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Now Streaming: Navajo Nation Farmer’s Entrepreneurial Journey Documented by GoDaddy

Watch GoDaddy’s award-winning documentary, "Big Water Summer: A Creation Story" streaming for the first time on the Documentary Channel.

Now Streaming: Navajo Nation Farmer’s Entrepreneurial Journey Documented by GoDaddy

Watch GoDaddy’s award-winning documentary, "Big Water Summer: A Creation Story" streaming for the first time on the Documentary Channel.

Published 01-13-25

Submitted by GoDaddy

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

By Sophie Harris, Senior Video Producer and Director of GoDaddy’s “Big Water Summer: A Creation Story”

We are thrilled to announce the release of Big Water Summer: A Creation Story, a captivating short film directed and produced by GoDaddy, now available for streaming on the Documentary Channel.

Big Water Summer: A Creation Story.

This deeply intimate film delves into the power of entrepreneurship to uplift a community, showcasing the journey of Cherilyn Yazzie, a determined farmer on the Navajo Nation. Overcoming unexpected challenges, Cherilyn and her husband embark on a tumultuous business venture to grow food for their community through Coffee Pot Farms.

Cherilyn Yazzi shown on her farm.

As a former social worker, Cherilyn grew tired of telling children to eat healthier when that is often impossible. There are only 14 grocery stores on the Navajo Nation, a reservation over 27,000 square miles. Seeking change, Cherilyn returns to her family’s ancestral land and starts a business growing local produce. Despite facing the complexities of a changing climate and personal loss, Cherilyn’s resilience shines through as she navigates the hurdles of her entrepreneurial endeavor.

Big Water Summer: Cherilyn shown working with her crops.

Inspired by Cherilyn’s story, our team connected with her through the Empower by GoDaddy program, a social impact initiative supporting small business owners in underserved communities. We were drawn in by her laughter, her courage in the face of vast odds and her unfaltering honesty.

Coffee Pot Farms, like 30% of homes on the Navajo Nation, has no running water or electricity. While for many farmers that would be the end to their story, Cherilyn is unphased by that challenge. Instead, the film captures Cherilyn’s consistent kindness and warmth when approaching, for example, her neighbors about a subscription to her produce delivery service. Or when crying openly about the effect of the pandemic on her community and family.

As a testament to her civic engagement and her magnetism, since filming, Cherilyn ran and was elected to the Navajo Nation Council, the 24-seated legislative arm of the tribal government.

We are privileged to capture Cherilyn’s remarkable story, her bravery in times of uncertainty, and the growth of her business in this documentary. I believe her journey will resonate with anyone who has taken on an unknown challenge, advocated for improvements in their community, or navigated the weight and strength of their heritage.

As Cherilyn's father would say, “With creation stories, none of the things that happened were easy... you’ve just got to keep going.”

Witness Cherilyn’s journey in Big Water Summer: A Creation Story, now streaming on the Documentary Channel.

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GoDaddy

GoDaddy is empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world by providing all of the help and tools to succeed online. GoDaddy is the place people come to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and manage their work. Our mission is to give our customers the tools, insights and the people to transform their ideas and personal initiative into success. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

About GoDaddy for Good

GoDaddy focuses on making opportunity more inclusive for all in the communities where we work, live and play across the globe. We rally behind inclusive entrepreneurship and other critical local needs that empower people to succeed through philanthropic and in-kind donations, volunteerism, strategic partnerships and advocacy.

Empower by GoDaddy 

Empower by GoDaddy is GoDaddy's global community and philanthropic program equipping entrepreneurs in underserved communities with training, tools and peer networks to accelerate their journeys. GoDaddy rallies behind entrepreneurs in underserved communities by building their confidence and skills to strengthen their small business’ digital presence.  Entrepreneurs engage in customized learning experiences, work 1-1 with GoDaddy volunteer coaches and local mentors, and gain access to wrap-around services, in-kind products and networks boosting their small businesses success.

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