38. Clean Eating & The Power of Locally Sourced Food / Sierra Prothers
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What is the quality of the food you are eating? How do you find connection & purpose with your diet? Sierra Prothers owner of Casperville Creations, is on a mission to provide quality food and help educate about nutrition, benefits of locally sourced food, gut health, and how to improve your relationship to food. Today's episode we talk about having a deeper connection and understanding to food, how to integrate community with your diet, dealing with internal struggles of "self-worth" "perfectionism" and "people pleasing". Sierra shares her own body struggles, dealing with food allergies and the affect it had on her digestive system, energy and overall well-being. She talks about her farm and how it has helped her feel more connected to the environment, herself, and the community around her.
Episode Topics:
Healthy Soil Microbiome: why it matters & how it can affect your body's microbiome
Prioritize Your Self-Care: it is impossible to take care of others if you haven't filled your cup up first
Why is there a mentality of working hard = self-worth?
Permission to not be perfect, allow the messy: "I am going to screw up, going for it and see what happens, and being open to learning"
How to deal with food guilt
clean eating, where my food is coming from, fulfilling meals, cooking, feeling more confident, knowing what foods you are ingesting, nutrients, gut health, quality of life, energy levels, brain fog, stomach pain, sleep, productivity, learning, passion, sharing with friends, self-care, connection, community.
Katie Kay
Hi, listeners, and welcome back to another episode of body breaking free. Today we have Sierra Prothers on the episode. However first before we dive into all the juiciness of today's episode, I would love it if you joined our email list, and I'll put the link in the show notes. It will be Katie Kay graham.com forward slash newsletter. And I really want to start promoting this because even though I haven't yet started sending out weekly emails, by the beginning of April, I want to really start to send out freebies and give you as much wellness insight and connection that I can, especially from these guest episodes, I just feel like each guest has so much to offer and so much wisdom and insight and tapping into more of that and really providing practical tools so that you can take into your daily wellness or even just highlighting some of those important perspectives that we learned different insights. And the newsletter will be a perfect source as perfect outlet for that. I have that on my website so you can sign up and you can start really gaining some more support for yourself and your body. Okay, so let's dive into the episode today, Sarah preppers. It was such an honor to interview her and she's built her life around providing locally sourced food to the community. So Sierra is the owner of Casper Ville creations, a farm located in Heber Utah. And her mission is to provide quality food by cultivating sustainable produce, using biodynamic practices and providing affordable, locally sourced food options to the community. Her goal is to share the experience of local farming with the community by connecting and educating people through food. I just love how she shares her own personal body struggles and food struggles, specifically digestive problems, energy problems, I mean, the food that we take in and nourish our bodies, if we are not in tune and connected with those nutrients and understanding what works, what doesn't work. I mean, we've all we've all been there, then it can really take a toll it can take a toll on her sleeping patterns, energy, and just feeling healthy and our bodies. And now the work that she does in the community. She's surrounded her purpose, her passion, to helping others find a deeper connection with food and understanding food and really providing that quality food to their diets. Really amazing, like really inspiring to see that how she's built her work life around that. So I can't wait for you all to listen, get ready. Sit back and take a listen. Sweet Sierra. Hi, Sierra, thank you so much for being on body breaking free podcast today.
Sierra Prothers
Thanks for having me.
Katie Kay
It's a pleasure to have you. And I want to start with your story. Your background, I've already given an introduction into Casper Ville creations. So can you just start by telling us a little bit about your background? And what got you into starting this beautiful, locally sourced food production that you're doing now and your business?
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, so um, I was born and raised in Western Massachusetts, I went to a school in New Hampshire, where I got a degree in adventure education. And then pretty much just found my way to Utah after school, that mountains and just traveling kind of brought me here. Ultimately, about three years ago now we purchased land just outside of Park City, Utah, or dream location. It was a lot of work. But ultimately, that's when I was able to kind of explore this desire to grow my own food and be able to kind of experiment with Yeah, being able to grow at a larger scale than just ourselves. So
Katie Kay
yeah, it's so awesome and, and Sarah sent me a bunch of notes before and just like her motivation of why she She started the farm. And I just think it's really cool. Seeing that connection, part of what's so purposeful for you is just feeling connected with the food that you're eating, feeling connected to the world and this earth and everything magical that goes along with that. And just really nourishing your body in the way that you need it to. Yeah. And so can you talk a little bit about that? Why is it so important to have that nourishment of food? And why is it so important to feel so connected?
