Meet Ellie Laks | Founder, The Gentle Barn & Author, My Gentle Barn

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

Hi Ellie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The Gentle Barn has been a dream of mine since I was seven years old. And all throughout my childhood I would draw what The Gentle Barn would look like on my notebooks and picture what it would look like as I drifted off to sleep each night. I loved animals and they were always my friends, teachers, and healers, but the folks around me didn’t see them the same way. I wanted to provide connection between animals and people so people could see their intelligence, affection, and personalities. And I wanted to help people learn to be kinder to animals and be more gentle. When I started The Gentle Barn I left a very safe life as a mom and a wife to risk my marriage and my home life to live my dreams. It was scary financially, I indeed ended up in divorce, and in financial hardship. But I pushed past it, refused to give up, and ended up with a dream much larger than I had ever hoped. The most successful among us have been people who were willing to risk it all for their dreams.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Gentle Barn has been a dream of mine since I was seven years old. And all throughout my childhood I would draw what The Gentle Barn would look like on my notebooks and picture what it would look like as I drifted off to sleep each night. I loved animals and they were always my friends, teachers, and healers, but the folks around me didn’t see them the same way. I wanted to provide connection between animals and people so people could see their intelligence, affection, and personalities. And I wanted to help people learn to be kinder to animals and more gentle. The most important decision I made that led to my success time and time again, was to decide to always listen to my instincts. And they have always steered me in the right direction, time and time again. The most important factor behind our success is that we’re helping people and animals in a very gentle way. We never shame or judge people. We meet them where they are. All are welcome. And we just want to create connections and shine our light as an example for others to follow when they are ready. Work-life balance is something that I am not yet good at. I love to work and I live to work. But I also have children of my own and a husband so it is important that i make time for them. So it is something that I try for, but it does not come naturally. I am somewhat of a worker bee and most happy when I’m working , But as I get older, I try more and more to balance out my work and my personal life. I’d like to leave a legacy of love, kindness, compassion, and empathy towards all life. I’d like to leave a vegan world where we all acknowledge the importance of all rights and justice for all creatures. I’d like to show the world that though we may look different, we are all the same! I’d like people to remember me as warm, caring, kind, and that I always made time to listen to the stories and perspectives of those around me.

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.
I would definitely take them to The Gentle Barn to hug cows! Then I would take them to a wonderful LA vegan Restaurant like Crossroads. And then we would have to visit one of our wonderful beaches and take in a hike with the dogs!

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 Jay took us from 1/2 acre backyard and a handful of animals, to a national organization with hundreds of animals and millions of followers. He is the wind beneath my wings and I’m grateful everyday for him! Ellen DeGeneres put us on the world map and I’m deeply thankful for her and Portia. And our staff, board, and volunteers are pretty great too!

Website: https://www.gentlebarn.org/virtual-tours
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegentlebarn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegentlebarn