Macon Magazine

88 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2025 INTERVIEW BY LAURA ASHLYN PRIDGEN | PHOTO BY DSTO MOORE Macon Chose Me is a photo series by DSTO Moore highlighting residents who weren't born in Macon but actively chose to move here and enjoy positively representing the community. Lesley and Nate Myrick M A C O N C H O S E M E F rom Toronto to Texas, Lesley and Nate Myrick have lived just about everywhere. But it's here in Central Georgia where they finally feel like their kids have found a sense of home. She's a bold interior designer reshaping "Southern style" with her own personality-driven twist. He's a Mercer music professor leading groundbreaking research on neurodivergent inclusion in worship through music and the arts. Together, they're proving that Macon is a place where creative energy truly thrives. Where do we start with your background? NATE: Lesley and I are from up north. We are vagabond transplants to Macon via, let's see, Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, War Road, Pasadena, Waco, and now here. So what ended up bringing you to Macon? NATE: I got a job at Mercer. There are not a lot of jobs for professors in certain fields. It's like if you get one of those very coveted jobs, you go and you take it. And once you arrived, what has it been like to raise a family here? LESLEY: It's been a really good fit for us and for our kids. My kids love their schools. It has kind of surprised us, because Macon was never really on our radar of places to live. We found a good church community. They love their schools, and we've moved so o en leading up to Macon, but both our kids have expressed an interest in wanting to stay. NATE: Well—and they're young—but they're all like, "And then when I go to Mercer…" They think that this is it. What about the wider community— what has stood out the most to you? NATE: It's a nice mix of creativity and professionalism and of open-mindedness and thoughtful people, but not people who are just necessarily always chasing some sort of political talking point. LESLEY: Macon, I really enjoy because there's a bit of an edge here. There's the rock 'n' roll history, there's so much going on with the arts and creativity. We were in Waco, Texas before this, and there's a ton of crossover. But Macon feels like a better fit for us. I think both of us being musical and creative, we've kind of found our place here, which I think is cool. Lesley, in addition to finding community here, you've built your business as the principal and CEO of your own interior design firm. How has that allowed you to showcase your creativity? LESLEY: I've always had a strong point of view when it comes to design, which has not always been as welcome in other locations we've lived. I still do a lot of virtual work with clients all over the country because we've moved around and lived so many places. But Macon has been a fun place to express my creativity. My style is kind of like a new Southern, and I don't mean that I don't like Southern Design, but my style is kind of like Southern with a twist. That's been a fun approach and a way to make my niche here. NATE: I've kind of dragged Lesley, well most of the way across the continent at this point in our relationship. And it is not only her skills, but also her adaptability, and persistence, and integrity. She has just committed to making this business what it is, regardless of where she is. But I

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