Trading a Charlotte business for a quiet patch of land wasn’t about escaping the city; it was about building health from the ground up. We sit down with Melissa of True Cut Ranch to trace a clear path from raised beds on a two‑thirds acre lot to a regenerative farm where soil leads, animals thrive, and medicine gets gentler. The surprises are practical: chickens as fertilizer, daily moves to lower stress, and a hard pivot to selling only animals born on their farm so health is bred, not bought.

We unpack how small changes compound. Melissa explains preventing cattle pinkeye and treating minor issues with homeopathy and herbs, then draws a sharp line between herbalism’s roots-and-leaves and homeopathy’s pharmacy-made microdoses. Her most striking story is a guided protocol that resolved her child’s severe dairy allergy, paired with a careful approach to testing and safety. From there we get tactical: comfrey for tissue repair, calendula for skin, burdock for gentle liver support, plus essential oils like lavender, geranium, and yarrow for simple care.

In addition, learn how to turn an HOA yard into an edible landscape with berries, rosemary, strawberries as groundcover, and grape arbors. No yard? A sunny windowsill grows sprouts year-round. We tie symptoms like inflammation and neuropathy back to everyday levers—better protein, seasonal sleep, less stress, quercetin-rich foods, pineapple’s bromelain, and pantry planning that beats the drive‑thru. Melissa shares how workshops, study groups, and a textable resource list make learning simple and cheap, so you can act fast when it matters. https://www.truecutranch.com/

If this conversation helps you think differently about food, farming, and gentle medicine, follow the show, leave a 5‑star review, and share it with a friend who needs a hopeful first step. Your support helps more people move beyond existing and toward real health.

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A daughter revisits the ten days that reshaped her family, from surgical hope and ICU turns to the quiet strength of community and faith. Small signs—a snowfall, a vision, a hawk—become anchors that steady grief through holidays and years.

• kidney crisis, surgical plan, and early complications
• ICU vigil, Christmas awakening, and rapid decline
• dialysis strain, December 28 loss, and burial of hopes
• Psalm 91, anxiety imprint, and coping in the body
• empty house, sports memories, and daily absence
• community support, pastoral presence, and generosity
• vision in worship, snow in Savannah, and hawk as sign
• hospice with mom, spiritual thresholds, and farewell
• parenting through grief, teaching in hard places, and gratitude
• remarriage after loss, unanswered prayers, and steady faith
• Christmas hope, Jesus as anchor, and endurance

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We trace Chucky’s fight with the COVID Delta variant—from a beach trip to the ICU, 22 days on a ventilator, and a hard reset in rehab—through fear, faith, and the everyday work of recovery. Sandra shares the caregiver’s view: tracking O2, pushing for transfer, and holding the line when things got dark; all while dealing with her own COVID illness.

• early symptoms, falling oxygen, urgent ER decisions
• ICU isolation, chaplain calls, hallucinations and funeral dreams
• ambulance transfer, high-flow oxygen, ventilator and sedation
• “cheated death” conversation with lead physician
• rehab pivot with Tracy, parallel bars, and nine-day breakthrough
• first meals, cravings, and returning to work in a truck
• long COVID realities, diabetes management, energy peaks and valleys
• gratitude practices, compassion for workers, faith and testimony

Hey listener, before you go, would you please open your podcast app, scroll to Beyond Existing, Beyond the Small Talk, and tap follow and leave a five star rating or a quick review to help this podcast grow
Also, you can go to the episode's description to send me a text if you would like to share how this episode impacted you, or if you would like me to share a message with my guest

Send us a text