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Hard Ground

Josh and Steph Borowski

Hard Ground is a podcast for farmers and rural operators willing to have the difficult conversations around succession, production, politics, all of it. Join us as we pursue honesty and find​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ the common ground we can all stand on.

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  • 20 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 58 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • Wednesday · 1 hr 4 min

    How a Finance Broker Saved This Farmer $140K They Didn't Know They Were Missing

    Is Your Bank Really Working for You? Josh and Steph sit down with Adam Rakowski and Matt Costello from Autos Financial to explore how finance brokers help farming families and business owners secure better deals, manage cash flow, and navigate financial uncertainty. Highlights: The importance of trust and honesty in finance. How brokers can help secure better loan rates. Managing rising interest rates and cash flow. Knowing when to review your bank and financial strategy. The impact of financial stress on families and businesses.

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  • October 22 · 59 min

    The English Girl Who Can't Keep Basil Alive But Saved a Calf at Midnight

    What does it take to leave everything behind and find your place in a world completely different from your own? In this episode of Hard Ground, Josh and Steph sit down with Ellie and Dan to explore rural life, relationships, regenerative farming, and the challenges of belonging. Ellie shares her journey from Oxford, England, to a 12,000-acre cattle property in Queensland, discovering that her greatest strength wasn't fitting in, but embracing what made her different. They also dive into cell grazing, food transparency, and reconnecting consumers with the people who produce their food. Highlights: → Ellie’s journey from townie to farm life and finding her purpose. → Why different interests can strengthen a relationship. → Regenerative agriculture, cell grazing, and sustainable land management. → Why transparency and storytelling matter for the future of Australian agriculture.

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  • October 13 · 1 hr 5 min

    Stop Gathering, Start Fighting: What Men Actually Need with Coach Sam Falsafi

    What are you escaping, and what is it costing you? Content Warning: This episode discusses mental health struggles, isolation, and suicide. Some topics may be distressing for listeners. If you or someone you know is struggling or in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services or a suicide crisis helpline for support. Josh and Steph sit down with Coach Sam Falsafi from Warrior Week for a direct conversation about men, disconnection and taking responsibility for the way we live. From alcohol and digital distraction to the constant excuse of being “too busy,” Sam challenges the habits men use to avoid difficult conversations, unresolved hurt and the people who need them most. Together, they explore how relationships with our fathers can shape us, what our daily habits feed into our minds, and how avoidance plays out in marriage, fatherhood and leadership. They also examine what makes a men’s group useful: honest connection, clear standards and accountability that leads to action. At the heart of this episode is a question: what are you grounded in, and does it hold up when life gets hard? For any man who feels stuck or knows something needs to change, this conversation offers a challenge to face what you’ve been avoiding and take the next step.

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  • September 16 · 1 hr 4 min

    How This Family Built a $70M Business Without Falling Apart

    What does it take to build a $70 million family business without destroying the family behind it? James and Emma Salerno from Ringers Western sit down with Hard Ground to unpack the principles that helped their family build one of Australia’s best-known rural clothing brands while staying united through business pressure, disagreements and extraordinarily difficult seasons. Raised on a million-acre cattle station in the Kimberley, James and Emma share how their family went from making clothing for themselves to building Ringers Western into a business with around 20 stores, more than 300 employees and roughly $70 million in annual revenue. But this conversation goes far beyond business growth. It’s about family business, succession, conflict resolution, leadership, rural Australia, resilience, workplace culture and staying together when life gets hard. They explain the family philosophy of “sticking together,” why no disagreement is considered too small to address, and the practical conflict-resolution process they call Team Technology. They also discuss walking through intense public scrutiny, protecting their family relationships and why adversity ultimately strengthened their commitment to one another. If you run a family farm, agricultural business, rural business or multigenerational company, this conversation offers a very different way to think about success. Highlights: → James and Emma explain why successful family businesses need to treat the health of the family as seriously as the health of the company, including their belief that unresolved small disagreements can eventually become major problems. → You’ll hear how their Team Technology framework works, including the idea of verbal “sparring,” bringing a third-party “Wisdom Bank” into disagreements and beginning difficult conversations with the commitment that everyone will work toward agreement. → They share how Ringers Western grew from clothing made for their own use into a major Australian rural brand, why product quality became non-negotiable and why they believe strong teams and relationships ultimately drive business performance. → James and Emma also open up about navigating enormous public pressure as a family, how adversity affected their children, employees and commercial relationships, and why knowing who stood beside them changed their perspective on loyalty, resilience and success.