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, absolutely. So farming was not like, for years and years, I was like, hey, I want to be a farmer that like, it kind of fell into my lap, I guess. And I didn't know. And I didn't realize until like, we started talking kind of how my journey brought me to like where I am right now. And ultimately, I think it really started when I was a kid. And I just had like chronic stomach aches all the time trying to figure out like what my food sensitivities were, or like what was going on, it was just kind of my norm to like, eat and then have a stomachache. And, you know, I explored that as a kid and like different things came up, I had some allergy tests done and found out I was sensitive to cow's milk. And then, you know, tried to stay away from that. But back in the day, there weren't like these great alternatives that we have now. And when you're like a friend's or drinking milk, or having ice cream, it's like hard not to want to participate in that. And it wasn't until I was like in high school, I think that a doctor recommended maybe trying a gluten free diet again, like the alternatives were just really gross, honestly, like, we tried gluten free pasta in high school, like as a family. And I was like, I'm so sorry, this is just awful. Like, let's just not eat this, I'd almost rather deal with a stomach ache. And I think and unintentionally I was like avoiding food or just like not wanting to eat, I didn't find joy in eating because I didn't feel good. And then when I moved to Utah, actually, oh, well back up a second in college, it just got like, horrible because I was eating all this like processed food from the dining halls and drinking beer. And like having all this food I hadn't had before that was really not good for me. And I didn't realize that I did but I just didn't have the resources to eat good food that made my body feel good. So I kind of hit rock bottom in college and it was just not fun to eat. I didn't like enjoy it. So when I moved to Utah, I was nannying for a family who was primarily gluten and dairy free. And I realized I was like eating all my meals with them. And I realized how good I felt like I was getting far less sleep, but feeling rested and feeling more energized. I hadn't had like a migraine in months and what didn't have him regularly, but like enough that it was annoying, and it like inhibited my lifestyle. So I'm like all these things, all of a sudden were like clicking for me. And I also like started having fun with the kids and like coming up with cool creative meals that we could all eat together or they could help me cook or bake. And I just it really hit me that I needed to, you know, like, explore those options as far as what foods made me feel the way I did, like I wanted to feel more energized or I think to like, long term the like, not even physical feeling of how food made me feel but like mentally and emotionally too. So um, we were renting for like the longest time here in town, the soil was horrible, and I just wasn't able to grow anything and it kind of deterred me for a long time. But we have such great like community resources here and I was able to you know, get involved with other firms and and start eating more locally sourced food but also just homegrown good quality food and then when we purchased land, I was like I am gonna start this garden and I'm just gonna see what I can grow. And again, like never had the intention of starting a business but all of a sudden I grew like way more food than what the two of us could consume. And so I was like gifting it to friends and if I really didn't like I was like literally driving around with like these large tubs of zucchini and tomatoes and be like Hey, who wants food you know, even donating some to like our food bank because I just didn't want it to go bad and I wanted people to have like, I didn't understand what like a good tomato tasted like until I had like a farm fresh tomato and I was like this is nothing like what you can buy in the store. And then COVID happened. And I was like, totally disheartened. Because I mean, like, it was just hard to find good food, or food at all, like our supply chain was like affected, I mean, it still is. And I really then saw the need to continue growing food for ourselves, but our community, our friends, and also like educating our community on like, how to grow their own food, if that's something they're interested in doing. Because I think that's important as well.
Katie Kay
It's so relatable and just putting food into our bodies and not feeling our best because of, you know, what you're talking about the process or alcohol or whatever it is for you and your unique body. And I can totally relate to that. I mean, especially in college, when you're out of the house, and you're just like, alright, I can eat whatever I want, and you just don't feel good. It's also just kind of a learning process and that, but for you, it was just sounded really hard, like really big struggle. And when you're just not feeling comfortable in your own body, especially at that age when you're 1820, you know, when you're looking around at other people. And I think in my time in that time, in my life, there was just like, a lot of judgment on myself a lot of just trying to find my own path and purpose and comparing myself to everybody else around me. And I didn't feel good in my body 90% of the time, and I didn't have any kind of food, symptoms or struggles specifically. So I can imagine what you were talking about is just taking its toll. mentally, emotionally, physically, that must have just been really hard.
