Meet Terri Martin-Yates

Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Martin-Yates.

Hi Terri, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Amazing advancements in neuroscience have helped humanity understand the human brain in unprecedented ways while simultaneously confirming what Hippocrates intuitively knew 2400 years ago. He said: “Men ought to know that from the brain, and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs and tears.” Hippocrates was an advocate of a healthy diet, exercise, and moderation and said, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”

These are facts that I found myself sharing with increasing frequency during an interesting career spanning 30 years in counseling, psychology, and education. As our society has become more sedentary and socially isolated in this technology-driven world of the 21st Century, we’ve seen a significant rise in obesity-related health concerns and in mental health disorders.

After inheriting 54 acres of woods and farmland, I saw the opportunity to use this amazing property to teach others that a healthy body and a healthy brain come from the same basic tenets outlined by our Father of Medicine. Eating fresh, locally sourced foods, getting outside in nature, and exercising moderately all lead to improved physical and mental health. My career as a licensed professional counselor and school counselor has made me acutely aware that now, more than ever, children and adults must limit screen time, seek social interactions, and get outside in nature in order to achieve optimal health. We are also at a tipping point environmentally; our children must learn to respect and protect our earth if we hope to have a planet to call “home.”

The goal for our teaching farm and nature academy, Foxfire Woods and Farm, is to become a “light” in the community by offering a place that connects people with nature and with agriculture. We host Foxfire Farm Days for the general public, summer camps, and field trips for homeschoolers, school systems, and other youth-serving organizations. We also host birthday parties and group gatherings under our beautiful pavilion and will partner with organizations to serve as a site for service projects and volunteer hours. Finally, Terri has a goal of offering private counseling services to individuals, especially children and adolescents, who may benefit from a more active therapy approach, such as talking through concerns while walking the farm or caring for our farm animals. Her ultimate goal is to teach about the importance of nature, healthy foods, physical activity, and social interaction on the ever-changing brain and to spark a love of farming and agriculture in our next generations.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Building a farm and nature academy from the ground up is interesting, educational, and hard, never-ending work! I have gained so much respect for the farmers who get up each and every morning to grow and supply food to the masses, and I hope to remind children that food doesn’t simply fall out of a truck into the supermarkets where we shop. Many kids today have never been around chickens, goats, equines, honeybees and other farm creatures… but most are thrilled with the opportunity to touch a baby goat or see bees working in my observation hive. After Covid-19 shut down the world, field trips to farms were cancelled and 2020 was a very slow first year for our business. We are hoping schools resume field trips and more kids can come out and enjoy learning about nature and farming and how to nurture the healthiest brain possible.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always been intrigued by human behavior and why people do what they do! After cognitive neuroscience helped us understand the biological basis for the choices, patterns, and habits we create, I began to see limitations in the medical model and particularly in my chosen professions, psychology and counseling. I worked for many years as an early intervention specialist and psychometrist, performing developmental and psychological evaluations, and began to teach early childhood educators about the lifelong impact of trauma and poverty on the developing brain. However, I also had the honor of teaching about neuroplasticity and the malleable nature of the human brain, so I shared the good news that we can all change our brains through healthy habits and a holistic approach to healing from past trauma, such as abuse and neglect.

It seems that our culture in America has forgotten the Mind, Body, and Spirit connection and how one affects the other. As we learn more about our gut-brain – and our separate neurological systems – we cannot deny that stress and anxiety in our heads cause problems in our bodies. Treating one component in isolation of the others may help but rarely heals. We all need to eat well, exercise moderately, and find a personal faith to nurture our spirit component.

In my career, I have been blessed to work with individuals across the lifespan: infants with significant developmental delays, kids with autism and ADHD, college students with social anxiety and suicidal ideation, and seniors with organic brain disorders. From this rich career, I am convinced now more than ever that my 105-year-old friend is right when she tells me that the secret to a long life is “staying busy, eating right, and being grateful.” My mantra now is, “We can all choose what we think about and how we live… sometimes it is very hard to change our brain, but we can do it with determination and support!” This is the message every child and many grown-ups need to hear.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a risk-taking tomboy who grew up running the woods around my home and riding every kind of motorized vehicle available. I have always felt most alive when I am outside in nature, and I spent many nights camping with my biological family and friends and later with my own children as they grew up. I worked as a park ranger for the State of Florida and taught horticulture to visually impaired adults, so my purpose in life has been connecting people to the earth and to nature. I love to teach and share knowledge about the brain – so pulling together my love of psychology, healthy habits, and the mind-body-spirit connection came naturally.

Pricing:

• Foxfire Farm Days $10 per person ages 2 and older
• Birthday parties (use of pavilion and a tractor-pulled ride) is $200.00. Add pony rides for an additional $50.00
• Local honey (when in supply) $10 for 22 oz net weight.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.foxfirewoodsandfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxfirewoodsandfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoxfireWoodsandFarm

Image Credits
Personal farm photos: Terri Martin-Yates and family