096 – Cameron Farlow of Organic Growers School

In this episode, we interview Cameron Farlow of Organic Growers School.  Cameron started with OGS in 2012 and after providing service in a variety of roles has moved to Executive Director. She is a proponent of lateral leadership within their organization and shares what it looks like to reframe and work towards providing education and tools within agriculture as a whole. Food is the great connector, friends.

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

  • How OGS and agriculture as a whole is working away from commercial and capitalist definitions to include a wider view of people including Indigenous cultures and communities
  • How Cameron is creating a supportive structure and organizational culture that supports life in and outside of work
  • The long history of racism within farming and the steps OGS is taking for racial equity and social justice
  • The romanticized vision of farming and the loving (but necessary) bubble bursting that comes with education

Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with Luke McLaughlin of Holistic Survival School.

Show Notes

About Cameron Farlow

Hailing from Greensboro, NC with dairy farming in her blood, she has made her home in WNC, and has been with OGS since 2012. With a Master’s Degree in Appalachian Studies & Sustainable Development, Cameron also brings experience in the realms of farmland conservation, food security, farm to university, and land access for farmers. Outside of OGS, Cameron is a mother, dancer, baker, gardener, and avid explorer.

About Organic Growers School: From the Website

“Organic Growers School provides year-round opportunities for farmers and home-growers of all levels. Whether your interest is in farming, gardening, homesteading, healthy food, or organic community, our classes, workshops, and services will inspire you, build your confidence, and support you in creating your sustainable life.”

To learn more about OGS, sign up for classes, donate, and more, check out the links below:

Organic Growers School Website

OGS Instagram

OGS Youtube Channel

People

  • Lee Warren was the previous director of OGS and set a great foundation to move toward lateral hierarchy within the organization
  • Dianna McCall is a great teacher and gardener in Black Mountain that Cameron mentions in this episode
  • Frances Hesselbein is a renowned leader that Tony mentions who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor,  in 1998 for her leadership as CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

Books

Music by Commonwealth Choir

Photograph by Julie Douglas

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094 – Meghan Mciver & Lindsay Riley of Palm + Pine

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In this episode, we interview Meghan Mciver & Lindsey Riley. The owners and all-around vibe curators of the plant disco and store, Palm + Pine in Asheville, NC.

“We want to create a bubble for you to walk into and have a really vibed experience, a really nice time. That’s the goal” – Lindsay and Meghan

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

  • Different strategies for managing pressure as business owners and most importantly, human beings
  • Expectations vs Agreements- Creating realistic timelines for a project and the importance of giving yourself enough lead way
  • The challenges of stocking a retail space within the living (plant) industry 
  • How the pandemic forced Meghan and Lindsay to crawl instead of run at the start of their business
  • How capital and having a business has allowed them to better address the socioeconomic issues that exist with AVL 
  • Making plants accessible and nonjudgmental

 

Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with local aesthetic genius and photographer, Nicole McConville.

Show Notes

About Meghan and Lindsay

Originally from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Meghan McIver has lived in Asheville since 2008. She graduated from UNCA in 2012 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a concentration in Human Rights Policy. Her work with plants began in 2013, with an organic farming work-trade and later, a local agricultural non-profit internship. Her interest in tropical plants and environmental design was initiated in 2015 with a heightened intrigue for creating accessible, functional, and inspirational indoor green spaces. Merging her love for tropical plants, design, art, and community, Palm + Pine was created in an effort to offer a safe, welcoming, fun, and vibrant space for the people who live and work in Asheville.

With a background in performance and installation art, Lindsay Riley moved to Asheville in 2017 from Austin, Texas.
Riley’s skills span from illustration to graphic design to fiber arts and fashion design. Her work as a massage therapist for the past 10+ years offered Riley more insight into her artistic practices and vision, eventually leading her to merge a love for visual arts with holistic healing arts. Riley’s current artistic approach lands on creating environments that highlight the relationship between the human body and its immediate surroundings, intending to create safe spaces that promote healing and inspiration.

To learn more about Palm + Pine, check out the links below:

Instagram, where Meghan champions the IG game

palm + pine website

 

People

  • Audrey is their first employee and good friend who works at p+p, shoutout to Audrey.
  • Karie and Rob of Shelter Collective are neighbors to P+P. They initially told them about the space opening up next door. (It’s a big deal to find real estate in AVL)
  • Honey of DIFFERENT WRLD and Neng Jr’s are two businesses opening soon that M&L are excited for. In the interview, Meghan and Lindsay mention that they appreciate the role they are playing in the community.

Places

  • Crocodile Wine is where Lindsay and Meghan had their last pop-up shop before opening their retail location.
  • Fifth Season Gardening Co. is P+P’s trusted store that takes gardening to the next level.

 

Music by Commonwealth Choir

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077- Jason Contreras of Sow the Land on Creating Content to Inspire Others

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In this episode, we interview Jason Contreras. He’s one part of the husband and wife duo behind the homesteading project and popular YouTube Channel, Sow the Land.

Jason and his wife Lorraine run a 1.5-acre homestead just outside of Asheville. They grow their own food, which includes everything from raising chickens to preserving the fruits and vegetables that come out of their garden.

When they’re not running the farm, they each follow their own passions. Jason makes beautiful things out of wood, which he sells in their Etsy shop, as well as does all the filming and editing for their YouTube channel. Lorraine homeschools their daughter, cooks homemade meals, and creates products for her apothecary line, Plain Jane Lorraine Apothecary.

“It’s about documenting family, it just so happens we have over 100k people watching.”

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

  • Why Jason and his family relocated from California to Asheville
  • How Lorraine and Jason fell in love with growing their own food
  • How Jason went from recording videos for their family in California to 116,000+ YouTube subscribers
  • How Jason was the making the original IG story style video
  • What the “Bernice” T-shirt is

Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with Luke McLaughlin of Holistic Survival School.

Season Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by Range Urgent Care an Asheville-based clinic that offers affordable healthcare, transparent pricing, and streamlined, friendly service. Learn more about Range Urgent Care.

*Enjoy your first month free of annual membership at Range Urgent Care. Use code ‘makingitinasheville’ at checkout. Offer valid for a limited time only.

Show Notes

About Jason Contreras

In 2009 Jason was diagnosed with cancer.  He and his wife Lorraine quickly became passionate about growing their own food and knowing what exactly is in our food as use for healing.

In 2016 Jason and Lorraine sold most of their belongings and left the city in southern California to start a small homestead in the mountains of North Carolina. Jason started filming YouTube videos to show their family back home what they were up to.  There, they document their life showing viewers how a family from the city left to start a completely different life learning to grow food, start a business, and live a healthier life. Now, Sow the Land’s YouTube following is at 116,000 and counting. Sow the Land also has an online store of the products they make on their homestead as well as a podcast.

To learn more about Jason and Sow the Land, check out the pages:

Places

People

Media

Memorable Quotes

  • “If you want to do a thing, you can do it with what you have now.”
  • “Ownership of the ‘shame thing’ becomes people’s superpower.”

 

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