After marrying Canadian folk rock musician Neil Young in 1978, her debut as a singer came in 1983 when she was a member of The Pinkettes, the backing vocalists on her husband's rockabilly Shocking Pinks tour.

[1] She toured and performed with her band The Survivors, which includes Spooner Oldham on piano, Rick Rosas on bass, Kelvin Holly on guitar and drummer Phil Jones.

[1][2][4][5] She was inspired to create the school based on her experiences with her son Ben, who was born with cerebral palsy, a congenital condition that can be influenced by hereditary factors.

[4][5] Pegi and her husband Neil said they searched for educational institutions tailored for children like Ben with physical and learning impairments, but were frustrated to find that none really existed.

[14] Young performed at and hosted Farm Aid with her then-husband Neil in 2007 and in 2012,[15][16] and, in 2013, began serving on the board of directors of Rainforest Connection, an organization aimed at preventing deforestation by using real-time data collection to maximize the effectiveness of ground enforcement.