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  • September 9 · 1 hr

    Fat Farmers: The Rural Health Movement Saving Lives

    Why are so many rural Australians putting their own health last, and what actually gets them to finally make a change? In this episode, we sit down with Richard Sheppy to unpack how Fat Farmers and Active Farmers are changing rural health, fitness and mental wellbeing across Australian farming communities. From taking health screenings directly to field days to creating local fitness groups where farmers can exercise alongside their mates, the mission is simple: break down the barriers that stop country people from looking after themselves. We talk about rural men’s health, farmer mental health, exercise, alcohol, anxiety, social connection and the enormous power of simply taking the first step. Richard also shares his own transformation from heavy drinking and smoking to running, cycling, training and living alcohol-free. We explore why you don’t need a fancy gym to improve your fitness, why consistency beats going from zero to hero, and why being kind to yourself matters when you’re starting again. If you’re a farmer, live in a rural community, struggle to prioritise your health or know someone who does, this conversation is for you. What You’ll Learn: → Why taking health services directly into rural communities can reach farmers who might otherwise never book a doctor’s appointment. → How starting with a 20-minute walk, exercising with mates and focusing on consistency can create sustainable improvements in fitness and wellbeing. → What Richard discovered after giving up alcohol, including changes around hangovers, anxiety, time, energy and his relationship with drinking culture. → Why physical health, mental health, social connection, mindfulness, breathwork, fitness and community all belong in the same rural wellbeing toolkit. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: K8GVCL7ZH25VLPP5

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  • September 2 · 1 hr 9 min

    How to Pass Down the Farm Without Dividing the Family

    How do you pass down a family farm, business, property or inheritance without tearing the family apart? In this episode of Hard Ground, Josh and Steph sit down with Karen Gale, founder of Forever Told, Australia’s first intentional ethical will service, to explore one of the most overlooked parts of succession planning: explaining the WHY behind your decisions. A legal will explains what happens to your assets. An intentional ethical will explains why you made those choices. And for farming families, family businesses and parents preparing for succession, that difference could prevent years of confusion, resentment and conflict. Karen shares powerful real-life succession stories, including a $12 million farming business, three very different children, an inheritance that appeared unequal but made complete sense once the family understood the intention behind it, and the extraordinary story of a neighbour whose help saved a family farm. We also explore family legacy, stewardship, estate planning, difficult conversations, intergenerational wealth, preserving family stories and why some of the hardest conversations need to happen while everyone is still around the kitchen table. What You’ll Learn: → Why a legal will tells your family what you decided, while an intentional ethical will can explain the reasoning, values and family history behind those decisions. → How unequal inheritance can sometimes represent thoughtful succession planning rather than favouritism, particularly when one child is best positioned to become the steward of a family farm or business. → Why avoiding difficult family conversations can create resentment, fear and assumptions that become far harder to resolve after someone dies. → How storytelling, family history and intentional communication can preserve a legacy that goes far beyond land, businesses, property or money.

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  • August 26 · 1 hr 8 min

    The Boy Crisis Nobody Wants to Talk About

    Why are so many men and boys struggling with purpose, identity, relationships, fatherlessness, mental health, and belonging? In this episode, we explore what happens when boys grow up without strong male role models, when healthy masculinity is treated as something dangerous, and when men feel increasingly disconnected from family, brotherhood, responsibility, and purpose. This episode examines the boy crisis, fatherless families, male suicide, domestic violence against men, Australia’s family court, masculinity, relationships, parenting, cultural change, and the importance of fathers in raising boys. We also discuss why men need accountability and brotherhood, how fathers can teach boys boundaries and responsibility, why male victims of abuse often remain silent, and what family breakdown can mean for children. This conversation challenges several popular assumptions about gender and asks a bigger question: Are we creating a culture that gives young men the guidance they need to become strong, responsible and compassionate adults? Whether you're a parent raising boys, a man searching for greater purpose, a woman concerned about the men in her life, or someone interested in men’s mental health, fatherhood, masculinity, family breakdown and modern relationships, this discussion is designed to start a conversation we believe society needs to have. Highlights: → You’ll hear why brotherhood, accountability and male mentorship may be essential for men who feel directionless, and why strong communities can give men a clearer sense of responsibility and purpose. → We explore the importance of fathers and positive male role models in raising boys, including how mothers and fathers can contribute differently to a child's development and why boys need healthy examples of masculine boundaries, discipline and protection. → The conversation also examines male victims of domestic violence and psychological abuse, why some men may be reluctant to report abuse, and the speakers’ concerns about how society and institutions respond when the victim is male. → Finally, we discuss family breakdown, the Australian family court, child access disputes, male mental health and suicide, as well as the broader cultural debate surrounding masculinity, marriage, parenting and what young men are being taught about becoming good husbands, fathers and leaders.

