We recently connected with Julieta Munoz and have shared our conversation below.

Julieta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Choosing Growing Roots has always been a been risk, but more recently I took the biggest risk of all: quitting a stable job to pursue Growing Roots full-time. I founded Growing Roots in 2017, since it’s inception I’ve been the Founder, Executive Director, and Urban Farmer alongside holding other full-time commitments to pay my bills. I was at my last job for almost five years, working at an undisclosed non-profit in an administrative role.

Being an Administrative Coordinator taught me crucial skills in bookkeeping, human resources, and non-profit administration that have strengthened the internal infrastructure of Growing Roots. During the six months at my past job, I was feeling unfulfilled and affected by (let me be frank here) a debilitating toxic work environment. I had just gotten a significant raise and promotion, but instead of feeling elated, I was left feeling trapped. Thankfully during my time there, I had significant savings to consider leaving without having anything else lined up and seeing if I could fundraise enough in the next six months to hire myself through Growing Roots – my own organization.

Making this decision was not easy, I had a lot of fear about financial survivability. Coming from a working class and immigrant family, leaving jobs is highly risky because there is no generational financial cushion to fall back on. No one in my immediate family is a home owner and I can only rely on them for short term. There’s also the reality of how ridiculously expensive housing and acquiring basic needs has become.

However, something was pushing me to jump. I finally sat down to take hard look at my bank account, my transactions, and analyze my spending habits. That Wednesday night, I learned I had about 6 months saved up and learned that most of my significant expenses such as eating out and gas were because of my job – driving daily to work, and not having enough time to cook. I decided that if I made an effort to rely on the garden for my meals, and community for other basic needs, I could really make this work.

Having known this, I still had fear – I was getting paid well and consistently! Was I really ready to give that up?
I shared my inner conflict with family, close friends, and community members. Everyone was so supportive and encouraging! Even offering to support me with groceries or if I ever needed a ride.

It was on a Sunday, after a very illuminating conversation and joyful day with a close friend that I finally made my decision. I was ready. I was ready to trust and live with intention.

The following Monday I submitted my resignation email and it was the best decision I have made this year.
Currently, it’s been four months of dedicating myself full-time to Growing Roots and the life I want to live. Everyday is a prayer in action through intention. I have been diligently working on fundraising for my position, and thus far, the Universe has held me and supported me through the farm, the foundations I’ve built over the years and the souls currently in my path. These four months have been extremely healing, full of rest, flow, and time to dedicate to my higher calling. I continue to trust that by the end of the year I will have hired myself, but really I am already elated to be living fully in my purpose and of service to my community.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Growing Roots is a non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen community through Urban Agriculture. I developed a passion for urban agriculture during my time at Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State University, where I majored in Plant Science and minored in Soil Science. I became involved as a volunteer at Center Street Community Garden in 2013, founded Growing Roots in 2017, and now we have our own 1/8th acre school garden at Emerson Middle School thanks to an MOU with Pomona Unified School District.
This year we launched our food distribution program, The Grocery Pick Ups, with the goal of feeding 135 recurring student families by the end of 2025-2026 school year.
I am most proud of our volunteers and their commitment to our mission. Without their effort and dedication we would not have reached or milestones. It is thanks to our volunteer community that Growing Roots flourishes and continues to make an impact. Growing Root is run by community for community. Members have direct influence in the programs we decide to pursue and keep us mission focused.
I identify as a mixed race indigenous woman who has grown up in low-income communities. I experience firsthand what it’s like to only be able to afford cheap processed foods or having to spend half my paycheck to access healthy food options. I know what it’s like to work and not have time to cook a home-cooked meal. I see the lack of green spaces and gardens in my city and how this makes our streets unbearable in the summer and negatively impacts our health. My identity embodies the community I want to serve.
My family immigrated to the United States in 2000 from Colombia. After living in the United States for five years, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away two years later in 2007. Aside from other stressors, a significant contributor to his disease was the food here. In Colombia, fresh fruits and vegetables are widely available with fruit stands and local markets at every block. My father always kept an active lifestyle, the only difference was the food he was consuming. Fresh mangoes and soursop were substituted for cheap processed burgers and fries. I witnessed him gain weight and his health decline over time. As I learn more about the industrial food system and the inequity it exacerbates, I strive to make healthy and nutritious food more accessible to impacted communities.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The most notable lesson to unlearn has been Western attitudes and practices toward agriculture that I was taught at Cal Poly. Being exposed to different methods of growing and learning from community members with cultural and native backgrounds, I’ve re-learned to view all plants as having their role in the farm ecosystem or agroecosystem. I have become more tolerant of “weeds” growing in our farm and acknowledging the diversity and benefits they can add, when managed correctly, to the main crops grown. A significant number of those “weeds” actually have powerful medicinal properties and have culinary uses for indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. I was taught that most native plants are considered “weeds” in a farm setting and now I believe this has colonial and imperialist roots. The established native varieties in our farm add enormous ecosystem benefits to our crops such as bringing in pollinators and beneficial insects that allow us to not rely on pesticides, even organic pesticides. The diversity of plants at our farm creates a healthy and balanced agroecosystem that produces bountiful and nutrient dense yields without reliance on chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

For me, remaining open and flexible has been the most helpful for advancing our organization. Being open to new perspectives, feedback, and having the humble acknowledgement that maybe the way I went about things in the past wasn’t the best or can be improved upon. I think having the flexibility to pivot has been key in the success of our programs and the production of our farm. I value being a student and learning from others. Sometimes it’s difficult to acknowledge that we don’t have it figured out, but there is strength in those realizations. Otherwise how do we know in which direction we need to grow?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wearegrowingroots.org
• Instagram: _growingroots
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Image Credits

Jason Elias Photography