044 | I Also Have a Day Job (Believe It or Not!) with Kari Sponaugle

In this episode, Kate catches up with her childhood friend and former basketball teammate, Kari Sponaugle, who went from Excel-sheet perfectionist to running a 50-acre vegetable operation, raising three kids, and holding down a full-time job as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent. Oh, and her husband's family also runs 200 head of cattle and two turkey houses. Just a few things going on.Kari gets real about what it actually looks like to wear every hat at once – farmer, mom, professional, wife, quality control manager, and occasional human being – and how she's learned that "good enough" isn't giving up, it's survival strategy.They also get into:Growing up on farms in Highland County and why simple living hits different as an adultWhy the third kid broke the spreadsheet for goodPack-n-Plays in the barn and car seats under umbrellas...farming with babies in towThe great microwave incident of 2024 (RIP $6 worth of cookies)Skilled trades, college pressure, and what we wish someone had taught us in home ecWhy Kari's 40-hour day job is actually her version of a vacationThe mental load of farming: when the weather, the audit, AND your husband's to-do list all hit at onceRaising the next generation of farmers without working them to deathLoosen up – the advice Kari would give her younger, checklist-obsessed selfThis one's equal parts hilarious, grounding, and a genuine love letter to the people who grow your food and somehow still make dinner.Connect with Kari: Find her through Virginia Cooperative Extension. And, next time you're at the grocery store, thank a farmer.Connect with Kate Christy:WebsiteInstagram