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  • August 19 · 48 min

    Why Men Don’t Ask for Help And What Actually Works

    Why do so many men struggle in silence, and why do some traditional approaches to men’s mental health fail to reach the blokes who need support most? In this episode of Hard Ground, Mary O’Brien, founder of Are You Bogged Mate?, joins rural shearer and sheep farmer Tom to unpack the reality of rural men’s mental health, suicide prevention, male loneliness, vulnerability, brotherhood, and asking for help. Mary explains why she believes men aren’t incapable of opening up, they often need a different environment, different language, and people they can genuinely relate to. Tom shares the deeply personal impact of losing his father to suicide, recognising his own mental health struggles years later, and eventually attending one of Are You Bogged Mate?’s Bog Breaks. What he found wasn’t simply another conversation about feelings. He found a network of men who understood what it meant to be struggling and were willing to stand beside each other after the weekend ended. This conversation explores why connection, purpose, community, practical mental health support, mateship, male identity and peer support could be critical pieces of the men’s mental health conversation—particularly in regional, rural and remote Australia. Highlights → Why men may communicate differently about mental health. Mary explains why sitting face-to-face and demanding vulnerability may not work for every bloke, and why conversations while driving, walking or working shoulder-to-shoulder can sometimes feel more natural. → What makes Bog Breaks different? You’ll hear how Are You Bogged Mate? brings struggling men together for several days, removes the financial barriers to attending, and intentionally builds a support network that continues long after they return home. → What struggling looked like for Tom. Tom describes poor sleep, constant stress, increased drinking and a growing sense that life felt pointless—and why losing his father to suicide made him realise he needed to address what was happening before it became worse. → Why brotherhood may be one of the missing pieces. The conversation explores the value of having other men you can call on a bad day without feeling like a burden, along with the role older men can play in guiding and supporting younger men.

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  • S1 · E17
    August 12 · 59 min

    How to Pass On the Family Farm Without Starting a Feud

    Passing on a family farm should protect the legacy, not destroy the family. But when rising land values, sibling buyouts, retirement security, old promises, and unclear expectations collide, farm succession planning can quickly become a costly family dispute. In this episode of Hard Ground, farmer and commercial property lawyer Tim Flynn explains how farming families can approach succession before the lawyers are called in to fight. This conversation is for parents preparing to step back, on-farm children hoping to continue the business, off-farm siblings wondering what is fair, and rural families trying to protect both relationships and assets. Tim breaks down the difference between fair and equal, the risks of forcing one sibling to buy out the others, and the three main succession paths: sell, divide, or integrate. He also explains why the land asset and trading business may need to be treated separately, how clawback clauses can protect the wider family, and why a profitable, viable farm business is essential before ownership changes hands. Most importantly, this episode shows why successful family farm succession needs the right team: a facilitator, accountant, lawyer, banker, financial planner, and sometimes a business coach. Plan early, communicate clearly, and avoid turning a farming legacy into an expensive legal war. What You’ll Learn: → Fair versus equal: How farming families can decide where they sit between dividing everything equally and protecting the farm as a working family asset. → Sibling buyouts: Why forcing the on-farm child to purchase every sibling’s share can cripple cash flow, and what alternative succession structures may be considered. → Three succession paths: The practical differences between selling the farm, dividing the assets, or integrating the next generation into the family business. → Building the right team: When families may need a facilitator, accountant, succession lawyer, banker, financial planner, or business coach, and why each advisor must stay within their area of expertise. Chapters 00:00 Meet farmer and lawyer Tim Flynn 01:17 The lawyer’s role in farm succession 03:31 Managing his own family farm transition 05:00 Why farming keeps calling families back 08:35 Farm cash flow, law and social media 10:08 Using humor to discuss family conflict 11:20 Buying out siblings: fair versus equal 13:50 When family members need independent advice 16:40 Preventing expensive legal disputes 18:36 Three perspectives every family should consider 20:42 When to involve a succession lawyer 23:00 Why farm succession is becoming harder 25:50 Rising land values and family expectations 27:10 Sell, divide or integrate the family business 29:40 Separating land from the trading business 30:58 Clawback clauses and long-term stewardship 35:20 What an ideal succession plan looks like 37:20 Protecting parents during retirement 40:45 Finding the right succession planning team 44:30 Are you passing on an asset or a problem? 48:55 Why DIY legal work can cost millions 50:40 Choosing prevention instead of litigation 53:55 Tim’s final message: You are not alone

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  • S1 · E16
    July 29 · 52 min

