We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Fredrickson-Gosewisch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Work ethic is such an interesting term…there is definitely an ethical component to how we contribute to the world.
I have always wanted to be of service, to make a positive impact, and that is what has driven me throughout my life.
I wish that everyone was looking to be cooperative and good to each other, but unfortunately that’s not the reality. The harshness of the world has helped me develop grit and determination that has allowed me to create and innovate despite resistance. Hardships in my life have helped me get clear about who I want to be and what I will fiercely defend. I have a firm belief that no matter how bad things are, they can be transformed through diligence and commitment. I am not one to give up easily – I have relentless hope. Knowing myself, trusting myself, and believing in myself have been the tools of my success.
I love farming because our work is grounded in the tangible world and there is no avoiding our failures. If you neglected to close the gate, you WILL find out. Once, I was out shopping and got a call from a neighbor that the sheep were in the house…I always double-checked the door after that. We can do our best and still fall short, and this helps us practice navigating the balance between accepting ourselves as we are and seeking improvement.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Since 2016 I’ve been a regenerative farmer, growing vegetables for the farmers market. Before farming, I started a practice as a Clinical Massage Therapist working with clients to prevent and treat injury, and creating space for rest and relaxation in their lives. Since I started farming, I became acutely aware of how little support the farming community has around our wellbeing. I’ve been advocating for the mental and physical health of farmers at every opportunity, presenting in-person and virtually along with creating wellness resource spaces at farming conferences.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Finding my way through hardship has helped me develop the skill of being persistent, and when I’ve felt the most powerless is when I’ve reached for whatever I CAN do. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the results of my small, consistent efforts so it’s gotten easier to believe that just doing what’s possible is enough. It all adds up.
The way we talk to ourselves, our inner conversation, is incredibly powerful. I used to shame and insult myself; I would beat myself up for whatever I wanted to change, thinking that would help me get “better”. I started to try to talk to myself as though I were talking to a friend or loved one going through the same thing, and it changed everything. There are lots of reasons we struggle to be kind to ourselves. Learning to acknowledge without judgment that I’m in a place I don’t want to be, and talking myself through it with kindness and love, has been my greatest accomplishment – it helps me every day.
Learning to care for myself is the most important thing I’ve done; I wouldn’t be effective if it weren’t for the work I’ve done on caring for myself. I used to push myself to “be productive” when everything in me needed to rest; my best work never came out of those moments. Taking a break helps me recharge so I can truly focus, keep being creative, and be able to push myself when needed. That’s why I’m obsessed with helping others do the same. I want to encourage everyone to keep looking for ways to support themselves, the time and effort it takes is worth it – and it DOES take effort to learn to rest!
My advice to anyone starting out is to find a deep connection to yourself and it will help you navigate anything – you will be unstoppable. Don’t worry so much about what other people think, do what resonates with you. Trust yourself and trust the process, not everything works out the way we think it should but that doesn’t mean it’s not working out.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! I want to collaborate with anyone out there that cares about the wellbeing of farmers, and wants to help create a robust system of support for our emotional and physical health. I would love to bring my wellness spaces to more conferences, and to reach as many farmers as I can with care, support, and resources however I can. Every project I do is unique to the people it serves, I love to co-create things that make a real impact.
You can visit my website www.considerlaura.com to learn more about me, see work I’ve done in the past, and get in touch!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vitalgroundfarm.com / www.considerlaura.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/vitalgroundfarm
- Facebook: Facebook.com/vitalgroundfarm
- Other: tiktok.com/@vitalgroundfarm
Image Credits
Kriss Marion
