Meet Nadia Stewart

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nadia Stewart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nadia, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I found my purpose through many twists and turns. I thought each was the end game, but in hindsight they were the breadcrumbs that would lead me here. In the broadest sense, I love the feeling of being a leader, creating, communicating, innovating. I had always imagined that those things would be achieved as an office executive in a beautiful high rise along a very defined path where I could point to one tangible thing that represented my purpose in life. To that end, my first roles were in an office setting and to my surprise I hated it. I met some wonderful people, but the four walls that I thought I’d love to create and innovate within turned out to be nothing short of suffocating. I must admit, I panicked a bit. I’d only envisioned my purpose playing out with one backdrop. During this time, I had been volunteering at my children’s elementary school leading their afterschool enrichment program with a friend. It was fun because it brought together my passion for communication and education and I liked working with technology. We became so passionate about access to these programs and the support that we could provide that we created a business. It was a Master Class in professional development, leadership, entrepreneurship, confidence and self esteem. We sold that business seven years later and I remember the thrill that I felt knowing that something I helped to co-create would continue on. My passion for education had not waned and from there I used my skills and began another Master Class in my personal and professional development — this time to grow a nonprofit whose mission is to fund educational programs for deserving students who would not otherwise be able to participate due to financial constraints. The idea for Rooted In Education came from that experience and therein lies where I found my purpose — to create, communicate and innovate where I am inspired, the backdrop will take care of itself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

The seeds of Rooted In Education germinated during Covid. At the time, the educational scholarships that our nonprofit was funding were put on hold due to the nationwide shutdown. The students that would have normally benefited from those educational opportunities were also recipients of daily meals from the free and reduced lunch program. For a time, it was a challenge for families to access this much needed nutrition. So our nonprofit was presented with the opportunity to reimagine our support for these deserving children and the greater community.

As we considered this prospect, our logo came to my mind, which was a tree and the thought came to me – we should be growing food. We can create a network of spaces that provides access to, free, whole produce and education. The board was overwhelming supportive. So, in 2021 we installed our first Fare Harvest Learning + Community Garden. From there our network grew to seven locations and we began to formalize our outdoor education, primarily partnering with schools.

After a time, it became clear the nature of our learning gardens aligned more with a for-profit business model as opposed to a nonprofit. So, Rooted In Education was born and the nonprofit resumed its sole focus of educational scholarships.

Today, our focus is to create intentional and immersive agricultural spaces for children to learn through the lens of our natural world, and the community benefits from increased access to fresh, organic produce.

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?

The three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are: perseverance, trust and imagination. In my experience, don’t give up on the vision as long as it brings you joy; imagine it, feel it, live like it’s yours; trust that it will come, and remain open to alternative avenues.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes, I would welcome conversations to explore partnership and collaboration with school administrators, outdoor educators, and organizations that share the desire for nature-based learning to be a core concentration within our educational paradigm. They can connect by sending me an email at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootedineducation.org
• Instagram: @rootedineducation
• Facebook: @rootedineducation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-stewart-b60b741/