Restoring Our Land and Ourselves, with Doniga Markegard

Every now and then you meet someone when they are smack dab in the middle of being molded by the universe into who they will later become. 

You get a front row seat to a pivotal moment for them when everything changed or came together or they took that first step towards the rest of their life. 

If you stick around long enough you may even get to see where they were led. 

This week’s guest was 16 years old in 1997 when we met at the Wilderness Awareness School (WAS) in Redmond, Washington. I was 23. 

Doniga Markegard is a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher, speaker, and author of Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild and Wolf Girl: Finding Myself in the Wild. 

Her teen years in nature school started her on a path that led to a career in animal tracking and then permaculture and ranching in at her farm in California, Markegard Family Grass-Fed, where she works to regenerate both soil and community through farming. Using the innovative, carbon-storing methods of regenerative ranching, she’s restoring the land she tends, bringing native grasses and wildlife back.

 

Here are some things you’ll discover in this episode:

• What regenerative agriculture practices are and why they matter.
• How we can work with the rhythms of nature to heal the land and ourselves.
• The importance of staying connected to where our food comes from, who grows it and how.
• The teachings from Lakota elder and our mentor Gilbert Walking Bull that shaped her and her philosophy of stewardship.
• Ways to reconnect to nature, impact your local food system and understanding that using these practices it’s proven to work to restore biodiversity, soil health and regenerate lands.
• and so more…

Enjoy! 

Connect with Doniga Markegard here:

• Website:: https://www.markegardfamily.com/
• Instagram:: https://www.instagram.com/dawn.again/

Quick note, I just want to say thank you for listening to this episode. I know it means a lot to myself and my guests. 

If you enjoyed this episode, you will also like:

Episode #21: Erin Sharaf: The Intersection of Mindfulness and Magic

Episode #38: Chris Kresser: Adapt, Thrive and Flourish

Episode #14: Palek Patel:The Power of Food to Heal Community

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MORE ABOUT DONIGA MARKEGARD:

Doniga Markegard is a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher, speaker, and author of Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild and Wolf Girl: Finding Myself in the Wild. Her teen years in nature school started her on a path that led to a career in animal tracking and then permaculture and ranching in at her farm in California, Markegard Family Grass-Fed, where she works to regenerate both soil and community through farming. Using the innovative, carbon-storing methods of regenerative ranching, she’s restoring the land she tends, bringing native grasses and wildlife back. Doniga is a consultant and guest instructor at Nature Awareness Programs around the country, has led retreats in places such as 1440 Multiversity, Canyon Ranch and is a regular speaker at events such as the Bioneers Conference, Food Inspiration Trendsummit, and The Grassfed Exchange. She is a certified educator with Holistic Management International. She has worked with companies such as Patagonia, Tesla and Google, and has been featured in articles from Civil Eats, FastCompany, GreenBiz, The San Francisco Examiner, and NPR. Most recently she has been featured in the film Kiss the Ground available on Netflix. 

Along with her husband and four children, Doniga owns and operates Markegard Family Grass-Fed LLC raising grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured pork and chicken supplying the Bay Area with local, nutrient dense foods. The family ranch leases land through out the Bay Area spanning over 11,000 acres.