Wild Heart was founded by Alisa Hoven in 2020, with humble seeds sprouting over the last decade of her work in Minneapolis and greater Minnesota to grow gardens and community. Weaving together education and a restored relationship with the land—Wild Heart works to shift the narrative that humans are separate from nature to that of active members of the ecology of our homes, communities and landscapes.

With the ongoing threats of white supremacy and climate change, we must reckon with our harmful history in order to heal and our actions and values must protect the earth in order to survive. Sometimes we need support in remembering our way home to each other and the land and Wild Heart is here to support that remembering.

For the first year, Wild Heart made strides with a very humble start; piloting out different working models, garden projects and supporting different community initiatives. Due to COVID-19 and a racial justice uprising, much of the hands-on learning and social element of the gardens and guided journeys had to be postponed. For 2021, Wild Heart is hopeful to emerge like a sprout with a more solid grounding and vision of where and what it wants to grow and learn how to adapt to these times. Check out the Work with Wild Heart page and explore the garden services, hands-on learning and guided journeys!

Wild Heart is committed to organizing local communities to re-imagine their backyards and community spaces to be a solution by creating gardens with ecological and social components. Wild Heart also works to connect, educate and empower these communities to be in dialogue with each other, sharing and supporting these efforts and increasing their skills so they can be stewards living in right relationship with the land. Wild Heart, in an effort to heal our relationship to the land, also creates space for reflection and reverence of wild places by offering hikes and outdoor trips for those who are seeking connection and confidence in wilderness settings to deepen their compassion and service to honoring all that is sacred.