Hosted by Stephanie Trethewey. Motherland shares real, raw, and unbelievable stories of motherhood told by women on the land. Each week, a rural mum from somewh...
254: While trying to conceive at 31, Em Armstrong was told she was in perimenopause
Em Armstrong is a glass half full kind of person. She’s one of those people who oozes positivity, you can see it on her socials, and hear it in her voice. Growing up in New South Wales’ Riverina district on a sheep grazing property, Em has always loved the bush. And she’s always been connected to it. Em has worked on stations in the Northern Territory, and lived in Sydney for five years. But it’s when she returned to the Riverina to move in with her now husband Hamish that she really found her calling. In 2018 she completed her yoga teacher training, and she started Saltbush Stretch, a yoga and pilates studio in Hay NSW, and an online fitness hub. And while building her business, Em and Hamish decided to start trying for a family. But that part hasn’t been as simple. After two years of trying to fall pregnant, they booked in to see a fertility specialist. But the week Em was meant to have an operation, she found out she was pregnant… with twins. However after the 12 week scan, Em tragically lost one of her babies. But thankfully, one of them survived - their son Ted. Now, three years on, Em and Hamish are trying to expand their family, but it hasn’t been without trials. At just 31, Em has the egg count of someone in perimenopause. But, there’s still hope. Her fertility journey, while heartbreaking, is also full of perhaps the most positive attitude I’ve ever encountered. Despite everything, she’s not giving up hope. This is Em Armstrong’s story.A final thank you to our seasonal partner nbn for an incredible summer podcast season. nbn is committed to bridging the digital divide by ensuring that, no matter where we live in regional, rural and remote Australia, we are connected. To learn more about their commitment to regional and remote Australia in 2025 - click here to read this reporthttps://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia
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253: Rosie Clements is the only permanent GP in a remote part of QLD
After Rosie Clements spent her gap year as a Jillaroo in the Northern Territory she knew she wanted a career that would enable her to help people in the bush. After starting degrees in law and teaching, Rosie finally landed on the right one for her... medicine. Now, she’s the only permanent GP in the Cunnamulla region in remote Queensland. She’s 500km from a CT scanner and 200 km from an ultrasound machine. So when she sees a patient, she needs to have a few backup plans! Rosie is also the mum of Lydia, who is 4 and Fergus who is 2. And while she had an easy baby in Lydia, things were a little different with Fergus and Rosie really struggled. Rosie is a remarkable woman, and she’s extremely open about the realities of motherhood in the bush and life as a remote GP. In our chat we talk a lot not only about her own journey - but about the state of healthcare across rural Australia. This is her story.And just a heads up this episode touches on post-natal depression and anxiety, if you need help, contact the PANDA National Helpline on 1300 726 306, or for urgent help call Lifeline on 13 11 14.Our summer sponsor, nbn, values their partnership with the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA), and their strong alliances with the Regional Tech Hub, and BIRRR (Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia) to collectively support and drive change for rural and remote families.Isolated Children’s Parents' Association (ICPA):Website: https://icpa.com.auProvides resources and advocacy for rural and remote families, including education and connectivity support.Regional Tech Hub:Website: https://www.regionaltechhub.org.auOffers free advice, resources, and guidance to improve internet connections and digital skills for rural communities.BIRRR (Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia):Website: https://www.birrr.org.auSupports rural families by addressing connectivity issues and providing resources for better internet access.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia
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252: The heart-warming tale of how Phoebe White inherited a mountain
Phoebe White has had a lot of titles and lived in a lot of places in her 35 years. She’s been a PE Teacher in Sydney. A Fashion stylist in London. A High-profile real estate agent in Miami. But it’s the two she’s been given in the past eight years that light up her life, and have brought her home. The first is being a mum to her two daughters Camilla and Olympia, and the second, is being the custodian of a Mountain near her family’s property outside of Scone, NSW. Phoebe’s family have been farmers for 7 generations on “Belletrees” - one of Australia’s most famous rural properties. And she is the third generation to inherit Mount Woolooma, a piece of land with an architect-designed residence her grandparents commissioned as their own private retreat in the 70s. Now, the house on Mount Woolooma, the Woolooma Glass House, offers luxury accommodation on the side of the Mountain, and Phoebe and her husband Jonathan, Elle McPherson’s former wellness coach, run it. So how do you adjust from living the high life in Miami with supermodels as friends to running a family business in rural Australia? And what’s it like inheriting a mountain while raising your two young daughters? This is Phoebe White’s story.Connectivity for remote learning, telehealth services, business, work and keeping in-touch is vital. Thanks to the nbn Sky Muster services, remote families can now access an affordable and fast network. To learn more about nbn Sky Muster Plus Premium satellite services, click here. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia
