Interview by Angie Scheu of Simply Living in Colmbus, Ohio
1. From Classroom to Farm
How did your journey take you from being a teacher to running Working Well Farm? What inspired the change?
“I can pretty clearly identify that reading the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in 2008, changed my life. On one level it identified our food system as tremendously powerful, but also one which we can influence by the choices we make each day. More deeply, it introduced me to the field of systems thinking which led me to permaculture, a type of design thinking that looks to nature as model and teacher.
At this same time, the school where I was teaching encouraged teachers to design immersive courses on non-traditional subjects. So I proposed a food systems class. That gave me the resources to dive deep into the Northeast Ohio food scene and take a permaculture design course. My husband and I capped it all off with the purchase of six acres in our neighborhood to practice permaculture design principles at the ground level. That property became Working Well Farm. Looking back, it’s kind of amazing that these things all came together around the same time.”
2. Defining Bioregionalism
What does bioregionalism mean to you—and how does it shape your daily life?
“The bioregion is the geographical area within which we should collectively be able to provide for our basic needs. It’s the region where we can create a coherent regenerative culture and practices that allow life to flourish.
Our industrialized food system, with its global supply chains, separates us from the growing practices and environmental effects of our food. A bioregional food culture reweaves those lost connections—with the land, soil, water, climate, seasons, human labor, and more-than-human beings who help to feed us. Just moving toward a more seasonal and local diet is an act of bioregioning.”
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3. Learning from the Land
What are a few powerful lessons you’ve learned from working closely with nature?
“All of our lessons come from working with nature—because we are nature. But our dominant culture continually invents new ways to separate us from the wild, untamed aspects of it.
In the past decade, I’ve started to see how my way of thinking had been colonized to serve this separation. Working with uncolonized nature—like a ‘weed’ through the sidewalk or a regenerating forest—we can remember our embeddedness. It’s not just connection; it’s mutuality.
A diverse community of microbes, fungi, insects, plants, animals—even minerals—holds far more value than any individual part. Our role is to nurture those connections, because life flourishes from complex, interconnected systems.”
4. Education and Place-Based Living
How does your background in teaching influence your work in community and sustainability today?
“As I explored permaculture, taught the food systems class, and started the farm, I began to see that our education system is dysfunctional in many of the same ways our food system is. For most kids—and teachers—school can feel like torture. It’s an industrial model that isolates kids by age and ability and imposes top-down learning.
Permaculture helps us see that children are born with an evolutionary drive to learn what they need to thrive. They just need the right resources and community to guide that learning. I now apply that principle to all my work. The big question is: how do we create the conditions for a flourishing bioregional culture?”
5. Getting Started
What’s one practical step someone can take to begin reconnecting with their local land or community?
“Each of us has different gifts to offer. Think about what you love, what you’re good at, and what needs you see around you. Like to plan parties? Host a neighborhood gathering. Start a book club, pick up a new skill, go to the farmer’s market, repair your clothing, ride your bike.
These aren’t new ideas—but when we recognize them as part of a larger movement to build a regenerative culture, they gain meaning and momentum. They become part of a virtuous cycle: doing good things, and feeling good while doing them.”
6. Looking Ahead
What does a hopeful, bioregionally-connected future look like to you?
“I don’t want to sound like a Pollyanna—we’re entering challenging times. The global poly-crisis is real. But returning to a bioregional way of life is inevitable. It may be painful, but also joyful, and that ratio depends on the actions we take now.
We’ll need to learn many things: regenerative agriculture, caring for our place and each other, simple non-extractive living, and cooperative governance. But in learning them, we’ll rediscover meaning.
We don’t even fully know what we’ve lost over centuries of disconnection. And I don’t think we can overestimate the joy and beauty we’ll find in rebuilding those ties.”