Welcome back to The Women & Nature Podcast for episode number seven where I have the pleasure of speaking with the deeply connected Johanna Bodewes. Johanna, or Yo as her friends call her, lives on the beautiful inland part of the Central Coast in the Lower Mangrove region on her property which she has named Freedom Farm.

After feeling the stress and struggles of the Sydney rat race 16 years ago, Johanna and her partner made the brave decision to relocate to her family’s farm initially to save money and re-coup but then eventually to make a life there. And what a life they have formed! Not only are they enjoying the beauty of this land themselves but they have dedicated their energy to inviting others to spend time on the property through retreats and workshops, as well as raising two sons in strong relationship to nature.

In our chat today we also speak about Johanna’s experience of looking after the land as a young girl and how that shaped her into the strong and resilient person she is today, how she had to overcome a lot of self doubt when moving to Freedom Farm and choosing what others would consider to be an alternative lifestyle path, her relationship with the aboriginal owned Bush to Bowl organisation who farm native plants on her property, and the transformations she has the privilege of witnessing when hosting her women’s rewilding gatherings.

Johanna is such a wonderful, open-minded, caring and community-minded soul. If you have the opportunity to attend one of her retreats or to book a weekend of camping at Freedom Farm, I encourage you to do so!

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.

LINKS:

* Johanna’s Newsletter: [email protected]

* Freedom Farm: hipcamp.com

* Bush to Bowl: https://bushtobowl.com/

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