213. Wild Homestead Living: From Suburbia to Self-Sufficiency with Park Ranger Julie Stonefelt

The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

How do you pursue homesteading while honoring the wildness of the nature around you? The flowers, animals, and flora that live on the land can impact the way you approach your garden. Julie Stonefelt, a full-time park ranger and co-founder of Wild Homestead Living with her husband Kevin, has sought to live off the land while preserving the natural ecosystem of her 2 acre property in the state of Washington. Despite a suburban upbringing, Julie has spent decades honoring a dream she first had with her childhood best friend. Julie is also a breast cancer survivor, and shares her compelling story of discovery and resilience on her journey "from cancer to country living." Her goal is to support others in moving in the direction of a more sustainable lifestyle, regardless of their location, while understanding and respecting the wildness around us all. Julia emphasizes respecting nature in homesteading, creating resilient, conflict-free gardens, and forming symbiotic relationships with wildlife.

Topics Discussed

· Experiencing Fresh Food

· Being a Full Time Park Ranger

· Enforcement Rangers vs Interpretive Rangers

· Having a Spouse with Type 1 Diabetes

· Surviving Breast Cancer

· Reviving Old Dreams

· Living in Snoqualmie Valley

· Gardening with Nature in Mind

· The Human-Animal-Nature Connection

· Holding Space for Animal’s Natural Habitats

· Beavers, Bears, and Coyotes

· Creating Your Dream Life

· Dealing with Envy Towards Others

· Do You Need to Grow all Your Own Food to be a Homesteader?

· Challenges of Being an Online Creator

· Facing Your Grief

· Starting Wild Homestead Living

· Reaching Harmony with Wildlife

· Resources and Courses for Homesteading

· Cancer Journey and Its Impact on Julie’s Approach to Homesteading

Episode Resources:

· Listen to The Good Dirt “166. The Human-Animal Connection with Alison Zak, author of "Wild Asana"

· Read "Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World" by Alison Zak

· Hawthorn Farm

· Read "Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest" by Suzanne Simard

· Read "The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener" by Eliot Coleman

Connect with Julie Stonefelt:

· Website: https://wildhomesteadliving.com

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildhomesteadliving/

· Courses: https://courses.wildhomesteadliving.com/connect

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Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

· Wendy Gray