Beyond The Back Paddock

In the first episode of the Capacity Before Crisis mini-series, Warren Davies The Unbreakable Farmer breaks open the myth of resilience and asks the raw, honest question so many of us avoid: What happens when you keep dusting yourself off… and eventually run out of dust? For decades, we’ve been taught to “just keep going” through droughts, floods, bushfires, market crashes, family pressure and men...

As we move into the festive season a time that can be tough for many and head towards Australia’s disaster season with storms, floods and bushfires on the horizon, it’s never been more important to focus on what comes before resilience: Capacity Before Crisis. I’m kicking off an 8-part mini-series on the Beyond the Back Paddock Podcast, diving deep into the tools, conversations and practical steps...

The guest on this episode of the Beyond The Back Paddock Podcast is Chris Roberts. Chris discusses the importance of mental health awareness, particularly in rural communities. He shares his personal journey, including the impact of losing his father to suicide and how it shaped his understanding of mental health. They explore the significance of community, especially through football, in providin...

This episode guest of Beyond The Back Paddock Podcast is Dannielle Ford. The podcast delves into one of those silent conversations, Succession Planning. Dannielle is the Co-Owner and Chief Operations Officer of Cheney Suthers Lawyers , as well as a collaboratively trained lawyer specialising in succession, wills and estate planning and litigation, as well as commercial litigation and family law, b...

Brooke Watts is a dynamic young agribusiness professional with a deep-rooted passion for agriculture, having grown up on her family farm in Molong, NSW. Specializing in ag tech adoption strategies, youth engagement, and marketing, she is dedicated to driving innovation in the farming industry and paving the way for the future of agriculture. Alongside her professional achievements, Brooke has face...

The guest on this episode of the Beyond the Back Paddock Podcast is Becky Miller. Becky hail from over the ditch in New Zealand, only my second international guest, where along with her husband runs a dairy business. Her passion is to empower leaders and teams to aspire, thrive and connect by creating environments of trust and support at all levels of business and life. Becky is an idea creator wh...

In this heartfelt conversation, Katrina Umback shares her profound journey following the sudden loss of her husband, Scott, to a heart attack. She reflects on how this life-altering moment reshaped her identity and purpose, leading her to advocate for heart health awareness in rural communities by sharing her story of love, loss, grief and leadership. Katrina discusses the importance of community...

In the lead up to Christmas on the Beyond The Back Paddock Podcast I am having a very special conversation with Shanna Whan..   Shanna is the rural woman, founder, CEO, and face behind Sober in the Country Ltd . She's an Australian of the Year recipient who decided to “do what she could to be part of the change” after almost losing her own life to alcohol addiction in 2015. Today, through her tire...

Summary   In this episode of Beyond the Backpaddock, Kevin Sullivan shares his remarkable journey from a nearly 30-year career in the police force to becoming a full-time musician. He discusses life-changing moments, including a serious injury that altered his path, his experiences in crime scene investigation, and the impact of trauma and PTSD on his life. Kevin also reflects on his transition to...

G'day, welcome to the Beyond the Back Paddock Podcast.  This is series three of the podcast and today's guest is an exceptional guest. I've  been really looking forward to interviewing Sally Jones. Sally is the co-founder of Gippsland Jersey and she joins me today and shares a lot of her story and the inspiration for her to start her own milk brand and to be a mental health advocate and community...

After a few weeks off the Beyond The Back Paddock Podcast is back with an amazing guest. Paul Taylor . Paul and I have bumped into each other on a number of occasions at Cottage by the Sea Queenscliff events where he has been presenting. Every time I have heard Paul's presentation it has challenged my thinking. A former British Royal Navy Aircrew Officer and former Research Professor at the Univer...

Todays' guest on the podcast is Sam Fryer, a podcast host and regional area manager for QRIDA. Sam's personal journey, including the impact of having a sibling with a disability, his career in agriculture, and his podcast 'A Place to Call Home' which focuses on the next generation in agriculture and succession planning. Sam also opens up about his struggles with mental health and the importance of...

