Show Notes
Rory Groves has spent fourteen years on a southern Minnesota homestead building a practice of resilience. He’s made his mark asking questions like “How do you build a life that still stands if the job, the market, or the news goes sideways?”
He and his wife, Becca, homeschool their six children and run Gather & Grow, a homestead and ministry devoted to the family economy. He is the author of Durable Trades, The Family Economy, and First Gleam of Dawn.
In Episode #31 of The Coop, Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky talks with Rory about what resilience actually looks like at the kitchen table: building income that’s hard to knock over, the kind of work a family can do together, how to build community (if you are currently working on your own), and the faith that keeps the whole thing aimed at something sturdy and lasting.
In this episode, Anna and Rory discuss:
What a resilient life and family look like in today’s world Why Rory’s move to homesteading was about living a more human life, not building a bunker How long it actually takes to leave a conventional job and replace your income The “family economy,” and what it looks like in practice Why several streams of income are harder to knock over The most durable trades that have stood the test of time The threats we’re currently facing, and what we can do about them What to do if your spouse or kids are not on board Why finding and building community is an important part of a resilient life—especially if you’re single The role faith plays in building a life and family that can sail above the floodwaters
If the headlines have you a little anxious and short on ideas for your next steps, this conversation will definitely help you start building your own style of resilience.
More from The Coop
John Bush has spent years teaching people how to move toward greater freedom and autonomy through his work with Live Free Academy and the Exit and Build program.
Episode #30 of The Coop is for anyone standing at the edge of a bigger life … and wondering if they have to leap overnight. Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky sat down with Jason Contreras (Homestead Living contributor and the voice behind Sow the Land) to talk about the long road from a standard modern life outside Los Angeles to a working homestead in North Carolina.
In Episode #29 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Anne Briggs (Anne of All Trades … homesteader, woodworker, teacher, and Homestead Living contributor) for an honest conversation about getting things done when your brain, your time, and the farm all pull in different directions.
In Episode #28 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Larry Littrell … urban homesteader, specialized real estate agent, and author of Fresh Starts Old Roots. They have an important conversation about one of the biggest decisions many homesteaders face: whether to stay, move, buy, or sell.
In this solo episode of The Coop, Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky reflects on more than ten years of living this homesteading life and shares the 10 biggest lessons it has taught her. Rather than focusing only on practical skills, Anna digs into the deeper truths that shape a sustainable, meaningful homesteading journey: why mindset matters more than acreage, why starting before you’re ready is essential, and why perfection is never the goal. She talks about the dangers of taking on too much too soon, the value of treating “failures” as lessons, the myth of complete self-sufficiency, and the quiet power of regularly checking your actions against your real priorities.