Meet Lisa Spurgeon | Owner/Operator Ridge Ranch Alpacas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Spurgeon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I have spent too many hours of my life worrying about how to get the perfect work life balance. I’ve wasted precious time and energy stressing about working too much and feeling unable to reduce my workload – I held a core belief for most of my life that things are either work or life, and that the less hours I spend doing “work” the more time I would have for “life.”

I now believe this is utter nonsense!

My mindset has shifted entirely – instead of categorizing things as “work” or “life” I view my life as one expereince. I now invest time and energy getting excited about what to intentionally fill my life with. A few categories I focus on scheduling in my life are: activites that bring me joy, nurturing deep relationships, and seeking challenges and opportunities that excite me.

“One thing we know for certain is that chasing meaning is better for your health than trying to avoid discomfort.” – Kelly McGonigal discussing research findings in her TedTalk about stress

Yearly, monthly, and daily, I align my schedule and tasks (including work and every other part of my life) with what I want my ideal life and journey to look like. I make sure I am spending time investing in relationships I cherish and passions that ignite me, and as much as possible I try to align my focuses in my career with those passions. There are of course some responsibilities I am not naturally excited by, so I do everything I can to infuse those responsibilities with things that light me up and fill my cup.

For me tossing work life balance out the window has filled my days with joy and a deep sense of meaning and fulfillment in every area of my life!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The idea of being alpaca ranchers began when my husband and I were dreaming about the life we wanted to build together. He wanted land and livestock, and I didn’t want cattle…so we agreed on alpacas! A couple years later we bought a house and land in Livermore, CO, and with it our first 2 alpacas and 1 llama. We fell in love with these oddly graceful and absolutely adorable creatures immediately and have grown our herd since then!

As our herd has grown we have faced many challenges. We have lost alpaca friends to mountain lions, old age, and cancer. We have learned more than we knew there was to learn about alpaca care, and about the amazing fleece alpaca are raised for around the world. This last year we learned about the many wonderful properties of alpaca manure and have begun using Alpaca Poo Brew (natural fertilizer) and Alpaca Beans (dried manure) to nourish our plants indoors and out! We also began to utilize the fleece from our herd to make handmade Alpaca Dryer Balls and Alpaca Felted Soap – first for our own use, and have since expanded into online and retail sales.

One of the things I am most excited about right now is the opportunity to sell our Alpaca Dryer Balls at The Forks Mercantile in Livermore! Once we discovered the products we could make, putting products for sale online seemed easy…but retail is something we didn’t originally consider a possibility, and we are incredibly grateful to The Forks ownership and management for giving us this opportunity!

The most exciting and rewarding challenge in my life is being a mother to my 16 month old Sammy. Being a mom has made me better in every area of my life! I am a better steward of my health, a better wife, leader, friend, & entrepreneur than I was before having my son. I am blessed to work on Ridge Ranch Alpacas with my husband, and also have the opportunity to continue my leadership career as the Regional Manager for Genesis Health Clubs in Colorado. I share techniques and tips about growth and development, (as an individual, on a team, and as a leader), through my Spurgeon Enterprises website and social media, and I volunteer on the board of our local community hall. My plate is full and it’s easy to get distracted or let the opinions or expectations of others influence the course of my life. Being a mom has helped give me clarity about what matters most to me, and what I want my life to be so I can stay on track and fill my life to the brim with people, experiences, and passions that fill my soul!

When I reflect on all the lessons I have learned on the way to where I am right now, the one that stands out the most that I would like to share is to let go of what others think and invest the time and energy it takes to get crystal clear about what matters to you.

My work and life are truly blending together into a deeply joy-filled experience, and the first step to this joy for me was getting clear about what I want my life and journey to be. It doesn’t matter what other people think you should want or be or do in your life – it matters immensely what YOU want to do and be and achieve and have and experience in life. We don’t get to choose what life hands us – but every single one of us gets to choose what we will do with whatever life hands us. When we make time to get clear about what we want, we take the first step to building the life of our dreams!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This area is amazing! I had the opportunity to come for a temporary work assignment about 6 years ago…and once I got to Northern Colorado I decided I couldn’t leave! So if I had my best friend visit for a week I would share many of the treasures I found when I first arrived, and some of the places I have found since living here.

We would absolutely need to enjoy nature – Horsetooth Reservoir for hiking and/or paddle boarding depending on the season would be a must. If scaling a 14er is in season we would tackle Mt. Bierstadt!

This area is littered with amazing places to eat and drink, here are some of my favorites:
– Jaws Sushi – the best sushi I have ever eaten, hands down. Great drinks and people too!
– The Rio – can’t miss out on their margs and Chili Rellanos.
– The Forks Mercantile – great place to watch a game and their chef has wonderful specials as well as a great regular menu.
– The Silver Grill would be a must for breakfast at least one day!

We would go shopping in Old Town, and among other shops we would need to visit Nature’s Own and Curiosities, two of my favorite businesses downtown.

I would have to let them hand feed our alpacas at Ridge Ranch Alpacas, and visit Harvey Homestead for some of the best people, and cutest goats and chickens (and soon Bison!!), around!

Ultimately a week wouldn’t be long enough and I would have to try to convince them to move here!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Seth Spurgeon, tirelessly supports my goals, little, big, and everywhere in between, He understands how important it is that I get time to align my path with my vision for my life, and he does whatever it takes to get me that time – which is no easy feat with a 16 month old, our alpaca herd, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and our full time careers to navigate!

Seth is an amazing Mental Health Counselor in Fort Collins, and his colleagues and clients benefit from his keen insights and judgement free observations and questions. He is a safe space to be oneself, and he encourages each person to be the best version of themselves, according to their own compass.

As his wife, I benefit immensely from the environment my husband provides for me to grow and blossom throughout life. He challenges me to be my best self in every role in life, and does so from a foundation of unconditional love. The way he loves me makes it clear that I am free to be who I’m meant to be – whatever that means to me – and he will love me exactly as I am.

Seth is a listening ear when I need it, provides thoughtful advice when I am stuck, and is the best partner/friend/husband I could ask for. When I consider what fills my life with joy and encourages me to be my best me, he is at the top of the list!

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