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, I mean, like I said, I think, unintentionally, I was like, kind of avoiding food or like, you know, friends being like, Hey, let's go get late night pizza. And I was like, Oh, I know, that's gonna make me feel horrible. But I don't wanna be the one that's like, not eating pizza with my friends. And it was just this constant like decision making, like, do I go and do this and know that I'm not going to feel well the next day or avoid this situation entirely. It was just a constant like debate. And I just didn't feel like I had the options that I do now. And I, you know, probably could have created those options. But I didn't know what they were, I don't think I had the resources. You know, and I was like, if you lived on campus, you're required to have this like dining hall meal plan. And it was like burgers and fried food and like processed meats and things that I just didn't feel well eating. And so things got better. I moved off campus, my sophomore year, and so I was able to, then, you know, explore the grocery stores and like, do my own cooking, which helped tremendously. And then I kind of figured out how to navigate that world. But I mean, I think I'm still figuring it out. I still feel like, you know, if I'm going out to dinner with friends, like, Are there going to be options that I want to eat? Because I know that it's going to feel good to eat those things are, you know, I still eat things like I shouldn't know, or I know are not going to make me feel good. But you know, at least I have that knowledge now.
Katie Kay
Yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, we're not perfect, right? We're all not perfect. But having a baseline having a foundation of what you know, is going to serve you best. I think that is just so valuable. And what you're talking about is you didn't know you didn't know. And I think that at that place, a lot of us can get stuck in the place of just saying, like, I don't know what to eat. I don't know what feels good. I feel unsure I feel lost and I don't feel good in my body. So kind of this almost helpless place of not really sure what to take the next right step. And for me and in being in that place so many times in my body. I think that being able to just bring awareness into your own practice and just the simplicity of being aware and then taking the next right step that feels good to you that feels aligned. That might be the most valuable thing that I could just say to bring into that place because As if there's a lot of listeners here that are listening and they're not feeling good in their body, they're not sure, well, maybe it's gluten, maybe it's dairy, maybe it's alcohol, maybe whatever. And that can be a really hard place to be in. Because yeah, it's like, I don't know, I don't, I'm not really sure. And then another point I want to bring up is that you were talking about going, you know, your friends are going out to pizza, and you don't want to you, you don't want to feel left out, you want to feel included in that. And giving yourself the permission to prioritize your own self care. I think that's a big thing, too, that I've learned through the process of, like, well, I don't want to be an imposition on anybody, right? Like, I don't want to, like order that salad and I don't want to look different, or, you know, stand out or make anybody else feel uncomfortable. And that's kind of the people pleaser, and me. Totally, that's me. Yeah, really. And then, and oh, my gosh, it took me such a long time to get to that place where I'm like, okay, like, I might start, like, I, you know, get on this plan, this eating plan, and I really want to lose this weight. And I know it's gonna be, it's gonna go across my relationships, and they're going to be affected. And it was at that point where I was, like, a little shaky, and I didn't want to upset anybody or make anybody uncomfortable. But that was a step of my process I needed to take. And it really taught me to show up at my self worth, and being like, this is something I really need. And if I can trust that, that people around me love me enough to support me in that way, then that was just that one subtle shift that I could make that really prioritize my own self care and my own eating habits. I'm not sure if you can relate to that, and just like showing up for yourself in that way.
Sierra Prothers
Absolutely. I mean, like, everything that you're saying is exactly what I was, I mean, still feel daily is like I, you know, I, I to my people pleaser, like, I don't want people to feel like they need to go out of their way to make something different, or special. And then I realized that it's, you know, I mean, I still struggle with this, but it's, it's a, you know, it's okay to be selfish, it's okay to like, advocate for what my needs are in order for me to feel good. And sometimes that, you know, like, hey, I'll just bring something to the table that I know I can eat, and I'm happy to share with other people if they want try it. You know, it's great. Now that, you know, when we go to a potluck, or something like that, I was like, Oh, can you bring the salad? You know, like, they just want a garden salad. I'm like, oh, yeah, that's awesome. And so I think that's been a fun way to to be like, oh, there's like this new vegetable I tried growing or something like that. And kind of bringing people into my world too, has been like fun and exciting. I think that that is also something that I really feel passionate about is just educating people to if they have interest in learning more about how to grow their own food, or where their food is coming from, or why it's making them feel good or not good, like sharing my experience, and sharing what I know, has been really educational as well for like myself,
Katie Kay
can you share a little bit about like education kind of go into locally sourced food and what maybe what you would want the listeners to know about that? Yeah, so
Sierra Prothers