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251: Sonja Chrystal on growing up with a paraplegic farming dad, no mum, & surviving PNDA
Weeks before Sonja Chrystal was born, her father was in a farming accident and became a paraplegic. Months after she was born, her mother packed her bags and left her paralysed husband and two little girls, and never returned. Her dad and her grandparents raised Sonja and her sister on a cropping and grazing property in the central west of NSW before Sonja found herself living and working in Sydney as a graphic designer. It was there that she met her fiance Jeremy, and the father of her son, Herbie, who just turned one. After her dad passed away, Sonja and her non-farmer husband decided to trade their life in Sydney’s Paddington and moved an hour from Dubbo so Sonja could run the family property. While running the property, Sonja and Jeremey decided to start trying for a baby. Things weren’t as simple as they hoped and after an operation, Sonja was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis. After booking in for a round of IVF, she then found out she was pregnant. Herbie was born in February 2024, but Sonja had never felt more alone. Sonja is a truly remarkable person and her story is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. From her incredibly unique upbringing, what it was like growing up without a mum, through to isolation, grief, a traumatic birth, a radiant sense of positivity, all while managing a property - we discuss everything including the depths of her postpartum depression and anxiety that she’s been through and survived….. and how telehealth saved her life. This is Sonja Chrystal’s story.A quick warning today’s episode discusses mental health including birth trauma and PNDA if you or anyone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 Did you know that you can check when to expect to be connected or upgraded on the nbn network through the ‘check your address’ tool? nbn can also conduct an additional analysis to confirm the availability of access to the nbn Fixed Wireless service at your actual premises.To ‘check your address’ and learn more about the nbn’s fixed wireless expansion in regional and remote Australia check out our show notes: https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/regionalhttps://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia
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BONUS ep: Elise Petty wants to make life easier for rural Australians
From very early on in her career, Elise Petty was a go getter who wanted to make life better for rural people, no matter what role she was in. From working as Telstra Country Life’s General Manager in Armidale NSW, to being a Senior Advisor in Kununurra for Argyle Diamonds, whatever Elise has had a crack at,she’s excelled. Which is why she thought she’d excel when she had a baby. But as we know, things don’t always go to plan. And very soon Elise found herself living on a property in the New England region of NSW, with a baby who wasn’t sleeping or putting on weight. That came following an emergency cesarean and 11 days in hospital. Because on reflection, Elise realised at that time in her life, she did need help.That was 20 years ago. Elise now also has three adult step daughters. She’s an Executive Manager at NBN, who are the current sponsor of Motherland’s Summer podcast season, and has been with NBN for the past five years. Today she joins me on this special episode to share her story in a way she’s not done before whilst also covering the critical topic of connectivity.. And the type of tech that’s available now that she could only dream of when she was growing up on the land doing distance ed through HF radio. This is her story.To check what nbn service is available for you and to stay informed about upcoming upgrades, please visit, Check your address | nbnIf you are experiencing issues with your nbn service please contact your Retail Service Provider (the people who you pay your monthly internet bill to).Regional Tech Hub provides free independent telecommunications advice to rural regional and remote Australians Regional Tech Hub - free phone and internet supporthttps://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia
Hosted by Stephanie Trethewey. Motherland shares real, raw, and unbelievable stories of motherhood told by women on the land. Each week, a rural mum from somewhere in Australia shares her motherhood journey. You'll hear stories of true grit, resilience, grief, and pure joy. Motherhood is the most life changing and transformative journey a woman can go through, and it's not always easy. No matter where you live or what you do, we're in this together and you're not alone.
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