By Jeremy Murphy
For Carole Crist, the road to a healthier America begins in a surprisingly simple place: the soil beneath our feet. The businesswoman, philanthropist, and former First Lady of Florida has turned her attention to regenerative agriculture as the creator and executive producer of Rejuvenation Nation, a documentary project exploring the connections among soil health, farming, nutrition, environmental sustainability, and human wellness.
It is a simple idea behind a project tackling a complicated subject. Rejuvenation Nation looks at how America produces its food, what is happening to farmland and family farms, and how regenerative practices might help build a healthier, more resilient food system.
From Public Life to the Farm
Crist did not begin this journey as an agricultural expert, something she readily acknowledges. Her background is in business, philanthropy, and public service, including her time as First Lady of Florida. She says those experiences taught her how business, government, and public policy intersect, while her philanthropic work reinforced a philosophy of creating positive social and environmental impact.
Her interest in agriculture grew from broader concerns about climate change, sustainability, and the environment. “I started my mission of learning and discovering,” she says. “Ultimately that led me to the desire to produce a documentary film, slash series, telling these stories and deconstructing this very complex information in a way that’s digestible and meaningful.”
Rather than position herself as an authority, Crist sees herself as the person asking questions. “I don’t represent myself as any kind of expert,” she says. “I am a filmmaker and a storyteller.” That curiosity took her across the country, speaking with farmers and specialists and learning about everything from soil biodiversity and carbon capture to food distribution and agricultural economics.
Agricultural entrepreneur Carl Boyanton, who appears in the film, witnessed that curiosity firsthand. “Carole, she’s a high-energy person and likes what she’s doing,” Boyanton says. “We traveled all over the country for the film and she was a pleasure to work with. She truly wanted to learn and understand everything about not just regenerative farming but also farming in general.”
When Food Becomes Medicine
One of the central themes of Rejuvenation Nation is “Food is Medicine,” examining how agriculture ultimately connects to what lands on the dinner table. Crist became particularly fascinated by the ecosystem living beneath farmland. Healthy soil contains enormous communities of microorganisms involved in nutrient cycling and plant growth. For Crist, understanding that world opened up a broader conversation about wellness.
“The microbiome of the soil mirrors the microbiome of the human body,” she says. “It’s interconnected.” The film explores that relationship while asking viewers to think more carefully about food provenance: where food comes from, how it is produced, and what happens before it reaches the grocery store. Crist believes consumers have more influence over that system than they may realize.
Changing the Demand
Transforming agriculture, Crist acknowledges, cannot happen simply by telling large food companies to change. Businesses respond to consumer demand, meaning shoppers themselves are an important part of the equation. “If you keep buying these foods, processed foods and unhealthy foods, then you’re going to get more of that,” she says. “They’re going to provide the products that you’re buying.”
Crist believes generational changes may already be shifting those priorities, particularly as younger consumers pay closer attention to ingredients, sustainability, and the origins of their food. She also recognizes one of the biggest obstacles: price. Fresh and locally produced foods can be more expensive than processed alternatives, making choice more complicated for families watching every dollar.
Rejuvenation Nation examines how incentives and existing nutrition programs could potentially be structured to make fresh, locally produced foods more accessible while simultaneously directing money toward farmers and regional economies. “It’s not just the food itself being affordable and nutritious,” Crist says. “It’s also fostering economic vitality. Those dollars are going back to the local communities.”
Rebuilding From the Ground Up
Ultimately, Rejuvenation Nation is not intended as a story about everything that is wrong with American agriculture. Crist wants it to be about what can be done next. Regenerative agriculture has increasingly entered the mainstream conversation, with practices such as cover cropping, reduced soil disturbance and greater crop diversity designed to strengthen soil health and agricultural resilience. Crist sees the movement as something larger than any one filmmaker, farmer or organization. “This is happening,” she says. “It’s underway. Nothing to do with me. I’m just here.”
Perhaps that is the most revealing statement about Crist’s approach. After years spent in business, philanthropy and public life, she has taken on a new role: student. She is traveling to farms, listening to people who work the land and using Rejuvenation Nation to translate what she learns for a wider audience. The message she keeps returning to is straightforward: Healthy soil produces healthier food. Healthier food can help create healthier people. And meaningful change, Crist believes, can begin from the ground up.
Healthy Soil. Healthy Food. Healthy People. Healthy Planet.
