Why a Corporate IT Executive Started a Farm to Feed Strangers

Most people dream about “giving back someday.”

John Smith actually did it.

After years in corporate IT, moving from Arizona to Hawaii to Illinois, John and his wife realized something was missing: community, purpose, and real human connection.

So they did something radical.

They started a nonprofit farm designed to grow fresh food for people facing food insecurity—and they’re learning everything from scratch.

But this episode isn’t really about farming.

It’s about loneliness.

Disconnection.

Modern life.

The quiet emptiness so many people feel after chasing success for years.

And it’s about what happens when you finally decide to build something that matters.

In this powerful conversation, Kellan and John unpack community, technology, purpose, failure, service, family, meaning, and why helping others may be the thing that saves us.

Key Takeaways:

• Why John and his wife launched Dizzy Goat Farms
• Food insecurity and disappearing community connection
• The emotional emptiness of modern corporate life
• Why technology can increase isolation
• The importance of service and contribution
• Learning farming from scratch
• Building something meaningful later in life
• Parenting, identity shifts, and becoming empty nesters
• Why failure is necessary for growth
• The future vision for Dizzy Goat Farms
• Creating movements instead of chasing attention
• Community resilience and local impact
• Why people feel disconnected in the digital age
• Travel, culture, and human similarity

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