I'm still learning a lot as I go. But one of the very first things that I started diving into was our soil, and it sounds kind of silly, but like, if you don't, you're not gonna be able to grow anything, unless you have a healthy soil system. So one of the first things I did was get a soil test, and then I got this test back and I was like, I have no idea what any of this stuff means. And so all of a sudden, I'm like diving like way deeper into like, all the different things that make up a healthy soil and what the balance and ratio should be, or what it should look like and how it should feel. Which was this unique experience, I felt like I was very connected to like my land in a way that I had never been before. But, um, so the soil, long story short, the soil has, it's a living organism, like it has its own microbiome, like how we have our own like gut health, it kind of has its own health as well. So basically, if your soil is not healthy, you're not going to be able to grow a healthy plant and that healthy plant is not going to be able to grow healthy produce, and carry all the nutrients that your body and your gut health then also needs. So I just like I think that's whole that is fascinating. And, you know, I think do a lot with soil testing too. Because, again, like it's harder to grow plants if your soil is not healthy, but also just knowing what my soil needs is probably also an indicator of like what I need as well in my own, like gut health. Like, there's this whole balance of things. So as I'm like learning these cool things, I think it's really relatable to a lot of people. And I like being able to kind of share that information as I'm learning, you know, even like when the best time to plant is, you know, ideally you want to be planting and like putting seeds or transplants directly into the ground, like three to four days before the full moon. So like even learning how, like our ancestors grew food and why they did that way I think is really interesting. And I want to be able to, like, share the tips and tricks that I've learned so that people feel more comfortable being a little bit like, yeah, I can grow a tomato plant this year, if that's something they want to do, or if not that they can buy a tomato from me.
Katie Kay
Yeah, no, when you're talking, that's so interesting. I didn't know that about the soil. And, yeah, it's like, it motivates me to want to eat better to want to eat those locally sourced foods, because it's like, the knowledge is power, right. And when you know what you're putting into your body, you know, that oh, my gosh, this, this tomato has so much more nutrients in it. And it's going to feed my body and honor my body in the way that I know it should. Like, that's powerful. And I love how you open the space for that. And I love how you want to educate people and really help them grow their own produce. And also, you have CSA boxes. Correct. So you can purchase that. Yeah,
Sierra Prothers
that's a whole nother adventure. So this will be the first summer like I said, I was just growing way too much produce. And I realized how many friends were like I want, I want this much every week. And I was like, Okay, well, I need time to figure out how to do that. And so this winter has really been focusing on like, my my plan my crop rotation and figuring out how much I can grow in the space that I have. And in turn be able to provide shares to our community, if that's something they're interested in doing a weekly CSA box. So CSAs community assisted agriculture, it's where you pay like an upfront cost, usually by the end of winter or early spring, for the entire summer, and you get a variety of vegetables that you can incorporate into your daily cooking.
Katie Kay
Oh, so awesome. And Sterling and I, my husband Sterling, we just started getting into CSA a few years ago, and we eat so much better, but not just that is that connection part that we were talking about earlier is we feel connected to the community, we feel connected to the food that we're eating, and when you don't need to go to the store and you have frozen. So we have frozen elk and frozen salmon in the freezer. And then we have our CSA vegetables. It's like, oh my god, this is so easy for us to be healthy. It's like me and veggies. Not that same, like that's the ideal healthy plate that you should have. But it's just the availability of making whatever meal that serves you and making you happy and just making it that much easier. Having a simplicity of just it's available. So this is where we're gonna make and so I just love that whole concept.
Sierra Prothers
I think it's been like really fulfilling for me, like our friend gifted us some alchemy. And again, like using the produce that we have and creating this meal that was like I know where everything came from and there wasn't a distributor involved there wasn't processing like like outside of you know, whoever process this elk but and I think that's just been really powerful for me to experience you know, I this was a first gear I actually helped process our own turkey. My friend has a turkey farm and so he needed help like the weekend before Thanksgiving processing all these turkeys for families that had purchased them already. And so I got to purchase or I got to process my own turkey this year. And then we brought it to a friend's house and we shared it with everyone and that was really awesome experience. So I hope to like be able to continue learning more in depth of where my food is coming from and like how to process it and stored in Canada. I'll do all those things. So I can continue to make these like, really fulfilling meals and more than just like, fueling my body. But just I'm learning as I go. And I think that's really the experience that I enjoy. As well as just knowing how to do those and feeling more confident in those skills,
Katie Kay
I want to go back to kind of just your process through this whole thing, because I'm just thinking about our listeners, and maybe they don't live in Utah, maybe they don't have access to a CSA box. But I want to kind of dive into your own personal process of how you went from that place of resistance to a place of what you're talking about connectedness, purpose, gratitude, learning, joy, all the things that we all want to feel when it comes to our, you know, food and to our body. And so I just kind of invite this idea of taking like it once kind of one step at a time, and those subtle shifts that lead you in that direction. And what do you think it was kind of that turning point that took you from? I feel really uncomfortable in my body? And these are the processed foods, I'm in Taiki. And and were kind of maybe even at a place like, I'm not really sure what to do next. What do you think it was? Like? Maybe it was an internal motivation? Or shift? Or maybe it was that kind of that joy of cooking? Maybe it was the knowledge that you received about the gluten and the dairy? I mean, there's a lot here.
