Kelly Foran was eight months pregnant when doctors discovered she had a massive brain tumour. She was rushed to hospital where the fight was on to save not only her, but her baby boy who was born with a life threatening illness. There was more heartache ahead when Kelly suffered a stroke during surgery to remove her tumour. It Left her unable to walk, talk or care for her son for several months. Her family had to navigate the complex health system in the big smoke alone for years. And that inspi...
May 22, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 130
Gabrielle Chan is a political journalist and the rural editor of the Guardian Australia. She's a fierce advocate for the bush, a loyalty and understanding that stems from her own experience as a rural mum. Gabrielle grew up in the city, and only moved to a farm when she was married and 8 months pregnant. Her new life started as a shock to the system, before her love for her community seeped into her bones and set her on a mission to uncover and report on the real issues facing rural Australia. W...
May 15, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 129
Felicity Weal was just 21 years old when she had an accident on the farm that changed her life forever, causing her to become a paraplegic. Paralysed from the waist down, Felicity had to relearn basic life skills, and adjust to her new reality in a wheelchair. But two years ago she became a mum for the first time, which has presented new challenges, none of which phase her in the slightest. She is such a tenacious young mum with a deep love for her horses, and now, she's revealed her plans to re...
May 08, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Ell Regan is a country music artist who left her home town and family in NSW to move to one of the most remote parts of outback Australia. She now sings at Barkly Homestead, a roadhouse which is the first and only stop for travelers crossing the Queensland border into the Northern Territory. Ell happily drives five hours to Woolies just to do a click and collect, all with her one year old son by her side. The pandemic put the brakes on her music career for a while, but it enabled her to focus on...
May 01, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Lyn Kelson is a farmer, a mum, and a grandmother who's story of survival and resilience is unbelievable. Lyn's youngest children were just two and three years old when her husband committed suicide. She was widowed at the age of 26 , left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken family. But just as she started to rebuild their lives, a devastating bush fire destroyed everything. Lyn has lived many lives, and she's never shared her story so openly, so it's a privilege to share it with...
Apr 24, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 126
Fleur McDonald is one of Australia's best selling rural authors and many of us know her for her gripping crime novels inspired by life on the land. But she's never shared her own story quite like this. Fleur is an incredible woman who raised two children with disabilities on a remote station in Western Australia. She also left an incredibly toxic marriage and went on to start an amazing organisation supporting those experiencing domestic violence. Fleur was told many times that her writing was a...
Apr 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 125
What happens when live on the land doesn't go the way you planned? Sam Noon was living the dream with her husband, working on a farm when the live export ban hit and overnight, they lost everything. Four weeks before having her first baby, they were made redundant and sent packing. Over the following years they battled their way back to the land, before being dealt another cruel blow by a crippling drought. To get back on their feet, it was Sam who stepped up, found a job in town and went to wor...
Apr 10, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 124
When Amanda Gilpin first noticed some signs that her little girl Hollie was lagging a bit at school, she wasn't too concerned. But when she developed more sinister symptoms she sought medical help, and the truth was terrifying. Two years ago, Hollie was diagnosed with an extremely rare and incurable form of childhood dementia, known as Batten Disease - she's one of just two children in Australia who have it. Now, her family is hoping for a miracle, travelling far away from their home in Western ...
Apr 03, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 123
A few months I put a call out, I was looking for someone, preferably a rural mum to help me with Motherland. That led me to the wonderful Miranda Saunders. Miranda has spent more than 20 years as a journalist working for the ABC, until she recently stepped back from her role to focus on her four children and their farm in the northern rivers of New South Wales. But it wasn't long before she was called back into work, and unfortunately one of those times was last month when her region was ravaged...
Mar 27, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Maggie Dent is a parenting author, educator and host of the ABC Parental As Anything podcast which kicks off its 5th season tomorrow! But, she's also a born and bred bushy. Maggie grew up in rural WA and her journey on and off the land has been full of extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows. From a suicide attempt which then pushed her to find her life's purpose, through to raising four boys, she is now internationally recognised as the queen of common-sense when it comes to parenthood. Magg...
