Women In Wellies Podcast

Anna Hock joins me from the beautiful surroundings of Islay. Anna runs Orsay Sea Salt and Orsay Seafood - a seafood shack alongside juggling the chaos of life as a mum and a fisherman’s wife. Our conversations takes us from sea salt production to the challenges of island life.  Listen in as Anna shares from her childhood growing up on Jura, her move to Islay and working across a variety of in...

Steph Hepburn is a well known face across rural Scotland and joins me from our capital city, Edinburgh, which she calls home. Steph is a partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn and leads their Rural Disputes team who work across rural Scotland to avoid and resolve disputes. Our conversation takes us from a marketing degree to the working mum life balance, to becoming part of the rural sector and plenty...

Jo Morris is a farmer, mum, wife, solicitor, snug host, star of ‘This Farming Life’ and now podcast guest, just to get us started and joins me in conversation from their “new” family farm in Fife. Jo takes us on the journey of change they have been on as a family to build a resilient future through a move from Caithness where her husband’s family had farmed for 5 generations, to the heart of Fife....

The Women in Wellies Podcast is back for Season 2 and I am delighted to be behind the microphone with a fantastic line up of guests. M.T. O’Donnell, founder and editor of the Scotland Grows Magazine, joins me for this conversation. M.T.’s magazine and her podcast of the same name, celebrate real gardening in Scotland with real advice from those gardening across the country.  Join us as M.T. t...

With so much change, legislative and otherwise, we’re bringing a new angle to the Women in Wellies Podcast and it kicks off with a fantastic trio of experts from across rural Scotland in our first educational episode. Jennifer Campbell brings her land agency perspective from DM Hall, Leanne Gordon brings her legal expertise from Lindsays and Lucy Crow talks tax and accountancy from Henderson Loggi...

Deirdre Stewart is Programme Director for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, leading the Trust’s project at Dalnacardoch, Blair Atholl. Having been a practising land agent for well over 20 years with a focus on the management of upland estates across Perthshire, Angus and Deeside, Deirdre brings her passion for all things rural, with a focus on deer and wildlife management to our conversatio...

In the third of our ‘Next Generation’ episodes we are joined by Hailey Anderson. Hailey is a gamekeeper in the Scottish Borders working on a low ground pheasant shoot having joined the business working in the kitchens at the age of 13.  Join us as Hailey shares her journey from the kitchens to joining the keepering team, how she has found her place as a young female in a traditionally male do...

Eleanor Kay is Senior Policy Advisor - Agriculture & Climate Change at Scottish Land & Estates. Eleanor is a passionate advocate for farming and integrated land management, working with land managers and partners to develop clear messages for influencing policy makers and seeker of solutions for land managers looking to adapt to climate change and work with nature.  Join us as Eleanor...

Alison Baker is the Restoration Director at the Atlantic Salmon Trust.  A self-confessed disruptor, Alison creates solutions and works with partners across the country to deliver an agenda to make a difference across rivers and the landscape for the benefit of species, including ourselves.   Join us as Alison shares her career from life as Building Surveyor in London, to undertaking an M...

Julie Clark is the Lead Farmbench Manager at the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), responsible for the promotion of Farmbench throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North West of England.  She is also secretary for the West of Scotland Holstein Club and involved in supporting the Mauchline Young Farmers.  Join us as Julie shares her journey from growing up i...

Luisa Hendry is best known as the Scottish Geologist across her social media platforms, where she is the girl who makes videos about rocks. By day Luisa is a Senior Engineering Geologist working on construction projects across Scotland.  Join us in a conversation with Luisa where we dive into some of the challenges she has faced as a woman in engineering, the drivers behind the Scottish Geolo...

We are joined by Lucy Graham as the second guest as part of our ‘Next Generation’ series. Lucy is currently studying at the SRUC Campus in Edinburgh for her HNC in Agriculture and working part time on a local goat and sheep farm. Join us as Lucy shares her journey from growing up on her own family farm to realising her passion for genetics and building her confidence through Young Farmers. Lucy sh...

Sarah Millar is Chief Executive of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), the Public Body for the red meat sector in Scotland.  Join us as Sarah shares her journey from growing up on a farm in Lanarkshire and working in her family's butchery business, to exploring different avenues in the food and farming sector including agronomy and organics recycling, before realising her passion and finding her nic...