    Farm Succession: Keep the Farm and the Family Together

    Farm succession planning is not simply about deciding who receives the land. It is about protecting the family farm, preserving relationships, managing debt, creating opportunities for every child, and helping the next generation build a future of their own. In this episode of Hard Ground, succession planner and farmer James Hamilton explains why equal inheritance is not always fair, and why dividing a farm equally can make it impossible for the business to survive. Drawing on professional experience and his own successful family succession, James reveals how farming families can discuss ownership, debt, off-farm siblings, retirement, management transfer, and intergenerational wealth without allowing resentment to control the outcome. This conversation is for farmers, parents, adult children, farming couples, and rural families who know succession needs to happen but are struggling to begin. You will hear why an independent facilitator can ask questions that family members cannot, how transferring debt can improve the succession outcome, why delaying the process often makes it harder, and how regular family stewardship meetings can normalise difficult conversations. A successful farm succession plan should give every family member a clear opportunity, not necessarily an equal collection of assets, and create a path that allows everyone to return to the family table with gratitude. What You’ll Learn: → Why financial, emotional, physical, and symbolic needs must all be considered during farm succession planning. → How an independent succession facilitator helps families reach an in-principle agreement before accountants, lawyers, and financial planners become involved. → Why transferring farm debt alongside land can create a fairer and more sustainable outcome for farming and off-farm children. → How family stewardship meetings, clear sale conditions, and early management transfer can protect both the farm business and long-term family relationships. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to James Hamilton01:05 What does a succession planner actually do?02:28 Understanding financial and emotional needs04:03 Holding up the metaphorical mirror06:49 Why families communicate differently with a facilitator08:05 Reaching an in-principle family agreement09:30 Creating an opportunity for every sibling12:05 Equal inheritance versus keeping the farm together13:35 Why time is one of your greatest succession assets16:09 James Hamilton’s family succession story19:05 Farm profitability, land values, and the need for scale21:20 The internal threats facing family farms23:47 Family stewardship meetings explained25:50 Helping the next generation make an informed choice27:15 Why fair does not always mean equal30:40 When a family therapist may be needed32:55 Managing conflict during a 13-hour family meeting34:40 What happens if the successor sells the farm?37:52 The cost of doing nothing41:34 Knowing when the older generation should step back43:50 How successful farming communities normalise succession45:36 Preparing your family before succession planning47:00 Building the right succession advisory team53:24 Red flags in the succession planning industry57:03 Trust, ethics, and avoiding profit-driven advice01:00:37 Final thoughts and closing

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  • S1 · E15
    July 22 · 14 min

    Why Farmers Stay Silent About Suicidal Thoughts

    Why do so many farmers stay silent when they are struggling with depression, hopelessness, or suicidal thoughts? In this episode of Hard Ground, we examine the hidden mental health crisis affecting farmers, rural men, agricultural families, and multigenerational family farms. Farm succession is not simply a financial or legal process. When the future of a farm becomes uncertain, a farmer can feel trapped, powerless, ashamed, or unable to move the family business forward. That pressure can affect his identity, marriage, decision-making, self-worth, and belief that he is providing value to his family. In the darkest moments, he may begin to see himself as a burden and believe the people around him would be better off without him. This conversation explores why pride, public humiliation, family conflict, masculine expectations, and fear of judgment can stop farmers from asking for mental health support. It also examines a unique barrier in rural communities: some farmers fear that admitting they are experiencing suicidal thoughts could result in their firearms being removed. For people who use firearms as everyday farming tools, that fear can create another reason to remain silent. This episode is for farmers, farming families, rural communities, succession planners, agricultural professionals, and anyone concerned about farmer suicide prevention. You’ll learn how unresolved farm succession disputes can create hopelessness and emotional isolation, why some men connect their personal value to leadership and financial performance, how shame and fear of public humiliation discourage honest conversations, and why mental-health campaigns can fail when practical support does not reach people inside rural communities. The discussion also examines how family members absorb the pressure when a farmer is no longer coping, why women may feel forced to carry additional responsibility, how pride allows problems to fester behind closed doors, and why removing barriers to confidential support is essential for farmer mental health and suicide prevention. 00:00 The hidden cost of silence 00:49 Introducing the farmer suicide conversation 01:25 How farm succession creates hopelessness 02:18 Why suicide affects farming men differently 03:16 Masculinity, achievement and personal value 04:02 Feeling like a burden to your family 05:03 Why women step into the leadership gap 05:42 Victimhood, faith and emotional isolation 06:39 What happens when problems stay hidden 07:05 Fear of humiliation and exposure 08:09 Why farmers struggle to ask neighbours for help 09:14 Firearms and the fear of speaking honestly 10:37 Is talking about mental health enough? 11:30 Why awareness campaigns often go nowhere 12:07 Reaching the farmers who need support 12:28 Why pride can become a killer 13:22 Pushing through the fire as a family 14:01 Closing thoughts #FarmerMentalHealth #FarmSuccession #SuicidePrevention #RuralMentalHealth #FarmingFamilies 2. What You’ll Learn3. ChaptersHashtags

