Farm life challenge Podcast

In recognition of the fact that managing the multifaceted nature of life on the land is no easy feat, a new podcast has been launched for rural Australians, covering the ups and downs of farming… but with a psychological spin thrown into the mix.

The podcast, Farm Life Psych with Steph Schmidt, has been created by South Australian-based rural mental health advocate and 2020 AgriFutures SA Rural Women’s Award winner Steph Schmidt.

Living on farm in the state’s Mid North region, Steph draws on her experiences as a farmer, psychologist, farm wife and mum, giving listeners valuable insights on navigating the juggle of farm, family, and life.

Two episodes in, the podcast has so far covered the importance of self-care, how to manage multiple on-farm roles, and has delved into insights from rural women who contributed to Steph’s highly-successful 2023 Change The Picture campaign.

Each week, Steph will pull apart a different aspect of mental health, always linking back to farm-life analogies to ensure the content is relevant and relatable to rural listeners.

Her aim is to give people actionable tips and tools to cope with the challenges of rural living, taking a proactively approach to mental health support.

“I want to put tools and strategies that you would get from a psychologist, into the hands of those living on the land, before a crisis hits, long before a crisis hits and those strategies are desperately needed,” Steph said.

The podcast also includes an ‘Ask Steph’ section, where Steph answers questions anonymously submitted to her about anything to do with the challenges of rural living.

I want to hear what’s causing stress, what is something you’re unsure of, or that burning question you just don’t know where else to ask or that you might be finding tricky to bring up in a public space,” she said. I’ll do my best to unpack the topic, and offer some evidence-backed insight about how to tackle the problem going forward.

The podcast has been on Schmidt’s to-do list for the past few months, but with a multitude of increasing pressures such as the live sheep export phaseout announcement, dry seasonal conditions, and increasing input costs, she knew the podcast was needed now more than ever.

“Farm life is my everyday reality – I know first-hand how much farmers are struggling at the moment,” Steph said.

“Who knows how many people my podcast will reach, but if I reach one person at a time when they truly need it, that’s enough for me.”

Rural Podcasting Co. founder and Ducks on the Pond podcast co-host Kirsten Diprose has tuned into the first few episodes of Farm Life Psych with Steph Schmidt, and recommends the podcast for those wading through the ups and downs of life on the land.

“I’m so excited Steph has her own podcast now. I have interviewed Steph many times on my own podcast, Ducks on the Pond, because I always learn something from her,” Kirsten said.

“Steph understands the challenges, fun and unpredictability of farm life and has the mental health knowledge and expertise to offer useful, practical tips. I’m loving listening to her podcast and the calm, self-reflection it brings.”

Podcast episodes will drop every Friday morning, available on Apple and Spotify.