Deanna
Deanna grew up in the high country of the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she cultivated a deep sense of connection with landscape and the workings of the natural world from an incredibly young age. Attending college at Colorado State University, she became increasingly fascinated with the intricate rhythms and balances found throughout nature, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. Fort Collins, a city known for eco-consciousness, was an excellent incubator for Deanna’s lifelong passion for sustainable living as she was surrounded by people growing gardens, maintaining chicken coops, and commuting via bicycle.
During her young-adult years, Deanna also progressively developed an interest in human health and happiness, so she remained at CSU to obtain her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, which emphasizes assisting people to engage in the activities and environments that give meaning to their lives and enhance their sense-of-self. She has worked in a variety of nursing homes since 2007, learning from her elders about how to live a satisfying and connected life, while helping them to remain as independent as possible, enjoying high-quality through their days. Working with older adults has inspired in Deanna a significant interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle including practicing fitness, nutrition, nature-bathing, creativity, and mindfulness.
These varied pursuits have progressively coalesced for Deanna throughout her life and she has found that her heart shines the brightest when engaging with the natural world and the members of her community in an inspired, loving, reciprocal manner. It is her true pleasure and joy to have the opportunity to share health, nourishment, and connection with you!
Nick
Nick also spent most of his childhood in the majestic Colorado Rocky Mountains. His father was extremely creative in the ways he went about putting food on the table and handling chores around the home. Nick began assisting his dad with construction projects, gardening, and chicken care in his youth, absorbing valuable strategies and skills, and developing the mindset required for providing for oneself with minimal use of resources.
As he matured into a young adult, Nick learned about general contracting through his first professional roofing and construction position, and he was also employed with a well-known hardware store. These jobs allowed him to accumulate quite the breadth and depth of education regarding the tools, materials, and techniques used in building and repairs and he eventually became an independent contractor. Residing in eco-minded Fort Collins, he nurtured an understanding of the importance of sustainable living while he was employed with a non-profit company that specialized in reclaiming used building materials, diverting them from the landfill back to the public for reuse in construction and art projects (a thrift store for building supplies, if you will). This unique opportunity fanned the flame of Nick’s ingenuity, creativity, and skill and he became passionately inspired to use reclaimed materials to the greatest extent possible in all his construction endeavors.
Throughout his years, simultaneous to honing his construction knowledge and attention to sustainability, Nick has continued to nurture seasonal vegetable gardens. At age 19, he fully managed his own garden for the first time, and by his late 20s he was constructing and managing the gardens for his employer at the reclaimed building materials store. He has a natural green thumb and he thoroughly enjoys the time he spends with his plants and soil, finding it soothing and therapeutic.
As his interests and passions have developed over his lifetime, Nick has found that his heart shines brightly when he is able to create something new, resourcefully and innovatively, while working in balance with nature. He is overjoyed to have the chance to share with you the fruits (and vegetables!) of his labor of love!