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  • S1 · E14
    July 15 · 59 min

    Relying on One Income Nearly Broke Us: Here’s What Changed

    What would happen to your family’s income if illness, injury, or an unexpected crisis stopped you from working tomorrow?After being diagnosed with stage four endometriosis, Amy faced emergency surgery, weeks away from her literacy clinic, a major medical bill, and the frightening realization that no work meant no income. That moment pushed her to explore online income, affiliate marketing, digital marketing, investing, cryptocurrency, and multiple income streams. Later, while recovering in a hospital bed, one of those income streams generated $1,500 without her being physically present.In this conversation, Amy explains how income diversification transformed her family’s options in just three years. We discuss financial resilience, trading time for money, building backup income, overcoming fear and skepticism, understanding risk, and learning to think beyond traditional jobs and investments.The conversation also explores financial sovereignty, centralized and decentralized finance, alternative education, AI’s impact on future careers, raising entrepreneurial children, and creating a life with greater flexibility. This episode is for parents, business owners, farmers, sole traders, employees, and anyone who wants more control over how they earn, live, and prepare for an uncertain future.You’ll learn:→ Why depending on one income source can leave a family financially vulnerable when illness, injury, business disruption, or another unexpected event occurs.→ How Amy began building online income beside her existing clinic before eventually creating several different income streams.→ Why diversification is not only about earning more money—it can provide breathing room, flexibility, mobility, and the ability to make less emotional decisions during a crisis.→ How open-mindedness, calculated risk, failure, emerging technology, AI, financial education, and alternative ways of learning could shape the next generation.CHAPTERS00:00 Meet Amy02:15 From primary teacher to literacy clinic owner05:35 The health crisis that stopped Amy from working09:20 Making $1,500 while recovering in hospital12:05 Why one income stream is not enough15:30 Spending, investing, and understanding risk20:20 Dyslexia, confidence, and the education system25:25 Preparing children for an AI-powered future30:45 Where beginners can start exploring new options35:30 Skepticism, scams, and conditioned money beliefs41:40 Banks, restrictions, and control over your money48:10 Centralized versus decentralized finance54:15 Travel, alternative education, and family freedom01:01:15 Saying yes, failing, and learning as you go01:06:10 Amy’s final advice: start small and stay openThis conversation reflects personal experiences and opinions and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Conduct your own research and consult an appropriately licensed professional before making financial decisions.

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  • S1 · E12
    July 8 · 1 hr 17 min

    The Hard Conversation That Could Save Your Family Farm with Katie Godden

    Family farm succession is not just about land, money, wills, or who gets what. It is about communication, trust, family dynamics, hard conversations, emotional safety, and whether the people around the table feel heard. In this episode of Hard Ground, we sit down with Katie Godden to talk about why farming families avoid the conversations that matter most, and what happens when those conversations are left too long. If you are part of a family farm, rural business, or agricultural family trying to navigate succession planning, conflict, resentment, generational pressure, or difficult family communication, this conversation is for you. Katie brings years of experience in communication, behavioural profiling, NLP, teaching, and family farm facilitation to help unpack why people shut down, blow up, avoid, defend, or misread each other when the stakes are high. This episode matters because the cost of silence is rarely immediate. It builds slowly. Trust erodes. Resentment grows. Families drift. And by the time succession arrives, the real issue is often not the farm plan, but the years of conversations nobody knew how to have. You’ll learn why different people receive communication differently, and how understanding someone’s “map of the world” can change the way a conversation lands. You’ll hear why trust needs to be built before the hard conversation, not during the crisis, especially in family farm succession and rural family businesses. Katie explains how to prepare yourself before a difficult conversation by knowing the outcome you need, without trying to control the other person’s response. You’ll also learn practical ways to regulate your body, pause, listen, repair, and help others feel heard when emotions run high. -- As a former teacher with 16 years of classroom experience and someone living with Type 1 Diabetes for over three decades, l've experienced firsthand how words can either build trust or break it. I was also raised on a family farm, so I know what it's like to work alongside people you care about. When family and business overlap, communication takes on a different weight. You care deeply about getting it right; about being honest without hurting people, about protecting relationships while making big decisions, about keeping things moving forward without losing what matters most. Through my extensive research in communication, behavioral profiling, and NLP, l've dedicated myself to helping leaders, agribusiness families and professionals create meaningful conversations that truly land. I work with clients to refine their communication skills, overcome resistance, and create lasting transformation. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:20 Welcome to Hard Ground 01:32 Why is communication so hard? 03:24 We are wired for connection 04:09 Everyone has a different map of the world 06:49 Conversational agility and personality styles 10:38 The consequences of not communicating 11:41 Filling the trust bucket 13:02 Why people need to feel heard 15:07 Preparing for hard conversations 16:23 Outcome vs expectation 18:21 What do I need to feel complete? 19:01 What if you are the only communicator? 20:34 Leading the way in hard conversations 21:53 The cost of silence in family farms 25:04 Katie’s background and why this matters 28:30 Can broken communication be repaired? 32:59 Willingness, patience, and acceptance 35:03 Why Katie works before succession 37:31 The Art of Hard Talk 40:02 How Katie helps families communicate 43:25 Creating safety before honesty 46:41 Moving through emotion in hard conversations 48:42 Simple body cues that calm conflict 51:20 Helping kids move through emotion 55:22 Why this matters in family farming 58:33 Farmers, resilience, and being heard 01:00:00 The biggest communication skill 01:03:07 Staying connected over a lifetime 01:06:13 Men, women, and feeling heard #FamilyFarm #FarmSuccession #HardConversations #RuralFamilies #AustralianAgriculture