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, that's a big question. I think it was like, I mean, it's combination of everything. I feel really fortunate that things kind of fell into place, when they did and how they did, you know, from working for this family, who was had some dietary restrictions and kind of learning more about different alternatives. From Right place, right time finding our home that we live in now that had some land. I knew so it was working. I had an office job. And I was, I was in an office setting. I had windows, but I just like, it wasn't outside. I was I wasn't feeling connected. And like, almost every aspect I realized was just wasn't happy. And I think it was a couple years ago now, my partner was just like, Well, it seems like you really like growing your own food, why don't you just do that make that your job somehow, like figure it out? And I was like, wait, I can do that. He's like, Yeah, if that's what's gonna make you happy, like, follow that path, we'll see where it goes. And I'm still very much on that path. I'm still figuring it out. And, you know, I don't know if I'll continue to grow produce, I love doing it. But who knows if I go more the education route, or who knows if, you know, we have a lot of chickens right now. And so I don't know, if I just have chickens and supply, you know, eggs to people or what, where it's going to kind of lead me but I think ultimately just being open to change, having those doors open, so to speak, to see what kind of falls into my lap or see where my interests goes, has been the most valuable thing for me like, it's, it's when I feel like I have to do something or I close those doors off because I am already committed to something that I haven't been really happy. And so you know, making that conscious effort to even have a conversation with a friend be like, I don't know what to do next. And like opening up those doors, that one have that conversation, but also, maybe they have a great idea, like, oh, you really need to meet so and so like a lot of the connections I've made, have been friends who are like, I really just feel so connected to what you're saying. And I think that you should meet this person and learning from those people. I've just kind of I don't know, brought me on this very windy path to where I am right now.
Katie Kay
Yeah, it's beautiful. And I and I love your whole openness of it's not perfect. I'm not really sure what the next step is, but allowing yourself the space to go with the flow and follow what feels good. On the podcast, I think like a core message is this process of undoing and that will allow the space to recreate and recreate eat what you want most from your body to tune in to your desires in life and sense of self and purpose. And I think one of the key components of that is the undoing part of the being available to look at where you're resisting, and for you talking about, oh, I don't feel good when it's a should, like, I should do this. And those expectations. And I think that's a big point of resistance that can just pound us into the ground and create a lot of pressure of just feeling like we have to do this or this or this, depending on what is right what society thinks is right and wrong. And we've put all these labels on it. And I know, I've been so stuck in that where I've, like, crashed and burned and dark night of the soul. And I kind of had to get to that bottom place to rise up. But I think just making that point of the process of what you went through and your own internal reality. And it showed up in what externally you did for yourself and your body. And going through that process of letting go, what wasn't serving you, and being able to open up this space for all of these amazing things. I mean, I just hear you talking about it. And it's just like, following what feels good. Like, that's a huge thing, that a lot of us are still learning how to do that, me included. And the joy of learning the joy of being connected to the community. And that was a really big thing I heard you talk about that connectedness. And that is amazing. And I think like getting to that place is so profound. And I'm still working on that in the way that I want to open up my heart, I want to feel that self worth within me. So that I can feel that within everybody that surrounds me and that connectedness and, and for you. And it's like oh man, like the nature part being out. Being out in the dirt and the soil and the food and and then also your community it can sell I can see that's a really a really big place for you and your heart is being in that place of service. And I just think that is it's really cool how you've journeyed into a place where you're bringing in these like really high vibration things into your life.