Mar 20, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 121
Noelene Brown spent 12 years in Ireland where she had her three children. Her and her first husband ran a storage business for fertiliser, and were embedded in the local farming community. But one day, without notice, the Irish government put one of their major clients into liquidation, and overnight, Noelene lost everything. Her kids were just 1, 2 and 3 years old, and when the pressure became too much, Noelene turned to the bottle. Her alcohol addiction escalated and it's something she has str...
Mar 13, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 120
Olympic gold medalist Giaan Rooney shocked the swimming world when she retired at just 23 , and she hasn't swum a lap since. Her professional career both in and out of the pool has been widely publicised, but her personal life including her motherhood journey and her recent move to the land is something I'm very excited to share with you. Giaan is married to a fifth generation cattle farmer, but the couple recently make a bold move buying a macadamia farm, and they're have a real crack! This is ...
Mar 06, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 119
In 1959 Pat Fennell (OAM) moved to a remote property that was bought by her husband's family under a ballot system after the first world war; they had just 20 quid in their pocket. Pat is an incredible woman so strap yourself in! She's been a disgraced divorcee in an era of inequality for women, a single mum, a working mum, a fierce advocate for the live export industry and for remote health. Oh, and she retired, then unretired at the age of 66. She has seen and done so much in her extraordinary...
Feb 27, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Sarah Hope’s youngest child was just four months old when she left her first husband and drove out of their farm with their three children in the middle of the night. She had nothing, and had to start from scratch to provide for her kids. However, her divorce ended up to be a very amicable split, and it was a very difficult time when she suddenly found herself grieving her ex husband after his sudden death. Sarah is now a rural mum in a big blended family of six children after she found love aga...
Feb 20, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Darrilyn Gordon was just 17 years old when she found out she was pregnant. That same day, she was about to accept an offer to play professional basketball, a dream, she chose to walk away from to become a mum. But she's gone on to chase her new dream on the land as Manager of Lamboo station, an Aboriginal owned property spanning 360,000 hectares into the heart of the Kimberley. Darrilyn has smashed every glass ceiling on her way up in a world dominated by men, who also happen to be family. And a...
Feb 13, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 116
Life is full of sliding door moments and for rural mum Sally McManus, a car accident on the way home from the pub changed everything. Growing up in the country side of England, Sally never expected to build her life and her family here, on the other side of the world. But that's what happened, and it's been far from a fairytale. Sally lives on a cattle station in Queensland, and her rural life, with motherhood thrown in the mix, has tested her resilience time and time again. This is her story. S...
Feb 06, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Tanya Cameron (OAM) is a proud rural mum and grandma who has dedicated her time to advocating for country women. But given she's President of the Country Women's Association of Australia, it came as a bit of a shock that she never really wanted to join in the first place. During our chat, Tanya shares her journey juggling three kids, her work, and the shock news about the CWA I didn't see coming. This is her story. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia...
Jan 30, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 114
This week I catch up with rural mum and photographer Stacey Ford who lives on the remote Fossil Downs Station in the Kimberley. Stacey was 18 when the north came calling and a chance meeting with a chopper pilot who she initially fobbed off changed everything. She now has four teenage daughters. We talk station life, homeschooling with a newborn and toddler at foot, her next chapter dealing with an empty nest, and the push she needed to pursue her passion. This is her story. SPONSOR: The Outback...
Jan 23, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 113
Bridie Carter shot to fame when she starred as Tess McLeod in the hit TV series, McLeod's Daughters. 20 years on and two children later, she now splits her time between farming on her property in the Byron Bay Hinterland, and being an actor. We talk farm life, mum life, and the ups and the downs of her incredible life and career so far. This is her story. SPONSOR: Nestled in the heart of the Beef Capital of Australia, Casino, is a small ladies boutique that has been dressing the gorgeous rural l...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 112
Terry Underwood's story reads like it’s straight out of a novel. Her novel! The then 18 year old nurse had no idea how her life was to change when she met her future husband cattle icon John Underwood, while working at a Sydney hospital. This is an epic love story. Terry eventually moved to the Northern Territory to be with John, 600km south-west of Katherine where they began building their empire with their bare hands. Today, you'll hear the story of her first born son Martin who died at just n...
Jan 09, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 111
For the final episode of 2021, I catch up with new rural mum Claire Dunne, founder of Graziher. Claire lives on a farm in New Zealand, a long way from her family and home town in Queensland. We've heard a lot about her business baby, but this chat was a chance for me to get to know her a little more personally. You'll hear about her long distance relationship with the farmer she met on an overseas trip, and her move across the Tasman. And of course life and the juggle with her little boy. This i...
