Christa Barfield‘s career was a portrait of professional success: a degree in healthcare administration, a coveted role working for “some of the best doctors in the world,” and her own parking spot in Center City Philadelphia. But sometimes, the universe sends you a signal so clear, it forces you to drop everything—even if that signal is just one “raggedy email.”
For the Philadelphia native, that moment of clarity arrived on January 2nd, 2018. It was the catalyst for a total life transformation that would take her from a medical professional to the owner of FarmerJawn, a 128-acre working farm that provides organic food production for underserved communities.
After sending her resignation, Barfield did the unimaginable—she booked her first vacation (a solo trip to Martinique). It was there, amidst the tropical landscape, that an unplanned encounter with Black farmers began to “change the entire trajectory of my life.”
She soon realized a deep, powerful connection to a farming and agriculture lineage she never knew she had. Barfield came back from that trip with a vision to start a farm.
In this powerful episode of Lemonade Moments, Christa Barfield shares the unfiltered truth of her sour season and the incredible pivot that made life sweet again. She reminds us that when life gives you lemons, the first step is to “really evaluate what is sweet in your life.”
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Editor’s Note: This story has been edited and condensed for clarity.
By BrownStyle Magazine in Special Editions
72 pages, published 1/17/2025
