Exploring Life & Business with Nicole Brecht of Good Life Refuge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Brecht. 

Hi Nicole, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, I am the executive director and founder of the Good Life Refuge – a farm animal sanctuary in North Longmont, Co. From early on I was drawn towards animals and as a small child, I even exclaimed that I will have a sanctuary for animals someday. The years passed by and my affinity to animals grew even stronger. 15 years ago, I started in dog rescue and emerged myself into the rescue world. There was an abundance of need and not enough hands to help all the animals in need of rescue. After volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary about 7 years ago, I decided to start my own. It took several years to find a property which satisfied all the aspects needed for my family and the needs of the sanctuary. Finally, we found a suitable place in 2018 in Longmont. We closed in May on the property in Longmont and welcomed our first rescues in August of 2018.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a nonprofit with no nonprofit experience has been a learning journey and hasn’t been a smooth ride for sure. I have a background in veterinarian technology, worked at a veterinarian office, and also hold a marketing degree which helped tremendously building the organization up. However, I am still learning about all the aspects of running a nonprofit organization and providing funding for our animal residents, and growing the organization sustainably has its own set of challenges. We are still in building our organization and need experienced board members who can move the Good Life Refuge to the next level. We are also looking for skilled volunteers who can commit their time and talent to help us with social media, Google Ad Grants, digital content development, event organization, resident enrichment, and many more areas.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Good Life Refuge is a volunteer-run 501(C)3 nonprofit organization and provides a safe haven to abused and at-risk farm animals. Currently, we provide a safe home to 70 farm animals and house over 10 different species at our sanctuary in North Longmont. Many of our residents come to us because their human guardians can’t or don’t want to care for them anymore, neglected city ordinances, or experienced financial hardship. Some of our residents were abandoned and because shelters aren’t equipped for farm animals, farm animal sanctuaries are the only safe landing spots for them.

We believe in the ethical treatment of all sentient beings and we practice careful and responsible management of the organization and the animals entrusted to our care. Further, strengthening and nurturing the bonds between humans and animals are important to us as well as building a strong partnership with the community we operate in.

The Good Life Refuge is invested in educating the public about farm animals and deepening the understanding of them as sentient beings as well as providing resources for a more compassionate lifestyle and resources about the benefits of a plant-centric nutrition.

To experience our animal residents and to learn their stories, we offer private tours (https://www.goodliferefuge.org/kindness-tour) and open houses (https://www.goodliferefuge.org/events-calender).

We are also looking for partnerships with local businesses, for experienced board members to expand our board of directors, and hands-on volunteers.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Being open to expand my knowledge and to learn new skills as well as stepping out of my comfort zone has allowed me to move Good Life Refuge forward. Further, having an open-door policy and listening to suggestions, and honoring the experience and wisdom of others helped improving the organizational structure tremendously.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@goodliferefuge.org
• Website: https://www.goodliferefuge.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodliferefuge/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodliferefuge/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCupo3holnAdgQCcjqn63nsA

Image Credits
Spike Stephens