For Toni Padula, community isn’t just where we live—it’s how we live. Through The Spot Magazine, she’s inspiring Philadelphians to fall back in love with their city, discover local gems, and reconnect with one another. Her dream life is rooted in joy, connection, and helping others see the beauty in what’s right outside their door.
Falling Back in Love with Philadelphia
What Does Your Dream Life Look Like?
I love where we live. I love to travel, but I also love home. I want to create that feeling that there’s no reason for us not to love where we are. There’s so much to love about it. When people who don’t live here visit and tell me they love it, or when people move from another town to Philadelphia, I want everyone to see the good things about this city. I want us to be happy and enjoy ourselves.
Going back to my dream life, I would like to live in Europe, but I’d also like to live here. I’d love to create sister city partnerships or something similar. Next year, we’re going to have the World Cup here, which feels like a dream in itself. When people come to visit, I want them to be wowed by everything we have. I don’t want them to say, “Oh, yeah, you guys just have the Liberty Bell.” No, we have so much more. Go to the parks. We have the Atlantic Ocean just an hour away. We have beautiful beaches.
I want people to experience all the goodness this area offers. We’re friendly. Talk to the people, talk to the business owners. They’re not going to bite your head off. If you can chat about sports, which is the number one topic here, you’ll learn something from each other. I love the idea of people getting out together and really enjoying the restaurants, bars, and clubs we once had. I feel like that kind of went away. I hear young people say there aren’t many places to go anymore. I want to see establishments that bring back camaraderie and get people out again, experiencing life and community.
How Community Became the Heart of Her Mission
What Has Community Meant to You on Your Journey?
Community is everything. It’s probably close to 100%. When I had the idea of The Spot Magazine, I thought, I’ll start a little WordPress blog. Little by little, I began making small inquiries here and there, seeing what people thought. It really grew from there.
It went from me trying to manage WordPress alone, with no real experience, to having a whole team behind me who helped build the website, understood my mission, and believed in what I was trying to do.
I also met you, Jessi. You were part of a panel of women leaders who were experts in their fields, and you shared your valuable knowledge as a favor. I was meeting so many people like that. More importantly, I was meeting business owners, especially around COVID, who had an epiphany and pivoted into doing something they love. They created their own livelihoods and roles for themselves.
When they heard about my idea and what I wanted to do with The Spot Magazine, I received so much positive feedback. I was completely astounded. Even today, when someone says, “I love what you’re doing, I love the concept,” it reinforces that I’m on the right path.
I honestly didn’t believe there would be so many people who supported what I was doing. I expected negativity. I’m still hesitant to tell some close friends, but I feel very comfortable talking about it with you because I have this support system behind me.
Creating Space for Rest, Routine, and Creativity
What Habits Help You Show Up for Yourself Every Day?
For me, getting good quality sleep is first. I believe in having a good diet and exercising, but I think sleep was understated for a while. If I’m rested, I feel alert and physically comfortable.
I also try to block time, since I’m very involved in writing now. I write newsletters and content, and it takes a lot out of me mentally. It’s mental work, but it’s physically draining too, because you’re so absorbed in getting the content right and researching facts.
I try to block time without being too rigid. I’ll tell myself, “Work for an hour when you get home.” I know my energy is highest around 7 p.m. When it hits 9 or 10, I lose focus and talk myself out of it. So I block time when it works best and make sure I have quiet space around me. That’s when ideas and words start to flow.
If that happens, I let it go as long as it can until I’m too tired to think. I also realized that trying to “trick” myself with background noise doesn’t work. So it’s about blocking time, staying flexible, and allowing thoughts to come naturally. Then I go back and edit articles, add photos, or post on social media. I’ve realized that having even a small routine helps.
Finding Strength Through Other Women Leaders
What Helps Women Step Into Their Power and Lead with Confidence?
For me, it was being around other women leaders. It doesn’t have to be in the workplace or among influential women—just being around them gives you energy and inspiration. I’d look at these women and think, their stories are similar to mine, yet they’ve done it.
I had a lot of fear, especially investing my own resources into what I was doing. I’d ask myself, how can I step out of my comfort zone? Then I’d hear stories of others slowly or boldly stepping into their power, creating roles for themselves, and living out their purpose.
It’s about hearing those stories, listening actively, and being around a supportive community. I’d also say, lean into your own knowledge and experience. We have it. We make decisions every single day. You have a say in how things are run.
That took me a long time to grasp. I used to think I had nothing to contribute, but that’s not true. We make choices constantly: buying groceries, budgeting, maintaining our homes. That’s leadership. You already have the experience and knowledge. You have the right to use it and make an impact. That makes you a leader.
Redefining Success as Peace and Purpose
How Do You Define Success Today?
When we grew up, success meant achieving a certain position or title by a certain age. But today, success means something else to me. If you set a goal and act with self-awareness, purpose, or service and you receive positive feedback or feel a sense of fulfillment—that’s success.
If you can lay your head down at night and say, “I had a good day today,” that’s success. It’s about what you contribute to yourself, your community, or the world.
Maybe you conquered a fear, overcame anxiety, or took a first step toward bettering yourself. That’s success. No one else can define it for you. If you find peace, happiness, or gratitude in something, that’s your definition of success.
Leaving a Legacy of Joy, Exploration, and Togetherness
What Legacy Do You Hope to Leave?
I want people to enjoy their lives. Some people are content staying in, but I want others to get outside and experience life. We get bombarded with so many messages through social media and television. I believe that if you go out, explore, and experience life through travel, local businesses, and the treasures we have right here in the greater Philadelphia region, you’ll create meaningful memories that last a lifetime.
If I can have any small part in that, I’ll be happy. But even if not, if people discover something new on their own, that’s enough. The point of what I do is to tell people, “Hey, there’s this great place, this amazing woman who started her own thing—you’ve got to check it out.”
I want people to have those experiences. I just want everyone to love their lives.
About Toni Padula
Toni Padula and The Spot Magazine is on a mission to help friends, families, and loved ones reconnect with their communities. We are here to help you find ways to discover balance and purpose through unique experiences in the Greater Philadelphia region. Think of us as your personal concierge whether you’re looking for a Girls Night Out or “me” time.
Toni’s favorite Spot? The Guild House Hotel – a boutique hotel, centrally located at 13th and Locust Streets. One of the reasons she finds it so fascinating is because it was home to the New Century Guild and a meeting place for women to gather to discuss causes, labor movement, and women’s rights. This was during a period where women couldn’t enter public places without their husbands. The hotel is registered as a National Landmark as well as the hotel rooms are named after the women of the Guild.