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, I think too, I I've realized along the way that if I am not kind of doing everything I need to do though, to be happy or to continue learning or getting dirty in the soil, whatever being active that it's hard for me to share that with others. And so staying on that path of making sure then making time for myself. Or I'm you know, all I've no other distractions, but maybe listening to a podcast while I'm gardening or something like that, that's kind of my own, like, meditation time, it's where I kind of reground myself and can organize all the thoughts that are going on in my busy head. But if I don't make that time for myself, I don't really feel like I have more to give to other people. And I really like, you know what you said like giving, I like feeling connected to my community by by being able to give through education by food, other whatever it is, but if I don't feel like I've kind of done what I need to do for myself too, it's really hard for me to like, do that. And then it's just this whole, like cyclical cycle where I just, you know, get stuck in the if I you know, fall out of, you know, making sure I have that time for myself, it's hard to be able to give, give outward.
Katie Kay
Oh, I'm so glad that you brought that up. It's like filling up your own cup so that you can give to others. And that oh my gosh, that's such a valuable thing to bring into this conversation because I think a lot of us want to just give and want to take care of all the people around us and and that becomes an impossible thing to do if we're really not prioritizing ourselves and giving ourselves the permission to do our own self care practices. Which can be it can be hard, it can be hard to say, you know, hey, like I can't go skiing today because I know I need to recharge and I know it would be really fun for you and myself if we went and I want to give that to you but I know that you know what I need to do today I need to meditate for an hour I need to journal Anita, relax, whatever it is. So I'm really glad that you brought that up, I think we all can just be reminded over and over again, that that's just, it's a huge priority, it needs to be, you know, I say my number one priority is my own well being. And in my work, I'm still trying to figure that out what that process is. But right now, it's two to three hours of getting centered of meditating of journaling, clearing out space, which for somebody might seem just like ridiculous, because I have, you know, four hours, five hours to work. But when I'm in that aligned place, the work that I put out is 10 times better. And it's with ease and alignment, it's simple. So it kind of goes along with what you're talking about is like, you find the ways that you fill up your cup, and you do it unapologetically. So that you can show up in a way that you're really meant to.
Sierra Prothers
Absolutely, yeah, that's nail on the head. That's exactly how I feel. And also, you know, like, knowing that sometimes for me, at least, it can be 20 or 30 minutes. And sometimes, like you said, it's two or three hours in like, it's okay to take whatever time I need in order to be, you know, knowing that whatever I put out later is going to be, like you said, like, far more productive. I'm like a crazy morning person. And if my brain is like going a mile a minute, I'll just get up, and I'll start doing and if I need to take a nap later. Like, that's okay, I was up at 4am, like writing a newsletter, or whatever it was, I was doing, like, I don't have to go a mile a minute, you know, 12 hours out of the day, where I don't know where I ever got that notion that I had to like, be working all of the time, but also working for me as doing something for myself sometimes, so that I can be productive in my work. And that is like, you know, it is working, because it's going towards being productive later, or whatever it is. For me,
Katie Kay
do you feel like that mentality of always trying to work hard? Because I have that same mentality? Is it a, like deeper level of fear of if you're not working hard? You're not good enough?
Sierra Prothers
I don't know. For me, like, where it stems from? I'm sure part of it is definitely that or like, I think, I think a lot of it is definitely tied to self worth. But I think there's, you know, the society norms, like, I think maybe having a better understanding of where those pressures come from might be helpful. But for me, I'm I'm I don't know, sometimes.
Katie Kay
No, I just asked, because I think a lot of us deal with that same mentality. And, and yeah, I definitely feel like it's part of the cultural matrix that we all kind of get sucked into. And not saying hard work is not a not a bad thing. And it certainly can produce a lot of success, but But when it's coming from a place of fear, then it's really not productive. And I think the majority of my life that has come from a place of fear, and oh my gosh, I think about like, the years and years I spent in engineering school, it's like, I was working my ass off every day, I went to class, I get home, like hours and hours of homework, like that was my routine over and over and over again. And I don't think I stopped to pause to really think about like, is this serving? Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? And, and even just like, like what I talked about, like that awareness part, it's just like, I can't, I can't even I can't understate or overstate how important it has been in my life. But yeah, it's like an interesting mentality that we kind of all carry. It's like, if we're not doing our best all the time, and everybody knows that, then something is wrong, or we're not worthy of it, or we're not good enough.
