Ducks on the Pond

The final years of high school are the some of the best, but most stressful years of our lives. But in the country, the challenges can be even greater; from virtual classrooms , having to travel long distances and battling bad internet connections. This episode is for both parents of senior school students and the teenagers going through it. If you're a parent, supporting your child through t...

Do you have a burning passion to address a social issue? Sometimes in rural Australia, when you see something needs to be done, you look around... and there's just YOU left to do it. So, if you are up for the challenge, then this episode has some solid advice on how to build a not-for-profit (NFP), register it correctly for your purpose and even turn it into a fully fledged charity.  Hear the...

Can altruism and business mix? Maybe not in the purest sense...but there are many rural women who have created strong businesses, while also having a bigger social or environmental purpose. So, how can you the ensure your higher purpose doesn't distract from being profitable? Or can you make it a useful marketing tool? In this episode we ask two rural women, who have grown substantial busines...

Ever been ignored at a farm expo or agtech conference? It's a frustrating experience for any woman... and foolish behaviour if you're working at an agtech company. There's research which shows that women are often the ones who find the tech and implement it, on farming businesses. In this episode, we look at why women have been the tech decision-makers over the past 10 years, how to...

Are you priority number 1 in your own life?  As rural women, we often put ourselves behind the kids, our partner, the farm business or even the community.  So this episode is about how to break that expectation that we need to be everything for everyone, everyday... and take small steps to build in more time for our own health. Featuring: * Charlotte Heald - holistic health coach (and former nurse...

If you can’t get your partner to book a holiday with you… would you just go without them? That’s just one of the tips and tricks we discuss in this episode on how to convince your partner to go on a holiday… because we all know what farmers can be like.  We also look at the research behind the benefits of taking a break and the psychological barriers around taking time away from the farm that our...

Season Four of Ducks on the Pond is kicking off! Kirsten and Jackie make excuses as to why they have taken longer than expected to bring back the podcast. They discuss what they've been up to in between seasons (including exciting news about Rural Women's Day) ... and preview what's coming up this season. In reality, this short episode is just a fun catch up, so join us! This episod...

Our teenagers might look like us, be as big as us...but cognitively, there is a difference. This can involve risk taking or it might just be a lack of complex decision making. They're also simply inexperienced. In this episode, we look at the safety risks on farm involved with our older teenagers (aged 14 and above).  This is the age where we often put more responsibility on our children on t...

When you live so far away from the nearest hospital and ambulance response times are blowing out... should you wait for an ambulance or take your child in to hospital yourself?  Also, how do you know you're not being overly anxious about your kids going out on the farm? These are just some of the questions we explore in episode two of our summer mini series on child farm safety. This episode...

No one wants a 'cotton wool kid', but as parents we know how unsafe the farming environment can be for children. In Australia, the rate of fatal injuries amongst our regional and remote children is three times higher than kids who live in the city. So how do we balance the freedoms and family connections that growing up on a farm brings, with making sure our children don't find them...

Don’t Call Us ‘Resilient’- Getting mental health support for your community   How do you feel when your town or region is called ‘resilient’? It seems a lot of rural people are tired of hearing this word and instead would rather genuine, well-funded support for the mental health. According to Rural and Remote Mental Health (RRMH), the rates of suicide in regional Australia are two times higher tha...

You may be a rural woman at heart, but that doesn’t mean you can’t operate a global empire (or at least, tap into overseas markets). In this episode, we meet two women who left Australia and set up unique businesses overseas, by capitalising on their rural identities.  And these days you don’t even need to leave country Australia for world domination: both guests talk about how social media market...

Yes, it’s clear. Research shows it is harder to access abortion services in rural Australia compared with metro areas. So, in this episode we ask, why is that?   Abortion has now been decriminalised in all states and territories, moving from the criminal code to be covered under health policy. But is abortion really being treated like any other women’s health service?   In rural areas, it can be h...

On average, 79 Australians die every year in farm accidents, making farming one of the most dangerous occupations in the country. So, what can we do to turn this around?   Approaching farmers with a rule book is unlikely to work. But rural women are often in a unique position to influence health and safety culture. Many of us have worked off-farm in large organisations which already have a strong...

 When you're part of a farming enterprise it can be hard to figure out whether you're better off working on the farm or pursuing a career off the farm.   So, in this episode, we try to try to measure it.   The off-farm work is fairly easy to understand; you have a payslip which tells you how much you earn. But how do you financially measure the hours you put into doing the books, or help...

It took until 2019 for TV advertisements for sanitary products to stop using ‘blue dye’ to symbolise menstrual blood. So why do periods make us feel so uncomfortable? But the awkward feeling is just the start of the problem. By not talking about periods and pelvic floors, women aren’t getting the medical help they need, the right support in the workplace and even research into women’s health is be...

Let's be honest, the perception of a "life coach" isn't always the best. The term can be associated with cult-like 'personal development' courses or well meaning 'wellness' types, who may not have the experience or credentials for a such a title. But then, who does? There's no university degree in "life coaching," but, there's no handbook...

There’s a saying, ‘you can’t have the love without the loss.’ The great love you have for someone, means the pain of losing them will equally be as great. But how do you actually cope with such profound grief, especially when the loss is sudden? And how do you best help a friend who is suddenly struck by tragedy? In this episode, Grampians Estate winery owner, Sarah Guthrie talks about her own gri...

We're back! Coming up in Season 3, we're tackling the topics you WON'T hear at a local potluck casserole night or scone bake off. This includes access to abortion in rural and regional areas, dealing with grief and trauma and plenty of business insights from rural women with online empires and even good ol' fashioned shop fronts. Also, we have some exciting updates to share abo...

No one likes sexism on the farm… but could the tools you work with and the clothes you're wearing be guilty? If you’ve ever been frustrated about not being able to drench a sheep or shovel the grain as well as the blokes… maybe it’s NOT YOU. Research shows many of the tools used on farms have been created “for the average body type” - or rather, the average male body type. This doesn't f...

Farming is not often associated with creativity and the Arts. But perhaps that needs to change? Especially if we want to make agriculture an attractive career option to young people in the city. In this episode, we meet two smart, rural women who are using their artistic flair to reach people who wouldn't normally be interested in agriculture. Hear from: Lynne Strong - National Program Direct...

Rural towns often get a bad rap for holding onto old ideas and lacking diversity. Are we as accepting and inclusive of our LGBTI community in the country, as they are in the city? We hear from two women, who have had very different experiences: Kerrie Stanley - a hair and makeup artist, who grew up on a cane farm in Proserpine, QLD. She had to move away from the country to discover she was gay. (S...

Once upon a time, coaches were strictly for sport. Now you can get a coach for just about everything, including business. In this episode we look at what a business coach actually does and at what stage in a business, you should be thinking about getting one. There's growing recognition that the way to grow a business is to be working ON the business, not just IN the business. We take a speci...

Women are still only inheriting about 10% of family farms in Australia. The reasons behind this are historical and complex. But what's at play when a woman (or "farmer's daughter") decides she doesn't want to go back to take over the family farm? Is because she has better career options off-farm or does it point to gender bias in society? In this episode, Kirsten and Jacki...

It’s so hard to watch someone you love, struggle with their mental health, especially when they aren’t getting the help they need. Rural men in particular seem to be among the most hesitant to open up and look after their own mental health... which can be frustrating for us women! So what’s the best way to start the conversation? While this podcast is for women… as anyone in a rural community know...