so staying grounded is vital. I believe it is important for those interested in these points of view, to have access to the information Holsitic Junction provides. Some of the available information can be very helpful in making sense of life and realizing just how purposeful and miraculous life really is.
Life is an evolutionary process and much of the information available on Holistic Junction does help define and give purpose to our lives and the world in which we live. Holistic Junction offers people from all walks of life a place to come and share philosophies, truths, opinions, art, poetry and more. I also wanted to include on HJ the opportunity for trade and commerce so that schools, practitioners and retailers may join as business members and promote their services and products. To me, that is what a true on-line community is.
It’s interesting to note that even at this point in the evolution of Holistic Junction with over 5 million page views and more than 300,000 visitors annually, it is still in it’s infancy! There is so much more growth potential. Things like more submissions, greater traffic to the site, improved navigation and site design, higher page rankings and everything else associated with the expansion of an established website such as ours.
We have received some very constructive feed back from members and visitors to the site and we now know what areas to focus on for overall site improvement. We are working on many of those improvements as we speak. As a matter of fact, we are scheduled to go live with our new homepage design sometime in August of this year (2005). The results include a streamlined homepage and easier site navigation. Very exciting indeed!
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] I’m certain that others may have told you that Holistic Junction simply offers way too much information, what is your response to that?
[Michael O. Brickell] Frankly, I don’t believe that is true. Holistic Junction is an online community that integrates all of the resources that human beings need or desire at various times in our lives. The resources we offer are vast and are all tied together in one way or another to some facet of life, thus the name, `Holistic Junction’. The resources on the site are an integral part of the whole, which does not allow us to leave much out, including consumer products and services. Our primary focus is targeted to topics that fall within the scope of those things considered to be holistic, metaphysical and even scientific in nature, however, one of the true functions of a community, online or otherwise, is to provide its members with what ever there is a demand for. Holistic Junction is no different. The consumer resource directory is one of those.
We attract many kinds of people, blue and white collar consisting of artists, teachers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grand parents, people who are just curious and others who are looking for something specific. The point is this…It does not matter what type of person you are or what background you have, we all have something in common, and that is our needs. Those needs are what we as an online journal and online community, focus on, whether it be information on alternative medicine or a new car! Holistic Junction offers something to just about everyone, if they will take the time to look around and discover what we are about. As you know, we currently have over 800 topic categories that are split into various directories, specifically the holistic, metaphysical, healing arts, vocational and consumer resource directories. In reality, that number is still quite small when you consider the number of additional categories that would actually be needed to cover the entire spectrum of information available on Metaphysics and Holistic topics alone. We continue to add new categories as needed.
Back to the consumer resource directory for just a moment. Some people have wondered why we chose to include the consumer resource directory to the mix of things we already have. The consumer resource directory is not a focal point, but it has great value. The idea there is very simple. It’s to provide everyday consumer products and services for those of us who simply want them! Many of us may want to buy a home, a car, change insurance carriers, purchase health insurance, find a lawyer or subscribe to a particular magazine. HJ offers retailers the opportunity to invest in a business listing for that purpose. It’s there for convenience and it just so happens that we actually generate quite a bit of traffic there as well. Our site statistics tell us this.
Kind of a long winded answer to your question as to whether or not we offer too much information, but no I don’t believe that we offer too much of anything on HJ. It really boils down to what our visitors and members are interested in and what they want to look at, as opposed to what we want them to look at. What we have available are lots of choices, and those choices in this instance, are a good thing!
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] I see. For nearly the past three years, Holistic Junction has expanded quite a bit, and is fast becoming one of the Net’s largest alternative, commercial advertising agencies; and online, interactive communities. What do you attribute this growth to, and why do you personally feel folks are turning to your site for holistic health and alternative education resources?
[Michael Brickell] That’s an interesting question because it comes with multifaceted answers. First of all, alternative medicine has been around a very long time but it’s become a new frontier here in the United States. According to the National Association of Naturopathic Medicine, more than 80 million Americans turn to complementary and alternative medicine every year. 68% of adults have used at least one kind of complementary or alternative medicine and at least 1.3 of cancer patients turn to CAM therapy. I think the reason for this has to do with the idea that people are not as inclined, if they can avoid it, to take pills that include a variety of side effects, to get rid of symptoms.
