Speaker Bio
Jessica Arno, The Combat Midwife, has trained over 50,000 United States Army combat and flight medics, Special Forces medical teams in preparation for GWOT, OIF & OEF, and tens of thousands of midwives and civilian emergency medical services (EMS) professionals.
She’s a Midwife, Paramedic, and EMS educator with a passion for training individuals, families, communities and local governments in self-reliant obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatric emergencies.
Jessica’s instruction and expertise regarding obstetrics & gynecology emergencies and how to navigate the out-of-hospital birth transfer has been published in EMS World Magazine. She’s delivered babies in a plethora of out-of-hospital environments to even include an Afghan refugee camp.
Jessica’s approach is fast-paced, but nurturing. Her training encourages and equips a wide range of individuals to become self-reliant while delivering babies and caring for our most vulnerable patients.
Millie Copper lives in Wyoming with her husband and teen son, tending chickens and attempting a food forest on their small homestead. After living off the grid for several years, they’ve recently gone back on the grid. Four adult daughters, three sons-in-law, and six grandchildren round out the family.
Since 2009, Millie Copper has authored articles and taught classes on traditional foods, alternative health, homesteading, and preparedness—often combining these topics within a single piece or lesson. Millie has written ten nonfiction books, focused on traditional foods and preparedness. She especially enjoys showing how, with creativity and patience, anyone can enhance their readiness. Her homesteading, off-the-grid, and preparedness lifestyle inspired the twelve-installment Havoc in Wyoming and six-installment Montana Mayhem Christian post-apocalyptic fiction series. The adventures continue with the Dakota Destruction and Stars Invade Earth series, as well as writing in The October Fall world with the team at Raventhorne Books.
Deanne Converse is a NW Native, and currently lives in NW MT. She grew up gardening and raising small livestock. The love of wild places and outdoor adventure was instilled by her parents, which lead to her earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Resources Management. Deanne is passionate about sharing how families can sustainably raise and feed livestock that feeds the family, and on a shoestring (even a frayed one) budget. She teaches classes, does consulting and has a few books due to hit the market very soon.
Topic: “Cliff Notes” Version of Sustainable Feeds and “Stealth Farming”
Description: Feeding your family and feeding the livestock that feeds you, is increasingly more cost-prohibitive. Join in this fast-paced presentation that shows how to produce truly sustainable feeds, and raise the food that feeds you. This can be done on a shoestring (even a frayed one) budget. Due to the state of things, security is a legitimate concern. Stealth livestock? Stealth feeds? Both are possible. Come see how!
Lacie Clark: Lacie’s Red Cross career began in 2017 as a volunteer and has been marked by her dedication to alleviating human suffering, with significant roles including First Aid CPR Instructor, overseeing military and veteran programs, and teaching International Humanitarian Law before being appointed as the Executive Director in July of 2023. The American Red Cross focuses on ensuring communities are prepared and resilient through health and safety classes, disaster preparedness and response, military and veteran support, and ensuring our nation’s blood supply is strong and plentiful. The Greater Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross supports the 5 northern counties of Idaho through tremendous volunteer dedication
Karie Lee Knoke is a renowned wilderness skills expert, herbalist, energy healer, and modern elder with a pioneering spirit inherited from her ancestors who homesteaded in the Pacific Northwest in 1839. Her passion for the outdoors was kindled from an early age, leading her to a remarkable second-place finish on History Channel’s “ALONE” Season 9. Today, Karie shares her deep connection with nature and extensive survival skills through the Sacred Cedars Wilderness School in Sandpoint, Idaho. There, she teaches wilderness and primitive living skills, helping others to rediscover their innate connection to the natural world. Karie’s life off-grid, in a yurt surrounded by nature, embodies her commitment to sustainable living, and she continues to inspire through her energy medicine work and upcoming book, “The Art of Sacred Living.”
Olivia Garrison grew up in western Washington where the Cascade mountain range was her playground. Everything outdoors was her love and still is. She received her degree in Marine science from Western Washington and a two-year technical degree in computer office management from Heald Technical school.
However, Olivia has been a student of herbal medicine and of mountain preparedness her entire life and that’s where her heart is.
Her mother was born in the Ozarks of Arkansas where the plants and the animals were her food and Medicine. She taught Olivia a great deal about food storage preservation for longevity, water purification and other survival techniques.
Olivia’s true love for the plants came about from her uncle Ambrose who was a Salish Native American medicine man. He was the uncle to two siblings her grandmother had adopted. She adopted him that only has her uncle but as her teacher and mentor. She teaches the indigenous method of herbal medicine. Her years of practical use is a no-nonsense method of using what has been placed on this Earth to heal what ails you.
Last year Olivia traveled the western United States teaching a two-day course for 7 months to those whose eyes are opened to becoming self-prepared. This included but was not limited to doctors, nurses, airline stewardess, military, and many other career professionals.
The first day in the classroom is long, grueling and very informative to blow your mind. The second day is in the hills and mountains of the surrounding area where she may be teaching whether it’s in the desert, The plains or in the mountains. She also does private property walkthroughs where you will get to spend an entire day with her on your own property to discover what you have available at your fingertips.
Olivia’s mission statement:”to teach the students that they might become the teachers.”. Many of her students have moved on to become just that, teachers in their own community and State.
John Jacob Schmidt – Emergency Communications
- AmRRON, Founder/National Director
- Radio Free Redoubt, podcaster and radio host
- The Morning Commute with JJS and Lady Liberty (weekday Christian radio commute show)
John Jacob Schmidt (JJS) is the founder and National Director of AmRRON (the American Redoubt Radio Operators Network), a patriot-oriented nationwide emergency communications network founded in 2011 for disasters and civil defense. JJS served as a radio operator with 5th Special Forces Group and 3rd Special Forces Group (Ft. Bragg, NC) in the early 90s, and is a Desert Storm veteran.
He also hosts a weekday Christian patriot radio show on KTW (Liberty Broadcasting – an American Christian Network affiliate) The Morning Commute with JJS and Lady Liberty, with his wife, uploaded each weekday morning at 7am Pacific, and then aired out of Spokane at 4pm on 96.5FM and AM630, as well as the live stream.