2026 Speaker details Coming Soon
Our 2025 Speakers…
Kody Hanner is a homesteader, proud homeschool mom, and the creator of The Homestead Education, a company that provides educational resources that aim to teach children self-sufficiency through hands-on learning. Inspired by her own family’s story, her education, and background in agriculture, Hanner’s family made the move to Idaho to start their own homestead. Through homeschooling her own children, she realized there was a gap in the market for educational curriculum and resources that met her needs and those in the homesteading community.
Her primary goal with the business is to prepare the next generation and expose children to the life skills and fun that come from working in the agricultural industry, particularly in a time when much of the educational focus has shifted to STEM and tech-related fields.
Rob Hooper, CSP, is a Board-Certified Safety Professional with nearly 40 years of experience in environmental health and safety (EHS) programs. Before entering the EHS field, he was a senior manufacturing engineer in the high-tech/electronics industry. Rob also worked with FEMA as a disaster safety officer reporting to the Federal Coordinating Officer. He has been involved in industrial emergency/disaster planning and preparedness as well as emergency response for over 30 years, both as a responder and an emergency response team leader. He is a volunteer Firefighter with the West Pend Oreille Fire District in Priest River, Idaho, and in Broadwater County Rural Fire in Townsend, MT. He holds a technician Amateur Ham Radio License and a GMRS radio license. He has a passion for training people in how to become more prepared for and resilient to the effects of disasters and emergencies.
Lindy Bryant is an Air Force veteran with a wide variety of experience in both the corporate world and the military environment, including extensive training and experience in both disaster response and emergency operations.
Now based in Priest River, she has experienced and responded to earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more, and has seen families left with nothing but questions and hungry children. In addition, she has seen the impact of job losses and economic downturns, creating challenges for both individuals and small businesses everywhere. As a result, Lindy is determined to help people be a little more prepared to weather life’s storms – whether natural or man-made.
Her company, North Woods of Idaho (www.NorthWoodsOfIdaho.com), is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and small businesses be better prepared to handle emergency and disaster response situations – those times when an ounce of pre-planning makes all the difference.
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 her teacher and mentor. She now teaches the indigenous method of herbal medicine. Her years of practical use are a no-nonsense method of using what has been placed on this Earth to heal what ails you.
Olivia travels the western United States, teaching a two-day course to those whose eyes are opened to becoming self-prepared. 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.
Larry Littrell was raised on a small homestead in rural Western Washington, where he learned the true value of hard work, self-sufficiency, and being prepared for whatever comes your way. Now living in North Idaho, Larry is a real estate agent with a passion for helping folks find their own piece of land to call home. With hands-on experience in both homesteading and prepping, he understands the challenges of living off the land and being ready for the unexpected. Larry’s approach is simple—practical, no-nonsense advice rooted in years of experience. He’s dedicated to helping others build resilient homesteads and communities that stand the test of time.
Mary McFarland grew up in Colorado, while her husband was born and raised in the PNW. Their family has spent the last four years living and running an off-grid homestead, with the last three years dedicated to raising Shetland sheep. It’s been a steep learning curve but a rewarding endeavor. She grew up active in 4-H, and even though she lived in the suburbs, a mindset for prepping and self-sufficient living was instilled in her from a young age. Raised homeschooled, she grew up experiencing outdoor adventures in the mountains and national parks that were just a short drive away. She grew up loving learning about pioneer life (Thanks to Little House on the Prairie), the Oregon Trail, and other tales of homesteading. She also grew up loving anything Scottish and Irish, so having Shetland sheep ties strongly to those roots.
Mary is passionate about sharing how her family’s experience raising Shetland sheep and educating people about the unique qualities of this heritage breed.