About Me

Welcome to Cultivating Consciousness

I’m Kaden Theisen, the creator of Cultivating Consciousness, and I’m passionate about building a better future for all. I graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Sustainable Development, focusing on Community, Regional, and Global Development, and a minor in Sustainable Business. My passion lies in sustainable and localized food systems because I believe the choices we make around food shape the world we live in every day. Through Cultivating Consciousness, my goal is to inspire, educate, and foster a connected, thriving community not just in the world of food, but in all aspects of sustainability. I aim to promote myself as an anchor for all things sustainability and food systems, while directing a rendezvous for the intersection of sustainable food systems and communications.

From the point of starting my undergraduate studies to completing and entering the workforce, I have headed full force into the world of local food systems, sustainability and zero waste, and marketing & communications. My love for the Earth began nearly a decade ago, as I developed a passion for my environmental science courses even before university. I entered Appalachian State with full confidence in undertaking Sustainable Development, and continued on this path until graduation. In my studies, I took courses from Sustainable Technology to Food Security and Sovereignty, and a multitude of others in between. I took a month to immerse myself and study abroad in Ghana, where I focused on and created a project proposal zeroing in on community and food security. During my undergrad years, I wrote a multitude of research pieces diving into various issues, some of which I am happy to share with you on this platform. I also applied myself physically in lab settings where I studied geography and cartography, farm settings to learn about the roots of our food system and the experiences of our farmers, and within community town halls and events to apply my research and interest to real-world issues.

The beginning of my community involvement started with the Appalachian Climate Action Collaborative, a local organization which sought to "cultivate equitable and resilient communities in the face of climate change, an ecological and cultural crisis". During my internship at ClimAct, I participated in the communications committee, where we focused on effective and cohesive branding, social media, and event organization. Notable efforts that I undertook in this organization include partnering with Appalachian Voices to petition against increasing prices of solar power in which residential community members would be expected to pay for self-produced solar power from individually-owned solar panels. I also assisted in organizing an Earth Day benefit show in which we invited musicians, vendors, and various climate and social change organizations to raise funds and awareness for such organizations. Finally, I aided in organizing & promoting a Town Hall meeting to raise awareness for increasing utility rates. This experience was foundational to my exposure to community involvement and applying my knowledge to real-world examples. I also began utilizing my love for creation and visual pieces in conjunction with this work by helping to create a cohesive brand and image for the organization, creating infographics and marketing pieces, and communicating between members, partner organizations, and outside individuals.

Soon after my work in ClimAct, I began undertaking an internship at F.A.R.M. Cafe as well as employment at Appalachian State University's Office of Sustainability, which led to my current employment at F.A.R.M. Cafe. After taking my Food Security & Sovereignty course with Dr. Jacqui Ignatova, I began searching for ways to involve myself deeper into sustainability and food systems as I became fascinated with the intersection of this vital resource, how it plays into sustaining our world for the future, and issues like why the U.S. wastes 30 - 40% of its food supply each year, yet 13.5% of households were insecure in 2023.

Prior to my employment at F.A.R.M. I entered the Office of Sustainability as the Mountaineer Food Pantry Ambassador. This means that I began each work day by inventorying the Mountaineer Food Hub, where we purchased and accepted food donations, mostly including shelf-stable items. From here, I would keep track of and deliver these food items to the 17 free food pantries across Appalachian State University's campus. This included surveying what items students were in most need of and where these items needed to be delivered in order for students to effectively access them. I picked up food donations at the local bakery and other various locations, as well as budgeted and purchased bulk food items based on our monetary donations. On top of this work, I handled some social media and marketing by creating infographics and posts, communicated with campus-wide food pantry liasons and Office of Sustainability staff members, organized events, assisted in food drives, and served on the Zero Waste team to divert food waste from landfills in large events. These events included Appalachian State football games, as well as large events and festivals such as the annual Boonerang music festival.

Now we arrive at F.A.R.M. Cafe, a local "501(c)(3) non-profit, pay-what-you-can community cafe that operates primarily with volunteers. We prepare high-quality, delicious meals produced from local sources whenever possible and served in a restaurant where everybody eats, regardless of means". My internship at F.A.R.M.during my undergraduate years focused on cafe operations, its involvement and impact on local food security issues, local produce sourcing and small farmer support, community engagement and communications, organization, and kitchen work. Post-graduation, I was welcomed back to join F.A.R.M. Cafe's staff full-time, where I have expanded my involvement and engagement by overseeing the organizations marketing & communications, as well as its sustainability efforts. It is difficult to summarize my involvement in the cafe in a concise way, as my love for this work has allowed me to gain skills and experience in aspects of the organization including local farmer supply chain, marketing & communications, event planning, SEO and website organization, volunteer coordination, leadership, local food security research and surveying, daily operations, nonprofit management and finances, fundraising, effective branding, and so much more. I began my employment in the work following Hurricane Helene, where I had no choice but to enter with full intention, drive, and compassion. In this first month there, I helped the cafe serve over 8,000 meals to local individuals and organizations. I also began working on revamping our newsletter at this time, especially when communication was so important. This period was pivotal to my experience at the cafe, and allowed me to gain a multitude of nonprofit, sustainability, communications, and food security skills in a concise amount of time. Since then, I have spearheaded the Cafe's social media and marketing by posting daily, and have increased followers and engagement as of October 2025 by 25%. I write our monthly newsletter and have included new segments such as Volunteer of the Month, Producer Spotlights, and Faces of F.A.R.M. During daily operations, I am on the floor by assisting in the kitchen, coordinating volunteers, communicating with patrons and coworkers, etc.

Now, I plan to use these experiences and opportunities to help build a better, sustainable world. My mission is to nurture a sustainable world that ensures essential resources for both present and future generations. Whether it's advancing sustainable business practices or promoting food security, I believe in reshaping our relationship with the planet—because the way we care for Earth today defines the future we create tomorrow.