ABOUT ME
CAROLINE GRINDRODWHAT I OFFER
Along with my background in environmental conservation, upland land management, holistic management and experience in developing food businesses, I have a lifelong passion for personal development and a growing interest in regenerative business design and leadership.
I draw upon that diverse range of skills and experience to offer an ever-evolving and truly unique approach to working with ‘keystone’ people in food and farming.
SPECIALIST ORGENERALIST
We have many specialists from; soil scientists to botanists, and agronomists to livestock nutritionists. We have access to this well established and superb scientific talent.
Unfortunately, we now live in a time where our problems are no longer complicated and able to be solved through the scientific, mechanistic paradigm. This so-called age of complexity in which we find ourselves is a world of wicked interrelated problems with no clear solution
VUCA TIMES
In these VUCA times (volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous) a new skill set is also required – a holistic perspective with the capacity to operate across silos of expertise and see their complex and interrelated nature.
I consider myself to be one of these ‘generalists.’ It’s our job to see the whole picture, have a ‘good enough’ grasp of the relevant fields of science, and develop solutions that tackle the problem’s root cause rather than continually waste resources on symptoms.
Why Work With Me?
- Based on what others have said and an honest evaluation of my skills here’s how and why I think I can help you.
- I take old problems, look at them through a different lens, then work with your uniqueness to redesign a new system - this could be in land management, your business, or your life.
- I use regenerative design in ways that proactively address your issues. I help to develop your capacity to thrive in our world where volatile, unexpected, complex and ambiguous events are our new normal.
- I work in a strategic and nodal way using honest and authentic communication to make our experience together fun, developmental and most importantly, effective.
NODES OF WORK WHAT I OFFER
My approach doesn't suit everyone.
I’m very focused and deliberate in the way I approach my life and projects. I believe what’s urgently needed today is leadership that comes from a different paradigm than that of the predominant world view. To maintain this stance, on a daily basis I take blocks of time away from messaging and email to focus and do ‘deep’ work.
I choose projects that can make a big difference and where the people involved are likely to be a good fit for my personality.
I have many projects on the go, but I pride myself on delivering on my commitments no matter how hard. I do this by shutting off from the chatter of the world – often working in wild and remote locations.
If you want to find out more and are interested in our services, please drop me an email with as much detail as possible to info@rootsofnature.co.uk
I very much look forward to hearing from you.
My Story
Age 12 and horrified by the destruction to the rainforests and rapid loss of wildlife being reported in the 1980’s I started my own environmental protection club.
It wasn’t a huge success!
My outrage towards our food and farming systems was further inflamed by what I experienced in my first part-time job at a local battery hen factory. I was utterly disgusted by the willingness of humans to exploit animals and nature for their gain.
The burning desire to solve this problem hasn’t subsided, but how I go about it has evolved considerably! It’s been a winding journey, but, with hindsight, I value every turn for the learning, skills and experiences which created what has become my unique offering.
I started at the ‘grassroots’ working in upland environmental conservation and on hill farms in the Yorkshire Dales. Through fascinated observation and good old fashioned field science, I developed a deep understanding of ecosystem processes and huge respect for traditional farming practices. I also acquired the practical skills and hardiness required to work in these harsh but beautiful wild environments.
I moved on to co-manage Yew Tree Farm, a 700-acre diversified fell farm in the lake district. I also started my first meat company along with a range of associated food-based farm diversification operations. My ex-husband and I were early pioneers of the use of hardy hill breeds for conservation work and considered thought leaders in the upland sustainable farming movement.
I was selected to attend the Prince of Wales Food and farming summer school, an initiative that engages leading individuals from farming, food businesses, research, government and non-governmental organisations. The school is designed to create the conditions to incubate ideas that help address the challenges of producing sufficient food sustainably to meet current and future generations’ needs. This was the moment I decided to dedicate my life to working on this problem.
In 2012 I separated from Jon and left farm life behind. I was, however, still severely bitten by the food sustainability bug and continued to study the subject. I trained with the Savory Institute to become one of the first accredited professionals in Holistic management in the UK.
At this time, I became aware that if I was to make a real change in farming and land management, it wasn’t enough to just work on one piece of the supply chain. There was an urgent need to create demand for genuinely sustainable food products.
To build demand for truly nutrient-dense meats, I trained in ancestral health to add to my existing knowledge. My (now) husband Stephen and I started Primal Meats, an online meat company specialising in supplying 100% grass-fed and organic meats to the wellness community.
I love being in and around wild spaces and served 12 years in the Coniston mountain rescue team. Stephen and I, often along with our three children, spend much of our recreational time walking in the Lakeland fells where we live, sailing on the West Coast or exploring the Scottish highlands.
Influenced by this love of wild space, Stephen, a good friend Alex Tomlinson and I co-founded Wilderculture CIC, a social enterprise specialising in transitioning hill farms and large estates to regenerative agriculture. Wilderculture was created to answer the question; how do we do regenerative agriculture in the UK’s uplands? It’s been a fascinating and exciting journey.
I now get the privilege and pleasure of combining my skills and passions in service to the world. Nowadays, you may find me hunting for cattle, ponies or pigs on one of our Wilderculture projects or typing furiously on my laptop on the deck of our wee sailboat ‘Rhum of Melfort’ while sailing somewhere in and around the heavenly Hebrides.
