Our Team

FOUNDER, GANEDEN FREEDOM FARM

Mahara Daniel

Mahara is a true “renaissance woman,” with one foot always outside the box. Her life’s work has centered on natural healing — first as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and later through work with a frequency biofeedback system. She has also been a ceramic artist, photographer, and graphic artist; taught Qi Gong; trained horses; and, with her late husband, designed and built two homes. During the Covid era, she hosted a four-year podcast, interviewing people who spoke truth at a time when it was often hard to find. Through this work, she met Jim Gale of the Food Forest Abundance network. Around the same time, during a particularly challenging period in her life, she experienced a powerful vision of what her land was meant to become — one that aligned closely with Jim’s vision. From this alignment, Ganeden Freedom Farm Academy was born — and the story continues to unfold.

PROJECT MANAGER, GANEDEN FREEDOM FARM

Ryan Copeland

Ryan is a teacher and designer rooted in a lifelong connection to nature and land stewardship. After teaching abroad in Taiwan, he studied permaculture in Australia with Geoff Lawton and others, including Allan Savory of Holistic Management. Returning to Texas, he implemented holistic grazing systems with sheep and cattle while consulting on regenerative land design. His work has included training at ECHO Global Farm, international project work with United Designers, and continued study with leaders in regenerative agriculture. Through his work with Food Forest Abundance, he connected with Mahara and Ganeden, where he now brings his experience in land-based systems, education, and design to help cultivate long-term resilience and abundance. 

MEMBER, GANEDEN FARM

Mela MacQuarrie

Mela Macquarrie is the founder of The Garden Compound in Santa Fe, a collaborative living environment centered around regenerative design, community, and shared creative vision. Her work focuses on bringing people together through intentional spaces that support connection, stewardship, and a deeper relationship to land and place.