When you meet Magda Reagan, the first thing you notice is her energy. She is the kind of person who always seems to have something going on, whether it’s helping a real estate client, planning meals for hundreds of people, or showing up for someone in the community. But her story starts a long way from Lebanon.
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Magda grew up in Poland during the communist era. Life wasn’t always easy, but she remembers it as a childhood full of experiences. Her father was a commercial pilot, which meant she had the chance to travel and see parts of the world many kids never get to experience. Those trips sparked a love for travel, culture, and food that still shows up in her life today.
Her path to the United States began through student work programs while she was studying hotel and restaurant management. She came to America for an internship and, like so many life stories, everything changed from there. Just two weeks after arriving, she met the man who would become her husband. They married in 2004 and eventually made their way to Lebanon when his job brought them here.
At the time, Magda never imagined Lebanon would become home. She remembers thinking it was a beautiful small town but not somewhere she planned to stay. Moving here was an adjustment. Her family was still in Poland, she didn’t know many people, and building a new circle of friends took time.
But slowly, things started to fall into place.
Through the library, church, running groups, CrossFit, and her kids’ activities, Magda began meeting people who would become lifelong friends. The community that once felt unfamiliar started to feel like family. Today, she says she can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Many people know Magda through her work in real estate with Century 21, but another part of her story has grown just as much. Magda’s Kitchen started in a way that almost feels accidental. When her son began playing soccer, she noticed many of the athletes were heading into games after long school days without much real food. So she started cooking meals for them before games.
What started as helping a few kids quickly turned into something bigger. Friends began asking for meals. Word spread. Soon she was cooking for dozens of people, then hundreds. Today Magda and her team prepare hundreds of meals each week, focusing on fresh ingredients and healthier versions of comfort foods people love.
Magda laughs when she talks about it because cooking was never the original plan. In fact, she remembers telling someone not long before the business started that she hated cooking dinner every night. The difference, she says, is cooking with purpose and with a team of people who enjoy it together.
What makes Magda’s story so relatable is how honest she is about the challenges along the way. Moving to a new country, raising a family far from home, building a career, and stepping into the public eye all pushed her outside her comfort zone. But she believes every step prepared her for the next one.
Her advice to younger women is simple. Find your people. Not the “cool” people, but the ones who have your back and will tell you the truth when you need it. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and remind you who you are.
Magda Reagan wears a lot of hats these days: mother, wife, real estate agent, and business owner. But at the center of it all is someone who believes in showing up for others, working hard, and trying to be a blessing wherever she can. And somehow, that journey from Poland to Lebanon has turned into exactly the life she was meant to build.
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