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Dr. Carolyn Dean MD ND – The Founder of ParaGenius Foundation.
I am a doctor, naturopath, researcher and author by trade.
And since arriving to Maui in June 2008, my mission has evolved to champion organic farmers and organic farming.
My earliest memories were actually on a large vegetable and flower patch my parents tended. Mom watched over the flowers, and Dad was in charge of the vegetables. I naturally gravitated toward the vegetables! It was the 1950’s, and my parents were like stewards of a miniature Eden.
I had an innocent love for that land, without real understanding of what it was they were doing. I just liked playing in the dirt and helping. But all the same, a love for the land took root within me.
I moved to Manhattan in the early 1990’s. Tilling my own soil wasn’t in the cards, but I knew action needed to be taken. It was during this time in my life that I became acutely aware of our reliance on imported food.
My response was to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), providing fresh organic food in the Bronx. I went on to help to manage the CSA and ultimately organized my own. I’m happy to report it still thrives today!
In 2008, I relocated to Maui with my friend, partner and husband of 58 years. It didn’t take long for my heart to leap at the sight of organic bounty delivered on this small island.
Yet, a gnawing truth lingered: this island paradise also relied on the tenuous thread I found in NYC. Despite Maui’s fertile soil, the culture was just as vulnerable to the same insecurities I’d witnessed in The Big Apple.
Early on, I met an organic farmer, Ryan Earehart. I was so inspired by his sense of agency, ownership, and unwavering spirit. I saw the potential his farm had to bring high-quality access to local food for the community.
Ryan Earehart – Owner/Partner of ‘Oko’a Farms.
The founding of ParaGenius was my invitation to allow the larger community to join me in that call to support wellness. To make it easier for people like me to support farming.
It is the result of my lifelong tapestry, woven from childhood wonder, urban resilience, and the chilling reminders to take action and support.
It is about building community – a vibrant ecosystem where knowledge flows like irrigation, where support strengthens like fertile soil, and where resilience takes roots in every shared meal.