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, I've definitely felt like that, here and there. And it's hard to like manage those outside feelings, too, when you're trying to start something new, and you're already scared of, you know, how things are gonna turn out. And I've been reminding myself a lot lately that I am going to screw up and that's okay. And I'm going to learn from those mistakes and become better. And sometimes I like fixate on getting it perfect the first time and then I don't even do it at all or I get scared and doesn't come out the way I want. And one of the things I'm working on is just just going for it and and seeing what happens and learning from it and being open to learning from those experiences. That's,
Katie Kay
yeah, and that's probably why you've gotten to a place now where it's like, you're creating this amazing farm and, and providing all of us with inspiration and, and so really amazing that you can allow yourself to be messy, like you don't have to be perfect. And I struggle with that too all the time. So totally relate to it. Can we talk a little bit about your own wellness practices? I know you talked a little bit about, like moving your body and but yeah, what are what are the practices that make you feel really good?
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, so great question. Sometimes I don't know what this is. And I'm realizing that not every day is the same day, like what I need to do one day might look different. My brain is like, especially lately, it's going a mile a minute, I've just got so much in my brain that if I don't write things down, I mean, I literally have like lists for lists, I feel like so list making just kind of being able to organize in my thoughts. Sometimes that list making definitely turns into more of like journaling, or like, I mean, I wish I like had the time example, but like, sometimes there's like pictures and words and like a number things like what goes first and like that's kind of my way of organizing everything that I need to write down or like get out. But sometimes just going for a run helps me to because I have to focus on my breathing that I'm able to like clear my mind a little bit easier. I don't really like running, but it makes me feel good. So I do it. Everyone's always like, Oh, I don't like running. I was like, Yeah, I don't really either. But I but it makes me feel good. And like, I know that sometimes I just need to take a step back and go for a run. Or just do something active, like be outside, I love skiing. And in the summertime, I like riding my bike. So making that time to, you know, clear out my head a little bit so that I can come back to whatever it is I'm doing with a more organized plan. Sometimes I feel like I'm just too all over all over the place to like actually be productive. And then like, probably just talking to friends and family and my partner about, you know how I'm feeling. Because those people have really great ideas and perspectives. And sometimes I'm like, oh, yeah, I was totally over. Complicating that I was like, analyzing it to the bitter end. And I really just need to like it's a or b and it doesn't matter, because both are going to work. So I think kind of a combination of all of those things would be like some of the tools that I that I use. And again, like some days I'm like, I definitely don't want to go for a run. But I could use a bubble bath or figuring out in that moment what it is that I need. I'm still figuring out I guess Yeah,
Katie Kay
no, those are great tools. I love that. And I and I ask because we all can get more inspiration from what other people are doing. And and I saw on your notes, you said it's been the hardest, but most rewarding thing, figuring out what makes you feel good and happy. And I underline that heart hardest. Because I think like it's a good point to say it is really hard to get figure out what are the practices that's really gonna make me feel good in my unique body and self. And that's one of the reasons I started the podcast is because we need to open up this space and really investigate all of these different amazing wellness tools and practices so that we have the availability to try it out or listen to a new perspective. And just really, it's about self awareness of asking yourself out. Is that like, sound good? Does that feel good to me? And maybe it does, maybe it doesn't and and so I think that all that you shared was beautiful. And and I guess one last question that's popping into my head is for you and your body and just having those food restrictions. And I'm sure that you know, some days that if you're having gluten or dairy, and you partake, what do you do to feel okay with that decision and just like give yourself some grace and patience and maybe you're not feeling good in your body that next day. Like because it's just so easy to put all the blame on ourselves and judgment and I shouldn't have done this, I should do this. But like how do you how do you deal with those ups and downs?
Sierra Prothers
That's a great question. I'm a well, I have like this natural consequence. And if I eat food, I don't feel well. But it's hard to, you know, I physically don't feel well, but it's hard to make the, the line between, like mentally feeling poor about the decision I made to eat that food that didn't make me feel well physically. So I, you know, giving myself that room to, you know, yeah, I decided to have a piece of bread, or whatever it was, like, I needed fuel in my body. And that was what was important in that moment for me, was giving myself some energy. And maybe that energy that I put into my body didn't make me feel good today, but I had to do what it was in that moment, or what I felt right being okay with that decision, like, I don't eat perfectly. Like, it's not, you know, it's, it's a growing choice, I guess, to like, put in my body, like food wise what it is. But I think expanding my resources, like having, having that food that I've grown or know where it's coming from, like, putting that in my body, whether it's all the time or some of the time, and like, it's better and better, like, making those conscious choices have evolved, and knowing that, like, I will continue to improve, and kind of check in with my body about what feels good mentally and physically, and making those decisions is always going to be there. But I think they've become easier for me.
