Jack Kessey: A dedication to lifelong health and happiness.
Jack, a Happy Goat holder and Registered Dietitian, shares his views on sustainable nutrition, web3 and more.
Jack Kessey is one of Happy Goat’s earliest supporters. His interest in health and nutrition drew him to the NFT project, and he brought his fiancée, Morgan, to visit the Happy Goat farm right before proposing marriage to her. Read more about Jack (and check out his cute pup), in this interview with Waggin’ Wendy.
How and when did you learn about Happy Goat?
I believe the first time I heard about Happy Goat was from a tweet from Willie that DJ Rhetorik retweeted. I had been following Rhetorik for years after seeing him DJ several times at Logic's concerts. This led me down a rabbit hole, where I discovered a YouTube video titled "Building a Regenerative Farm to Fight Climate Change" from July 2021 on the Happy Goat YouTube channel.
I was sold after learning about the mission of fighting climate change, and especially the fight against food insecurity. The majority of my career as a Dietitian has been working in low-income, underserved communities who are crippled by a lack of access to fresh, nutritious foods.
I should mention that I discovered this project at the tail end of the crazy 2021 NFT bull market. At this time, I was very skeptical of NFTs. I didn't understand much about how they worked or why they traded for such crazy valuations. But I was fascinated by the 501(c)(3) Non-Profit status, and in my mind, it felt like a safer project to dip my toes in to learn more about the NFT space in general. I decided to join the Happy Goat discord on January 11th, 2022, I think I was one of the first 50 people in the community. I remember everyone being so genuine, answering all of my questions and helping me learn about NFTs in general, and we all shared a similar vision that Happy Goat was helping to create. Since then, I have stayed very active in the Discord channel, and by supporting Happy Goat on my socials to help spread the word of all the good things this project is doing.
Are you involved in other aspects of web3 or crypto, and if so, can you tell me a little bit about that?
It wasn't until early 2020 that I began dollar-cost-averaging BTC and ETH. Outside of Happy Goat, I am a holder of only 2 other projects which are both food and beverage-related. I am always looking for other projects developing products or experiences.
I am also very interested in working with a Web3 project that is involved in the nutrition or fitness space, so if there are any out there, please reach out to me!😊
Can you tell me a little bit about your work as a dietitian?
I've been a Registered Dietitian since 2018 specializing in Medical Nutrition Therapy, and spent the first 4 years of my career working inpatient as a Clinical Dietitian in Gary, IN, and Indianapolis, IN. My duties included providing enteral and parenteral nutrition support to critically ill patients on a Trauma ICU, creating plans of care for people with chronic and acute malnutrition, and counseling adults on the nutritional management for their newly diagnosed chronic disease states such as Congestive Heart Failure, Diabetes, or End Stage Kidney Disease starting on Dialysis.
I currently work for an outpatient dialysis provider, helping direct the nutritional management of 150+ patients with end-stage renal disease who are dependent on peritoneal- and hemodialysis.
Outside of medical nutrition, I also lead an individualized nutrition counseling program with a local gym here in Indianapolis where we help professionals and executives with weight loss, altering body composition, building strength and muscle, and improving sports performance and overall wellness. I hope to incorporate personal training as well and am working towards a Certification in Strength and Conditioning.
As a dietitian, do you feel there’s a role for web3 in promoting healthy and sustainable nutrition?
Absolutely! This is another one of the many reasons I support Happy Goat. They are literally making eating nutritious fresh produce and maintaining sustainable food systems seem "cool" to influence others to also do the same. And, in a world where our population is heavily influenced by what they see online, this is SO important to help form a generation who deeply cares about what they eat and where their food comes from. Also, their USDA grant-funded Farm-to-School program is incredible for introducing fresh fruits/vegetables to younger generations, as well as providing nutrition education at a time when it is most important to develop lifelong healthy dietary habits. It is so important to recognize the potential that these types of programs can have on creating a healthier, more sustainable world for us to live in.
You’ve visited the Happy Goat farm in Mariposa! Are you planning another visit, and if so, what progress are you excited to see?
Yes! I visited the Happy Goat farm back in April 2023. This was when I was planning to propose to my then-girlfriend (now fiancée) Morgan in Yosemite National Park. I reached out to Willie with my plans and asked if we could visit the farm before I proposed. He was so excited for us, that he even re-arranged his travel plans to give us a full tour of the farm and building progress, let us play with the baby goats, and shared the future vision for the property and project.
The Happy Goat team was also a major help in giving me recommendations on trails to hike, and beautiful locations to possibly propose at, and connected me with a local photographer, Amber, to capture the moment for us. I am beyond grateful for the experience.
Seeing the farm in person and listening to Willie talk about his vision made me feel like a little kid again. With 2000 acres, the possibilities seem endless of what can be built on the land. I am most excited to continue seeing all of the future structures come to reality, such as the rose garden amphitheater, “glamping” style resort, and all of the art to be created by artists who travel to Happy Goat.
Happy Goat has so many plans in the works -- what excites you the most about Happy Goat’s future?
Very early on, Willie had described Happy Goat as a “legacy project”, and that really hits home for me because all of the work I do is driven by the legacy I want to create for my life and how the future generations of my family will remember me.
One thing that excites me is becoming a member of the Happy Goat DAO, and voting on how to utilize funds raised by the non-profit to support Happy Goat projects around the globe. I would love to establish my legacy by directing and operating a Happy Goat-sponsored community garden to grow food to donate to the local food banks and homeless shelters around Indianapolis to help fight food insecurity in my community.
With our engagement taking place in Yosemite, Morgan and I have strong sentimental ties to the area. We want to make a trip to Happy Goat at least once a year. But we are most excited for 10 years down the road, when we have children who we can take to Happy Goat and Yosemite to share the experience with them.
Outside of Happy Goat and nutrition, what are your favorite hobbies?
Outside of being a degen, you can typically find me spending time with my fiancée Morgan and our Bernedoodle Kingston. We love travelling to different national parks and beaches around the US, and spending quality time with our families.
I am very passionate about physical fitness and enjoy weightlifting, cycling, and walking on the Monon trail in Indy. I love cooking and eating all types of food, so I am always looking for new recipes, new cooking methods, and different restaurants to try.
You have a really cute pup! Can you tell me its name and a little bit about him?
His name is Kingston and he is a 1.5 year old mini-Bernedoodle. He loves to play, go out for walks and to the dog park, clean up anything I drop while cooking and cuddle any chance he gets. We love him so much and are happy to have him in our little family.
Jack’s enthusiasm for Happy Goat and for life in general is contagious. He spreads goodwill both online and IRL. If anyone would like to work with Jack on different projects or personalized nutrition counseling, the best way is reach him is directly by DM on X (@BigFoodGuyRD), Instagram (@JackTheDietitian) or by email at JackKesseyRD@gmail.com. Thank you Jack for sharing your Happy Goat story!