More importantly, I think people are realizing that getting to the root cause of their illness, assuming they can, is better than just taking a medical prescription that may only temporarily fix the problem/affliction. People want to be able to find a remedy that will eliminate the root of the problem rather than just their symptoms. Often times, the merging of traditional and alternative medicine works very well and the fact that it does is gaining greater and greater exposure over time.
On the technical side, in answer to your question regarding what I attribute our growth rate to… That has to do with all of the various facets that go into great search engine optimization. As you know, we have taken and continue to take great steps to insure that we are well indexed with all of the major search engines and as a result, people are finding Holistic Junction and clicking on our links. This is an on-going process. You can have the best website in the world, but if no one knows how to locate it, no matter how great a site you have, people are not going to find you. We still have a long way to go in terms of maximizing our potential for traffic but that will increase with time. Good content is also important and is one of the things that search engines such as Google look for, as far as site and page rankings go.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] You also have a sister-site, Media Positive Radio. Why did you create this radio station; and what connection does it have to Holistic Junction?
[Michael O. Brickell] Very simply I wanted to make available a station that would play relaxing, soothing and positive music lyrics. I would eventually like to be able to host pre-recorded talk shows focusing on holistic and metaphysical topics. The one big connection Media Positive Radio has to Holistic Junction is that people who enjoy visiting HJ typically enjoy the type of music MPR offers. Visitors and members can listen to Media Positive Radio during and after their connection to Holistic Junction. MPR began its life on HJ but now is separate in that MPR has its own domain name and website.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] I see. Roughly, how many educational and health resources does Holistic Junction list, and what type of services does it provide to schools and other business and health facilitators? Why?
[Michael O. Brickell] Combined, we have literally thousands of resources. Not only have we archived thousands of educational and health-related articles but we also promote hundreds of healing arts schools many of which include massage, reflexology, acupuncture and chiropractic studies in their curriculums. Holistic Junction provides numerous benefits to these businesses and health facilitators.
We offer full-page directory listings with graphics, links to their websites and information request forms. These customized listings can be edited by our members through simple to use edit functions. All of our members have complete access to their traffic statistics including the number of times personal article submissions have been viewed, number of times listings have been accessed, number of people who have accessed a members website link and really a whole lot more than we have time to talk about right now.
We have put together some very sophisticated account control settings allowing folks to customize their business and personal membership settings. Our members and clients really do enjoy all of these features because they are able to monitor on a daily basis, if they choose, their entire membership account.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] Thank you. Holistic Junction exhibits mainstream artwork, poetry and literature; opinions, dreams and experiences sections. In addition, you broadened the site by incorporating forums, too. Why did you instill these “extras” on site?
[Michael O. Brickell] Variety is the spice of life. Many of the folks interested in what Holistic Junction is about are also people who write poetry, who paint and who enjoy writing. I thought it would be great to offer those same people a way to submit their works on our site because we also have many visitors who enjoy viewing these types of submissions as well, so its a win win win situation for everyone including Holistic Junction.
People who enjoy submitting their works can do so, people who enjoy viewing those works get something to look at, and consequently, Holistic Junction gets people who revisit the site over and over again. The same is true with the forums. An Internet forum serves many purposes. It’s a place where users can ask questions, share ideas, messages and files with others. It’s also a great way to meet others who have similar interests. Those are the reasons we have added all those what you call “extras” to Holistic Junction.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] I see. One thing I noticed is that you personally review onsite literature and art; in addition to attending to the vital needs of your clients. How do you manage to fit this extra time into the multi-faceted work you already do, and why do you do it? Are there any specific artists or authors that you find intriguing?
[Michael O. Brickell] Personally reviewing some of the onsite literature and art is simply my way of keeping up with the pulse and type of company that we keep on Holistic Junction. I enjoy reading what other people have to say and often times I learn something from what I have read.
As to your question about specific artists or authors I find intriguing, quite frankly there is such a huge variety of art and literature on Holistic Junction, I really do enjoy looking at as much of it as time will allow. I enjoy Tom Stuart’s paintings. He captures very well, the essence of what his art is all about and I love his use of color.