Dec 12, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 110
This week, I catch up with rural mum Hayley Backhouse. Hayley is a horse trainer and competitor who recently won her first open futurity event. Hayley has two children from her first marriage, which heartbreakingly, ended in divorce. Today she shares her story on how she navigated her relationship breakdown, the shock of becoming a single mum with just $2,000 to her name, and how she found love again. This is her story. SPONSOR: Vivienne Cate offers a unique curated collection of cowhides, sheep...
Dec 05, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 109
This week, I catch up with rural mum Cindy Walsh. Just weeks before her son Thomas was born, she was told he had just a 2% chance of survival. After countless tests and thousands of kilometres of travel from their farm, at four months of age, he was finally diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called Hypophosphatasia (HPP), otherwise known as 'soft bones'. But thanks to a miracle treatment, Cindy's little boy not only survived, but has thrived. This is her story. SPONSOR: Possums & Co., ...
Nov 28, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 108
This week, I catch up with rural mum Bess O’Connor. Within weeks of meeting a handsome farmer, she’d moved in with him and they began talking babies! But their ideal life on the land didn’t quite go as planned. After numerous miscarriages Bess was finally pregnant with their son. But at 26 weeks, she went into labor in a small country town, unable to deal with a baby born so prematurely. Bess and her son defied all odds and lived to tell the tail. This is her story. SPONSOR: Possums & Co. ar...
Nov 21, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 107
This week, I catch up with rural mum of four and dairy farmer, Natasha Yarrington. From homebirths to homeschooling, Natasha has taken many matters into her own hands when it comes to motherhood! Her commitment to her local community recently won her the NSW Women in Dairy 'Moover and Shaker' Award. Natasha spent countless hours helping neighbours during devastating bushfires that destroyed local homes. She'd milk her cows in the morning, then head straight out to help as many people as she coul...
Nov 14, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 106
This week, I catch up with rural mum Annabelle Cleeland. Annabelle has been an agricultural journalist for over a decade. She's used to telling stories, but not her own, and not like this. In this powerful episode, Annabelle shares her deeply personal experience with birth trauma at a regional hospital. She says she was examined without consent and had an unnecessary c-section due to a lack of resources. What she went through is horrifying, and she's made it her mission to speak up to raise more...
Nov 07, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 105
This week, I catch up with rural mum Pip Bryant-Hill. Pip has three children and lives on a Cherry orchard on her family's property in New South Wales. Pip was born deaf due to a genetic condition that runs in her family. And being in a rural community has had its challenges, particularly when it comes to motherhood. Pip's daughter Matilda was also born deaf, and although that didn't come as a huge surprise to Pip, it was still one hell of a mission to ensure her daughter got the support she des...
Oct 31, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 104
This week, I catch up with rural mum and author of @cowboyroyadventures Anna Nunn who's returned to share part two of her story. When we met way back on Episode 22, life was very different. Since then, Anna has been in the fight of her life. She was diagnosed with cancer at 34 weeks pregnant with her second child, and had major surgery just 10 days after giving birth to her baby girl. And it all started with an earache. This is her story. SPONSOR: The daily juggle. Lists running through your min...
Oct 24, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 103
This week, I catch up with rural mum Karen O'Brien who spent 15 years on stations in the Kimberley. From one million acres to just five, Karen, her husband and their four kids eventually packed it all up for life in a quaint rural town on the other side of the country. Somewhere they'd never lived before, with no family ties. Why? Due to one big and very personal decision regarding how they wanted to raise their kids. This is her story. SPONSOR: Getting your will done. It’s one task that’s often...
Oct 17, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 102
THE 100TH EPISODE: An interview every rural mum needs to hear.In 2018 Kate Everett's beautiful daughter Amy, affectionately known as Dolly, made headlines for all the wrong reasons. After being relentlessly bullied at boarding school and online, Dolly took her own life. She was just 14 years old. There aren't many people in Australia who didn't hear or read about Dolly's death. But what about her mum? What about the woman who loved her, raised her and mourned her? In this 1 hour special episode,...
Oct 10, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 101