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  • S1 · E12
    July 1 · 1 hr 4 min

    The Farm Succession Mistake That Can Destroy Families with Theresa Dowling

    Farm succession can either protect your family legacy or tear it apart. In this episode, succession lawyer Theresa Dowling explains what really happens when farming families avoid the hard conversations about ownership, inheritance, wills, unpaid labour, in-laws, family trusts, debt, retirement, and who gets control of the farm. If you are part of a family farming business, planning to return to the farm, married into a farming family, or trying to work out what happens when Mum and Dad step back, this conversation is for you. Thersa shares real stories of farm succession disputes, court cases, broken family relationships, and the massive legal costs that can come when families do not put clear plans in place. We talk about why farms are not just normal businesses, why emotions run so high, how communication breaks down, and why promises like “this will all be yours” can become dangerous when nothing is written down. This episode is a must-watch for anyone wanting to avoid a family farm succession disaster, protect the next generation, and keep both the farm and the family intact. You’ll learn: → Why family farm succession disputes often start years before anyone goes to court. → How informal promises can create major legal and financial risk. → Why daughter-in-laws and son-in-laws should often be included in succession conversations. → How early planning with lawyers, accountants, financial planners, and mediators can help farming families avoid devastating conflict. → How succession disputes can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. → Why communication breaks down between generations. → What proprietary estoppel means in plain English. → When legal action may become necessary. → How asking better questions can help families move from resentment and fear toward clarity, structure, and protection. 00:00 Intro: Why succession plans need to handle things going wrong 00:45 Meet Theresa Dowling, succession lawyer 01:12 Why farming families end up in legal disputes 03:04 Informal farm arrangements and misaligned expectations 04:44 Why family farms are not like other businesses 06:12 Debt, trusts, unpaid labour, gender roles, and sibling rivalry 10:38 What happens when families avoid succession conversations 11:27 Lifetime disputes vs after-death disputes 12:23 The “this will all be yours” promise gone wrong 14:16 When farm succession ends up in the Supreme Court 17:43 The real legal cost of farm succession disputes 19:26 How court can freeze the whole farming enterprise 21:14 The mental health cost of family farm disputes 23:21 Proprietary estoppel explained in plain language 25:42 Why succession plans must prepare for accidents, illness, and death 27:35 When families usually call a succession lawyer 29:30 Why in-laws need a seat at the table 33:22 Teresa’s background in rural Australia and succession law 38:10 When the family hits a communication roadblock 40:31 How mediators help farming families talk again 43:12 How to start the conversation with a resistant parent 50:11 Ask Mum and Dad what they actually want 52:18 When going to court may be necessary 54:04 Elder abuse and inheritance impatience 56:01 What happens after 20 years of unpaid farm work 01:00:20 How families can avoid catastrophic outcomes 01:02:50 Teresa’s final advice for older and younger generations

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  • S1 · E11
    June 24 · 40 min

