From Nurse to Farmer: My Regenerative Journey

Tag: regenerative agriculture

  • Trading Scrubs for Soil: The Patient is the Land

    The day I realized the land could be my new patient began when a co-worker told me about a documentary she had watched with her children called, The Biggest Little Farm. I was hooked from the first scene. A non-farm couple bound by a promise to their dog, set out to create a farm in harmony with nature — no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no tilling. Instead of depleting the soil like industrial monocrop farms, they nourished it, allowing life to flourish above and below ground. Their land didn’t just produce food; it healed.

    I want that. I wanted to tend life on that scale — acres upon acres breathing with health. But, for now, my practice ground is a single acre in Coastal Carolina. Here, the “soil” is more sand than earth. Rainwater brings vitality; well water merely keeps things alive. Summers are sweltering and humid, the sun un-relenting. I’ve watched it scorch more plants than I care to count. But this is home, and I am learning to adapt.

    As a nurse, I once fought to restore the health of human bodies. Now, I fight for the health of this patch of land. I believe that our nation’s future depends on regenerative farming, whatever the conditions. We must turn away from the mass-producing monocultures we’ve allowed to dominate our fields, fueled by our addiction to processed foods. Healing the land is not optional. Its urgent. And I am starting here, with my own acre, my sandy soil, and my determination to see it thrive.

    Pics of the blank canvas we started with in 2021

    Have you taken sustainable steps to improve your land? Share below to help others see the possibilities.

  • From Bedside to Fieldside: Planting the First Seed

    For nearly two decades, my world revolved around hospital hallways, patient charts, and the relentless beeping of monitors. I spent years at the bedside–administering medications, monitoring vital signs, holding hands in moments of fear, and celebrating signs of recovery. Nursing was more than a job. It was a calling.

    But over time, I’ve felt the weight of nursing shift in ways that are hard to ignore. The constant push to do more with less grew heavier, while the process of providing care became stricter and more boxed in. What troubled me most, though, was the growing attitude that “a nurse is a nurse is a nurse”–as if our different specialties, skills, and experience don’t matter. That mindset not only undervalues the depth of our profession but also chips away at the individualized, compassionate care that patients deserve. The joy I once felt began to slip away. Burnout crept in quietly, until it was impossible to ignore. My body was exhausted. My spirit felt thin. I spent my life helping others heal, yet I was running on empty myself.

    Some people take a vacation when they’re burned out. Others look for a new position in the same field. I did something different: I planted a seed.

    Literally.

    Today, I run a small regenerative farm on the Carolina coast, growing superfoods like microgreens, tumeric, and Okinawa sweet potatoes. I raise chickens on living pasture and help others access health through food – -food that nourishes the body and the earth at the same time.

    I still care deeply for people- I just do it now through food, education, and the land. And I’m not alone. A growing number of nurses, doctors, and caregivers are trading their scrubs for gardening gloves, farm boots, and “food as medicine” entrepreneurship. We’re finding new ways to heal ourselves – and others – outside the walls of the hospital.

    Burnout is real. But so is regrowth. And sometimes, it starts with a single seed.

    Interested in learning more? Follow me on Instagram @thesoilnurse.