We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Calascibetta recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I grew up as the daughter of a highly skilled Montessori teacher, and an amazing gardener and forest ecologist. Because both of my parents loved their work, I was immersed in those worlds and learned, early in life, how to work with plants and identify native flora and fauna, as well as how to guide children in becoming independent thinkers and experiential learners. As I grew, I discovered my own unique interests and abilities within those fields. And, after working seasonally as an environmental educator and getting a Master’s degree focused on farm-based education, I eventually had the inspiration to use my gifts to create a unique business that combined my passions and – and my love of skoolies! – and create The Farm Bus Bistro, a mobile educational kitchen and greenhouse on a school bus. Now, with the help of Flora the Farm Bus, I am able to pursue my passion for inspiring others to connect with our beautiful Earth, by teaching them about food – how it grows and how fun it can be to turn it into something nourishing and delicious!
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?
In the summer of 2017, I bought a 30′ school bus and embarked on a huge adventure – converting it into a mobile educational kitchen and greenhouse, and growing it into my own little business. Together with “Flora, the Farm Bus,” I run The Farm Bus Bistro and provide educational programs and culinary experiences for all ages, with a focus on inspiring a greater connection to our food. In the Spring of 2022, I was invited by a long time friend, Anna Dunlap, to bring Flora to her gorgeous property – Arpeggio Vineyard – and not only make ourselves at home, but also develop and an educational garden – which we now call Sunflower Farm. This was an absolute dream come true and I still sometimes pinch myself in amazement at my good fortune!
We are located in the heart of Southern Oregon, in the beautiful and agriculturally rich, Rogue Valley. Being just outside the city limits, on a gorgeous vineyard, we are perfectly poised for hosting a wide variety of classes, camps, workshops, retreats, and delicious farm-to-table events. But, since Flora is mobile, we are also able to take our offerings on the road and bring the fun wherever we go!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back at my journey, and the many years that it took me to build out my bus and launch my business, there are a few key things that really helped me grow to where I am today. I would say my willingness to push myself out of my comfort zone was an absolutely essential quality. As a “recovering perfectionist,” it is always a challenge to get myself to try something new – knowing that it likely isn’t going to turn out perfectly – but to just do it anyway, so that I can learn and continue to grow and improve. Being clear about, and staying focused on, my values and overall mission has also been really important. I find the immense amount of day to day work is often overwhelming, but having those guiding principles to remind me why I am pursuing this path has been critical in keeping up my motivation to push through those tough times.
However, I would say, above all else, the most helpful thing I’ve done on this journey was to invest in myself by hiring a mindset coach. Working with her for the last year has been tremendously beneficial – not only for the support and encouragement that I was missing as a solo entrepreneur, but she has also helped me to dream even bigger, believe in myself, and stay focused on my overarching goal of growing a joyful, abundant life for myself.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My biggest challenge now – as Gay Hendrix describes in his excellent book, “The Big Leap” – is growing and expanding beyond my Zone of Excellence – which, I would say is providing education programs and camps to young children – to my Zone of Genius, which I see as providing unique and specially curated opportunities, for people of all ages, to enjoy more elevated experiences, here at the Farm and Vineyard. After so many years of only offering programming for children, it is not only a challenge to expand my reputation to include a broader audience, but to embrace that new mindset of being a business that attracts a new level of clientele… Basically, my challenge is to not let my current vision of myself keep me from growing into the biggest, brightest, most badass version of myself that I can possibly be!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.farmbusbistro.com
- Instagram: @farmbusbistro
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/FarmBusBistro
Image Credits
Lindsey Bolling Photography
