Ducks on the Pond

• Knowing Your Story and Building Genuine Connections - Rural Women Lead Collab series

  Storytelling is so important for connection and information retention (there are several studies that prove this!) But have you ever stopped to think how important knowing YOUR OWN story is?Hear from Sherry Johnstone, a Keerray Woorong woman, based in Warrnambool who didn’t feel confident in embracing her indigenous heritage, because she was so tired of people questioning it. But when she finally did acknowledge her culture, it markedly changed the direction of her life, giving her greater purpose and re-awakening her passion as an artist.In this episode hear from:*Sherry Johnstone - Artist (Spirit and Soul Connections) and educator and Kerray Woorong woman based in Warrnambool, VIC.*Trudy Marr - Head of Strategy of Strategy and Projects at are-able, a not for profit organisation, which helps people with disabilities find meaningful employment.Connection is also a strong theme of this episode, and the link between sharing your story and connecting with others. Trudy moved to Warrnambool from Scotland in her early 20s and had to quickly learn how to forge meaningful relationships.  Since then, she has reimagined what networking means. For her, it's not about starting with an intention to climb the corporate ladder,  but rather form a genuine connection - and through this, wonderful opportunities will emerge.This episode has been made in collaboration with Rural Women Lead - an initiative led by Leadership Great South Coast. It captures some of the insights shared at recent workshops, funded by a community projects grant, from Elders.Would you like to collaborate with us? Or sponsor a full season? Get in touch! [email protected] is a Rural Podcasting Co productionSend us a text

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• Improving Your Focus and Wellbeing by Biohacking Your Nervous System - Rural Women Lead Collab Series

  If you haven’t heard about ‘bio-hacking’ - it’s all about using our neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin and hormones to maximise our wellbeing. And you can do really simple things for a big pay off.This is the beginning of a 3-part mini series on leadership: focusing on self, story and change. In this episode, focusing on ‘self’ speak to Jessica Fishburn, a women’s health physiotherapist and Director at Gen Health, in Hamilton, VIC.Drawing on her expertise in pain science and neurobiology, she gives us a few tricks to help increase focus, productivity and overall wellbeing. Jess talks about ‘the flow state’ and how to work out what that is for you, plus what foods and simple exercises can give you a good injection from our natural chemicals and hormones. Jess doesn’t believe in ‘taboo’ topics, so she gives some very frank and useful advice on how to reduce your stress levels and optimise your wellbeing. From a leadership perspective, this all comes from the idea that you need to look after yourself first to be a good leader.This episode has been made in collaboration with Rural Women Lead - an initiative led by Leadership Great South Coast. It captures some of the insights shared at recent workshops, funded by a community projects grant, from Elders.Would you like to collaborate with us? Or sponsor a full season? Get in touch! [email protected] is a Rural Podcasting Co productionSend us a text

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• The Hidden Economics of Farm Life: Succession, business and drought.

  Farm life can sometimes be romanticized, with the wide open spaces, animals and the freedom to do what you want. You might love the bush and your community…but are you actually happy?There are many factors that influence our wellbeing. This includes how well the business is running financially, farm succession (including whether it has been worked out or not) and your experiences of drought and natural disaster (including how many times you’ve been impacted).  Then of course, all of these factors intersect. So, that’s why we’re looking at these issues altogether.Hear from:*Alice Byrnes - Family lawyer and Co-Director at Cheney Suthers Lawyers. She shares her own personal experience of growing up, when her grandparents died unexpectedly, without a clear plan for what would happen to the farm.*Prof. Jacki Schermer -  lead researcher on the Regional Wellbeing Survey team at the University of Canberra. Her research has found that happiness in rural areas has gone down recently.There are big and sometimes difficult conversations that need to be had when working with family on the farm. This episode will remind you why it’s so important to have them… and have them often enough to keep up with the inevitable changes and unpredictable events that come with life on the land.Resources:From Crisis to Clarity Report: Proactive and Collaborative Farm Succession - Cheney Suthers LawyersThe Regional Wellbeing 2025 survey is open to responses now!Interested in sponsoring the NEXT season of Ducks on the Pond? Let us know! Email: [email protected] us a text

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• Changing the conversation to attract more doctors and nurses to rural Australia

  There’s a perception that rural healthcare means second-best or second-rate. Whereas the opposite is actually true. Rural medical students often out-perform their city-based counterparts on standardised tests. Most rural patients are better off being treated closer to home in their rural location (unless they have a very rare condition). And rural medical practices can often be better at adopting new technologies because of their smaller, more agile teams.So why then, is it so difficult to attract and retain doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to rural and regional areas? Hear from:Dr Bridget Clancy - Ear, nose and throat surgeon based near Warrnambool, VIC and Chair of the Rural Surgery section at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons .Rebecca Bradshaw - child health nurse and founder of Rural Child Health, based in Jackson, QLDIn this episode we dive into some of the systemic issues from the housing and childcare crises, to sexism in the medical profession. But we also look at what we as individuals and rural communities can do better to help make health professionals feel welcomed and supported.Send us a text

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• How to start a renewable energy project - Karin Stark and Susan Findlay Tickner

  Regional Australia has always been at the frontline for energy innovation and delivery. Sure, it's the politicians in the cities that talk about a transition, but it's in our backyard that these projects actually happen.Some renewables, such as wind, seem to be particularly controversial in a few parts of the country right now. This episode is not diving into that. Instead, it’s looking at how we design renewable energy projects, to ensure farmers and communities have the value of renewables delivered back to them. This includes exploring how renewable could offset farm emissions, to demanding more from big companies to provide long term support to a community, in areas that will make a difference.Guests:Karin Stark - Cotton Farmer in Narromine, NSW and founder of the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference.Susan Findlay-Tickner - Grain Grower near Horsham, VIC, who is part of a wind farm project.So if you’re curious about renewables, from solar, to hydro, wind and even bio energy, we dive into how to assess whether it’s a good investment for your farm, what questions you should be asking and how to work together as a community.Also, the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference is coming up on 23 July, in Bendigo.This episode is sponsored by ByCC Fine Jewellery, thank you for your support. And there’s a special promo for listeners!This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production - we help you tell your own story.Send us a text

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