The little holistic farm exists because we chose a different pace.
We, Johnny and Anja, live here together with our landrace animals: sheep, goats and chickens, with more on the way. Not as a project or a statement, but as a way of life that makes sense to us. The farm is small by design. Manageable. Alive. Something the two of us can handle together.
We work with the earth from Holistic Management. Not as a method to optimize production, but as a way to be mindful of the land, the animals, the seasons, and our own limits. Decisions are made slowly and adjusted based on reality, following the motto:
“Always assume you are wrong”
Animals are not units. They are part of the system that builds the soil and ultimately feeds us. Our goal is not efficiency, but resilience and health for the animals, for the soil, and for us. This farm is not about escaping from the world. It's about participating in it more honestly.
Some days are quiet. Others are hard. Most are completely ordinary, in a good way. We're not trying to prove anything. We just live here and take responsibility for what we've chosen to care for.
Because when you work with living, complex systems instead of complicated solutions, over time a different kind of clarity emerges in everyday life.
P.S. If you want to see what the difference is between complex and complicated. Read here.
about Anja
I am a trained biologist, but I have never held a permanent position in the field. I was born and raised in Germany and lived there until I was 49. That's also where my family and several close friends are, but at the same time I have built a network of good friends here in Denmark.
Johnny and I have been together for many years. For a while, we traveled a lot and experienced many great things. Over time, however, we realized that this wasn't the way we wanted to live in the long run. A quiet dissatisfaction with our everyday life grew, and in the end we could no longer ignore it.
In 2017 it became clear that something had to change. Johnny wanted to lose weight and started eating a ketogenic diet. Since my migraine attacks were also getting worse at the same time, I followed suit after reading about the connection between carbohydrates and migraines.
The change made a big difference for me. At the same time, it meant that we began eating more meat, and that raised new questions, especially about animal welfare. As a young person, I had eaten almost exclusively vegetarian for many years for that very reason, and even organic products gave us cause for doubt.
At the same time, dissatisfaction with our working lives grew. I worked as an environmental consultant, an occupational health and safety advisor, and a quality management auditor, and much of my work was closely tied to the German bureaucracy. New rules had to be implemented all the time, and I often found it hard to see their purpose. I spent many hours in the car, sitting in traffic, and my visits to clients were not always particularly welcome.
We had saved up money without really knowing what it was for. What we were missing was direction. The turning point came almost by chance when we watched a TED Talk by Allan Savory, the founder of holistic management. When we found out that courses in holistic management were being offered in Germany, we signed up immediately. The approach fit the way we ourselves were beginning to see the world. The question of what we really wanted from life was allowed to mature over time.
After several years of searching, we found a small place that felt right. We took the leap. I quit my job and moved to Denmark in April 2021. I have never regretted the decision.
Nothing is ever easy, and sometimes you make mistakes. But all in all, it feels right to live my own life and not just play a role. And even though the road isn't straight, I believe we're moving in the right direction: not being part of the problem, but part of the solution.
Hey, my name is Johnny.
At the end of the day, I can do it; I'm self-taught. I've learned to code, build systems, and solve complex problems without formal education—just by doing it, failing, taking responsibility for the consequences, and sometimes not.
It has shaped how I view authority, knowledge, and responsibility.
I have spent many years working with systems that were supposed to run smoothly. Over time, it became clear to me that those same systems also shape people, often without them realizing it.
I am fundamentally skeptical of standard solutions, permissions, and narratives that promise meaning from without. Not because I want to oppose them, but because I prefer choice over obedience and responsibility over rules.
I don't believe in one true path, and I have no interest in prescribing one to others. What interests me most is the moment when you stop obeying out of habit and begin to live more consciously, without having to turn it into a project or an identity.
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