JULIETTE Carr
35 | Old Ways Herbal | Owner
Residence: Newfane
Career highlight(s): The career highlight that I am most proud of is building a successful farm-based business in rural Vermont that actually draws tourists to the area, as students come from across the Northeast. Lately, I am also feeling proud of earning my graduate degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner while working from home with my young children during the height of the pandemic.
Community Involvement: My community involvement has grown out of 20 years of social justice advocacy focused on big-picture health influences, including founding and running West River Valley Mutual Aid to promote access to healthcare, food, transportation, and psychosocial support for marginalized neighbors during the pandemic. This is a collaborative effort among neighbors: our volunteer network of about 250 people works together to help each other, with the understanding that we all need a hand sometimes, and help should be given freely from person to person as an act of community. I also serve on the Legislative Committee of the American Nurses Association-Vermont, advocating for policy that promotes the health of Vermonters from a multifactorial perspective that includes the social determinants of health, and on my child’s School Board.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont? I was motivated to live in Vermont by feeling at home here, part of a greater community that values collaboration, family time, and living slowly, in tune with the rhythm of the seasons.
Favorite part of your job: My favorite part of my job is watching people self-empower in their health and wellness, whether it's herbal medicine students or medical patients. Helping people acknowledge their natural strengths is powerful.
What is the best career advice you have received? The best career advice I have received is to look at the people who are doing what you want to be doing, and ask them how they got there. I've had a nontraditional career path, so this has been really helpful advice.
What is the one song on your playlist that are you embarrassed to tell your best friend? The song on my playlist I would be embarrassed to tell my best friend is: none! By now my best friends know who I am! We have gone through too much in the last couple years to worry about whether the music we like is cool enough.
What career goal(s) would you like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years? The career goal I'd most like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years is to grow into my new role as a Family Nurse Practitioner in integrative primary care. It's going to be a big challenge.
How has your community service changed since the pandemic? My community service during the pandemic has changed completely, through the founding and management of West River Valley Mutual Aid. My rural community has significant economic, health, and age disparities, so my 2 cofounders and I stepped up to organizer volunteers to deliver critical resources, rides, psychosocial support, and advocacy to close those gaps as best we could. It has been a very powerful experience.