Having started her career working as a freelance stage manager in theatre and opera, Ros Wardman is now Forest Industries Advisor with Scottish Forestry, alongside being a Mum and passionate advocate for forestry and the wider sector.  Join us as Ros shares her story of swapping the wooden boards of the stage for the real thing as she studied forestry at Newton Rigg. Since then Ros has been w...

Anja Baak owns and runs the award-winning Great Glen Charcuterie in Spean Bridge, alongside her husband, Jan Jacob.  Join us as Anja takes us on their journey from moving to Scotland from the Netherlands, and how they built a sustainable and ethical business, with a connection to the local landscape at its heart.  Anja gives us an insight into how the business and products have evolved,...

Lucy Jenner is an environmental scientist, PhD Student, long distance runner, secret entrepreneur, and Head of Natural Capital Scotland at Savills.  Join us as Lucy shares her journey from growing up in the Lake District getting her hands dirty, to studying in Scotland, working with academics at the University of Edinburgh to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, and joining Savill...

Polly Pullar is a writer, a photographer, a naturalist, a conservationist, a wildlife rehabilitator, and so much more besides, which she shares in this podcast episode.  Join us as Polly takes us from her childhood in Ardnamurchan with wellies filled with frogspawn to rural Perthshire which is now home. Polly shares how her parents, teachers and those around her inspired her with nature from...

Joining us on International Women's Day 2024 is Kim Cameron, entrepreneur and award winning owner of The Gin Bothy in Angus.  In this episode, Kim shares her journey from growing up in rural Glenisla with a childhood steeped in the traditional songs and stories of rural Scotland, to developing a successful international business with local people and produce at its heart.  We discuss the...

Sally Crowe is a crofter in Caithness, who brings a can-do attitude and a hearty dose of humour to her work, and this podcast episode.  Join us as Sally shares her journey from growing up on the family croft, travelling to New Zealand and Australia with the Scottish team for the World Sheep Shearing Championships, and having her world turned upside down when she contracted Q-Fever.  Sall...

Our first guest as part of our ‘Next Generation’ series is Hannah Munro, a 20 year old Rural Estate Student and Forester on Balcaskie Estate in Fife. Join us as Hannah shares her journey from growing up on a farm in the Highlands, to realising a passion for forestry and studying for an HNC in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry at The Scottish School of Forestry, before moving to Fife to join a new...

In our first episode of 2024, we celebrate the first anniversary of the Women in Wellies Podcast!  Join us as we reflect back on the last year, including the highlights and experience of creating 23 episodes of amazing stories and inspirational listening, and all the tears and cackles along the way. We talk about growing confidence, Hannah’s favourite phrase, Charlotte’s view on selfies, bein...

Kirstene Hair is a former Member of Parliament and political advisor, who now owns and runs Empower, a leadership coaching business for women.  Join us as Kirstene shares her journey from growing up on her family farm in Angus, to time in London working in events, before returning to Scotland and ultimately running as the political candidate for Angus. Kirstene talks about how her farming bac...

Emma Clark owns and runs Glenegedale House on the Isle of Islay, an award winning, five star guest house described as ‘a true gem’, alongside her husband Graeme.  Join us as Emma shares her journey from growing up on Islay, to three university degrees, meeting Graeme and building a life on the mainland, before their return to run Glenegedale House. For the first time, Emma also shares her sto...

Eilidh Ross is a specialist consultant in crofting law from Beauly in Inverness-shire, and owns and runs Camus Consulting.  Join us as Eilidh shares her journey from Inverness to America and back again, her indecision on a career route and how she found law, along with her desire to help people both in her work and other roles. Eilidh shares some of the individuals who have inspired, guided a...

Emma Macalister Hall runs the family estate at Torrisdale on the Kintyre Peninsula alongside her husband Niall, and is a director of Beinn an Tuirc Distillers, where they make the award winning Kintyre Gin and other spirits.  Join us as Emma shares her journey from Edinburgh to embracing the family legacy at Kintyre, including the challenges of living and working in a remote area, the opportu...