New homesteader reevaluates success, valuing happiness over salary | Jonna Lagunas of J & L Coop in Pine Island, MN
I’m excited to invite you to my conversation with Jonna Lagunas, the Minnesotan homesteader behind J and L Coop. Jonna is a first generation Mexican American immigrant, her parents and elder siblings immigrated to the United States before she was born. Jonna grew up in the city Minneapolis in a tight-knit immigrant community. She spoke Spanish at home and English in school. Battling prejudice in college, Jonna decided to quit school and go straight into the work force. Her personality, intelligence and work ethic opened doors and she quickly began climbing the corporate ladder. Even with her early career success, Jonna felt like something was missing. She grew tired of the hustle and the party scene in Minneapolis. When an opportunity to relocate came up, she jumped. At 21, Jonna moved to the small farming community of Zumbrota, Minnesota. While living in Zumbrota, she met her partner Laramie though a neighbor. Although it wasn't love at first sight, it quickly grew into a friendship and then a lasting union. Now, thirteen years later, Jonna and Laramie are building a happy homestead on their rented piece of heaven - a former dairy farm, complete with a farmhouse, barn and acres of fertile land, in Pine Island, Minnesota. I so appreciate Jonna's candidness, grace and her approach to life. She has had to make a lot of difficult decisions to realize her own unique path to happiness - from choosing to leave college, to moving to the country, to not having kids, to leaving the corporate world, to building a homestead. You can see photos from her homestead and read more about her move from the corporate world and city to a small town in Minnesota visit: urbanexodus.com/blog.You can follow Jonna on Instagram @jandlcoopSupport the showSign up for Apple Podcasts premium or our Patreon Membership for ad-free listening, rapid-fire guest interviews & our new mini-pod Ditch the City. urbanexodus.com | @theurbanexodus | buy the book