Katie Kay
Yeah, yeah, and talking about that perfection is a mentality that's just so easy to creep in. And ups and downs are going to be, it's going to, I mean, it's going to happen no matter what. And I think doing the work, creating that internal alignment is going to help serve me better, and just bringing more acceptance and compassion and myself, and not getting caught up in that perfectionism mentality. I think that, like, the guilt is just such an easy thing to get caught up in. Because if we have a thought of guilt, it just can it like immediately wraps up our whole self into it. And especially if, and even if you have done the work to separate yourself from your thoughts and have that awareness, like even then you can still so easily get wrapped up and, and just being like, I shouldn't have done that, or I shouldn't have eaten that and, and I think it ties in with like, all of those underlying wounds of just like not feeling good enough and feeling less than not feeling self worth. And it's a hard place to be in to be in that guilt of, and just like having the down days, but, but being able to what you're talking about, just bring in that acceptance and, and you said, you know, not being perfect. And my nutritionist once told me, like, 70% Katie, like, that's where you're at, like, you don't got to do the whole 100 If you're doing 70% If you're like you're saying like eating your vegetables, connecting with your food like 70% of the time then like you're doing amazing and and that was a good reference for me to just kind of put the perfectionism aside. But I also think that just bringing that awareness on my thoughts of guilt when they pop up is like really being able to shine a light on them and see the resistance see when I'm taking in that negativity and just like showing up for my guilt in that way and like being able to even talk to it. Almost like it's a part of me, it's a part of me that's been wounded and it just needs some compassion and, and it just sounds silly, but it's like this practice of like, it's an internal family system practice of just like being being compassionate to that part and being like, Oh, it's okay. Like Katie like it's okay that that happened yesterday you know? Or Katie It's okay. You have a down day and you're not really sure why this is happening. And yeah, sweetheart, like we're gonna be here we're gonna be okay. Let's just like take it easy today. And I'm here to listen like whatever is coming up and was like, talking to yourself, like even like a child because maybe at some point, you never receive that you never were able to connect to yourself in that way. And I know I'm totally going off the deep end and a therapy now but that one simple question, but Yeah, I asked you, because I'm sure that's just like really hard, you have to have those rules. Because you want to feel good in your body. And there's certain foods that you can't, will can't but like, it was not going to make you feel your best. And having rules can make it that much harder to like, have the space open to feel good.
Sierra Prothers
Yeah, absolutely. I think for me, it's, I'm still learning forgiveness. And tomorrow's a new day, I have to remind myself that all the time, even like, hey, there's another hour coming, like, will like using resorting to those tools that I use to, you know, help in that thought process for me to Yeah, like, I don't feel well from eating poorly last night, or whatever it was. And be like, That's okay. Like, I don't need to be perfect. I'm here and like, what is it that I can do right now? What is it that I can do today? To serve myself better to to feel physically and mentally? Well, again, or, or better than I was feeling?
Katie Kay
Yeah. And that's perfect. Being in the present moment. That's like the best tool that we have. And so I just love how you brought that up. And, and everything that you're saying here is like writing the list down journaling, like, Oh, my God, I can totally relate here as having just like the most overthinking had like it's yapping at me all the time. So yeah, I can totally relate to the journaling part and clearing space that way. So yeah, thank you. Are there any last words messages that you want to share to the community?
Sierra Prothers
Oh, gosh, that's a big question. Well, thanks for having me. And I encourage everyone to check out my farm, see what we're doing. If you have questions, I really like to share what I've been learning. So if you, you know, want to learn more, reach out.
Katie Kay
Yeah. Awesome. And I'll put all your information in the show notes. And you have your CSA sign up. Is that coming up?
Sierra Prothers
Yes. So we're announcing that on the first on Tuesday, I've kind of been talking about it with friends. It is already posted on our website. But I'll kind of do the big media release on Tuesday, and we have a limited number of CSA shares that we're offering this year, just because I want to keep it small. I really want that feedback from our shareholders. Our members and and so if that's something you're interested in, look into it early. Yeah.
Katie Kay
Awesome. Yeah. And this episode probably will come out after that day, but definitely like, check it out. Go on the website if you're in Utah. Like what a great resource and yeah, just so positive. So thank you for sharing. Thank you for being here, Sierra. We really appreciate it. And thank you listeners for spending time I know your time is precious. So thank you for showing up and I will see you all next week.
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