    How to Start the Farm Succession Talk Without a Fight

    Farm succession planning can feel impossible when family conflict, old wounds, fear, resentment, and unspoken expectations are sitting under the surface. In this conversation, Josh and Steph talk honestly about what happens when the family farm, marriage, parenting, in-laws, succession planners, and father-son relationships all collide. This episode is for farming families who know they need to talk about succession, farm transition, inheritance, business structure, communication, and the future of the farm, but feel stuck, overwhelmed, or afraid to rock the boat. If you have ever come home carrying the stress of the farm into your marriage, felt alone in the fight with your parents, or wondered whether outside help could actually make things worse or better, this conversation is for you. Josh and Steph unpack the emotional reality behind succession planning: why good intentions can still hurt, why the first attempt might not work, why a husband and wife need to become a team, and why healing the relationships often matters before solving the business structure. Why farm succession planning is rarely just about land, money, inheritance, or business structure, and why communication, fear, loyalty, and family history often drive the conflict. How unresolved farm stress can follow a farmer home and quietly affect marriage, parenting, emotional health, and the feeling of safety inside the family. Why bringing in a third party, succession planner, mediator, coach, or trusted outside voice can help families stop the cycle of frustration and start clearer conversations. How Josh’s journey from anger, resentment, and pressure toward faith, peace, and responsibility changed the way he carried the weight of the family farm. 00:00 Intro and why this conversation matters 01:40 Stories from farming families behind the scenes 02:16 Why succession planning can tear families apart 04:33 Reflecting on their own family farm situation 05:01 Values, communication, fear, and rocking the boat 07:10 The first step toward getting help 08:13 Seeing the farm stress from a spouse’s perspective 10:16 Carrying the pressure home into marriage 11:13 Finding outside help for the first time 12:42 Why succession can take many small steps 13:29 The tension between loyalty, change, and family pain 15:24 Why staying silent can do long-term damage 17:06 When your spouse feels scared to add more pressure 18:41 Realising the cost of being emotionally absent 20:00 Why husbands and wives need to become a team 22:03 Progress, not perfection 23:05 You are not alone in farm family conflict 24:33 Why we can get addicted to our own story 26:05 When it is time to look beyond the family 27:12 Why choosing the right succession help matters 28:31 How getting help changed their marriage 29:05 Healing the father-son relationship 29:43 The role faith played in Josh’s transformation 34:32 What Fireside is and who it is for 37:10 How to connect and share your story #FarmSuccession #FamilyFarm #SuccessionPlanning #FarmLife #FarmingFamilies

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  • S1 · E10
    June 17 · 1 hr 20 min

    The Farm Succession Talk Your Family Keeps Avoiding with Jess Cavanagh

    Farm succession planning is one of the hardest conversations a farming family will ever have — but avoiding it can cost more than money. It can cost relationships, clarity, trust, and the future of the family farm. In this episode of Hard Ground, Jess Cavanagh from Proactive Succession joins the conversation to unpack why farm succession, family business transition, inheritance, estate planning, and generational change are so emotionally loaded in agriculture. This is for farming families, next-generation farmers, parents on the land, sons and daughters waiting for clarity, off-farm siblings, daughter-in-laws, son-in-laws, and anyone trying to protect both the farm business and the family table. Jess shares why many farmers see outside help as weakness, why “it’ll all be yours one day” is not a real plan, why starting early gives families more options, and why legacy is about more than who gets the land. If your family has avoided the succession conversation, struggled with control, fairness, entitlement, in-laws, or the fear of conflict, this episode gives language, perspective, and hope for a better way forward. You’ll learn why farming families often avoid succession planning, and how the culture of independence in agriculture can make asking for help feel like failure. Jess explains why the patriarch is often the hardest person to bring into the succession process, especially when control, vulnerability, retirement, and responsibility all feel tied together. The episode explores why “fair” and “equal” are not always the same thing when it comes to farm inheritance, off-farm children, business viability, and keeping the farm in the family. You’ll also hear why in-laws should not be shut out of succession conversations, and how including daughter-in-laws and son-in-laws can reveal either valuable insight or real risk early enough to plan properly. 00:00 Legacy, transparency, and family decisions 00:18 Welcome to Hard Ground 00:35 Introducing Jess Cavanagh from Proactive Succession 01:30 Why succession is one of the hardest family conversations 02:07 Why farmers avoid working on the business 03:06 Why asking for help can feel like weakness 06:05 Control, exposure, and the realities of farming 08:17 Why succession requires business strategy 10:29 The family business puzzle 13:34 Why Jess works in farm succession 15:18 Choose the feast, not the fight 15:54 What happens when succession goes unresolved 17:38 The loneliness of being stuck in the family farm 22:11 Where succession resistance usually comes from 23:36 When Dad says he’ll die with his boots on 28:29 How long should the next generation wait? 33:41 Entitlement, humility, and changing perspective 36:26 Seeing the family business from another person’s shoes 39:38 Succession is training, not just handover 40:28 Why a clear plan helps during drought and crisis 44:32 Ask questions instead of forcing opinions 47:43 How young families can start succession early 52:18 When all the wealth is tied up in the farm 57:06 Why siblings are not really “paying out” siblings 59:07 Why 50% equity can be an uncreative solution 1:04:38 Early planning versus years of resentment 1:05:56 Are daughter-in-laws really the problem? 1:07:34 Why in-laws can be an asset to succession 1:12:45 Why Proactive includes in-laws in the process 1:17:40 Final reflections with Jess 1:18:29 Proactive Succession event in Tamworth 1:20:32 Closing thoughts #FarmSuccession #FamilyFarm #SuccessionPlanning #AustralianAgriculture #FarmBusiness