As far as literature, I enjoy articles and books about metaphysics, holism and prophecy. Tom Averna wrote an interesting piece called Zohar End Times Prophecy, which I believe, has some kind of tie-in to the Kabala which I have always had an interest in. We live in dangerous times and it is very important, in my opinion, that each of us, if we haven’t done so already, begin to work on getting centered and finding peace with who we are. We need to appreciate what our true roles are here on earth and to begin living our individual lives the way it was meant to be. Our lives, I believe, are supposed to be purposeful and filled with good intent.
On lighter note I have read articles by Maya Talisman Frost and Gerri D. Smith. Both of them offer such wonderful and positive information. Gerri published a short but potent article last year about the power of enthusiasm, which I thought was great. Enthusiasm, in whatever positive way people are able to manifest it, is powerful, and it is important to have it.
Then there is Robert Gordon who writes some great poetry and also offers some interesting insights into religion. There are of course, so many other artists and writers whose names I don’t recall right now and they too have shared their wonderful works with Holistic Junction. I’m grateful for that. I am truly amazed at the huge collection of literature and art now available on HJ and I am pleased to say that it continues to grow.
You, CarolAnn, as our Public Relations Director and Staff Writer have been so instrumental in this. I thank you very much for all of the extra hours you have devoted to Holistic Junction. I know there have been many times you have worked late into the night and I appreciate you.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] Thank you for your kind response, Michael. If I were a potential business partner, what sets your site apart from the rest; and how would you gain my trust?
[Michael O. Brickell] The one important distinction with us is our level of commitment and service. We make a conscious effort to respond to all of our members quickly and efficiently. People have actually called me and told me about the wonderful customer service we provide. It’s very personable and people really like that. If we tell individuals that their directory listings are going to be ready for approval within a certain time period, it always is and that is one of the ways that we gain the trust of our clients.
Dana Lysons, my administrative assistant is the one who creates most of the directory listings and handles many of our customer service calls. She is terrific and I owe a big thank you to her as well. She goes the extra mile to do what is needed. Just read some of testimonials and you will see what I mean.
[C. Bailey-Lloyd] Thank you. I would like to ask one more question — where do you see Holistic Junction in five, ten, even twenty years from now?
[Michael O. Brickell] I believe that Holistic Junction is going to be one of the Net’s largest alternative, commercial advertising agencies and online, interactive communities. There are still a number of components we have in mind for the site which are in development. Some of these include the Holistic Life Online University, designed to allow members to interactively teach and learn through the integration of topics and certificate programs relating to Holism and Metaphysics. This will allow for a very broad range of subjects (within those two types of studies) from which to choose.
We also want to add the Holistic Junction Market Place. This will enable sellers to offer their products online and pay us a small commission for each item sold (similar to eBay). Precisely when we will have all of this available is still to be determined; but we will (in the very near future) have our classifieds section available. It will probably be free to members and a chargeable item to non-members.
I look forward to the future of Holistic Junction and to our continued work together. I am so very proud of the work we have already accomplished. I would imagine that in 5 to 10 years we will want to think about broader public expansion (of the company). We already have a solid foundation and in the next 5 to 10 years we will have all of the necessary components in place to increase our public presence. I believe Holistic Junction is going to do extremely well. Time will tell all.
In closing, Michael O. Brickell is a major player in online services, but still is a down-to-earth, passionate and honest individual. He has built his dreams with sweat, tears and blood equity and never wavered from his goals. From the nook of his home office, to his ever-growing, uptown office, Michael has created a bricks-and-mortor foundation for the expansion and promotion of holistic, alternative and positive lifestyles. He is a Visionary Extraordinaire, and I think we’ll be seeing much more of Michael Brickell for years to come!
To learn more about Michael O. Brickell, Holistic Junction or Media Positive Radio, feel free to visit him online at http://www.HolisticJunction.com today!
© August 2005 – All Rights Reserved
Michael Brickell, Holistic Junction’s Visionary Extraordinaire: A Glimpse into the Mind behind the Site
Interview by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
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