As a child, Leah Darrow lived on a farm and spent a lot of time outdoors, where she connected with nature. “I didn’t realize it, but I was really connecting with God, too,” she said. “I spent a lot of time having conversations with God quietly in my childhood.”
Darrow, a former contestant on a modeling reality television show who grew up in Oklahoma and now lives in the Missouri Ozarks, later worked in youth ministry, and as a public speaker for more than 15 years. Talking with attendees after her speeches moved her to begin a career in individual and group coaching. “(Attendees) were looking for something practical, and more personal development,” she said. “I love the personal development world, but so much of it is void of faith and void of God.”
Darrow recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss her faith, her consulting business and life with her husband and their six children on their 80-acre farm.
She and her husband, Ricky, had started questioning during the pandemic whether they were “living the way that we’re called to live,” she said. “Could we be living this life for the Lord in another way?” And so began conversations on how the couple could live “a life of deeper holiness,” she said.
That’s when they moved from the St. Louis suburbs to the farm in the Ozarks, where they grow crops and raise farm animals. They also grow pumpkins as part of an “agro-tourism business,” she said, inviting families to visit.
“We really just wanted people to experience part of our lives because we’re so connected to people and screens and the busyness of our schedules,” she said. They are offering families a chance to connect with nature, pick a pumpkin, “enjoy some popcorn and just have some time together,” she said.
Everyone comes from a different background, Darrow said, and that background, including life experiences, shapes a worldview. “If we … keep that in mind, we might have a little bit more understanding for other people in our life, especially during this time of Lent, and really be able to strip ourselves of judgment and just be more curious about ourselves and others in our life,” she said.
Darrow also offers one-one-one and group coaching. The next group session begins after Easter, which she described as “a 90-day challenge of personal development.” Coaching information and feedback from previous participants are on her website, LeahDarrow.com.
To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. March 3 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. March 4 and 2 p.m. March 5.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Deacon Joe Michalak, director of the archdiocesan Office of Synod Evangelization, who provides an update on the parish-based Synod Evangelization Teams studying at the St. Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute’s School of Discipleship; and Lauren DeZelar and Katie Stambrosky from St. Paul’s Outreach in Mendota Heights, who discuss the best ways to keep young people connected to “the source and summit of the Catholic faith.”
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
