Welcome back to The Rural Well! In this episode, we get the opportunity to talk with Brian Reisinger, Author of Land Rich, Cash Poor among many different other endeavours that Brian pursues. For more info on Brian, visit https://www.brian-reisinger.com/about

Topics in this episode:

• Mourning the loss of livestock as a farmer

• Vulnerability with father
• Generational survival mode
• Dealing with hard times and farm crisis
• Generational weight of hard work required as a farmer
• Pressure to work hard generationally
• Brian’s role is to tell the story, hard fought to get there
• Older farmers, generations tend to still horde things because of history and the reminders of the Great Depression or war rations
• Resilience isn’t just digging your heels in and working harder, it’s more like building a support network, approaching issues realistically, ask for help etc.
• Checking in on folks was more of a “come by and visit”, not a mental health “intervention”
• Brain’s role was “translator” - had to journey off the farm to learn and gain wisdom from a different perspective. Translating back to the farm world

Todays quote: “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.” - Thomas Jefferson

This is why farmers are in Superbowl commercials and permeate so much of our country - this is our identity, cultivating our own food and working the land

Question? Harkening back to the days when the milk man would delivery, If you could get anything delivered to your home still, what would it be?

Links and Resources:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.nfmha.ca/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Lilac Lane Media

Facebook -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: info [at] theruralwell.com

Welcome back to The Rural Well Podcast! We've reached episode 12. We have the incredible privilege of having Brittany Olsen join the podcast today,

Brittany Olsen is a fifth generation dairy farmer in north western Wisconsin with her husband Sam and son Titus. Brittany is also a business owner, photographer and blogger.

Show Notes or discussion points:

- Lived in abuse, a broken family relationship as a child

- Miscarriage was the start of the end of my parents marriage

- There is such a thing as "golden uterus syndrome" - tune in for explanation

- Abusive moms don’t deserve the right to still have contact and control their child - this caused unnecessary trauma

- Parents sometimes use their children to hurt the other spouse

- Entered counselling but had to wait a year!

- Had to build boundaries with mom

- later in life, still had to deal with stress and problems, fires, barn rebuilds, birth trauma

- Panic attacks, crushing anxiety are still there

- We need to reorganize our expectations

- Recognize that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and have value from your creator…”God made the moon and the stars and he also decided he needed one of us”

Quote “If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right”

Cheap food does have a cost. Moving away from our farming roots can have negative consequences in our culture.

Question: If you could take on anyones voice, who would that voice be?

Thank you for tuning in!

Links and Resources:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.nfmha.ca/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Lilac Lane Media

Facebook -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: info [at] theruralwell.com

Welcome back to The Rural Well Podcast! We've reached episode 11. We have the incredible privilege of having Katelyn Duban join the podcast today, so buckle up, grab a hot drink, and join in the conversation.

Katelyn Duban is a first generation female farmer in Southern Alberta, Canada. As for podcasting, she continues to share and celebrate the stories of Women in Agriculture. She's also delving into a new venture of Podcast Coaching. Katelyn is the host of The Rural Women Podcast and is a well sought after public speaker!

Show Notes or discussion points:

• Got into podcasting to hear the stories of women in agriculture
• Filling a void we felt was missing back in 2019
• No two stories are the same, no two farms may farm the same
• Podcasting with women in agriculture have really grown, especially through and out of the pandemic
• It's a generational thing: when we think of women sharing their stories, stories are inspiring and have such value to learn from older women of traditional ways and experiences
• Resilience should not be a badge of honour, but can help propel you forward
• Memorable moments include sparking and spurring someone on to literally “quitting her job” to get into agriculture
• true resilience IS vulnerability
• There is a “culture” in agriculture - it’s a privilege to be a farmer!
• Postpartum depression often doesn’t get talked about. “I just thought that’s how you’re supposed to feel….”
• Some people cope in being vulnerable, others can “overshare” but we all have to get through our experiences in our own way. But sharing your story is important
• Vulnerability can be scary, but is so worthwhile
• It’s ok to evaluate both family members and counsellors when decided what to share with whom. When you find that “fit”, you will know!
• Emotional safety is real - share or don’t share. You decide!

Quote 1: “Bailing twine turns every farmer into McGyver”

Quote 2: “We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the kindest order, a kind of artist”.

Final question to comment on: Is there something you used to do all the time and were passionate about, but you either just don’t have time anymore or just don’t have the same drive for it?

