A New Frequency: How Heather Found Her Next Chapter in Macon

For more than a decade, Heather van Blokland worked at stations across the country in public radio, including Oregon and outlets in her home state of Florida, before eventually landing in Phoenix - one of the largest media markets in the country.

“I spent 10 years or so working in public radio,” Heather said. “It’s the kind of work that really becomes part of your identity.”

But the job that once energized her began to change and so did she.

The Pandemic Pivot

Like many professionals, Heather’s relationship to her work shifted dramatically during the pandemic.

She was classified as an essential worker, which meant that while much of the world retreated indoors, she continued reporting to work in person every day.

“Every day during the pandemic, I went into work, and 95% of the people in our office got to work from home. I was one of six people who couldn’t.”

The imbalance, she said, was exhausting, “It really wore me out,” and forced her to reevaluate not only where she worked, but how she wanted to work.

Then, an opportunity appeared that seemed to merge both worlds.

A Job That Bridged Two Callings

The position was at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia - a role that blended her love of storytelling and teaching.

She was familiar with the school’s reputation and the people connected to it. Professionally, it felt aligned. Personally, it nudged her closer to family - including her elderly mother in Florida.

But geographically, the leap was enormous.

“The move from a place like Phoenix - the fourth largest city in the U.S. - to Macon was a very big one. The urban Southwest to the rural Southeast is about as big a change as somebody can make without going to another country.”

Discovering MakeMyMove

When she heard about Macon’s relocation incentive program from a future colleague, Heather’s journalist instincts kicked in.

“I’d heard of incentive programs for homebuyers before, so I wasn’t sure if I would qualify but being the journalist that I am, I started looking into it. Once I found that Macon was one of the communities on the MakeMyMove platform, I couldn’t believe it.”

She reached out to the mover support team and learned that not only could she qualify as a renter but also by accepting her new teaching position at Mercer.

“They said if you decide to take the job, then you will qualify for Macon’s in-person relocation program.”

From there, she says the process moved quickly.

Trading Sprawl for Scale

Phoenix had offered what major metros always do - access to many different types of amenities but it also carried the weight of congestion and long commutes. In Macon, the contrast was immediate. “People are super nice here, which is a difference from living in a big city,” she said.

She also noticed something she hadn’t expected - visible civic investment.

Rather than watching money flow outward into suburbs - a pattern common in large metros - she saw reinvestment happening in the city’s center.

“There is so much effort being made to preserve Macon’s history,” she said. “The downtown is really more like an homage to the real Macon instead of an updated version; it’s wonderful.”

More Than an Incentive Program

After arriving, Heather attended a local welcome event hosted by the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce who sponsors the program.

“They held a small welcome party for me, which I thought was so fun,” she said.

While she was happy to receive her incentives, which included discounted tickets to local attractions and $2,500 in cash, she wasn’t expecting to receive a concierge level of resources.

“When the people from the chamber found out I liked tennis, they made sure I knew that part of the incentive package included a free trial to a local pickleball facility. Then, when I mentioned that I needed to find a hairstylist, one woman ran back to her office, grabbed a card and said, ‘Call them.’ It wasn’t a part of the incentive package, so it really stuck with me. She was just so nice.”

Those gestures softened the emotional edge of relocating alone. “Even if you’re relocating to a smaller community from a large one, the transition is still daunting and that interaction took some of that feeling away.”

Trading Desert for Canopy

Heather has been in Macon only a short time and is still getting settled in. “I ordered a bed this morning,” she said, laughing. “I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress for a month.”

Her husband remains based in Phoenix for now, traveling back and forth — a temporary rhythm they’re navigating together as they adjust to two cities.

“We’re kind of figuring it out as we go,” she said. “He’s absolutely open to here, but he still has work in Phoenix.”

For now, her focus is on creating a sense of home - settling into her neighborhood, building a routine and getting to know the community beyond campus.

Part of that adjustment has meant reconnecting with the outdoors. Macon offered something she hadn’t realized how much she missed - dense greenery, wooded trails and the feeling of being surrounded by trees again.

“I love hiking. I’m a huge walker,” she said. “There are trees everywhere here and they’re gorgeous.”

She’s begun exploring local trails, spending time outside when the weather allows and looking for ways to stay active - whether through tennis or joining informal leagues.

“I’ll show up,” she said. “I don’t care if it’s flag football or pingpong.”

Discovering Macon, One Experience at a Time

For Heather, the MakeMyMove program filled a gap she hadn’t expected relocation incentives to support - working professionals navigating complex life transitions. Because her husband remains in Phoenix, purchasing a home in Georgia wasn’t part of the immediate plan but rental support and relocation assistance made the logistics of the move far more manageable.

As she continues getting acclimated to life in Macon, she’s already begun saying yes to the kinds of experiences that make a place feel like home.

Theater has always been one of her personal joys, and in Macon, she’s already carving out space for it. “Theater can’t be replicated at home,” she said. “I’m going to see an Agatha Christie production and I’m completely psyched.”

In a city smaller than any she’s lived in before, those moments of discovery are helping Macon feel expansive in entirely new ways.