June 23, 2003

Press Release - The Next Step Magazine Offers Career Counseling Program (powered by ReadyMinds) to its Entire Membership, Over 750,000 Readers.

New York, NY., June 23, 2003: ReadyMinds (www.readyminds.com)announced today that an agreement has been reached with The Next Step Magazine that will allow for the promotion and delivery of online distance career counseling services, provided by ReadyMinds National Certified Counselors, to the entire population that The Next Step Magazine (www.nextStepMagazine.com) caters to.

Both ReadyMinds and The Next Step Magazine expressed excitement about the potential benefits that participants will receive from their involvement in The Next Step Magazine's Career Counseling Center powered by ReadyMinds. The origin of the ReadyMinds Program revolved around the servicing of High School and undergraduate students (the program has since expanded in reach to provide benefits to other populations as well). With this early foundation well established, ReadyMinds Counselors can utilize their extensive experience in dealing with this age group and provide valuable assistance related to majors, educational planning and careers. Lisa Miller, Director of Membership for ReadyMinds says, "based upon results and testimonials received from other High School clients serviced, as well as parents, we feel very optimistic about the success of this new relationship". David Mammano, CEO of The Next Step Magazine added that, "Offering a career counseling service to our readers is a natural extension of The Next Step Magazine's content. We chose to work with ReadyMinds because of their attention to quality."

Initially, service offerings will be announced and made available through The Next Step Magazine (see opening announcement below). This will be followed by an offering that visitors to The Next Step Magazine website can take advantage of. The Next Step Magazine is an objective guide that helps high school juniors and seniors explore potential careers, research collegiate options and make educated decisions about their futures.

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About The Next Step Magazine

The Next Step Magazine (www.nextStepmagazine.com) began publishing in Rochester, NY, on May 17, 1995. The mission was to help local high school students with college planning, career exploration and life skills. The magazine was an instant hit. After just five issues, the magazine expanded to the neighboring cities of Buffalo and Syracuse and reached more than 30,000 readers. Today, The Next Step Magazine is published in 31 U.S. states, Canada and Southeast Asia. Over 700,000 students in more than 16,000 U.S. schools read the publication. Plus, another 60,000 students from 1000 Canadian schools benefit from the magazine.

About ReadyMinds

Founded in 1997, ReadyMinds is a privately held company based in New York City. ReadyMinds, the leading provider of distance career counseling services, was designed with the assistance of career counseling industry experts (including top tier institutions) to help individuals focus on their career planning and develop action plans to achieve their immediate career goals. ReadyMinds abides by the guidelines set forth by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the NBCC Code of Ethics and the Standards for the Ethical Practice of Web Counseling. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.readyminds.com.