by Pat Tyson

Where to begin to tell the extraordinary story of Sarah Livia Brightwood, President of Rancho La Puerta, North America’s foremost destination fitness resort and spa? Nestled into a mountain setting on 3,000 acres, the Ranch on the outskirts of Tecate, Baja California, México, offers guests an opportunity to find space to breathe, stretch, learn and become immersed in serene beauty.

Born in San Diego, California, Brightwood earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon, where she pursued extensive studies in landscape architecture, ecology and Spanish. For ten years she worked as a student volunteer with The Council for Human Rights in Latin America, a non- profit grassroots organization based in Oregon.

“I had the honor of meeting the most courageous musicians, artists and human rights activist of the time,” she says. “I learned a great deal about community organizing, fund raising, running a non-profit organization and group dynamics. The director was always stretching us to the limit of our abilities!”

Her involvement grew from making hundreds of tamales for soup kitchens to performing in plays, translating songs, painting banners, and helping organize conferences. She traveled extensively to Nicaragua, Chile and El Salvador. In the days of Exacto knives and cut-and-paste, she learned to do layout for a monthly newsletter and performed the bookkeeping for three years.

Eager to apply all the design, landscape and ecological principles she’d been studying, Brightwood joined a group of pioneers that emerged out of the “back to the land” movement in Oregon. She enthusiastically supported the newly-formed Aproveche Research Center- a non-profit education and research facility where she gathered and refined her practical understanding of green technologies and homesteading.

“Once I graduated from the University, I began teaching permaculture design and then served on the Board of Aprovecho,” she explains. “I also helped to organize and implement a three-year soil conservation training program in Nicaragua, as well as a Third World Permaculture course based in southern México. One of the most empowering parts of my life has been to experience the tremendous healing power of the earth when simple techniques and good stewardship are practiced over time,” she declares fervently.

Before she was twenty, Brightwood began designing gardens at Rancho La Puerta, juggling projects there with her life in Oregon as a student and community activist. The Rancho, which was founded in 1940 by her parents, Deborah and Edmond Szekely, underwent an extensive expansion and upgrading of its infrastructure during the 1980s. This is when she stepped formally into the role as long-range planner, environmental steward designer.

“I began the organic farm at Tres Estrellas in 1984 to feed and inspire our guests at the Ranch, many of whom, over the past 25 years, have found the farm to be a highlight of their stay, whether they visit ti via a breakfast hike and garden tour, a hands- on cooking class, or simply spending a quiet morning weeding and harvesting ni the garden,” she says.” The outcome is that many of the guests return home with a desire and commitment to plant a healthful kitchen garden of their own.

The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” was Brightwood’s childhood experience at Rancho La Puerta. She had tremendous freedom to roam and participate in everything–from straightening nails in the warehouse or wringing laundry, to riding along dusty roads perched on the bumper of a pickup truck. A nature child at heart, she spent hours quietly observing tadpoles, lizards and clouds.

“We had a beautiful cottage garden, a strawberry patch, mulberry and apricot trees, chickens, goats and horses. I also learned about herbal medicine and absorbed a lot of folk wisdom during those years,” she reveals. “Our Mexican staff was my family and the foothills of Mt. Kuchumaa were my home. This “love of place” continues to guide me in everything I do as President of Rancho La Puerta.”

And what is her most tangible achievement?

“The beauty of the Ranch.” she replies. “But I have another role in Tecate as President of non-profit Fundación La Puerta. The immeasurable difference our foundation has made in the lives of our young volunteers and the children of Tecate gives me the most pleasure.” One of its most successful projects has been the creation of Las Piedras Environmental Education, which works with 80 per cent of the schools in Tecate, training teachers and students.

As with so many women, Brightwood faces the great challenge of maintaining a healthy balance between work and f a m i l y . As often as possible, with her daughter , Emily, she walks the dogs, plays catch or Frisbee, and shares their love of music. Her favorite pastimes are singing, hiking, gardening and discovering a good book.

“I love the excitement of beginning a new design project, but I measure the success by what happens when a program takes on a life of its own. By empowering people in their own community these results are often unexpected and far surpass the original vision,” she concludes.