March 12, 2020

Daniela Ibarra-Howell - Healing the Land Holistically

1 hour 16 minutes

Daniela Ibarra-Howell is the CEO and a co-founder of the Savory Institute, an organization whose mission is to regenerate the world’s grasslands through holistic management. By restoring and protecting grasslands-- both in the American West and around the globe-- Daniela and her team at Savory effectively address pressing issues such as climate change, economic well-being, and food and water insecurity. Through inspiring leadership, masterful storytelling, and cutting-edge research, Savory is shifting the paradigm around agriculture’s role as a solution to many of the world’s challenges.

Daniela was born and raised in Argentina, and from a very young age, she loved the land, agriculture, and adventure. Her studies of agronomy led her to some of the far reaches of the globe, including New Zealand, where she met her now-husband Jim Howell. After many years managing ranches and working in the trenches of holistic management, they helped to found the Savory Institute in 2009, and Daniela took the reigns as CEO in 2011. Since then, the organization has grown and evolved, and Daniela has become one of the world’s leading voices for Holistic Management.

I was thrilled to finally get the chance to chat with Daniela on the podcast because my guests and I have referenced the Savory Institute so many times over the years. We started by discussing the organization-- its mission, goals, structure, and global reach. We then talk about Daniela’s leadership philosophy and how she values thoughtful action, failing fast, and embracing complexity in all aspects of life. We talk about her upbringing in Argentina, her adventurous personality, and her partnership with her husband, Jim. We also talk about motherhood and how she has managed to balance such a high-performing career with raising two impressive and accomplished daughters. Whether you are interested in agriculture, leadership, or parenting, there are many lessons to be learned from Daniela, so I hope you enjoy!

All Episode Notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/daniela-howell/

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

5:00 - Savory Institute explained
9:30 - Growth and evolution of Savory
14:00 - On taking risks and failing fast
16:00 - "Holistic Management” defined
18:30 - “Regenerative Agriculture” defined
21:00 - Business inertia in agriculture
27:00 - Importance of storytelling (and data!)
31:00 - Will Harris and White Oak Pastures as storytellers
34:45 - Daniela’s upbringing and education in Argentina and beyond
40:30 - Meeting Jim in New Zealand
44:00 - How managing ranches made her a better leader of people
52:00 - Heroes and mentors in business and leadership
56:00 - Balancing action and planning
1:00:30 - Thoughts on motherhood and raising children
1:07:00 - Important books on agriculture
1:12:30 - Parting words of wisdom

This episode is brought to you by the FREEFLOW INSTITUTE. The first ten Mountain & Prairie listeners who register for a 2020 summer course will get $100 off their tuition. Just mention the Podcast when you register. For more information go to freeflowinstitute.com or shoot them an email at [email protected].

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