Links and Resources:

⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.nfmha.ca/⁠⁠⁠⁠ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Lilac Lane Media

Facebook -⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter -⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok -⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: info [at] theruralwell.com

Welcome back to the Rural Well Podcast. We've reached episode 10! We're so grateful you've taken the time to listen in and join in the conversation. This episode, we talk about communication.We specifically delve into 3 different types of communication:

• 
  
• 1.Active Listening

• 
  

  - Are you listening to respond, or are you listening to listen?

  - Non verbal communication can comprise of 86-96%, with tone, physicality, hands and facial expression all playing a part

  
  

  2.Use open ended questionsas opposed to close ended questions

  
  

  3.Clarification and/or summarization

  
  

  We also discuss how important Validation is - especially for men.

  It’s not even about being right! Being right doesn’t help us, it’s just validation we’re looking for.

  
  

  We also talk about the quote by George Bernard Shaw: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

  
  

  We then end off with banter about not getting hung up on the back and forth of whether something was communicated or not. Just move forward in communication.

  
  

  We look forward to having you join us on this journey at The Rural Well. Join the conversation!

  
  

  Links and Resources:

  ⁠⁠⁠http://www.nfmha.ca/⁠⁠⁠ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/⁠⁠⁠ - Lilac Lane Media

  Facebook -⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠

  Instagram -⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠

  Twitter -⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/theruralwell⁠⁠⁠

  TikTok -⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell⁠⁠⁠

  Email: info [at] theruralwell.com

  
  

  
  

  
  

In this episode, we have the wonderful opportunity to talk one-on-one with Sean Stanford, a grain farmer from Alberta who knows all too well the realities of stress on the farm. Sean walks us through his background, the many areas of responsibility he carries, and then ultimately how he came to terms with his anxiety, stress, and the courage it took for him to address it head-on - including the reality of the stigma that this can bring.

We look forward to having you join us on this journey at The Rural Well. Join the conversation!

Links and Resources:

⁠⁠http://www.nfmha.ca/⁠⁠ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

⁠⁠https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/⁠⁠ - Lilac Lane Media

Facebook - ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell⁠⁠

Twitter - ⁠⁠https://x.com/theruralwell⁠⁠

TikTok - ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell⁠⁠

Email: info [at] theruralwell.com

Happy New Year! Our latest episode 8, the first of 2025 delves into the meaning of resilience, where some people - especially farmers - turn to in order to cope with stress, struggles and their farming industry and legacy. We talk practical solutions, offer encouragement and give real world ways to be truly resilient in a healthy way.

Lauren also shares the reality of "bouncing back" and how it's not as simple and cut and dry as you may think.

We also discuss the quote "No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear." —Greg Kincaid

We look forward to having you join us on this journey at The Rural Well. Join the conversation!

Links and Resources:

⁠http://www.nfmha.ca/⁠ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

⁠https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/⁠ - Lilac Lane Media

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell⁠

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell⁠

Twitter - ⁠https://x.com/theruralwell⁠

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell⁠

Email: info [at] theruralwell.com

Welcome to another episode of the Rural Well Podcast! In this episode, we discuss:

- Lauren’s harrowing real Christmas tree story

- Bridgette’s decorating priorities

- Gift expectations

- Needful gifts

- Sacrificial thoughtfulness in gift giving - creative generosity

- Gift of time

- Budgeting

- Start early!

- Find time for yourself

- It’s ok to change traditions and recreate new ones

- We also respond to today’s quote "If you could be totally enlightened on any one subject, what subject would you choose?"

- How to hid gifts from present seekers

We also want to hear from you! What’s your tradition? Also, please send us a picture of your Christmas tree

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In this episode, we talk about Grief on the Back 40, with our special guest Iris Parr, Author, Teacher, Encourager and also serves as the Director of Communications for the National Farmer Mental Health Alliance.

Iris shares her story, we all talk about practical ways to deal with grief - particularly during holidays. We also talk about how to help others deal with grief in their own ways, to be intentional with support and then some lighthearted conversation at the end.

Question for our listeners? If you HAD to wear a hat, what kind of hat would it be?

Links and Resources:

Iris Parr's Blog - https://irisparr.ca/

Iris Parr's Books: https://irisparr.ca/my-books/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irisparr

Iris Parr's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/irisparr

http://www.nfmha.ca/ - National Farmer Mental Health Alliance

https://www.lilaclanemedia.com/ - Lilac Lane Media

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theruralwell

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theruralwell

Twitter - https://x.com/theruralwell

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theruralwell

Email: info [at] theruralwell.com