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Who was mastering the art of sourdough before sourdough was even trending? The answer is Ash Turner of Turner Farm. In this week’s podcast episode, we had the complete honor of chatting with her about her story, her family, sourdough, divine timing and so much more. Ash has a really interesting story that we know you’re going to love. She used to live in the city and had this dream of moving her family out to the country.

Throughout their journey, there’s been these opportunities of really serendipitous timing that you’re going to hear about that have unfolded for their business and their family. So this episode is really about how they got here, what they’re doing now, and where they’re going.

This episode is not only inspiring but if you believe in synchronicity and the perfect timing for our own lives, you’re going to see that theme showing up in so many ways in Ash’s story. So enjoy and make sure to tune in! 

Following Your Faith

At the beginning of this episode, we talk to Ash about her journey to rural living. In an effort to get out of the city, she and her husband decided to buy a modest two-acres in rural Ontario to start their homesteading adventure. They quickly realized that they would need more acreage in order to expand. They had set up a verbal agreement with the farmer next door to buy chunks of his land in pieces over the next several years to slowly expand their farm. 

Little did Ash and her family know what awaited them in the coming months. Once Covid hit, Ash explained that the real estate market in Ontario went crazy. People were scooping up land left and right without even looking at it. Unfortunately for them, hard times had also fallen on the farmer who had originally agreed to parcel out his property. All of a sudden he found himself needing to liquidate all of his land in one transaction. Ash explains that at the time, they were not prepared to buy all of those sections, but they leaned into the direction they were being pulled and put in the effort to see where it led. 

At the very last moment, they were able to get funding for the property even though all of the odds were against them. Ash and her family found themselves as the new owners of a 300-acre farm and this is where the real adventure started. 

It All Started with Sourdough

It was still in the midst of Covid when the purchase of their land went through and Ash was looking for a way to not only continue connecting with her community but also bring in an income. So she decided to start virtually hosting a sourdough-making class. Her first class in April of 2020 had about fifteen people but by fall of 2020, there were like 350 people in the classes.

We also discuss at this point in the conversation, the motivation that people had to take these classes and what was drawing them to sign up for a virtual sourdough-making class. The conclusion that we all arrived at was that people are hungry to take back a little bit of control in regard to what they put in their bodies. And making their own bread is a great place to start with that. 

Covid also led Ash to partner with Lizi, the Food Nanny, to create and publish a cookbook. But once again, the divine timing of the journey wasn’t ready for the book to be published due to a shortage of paper during Covid. This allowed Ash to think outside of the box on how she could deliver these recipes to her audience without a physical book right away. The answer? An online membership.  

For the Love of Sourdough

With the new direction of the business in place, it was time to start putting all of the pieces in place. This is where Ash describes that her happy place is on the farm creating, not necessarily behind her computer or on her phone. But one of our favorite quotes from this part of the conversation was this, 

“The worst advice you can give someone is to say, just do what makes you happy because what makes you happy in the moment is almost never what is going to make you happy long term.” – Ash Turner

She describes that while her dream hadn’t been to have this business based on technology, but along her journey, she has embraced the challenge and been thankful for it as it’s allowed her to reach and grow a community worldwide. 

We wrap up this part of the conversation with Ash encouraging our listeners to do the things that they are led to do, even if there is already someone else doing it. She says that no one else is out there teaching what you have to teach, so get out there and do it. 

Make sure to listen to this full episode for Ash’s full story and her takeaways from growing her Instagram to over 100K followers and catch her story in the Winter 2023 Issue of the Magazine!

Connect with Ash

• Websites: https://turnerfarm.ca/ & https://turnerfarm.teachable.com/p/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turner.farm/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@turnerfarm

OTHER KEY POINTS TO LISTEN FOR IN THIS CONVERSATION WITH ASH TURNER

• How she grew her Instagram to over 100K followers 
• What’s in store for the future for Ash and Turner Farms
• How her faith has made her a well-rounded entrepreneur 

Our Favorite Quotes From This Episode

“I think from discomfort breeds and grows joy. And I think joy and happiness are two very different things.” – Ash Turner

“Nobody can teach what you have to teach, because nobody’s you.” – Ash Turner

Ready to start your holiday shopping? Shop the 2023 Trailblazher Holiday Gift Guide here!