When Lisa Hasselman turned forty, she knew it was time to leave her successful legal career and pursue a dream: becoming an organic farmer on Vashon Island.

With her husband, Chris Hedgpeth, she founded Forest Garden Farm on the site of Vashon’s historic Fujioka Farm. A passionate advocate for regenerative agriculture and sustainable, locally grown food, Lisa joins Sally to talk about her journey, the importance of organic farming, and the role local farms play in nourishing our island community.

Forest Garden Farm is a WSDA- and Real Organic-certified vegetable and flower farm located on the site of the historic Fujioka Farm, once home to one of Vashon’s prominent strawberry-growing families. Lisa and Chris have honored that legacy by securing the farm’s designation as a King County historic landmark.

Lisa is also a longtime volunteer with the Vashon Island Growers Association’s Food Access Partnership, which raises funds to provide Farm Bucks to community members in need, helping them purchase fresh, locally grown food.

Before turning to farming, Lisa was a partner at the Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman, where she represented consumers in fraud cases against corporations. Today, alongside her passion for farming, she loves archives, vegetables, gym classes, and novels—and is always looking for creative ways to embrace the possibilities of midlife.

Learn more at: Forest Garden Farm https://www.forestgardenfarm.earth.