Many times, the stories shared about Rural Women leading grassroots community initiatives are an understatement of the challenges faced in building a more equitable world. This session covered what it’s been like for Dani Pieratos, an Indigenous female entrepreneur, and her commitment to support the food sovereignty movement at the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa where she is a tribal member living on the Lake Vermilion Reservation in northeastern Minnesota. Bootstrapping is a term for early businesses where owners commit their personal time and energy mostly out-of-pocket. As a low-income mother of two, keeping pace with opportunity has been tough. Dani will share personal & professional anecdotes to highlight what many of us face in the fight for equity, all from her focal point of localizing food systems to improve healthy food access. Her journey highlights moments of desperation, surrender, patience, love, trust and resourcefulness. Join us to hear an expressive, personal testimony of the nonlinear changemaking process for the brighter futures we all seek. We hope this session mutually inspires Rural Women to ask for what is needed and ask for what is deserved for everyone and everything we are fighting for.