The Rural Well

In this episode, we have the wonderful opportunity to talk one-on-one with Sean Stanford, a grain farmer from Alberta who knows all too well the realities of stress on the farm. Sean walks us through his background, the many areas of responsibility he carries, and then ultimately how he came to terms with his anxiety, stress, and the courage it took for him to address it head-on - including the re...

Happy New Year! Our latest episode 8, the first of 2025 delves into the meaning of resilience, where some people - especially farmers - turn to in order to cope with stress, struggles and their farming industry and legacy. We talk practical solutions, offer encouragement and give real world ways to be truly resilient in a healthy way. Lauren also shares the reality of "bouncing back" and how it's...

Welcome to another episode of the Rural Well Podcast! In this episode, we discuss: - Lauren’s harrowing real Christmas tree story - Bridgette’s decorating priorities - Gift expectations - Needful gifts - Sacrificial thoughtfulness in gift giving - creative generosity - Gift of time - Budgeting - Start early! - Find time for yourself - It’s ok to change traditions and recreate new ones - We also re...

In this episode, we talk about Grief on the Back 40, with our special guest Iris Parr, Author, Teacher, Encourager and also serves as the Director of Communications for the National Farmer Mental Health Alliance. Iris shares her story, we all talk about practical ways to deal with grief - particularly during holidays. We also talk about how to help others deal with grief in their own ways, to be i...

In this episode, we reflect on Thanksgiving and focus on the topic of gratitude. Here are some waypoints in our conversation: Memories can bring gratitude For those that struggle or have had hard backgrounds, it's not your story forever Gratitude is a dopamine producer Practicing gratitude is a great mental health strategy  Gratitude doesn’t naturally come to us. We need to be intentional - then i...

In this episode, we take some time to talk about remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. We also talk about taking the time to listen, cherishing and honoring the stories of or parents, grandparents, the stories of history from family, friends and others.   We also discuss how much we can miss out by not hearing those stories. We also play "Catch a Phrase" - With a quot...

On this episode, Lauren and Bridgette dive deep into the reality of a farmers mentality of getting things done themselves. Also, the impact of making these decisions on friends, family, spouses and business partners. We also talk about the different ranges of emotions and what fear is often the result of. Then we walk through some practical solutions to encourage the help where needed and finally...

In this episode, we discuss the following topics: New farm safety training for kids in North Dakota including stress management Lauren talks about ADHD links and triggers and interesting parallels to PTSD Social capital types: Bonding, Bridging and Linking and how they related “generally” to stress in rural families Loneliness  Changing the messaging to our rural kids about “measuring up” to expec...

In this episode, we talk about stresses in farming, impacts on the farming community right down to the food chain sourcing and continual changes and complexities getting product to market. We also talk about industry and environmental changes for farmers, the stresses that come with those changes and then how us as farmers need to stop punishing ourselves for putting undue stress and unrealistic e...

In this our introductory episode, we introduce ourselves! We are Bridgette Readel and Lauren Van Ewyk, and we talk briefly about our respective backgrounds, family, careers, farming and education. We also talk about what to expect in the coming weeks on the podcast as we're thrilled to have you join in our discussion. We have the well being of rural areas like yours in mind when building this...

Here's just a short snippet of a greater conversation in our Introductions episode. Our first official episode will be published September 16, 2024! We look forward to having you join us!