Iris Gardner is a writer, horse wrangler, mother, and former organic farmer who lives with her family on a homestead in northeastern Washington State. After many years of living and farming in southern California, Iris, her husband Jason, and their two children moved to their current home-- a rural property located close to the Canadian border and more than two hours from the nearest city. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Iris and Jason have chosen to live and raise their children deliberately, with intention, and close to nature-- in a beautiful landscape far removed from many of the so-called conveniences of modern life.

Iris grew up off the grid in rural Washington, in an area so remote that her home did not have electricity. During her childhood, she developed a deep love of reading, horses, and wild landscapes-- all passions that are still of great importance to her and her family today. Iris’s husband Jason is a retired, highly decorated Navy SEAL who shares her devotion to intentional living and parenthood. Working as a team, Iris and Jason are building a meaningful and unique life for their family in the wilds of eastern Washington-- a life that I have found both inspiring and instructional.

Iris and I have been following each other online for years, so it was wonderful to finally get the opportunity to have a conversion. We spent a lot of time discussing parenting-- how she is raising her children to be both tough and compassionate, and how she balances managing risk with letting her kids learn from their own mistakes. We discuss her marriage with Jason and how they have grown as a couple through the various phases of their lives and careers. Iris is an enormously talented writer, and she is currently finishing up her first book, so we discuss her writing process, and she offers some excellent advice for people interested in pursuing creative endeavors. We also discuss the power of positivity, our shared love of reading, Iris’s heroes and mentors, and Iris offers some valuable words of wisdom.

If you want to learn even more about Iris’s journey, I’d encourage you to watch or listen to her conversation with retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink on the Jocko Podcast. I’ve linked to it in the episode notes. You’ll hear us reference Jocko often in our conversation, and that podcast episode is one of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever heard in my life, no exaggeration.

Iris is an inspiring, strong, tough, talented, and thoughtful woman, and I know you’ll enjoy our conversation. Thanks for listening.

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Iris Gardner on Instagram
Watch Iris on Jocko Podcast
Listen to Iris on Jocko Podcast
Jason Gardner on Instagram
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/iris-gardner/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED

3:40 - Iris describes her homestead
7:10 – Iris discusses parenting
12:40 – Iris describes raising kids “tough”
20:40 – Iris shares whether she always planned on being a mother
21:55 – How Iris and her husband, Jason, met
24:10 – Iris discusses the transition in her husband’s work (from SEAL to leadership consultant) and building independence within a marriage
26:55 – Iris talks about learning from each other in a marriage
29:55 – Iris discusses her memoir
31:40 – Iris discusses the relationship between reading and writing in her life
34:10 – Iris discusses her relationship with social media
39:10 – Iris’s advice for people with creative impulses/aspirations
43:55 – who are Iris’s heroes/mentors
46:25 – Why Iris feels positivity is important in the face of challenges
51:40 – How Iris uses the outdoors for introspection
53:10 – How Iris sets examples and encourages introspection, communication, and connection with her kids
1:00:40 – How having kids has impacted Ed and Iris
1:02:00 – Iris’s book recommendations
1:10:25 – Words of wisdom

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