Episode 11: Living as an urban “homesteader” in a modern world. Interview with Emma Rollin Moore of Women’s Heritage Goods & Supply
Episode Description
As soul mammas, I’d venture to guess that most of us have an innate desire to provide healthfully for our little ones. While many of us desire to live closely with our natural world, we may not have the opportunity to live as in harmony with or are as educated about our natural world as we might like.
This week’s guest Emma Rollin Moore, co-founder of Women’s Heritage Goods and Supply Store in Carpinteria California, lives as an urban homesteader in Santa Barbara California and is an inspiring, creative and multi talented momma. She also grew up on a farm in the Central Valley so is familiar with the homesteading lifestyle.
She is a mother of two, yoga instructor, lover of the outdoors and creative cook, who will be sharing how she and her talented mommy friends/business partners Ashley Moore and Lauren Malloy, live a self sufficient life, one where they gather & harvest their own food & herbs, make their own bread and soap, and create their own beauty products for example.
When they met through their children’s school, they felt a synchronistic calling to share all of their passions with the world, and soon those passions caught on. All three of these mamas feel there is nothing better than empowering one another as women through their joint business.
Ashley is a folk herbalist who adores mixing herbs and tinctures to provide health and wellbeing to her family. Lauren is an animal specialist, raised on a farm, who now raises cows, chickens, and bees and has created her own line of honey in Gaviota, Ca. Lauren is also married to former professional surfer Keith Malloy.
This soulful trio deeply believe in providing nutritious, mindful well rounded lives to their children. Not only do they offer unique goods, like live chicks and bee-keeping supplies for example, in their “curated country store”, but they also offer workshops on how to make sourdough bread, fermentation, soap making, etc. and constantly aspire to create a sense of community and camaraderie within their business.
This trio inspires our soul mamma listeners to start small if they are interested in this type of lifestyle and to follow their intuition, passion and truths as mamas.
Episode Take-Aways:
4:48: Emma and I discuss how starting your own business (Women’s Heritage in Carpinteria, Ca) takes a lot of self-discipline and negotiation because you ultimately become your own boss and create your own schedules. Knowing the hours that she has put into it now, she is glad she didn’t let that daunt her in the very beginning.
6:00: Emma talks about how the business plan came together organically with her and her two friends/co-owners Ashley and Lauren, and how it all started from their homesteading blog and Instagram account. Little did they know that it would birth into a store with sold out workshops!
8:56: Being an “urban homesteader” to Emma and her partners, means starting small and getting back to your roots even if you live a busy, modern life.
9:53: How prioritizing cooking healthy organic family meals from scratch (one of Emma’s strengths) isn’t always easy, but certainly makes her feel proud to provide that for her family. There are always drop offs, pick-ups, trips to the grocery store or local farmers markets, and food preparation involved.
11:08: Emma gives our listeners pointers on how even if we have a small house or no yard, we can even grow micro greens in our kitchen, for example.
14:44: Emma shares her partners strengths and what they offer Women’s Heritage. Lauren Malloy has a background in Animal Science and animal husbandry and loves to teach her kids how to ride horses, milk cows, harvest honey, etc. Ashley Moore is a folk herbalist who gathers herbs with her kids for tinctures, salves and lotions.
18:38: Emma feels that even if her kids might not be exposed to homesteading in school, they get a lot of good modeling at home and set that example to their own peers.
21:38: As an “urban homesteader” it is all about moderation for Emma. She realizes that she’s on her phone a lot for her business and that her kids are going to be exposed to media, etc. and she tried to lead by example by showing everything in moderation.
24:29: Open communication and celebrating each other’s passions has been how the three women have flourished as co-owners. Empowering women and mamas is one of their greatest inspirations.
30:29: Emma speaks about playing the “traditional” mother role and how sometimes she would find herself questioning if she was being too traditional and not “modern” enough as a mom, but then she went back to the fact that she absolutely loves providing for her family. If she resented that role, then circumstances would be different.
34:57: Emma recommends following your heart, even if it sounds cliche. She knew she wanted to start a business one day, but had no idea how it would come to fruition. That is also what being a soul mama means to her.
43:16: How trail running and yoga are Emma’s “soul mama” time and it rejuvenates her to be a better mommy.
Connect with Women’s Heritage:
Instagram: (Heritage Goods and Supply)