Episode 22: The Gentle Barn

Wild For Change

On a Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Ellie Laks-Weiner, founder of The Gentle Barn.

Ellie founded the Gentle Barn in 1999. The Gentle Barn rescues animals, gives them sanctuary, and heals children by sharing the animals’ stories.

It began as a half-acre farm in the San Fernando Valley, California. In 2002, co-founder Jay Weiner began as a volunteer for the Gentle Barn and joined forces with Ellie to help children and animals.

In 2003, Ellie and Jay moved the barn to a six-acre location in Santa Clarita, California and has since opened two locations in St. Louis, Missouri, and Nashville, Tennessee.

The motto of the Gentle Barn is “Teaching people kindness and compassion to animals, each other, and the planet.” And since its inception, Gentle Barn

has saved thousands of animals and I suspect just as many people who have come to visit and experience the sanctuary.

During this podcast we learn:

• What was Ellie’s inspiration to create The Gentle Barn
• How The Gentle Barn is a circle of healing for animals, people, and the planet
• How six cows who escaped a slaughterhouse in St. Louis were the impetus for The Gentle Barn location in St. Louis
• Why listening and communicating with the animals helps them to heal and know they matter
• Animals want the same thing we do; to be loved, having a voice, and having family
• How cow hug therapy provides people a sense of peace, comfort, love, hope, and healing
• How the animals help us learn to BE instead of DOING – which helps us remember who we are
• About how to make kinder choices with plant-based foods and cruelty-free products

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