Planting the Seed
SeedtoSOUL grew from a need to care—for people, for land, for the future. I came here after years of working in healthcare, real estate, farming, and guiding people through life transitions. Along the way, I saw how easily family legacies, rights, and land can be lost when systems fail and connection is broken. That’s why this work matters.
Here, we do more than teach workshops and hold space. We teach stewardship, sustainability, and sovereignty. We protect water, restore soil and nervous systems, we are bringing the integrity back to the land. Through trauma-informed youth programs and community projects, we give families tools to pass down knowledge, youth the skills to join the world of employment while preserving 100 years of the legacy this family of settlers built, and create connection that lasts.
SeedtoSOUL is about reclamation: Number 1-our sovereignty, for the health of the land, for our well-being, and quite literally, for our future.. Every seed planted, every lesson shared, every moment of working side by side is part of rebuilding strong communities and protecting legacies for generations to come.
The seed of common ground
The journey of Common Ground is an unfolding, imperfect, and sincere process. It’s about the slow rhythms, the small steps, and the doing—the showing up. We believe that true magic lives in these moments, in the quiet pauses and shared efforts. It's a call for patience, attention, and presence, for hands in motion, together, for each other and for our home.
Rooted in purpose and presence
Common Ground is a land-based, regenerative, and human-centered holistic initiative. Our core values emphasize self-reliance, nervous system regulation, education, and community resilience through direct engagement with soil, food, and place. We believe in progress over polish, and that the work must look alive, not perfect. This approach makes our 'Seed to Soul' mission unique, fostering deep, meaningful connections in Portland, Oregon.
Beyond the soil: nurturing connection
At Common Ground, our 'Seed to Soul' mission is about fostering connection that isn’t forced or performative. We aim to help you reconnect with what sustains you – whether it's land-based wellness, emotional regulation, or food sovereignty. Every program and interaction is designed to be steady, practical, and life-affirming, reminding us that growth takes time, and strengthening communities from the inside out takes us all!
The Deininger Legacy
SeedtoSOUL lives on the original 88-acre Deininger family farm in Oregon City, a property that has been rooted in this land for more than a century. The Deiningers settled here in the early 1900s, cultivating the soil, caring for water, and building a life tied to the rhythms of the land. That legacy of stewardship is what we honor and carry forward today.
I came to this work after a life spent moving between worlds—healthcare, real estate, farming, and guiding people through transitions. Along the way, I witnessed how families, land, and legacies can be lost when connection and care are absent. SeedtoSOUL grew from the understanding that resilience, sovereignty, and integrity are cultivated, not inherited.
Here, we continue the work of the Deiningers with a modern purpose: preserving water rights, restoring soil, and protecting the systems that support families for generations to come. Our trauma-informed youth programs, workshops, and outreach—often in partnership with Mudblosm Connections—teach sustainability, community resilience, and personal sovereignty. Through this work, we are helping people reconnect with the land, reclaim their agency, and build the skills and relationships that secure lasting well-being.
SeedtoSOUL is about more than a farm. It is about legacy—the kind that nurtures life, strengthens community, and honors the generations that came before while preparing the ground for those yet to come. Every seed we plant, every lesson we share, and every moment of shared effort is a continuation of the Deininger legacy, renewed for our time.
"Relief that they don’t have to pretend. Relief that they can slow down. Relief that something real still exists."
The common ground vision for every visitor