160: Kate Kavanaugh - Becoming a Butcher and Farmer

There’s this elegant conversation that’s happening between our environment and our biology and our mental health at any given moment. Share on X

Farmer, butcher, and butcher shop owner, Kate Kavanaugh and her husband have been an incredible mentor and resource to Martha and I as we start our farm.

We met years ago when Kate ran her butcher shop, Western Daughters, in Denver and we’ve stayed in touch ever since.

Her evolution is insanely impressive and inspiring.

She’s really been a guiding light in helping us figure out so many things on our farm.

In this episode, Kate and I dive into a ton of different and great topics like how the move from city life to farm life has been, the importance of regenerative agriculture for the planet and population, Kate’s fears surrounding death and how she overcame them, the sixth mass extinction, and her personal journey from being a vegetarian to becoming a butcher and farmer.

Our environment is dictating a lot of our biology. Share on X

Kate also shares how her farm is doing, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and what she would tell people who would like to start a farm of their own.

Here’s a peek at the episode breakdown

What Kate does and how she defines herself
How Kate’s various backgrounds attributed to her evolution and the common threads that connected all of the pieces
The fears Kate experienced surrounding death
The sixth mass extinction and how this affects us
The stories that were pervasive in Kate’s life surrounding death
Kate’s incredible journey from being a vegetarian to becoming a butcher and farmer
What the transition to becoming a meat eater felt like
How Kate ended up opening a butcher shop
The biggest lessons Kate’s learned along this journey
The point Kate realized that she needed to produce the meat she sells
What it was like for Kate to move from Denver to a farm in upstate New York
What it’s like living in a rural community
How can someone live this lifestyle when they also need to make an income?
What Kate’s farming experience has been like so far
What Kate did when faced with the tough decision of what to do with a pet goat that passed away in a tragic accident on her farm
Building spirituality
Kate’s future plans over the next several years
More about Farm Finder, including what that is and why it’s so beneficial for people looking for locally-sourced, ethically-raised meat