This week with some of the tragic events and uncertainty that's in the world, today's guest has come at a perfect time. He is on a journey to make the world a brighter place, one sock at a time and much, much more. Aiden Clarke is the general manager of We Are Posi. Posi Socks was a business founded by Trent  and Brooke Cotchin back in 2020. And has now been rebranded as We Are Posi. And is a busi...

Leila McDougall , a magnetic entrepreneur and influential advocate for Women in Agriculture, is on a mission to promote, support, and celebrate farming life. Her diverse career, spanning from  fashion designer to rural teacher, now sees her donning the hat of filmmaker, spearheading her latest venture – the feature film “Just a Farmer”.  Official Trailer to Just A Farmer Summary: Leila shares her...

Cynthia Mahoney is a facilitator, coach, mentor, speaker and author with a passion for personal disruption, neuroscience, positive psychology, courageous conversations, human performance and well-being. Her mantra (taken from the latest neuroscience research) is that “Happier people are higher performing,” and she strives to help leaders and teams achieve this in the workplace. Her first book,  Cu...

Summary   Narelle Fraser was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years, 15 of those as a Detective with squads including Homicide, Rape, Sex Crimes, Missing Persons & Child Exploitation, specialising in sex offences & child abuse.   She was involved in many high-profile criminal investigations. In 2012 Narelle was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) & was never able to...

Wally Lewis, a rugby league legend, discusses his love for sport, early influences, and memorable moments in his career. He reflects on the support of his family and the emotional experiences of playing for Queensland and Australia. Wally also shares the story behind his nickname 'King' and compares the NRL and AFL. He opens up about his battle with epilepsy and the successful surgery that changed...

Welcome to beyond the back paddock podcast. I hope you enjoyed the last episode with exercise physiologist Tory Trewhitt . Continuing on the theme of adding tools to you mental health and well being toolbox todays guest is Dr Marny Lishman .   Marny is a Health & Community Psychologist, Author, Wellbeing & Mindset Coach, Keynote Speaker, Media Commentator and Channel 9 Perth’s Resident Psy...

Graduating from one of Australia’s Elite sporting universities, Tory Trewhitt is one of Melbourne’s most respected Exercise Physiologists – having worked as a senior physiologist for BUPA in the UK.   Having played football as a semi professional, Tory was naturally drawn to athletes and the science behind improving athletic ability. This pursuit of athletic excellence led Tory to undertake a spor...

The moment that you meet Adam Wake you are captivated by his energy, enthusiasm and passion. His passion has and continues to be working to provide better life opportunities for children. Adam joined Cottage by the Sea in Queenscliff as CEO in 2019, and that is where our paths crossed. I have been privileged to be an Ambassador at Cottage for many years. The Cottage was founded in 1890 in Queenscl...

When I asked Bonnie Pappas to come onto the Beyond The Back Paddock Podcast I knew that the conversation would be fantastic. The conversation is full of gold. But also Bonnie's personality shines through in the conversation, and that is what makes Her good at what she does, She, above all is a caring person first. Bonnie is a social worker who's worked across the mental health field in many situat...

G'day and welcome back to the podcast. My guest today on the Beyond The Back Paddock Podcast is 17-year-old regional NSW student, Rory Phillips, is an aspiring (and inspiring) young guitarist/singer/songwriter with a passion for positive change.  I recently had the privilege to witness his talent when he toured to Nathalia with The Bushwackers. In 2020 he was named the Snowy Valleys Young Citizen...

Starting this podcast, it was all about bringing you stories of interesting people that I made along the way and bringing them to the audience. Today's guest is no exception. Tess Marnane hails from Cork in Ireland, found her soulmate in Shepparton after a short stint of traveling. For 18 years of her working life has been spent in leadership roles with vulnerable groups in the care industry. Afte...

This episode of the podcast is a replay of a short conversation I had with Justin Smith for a mental health awareness campaign Tough Times from the Heart.   Today is World Mental Health Day. 'Mental health is a universal human right', is this year's theme. World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness of mental health and driving positive change for everyone's mental health.   In rural and ag...

Welcome back to the podcast. After having a week off due to some technical difficulties and some traveling that I've been doing across Australia speaking we are back. Today our guest is a coach, a connector, author, artist and poet. After spending most of his working career in the banking industry developing teams and people today's guest Nathan Carkeek took a leap of faith and left the banking in...