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  • S1 · E8
    June 10 · 58 min

    When Farmers Hit Breaking Point, Mates Show Up

    Mick is an accomplished poet, author and song writer. He writes for and has been published many times in National magazines including R M Williams “Outback” magazine. He frequently presents his poetry on ABC radio. His poem “Mates at the gate” has been picked up by Country singer, Ashley Cook and is looking like a good chance for a Golden Guitar in Tamworth. Mick has been either a compere or feature poet at Monagaribli Care flight charity show, Boondooma Spirit of the bush, The Queensland outback Golf spectacular in Winton, NQ’s Rockin Queensland in Mackay, a series of Brisbane shows with “The Vixens of Fall”, the RNA (Brisbane Ekka) as a judge and as a feature performer. Mick runs workshops for adults and students. He judges poetry competitions all around the Country. Mick is a harmonica player in a small musical group called “Three legged onion” He is a busy, busy chap and says “If you’re not living life on the edge you are probably taking up too much room” Mick started and runs a rural family support charity called Mates at the Gate Mick says “I have written and memorised many poems based on my time in the bush, on our farm as well as in fire service. He loves the dry humour and gutsy determination of people who work the land. Poems like “mates at the gate” and “All but Barton” come from real life experience. His shows are often described as comedy shows but they are much more than that. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:42 Meet Mick Martin 01:03 What Is Mates at the Gate? 02:23 How the Charity Started During the Drought 04:39 The First Farmer Trip to Fraser Island 06:57 The Generosity of Everyday Australians 08:15 Volunteer Tradies Helping Rural Families 10:26 Why Retreats Matter for Farmers 12:14 Ladies Retreats and Mental Health Support 13:01 The Media, Hope, and Aussie Culture 16:45 Why People Still Want to Help 19:28 Community, Assimilation, and Australian Identity 25:16 One Flag, One Nation, One Direction 28:22 The Mission Statement for Mates at the Gate 31:01 How to Nominate or Contact Mates at the Gate 33:25 Why Farming Wives Carry So Much 37:19 Building Support After the Retreats 38:32 A Classic Bush Pub Story 40:01 What Happens on the Men’s Retreats 42:52 Are You Bogged Mate and Rural Mental Health 44:20 How Retreat Spots Are Chosen 47:10 On-Farm Projects and Rebuilding Homes 52:19 Mick’s Classic Toilet Story 54:15 Mates at the Gate Poem 58:08 Closing

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  • S1 · E8
    June 5 · 30 min

    Part 2: The Jackson Brothers' Farm: A Testament to Faith and Family Unity

    Matt and Brad are brothers who farm in North West NSW with their brother Phil and father Peter. They run a YouTube channel “The Jackson Brothers” where they showcase day to day farming life as well as some earthmoving content with two D11 bulldozers. They recently worked through the hard task of succession planning and offer a different insight into how faith, family and farming all come together. -- This insightful interview explores the values of family, faith, and humility in farming life. The brothers share their journey, challenges, and the importance of a biblical worldview in maintaining unity and purpose. -- Key Topics * Family and faith in farming * Succession planning and family unity * The role of humility and biblical values in leadership

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  • S1 · E7
    June 3 · 50 min

    Part 1: The Jackson Brothers' Farm: A Testament to Faith and Family Unity

    Matt and Brad are brothers who farm in North West NSW with their brother Phil and father Peter. They run a YouTube channel “The Jackson Brothers” where they showcase day to day farming life as well as some earthmoving content with two D11 bulldozers. They recently worked through the hard task of succession planning and offer a different insight into how faith, family and farming all come together. -- This insightful interview explores the values of family, faith, and humility in farming life. The brothers share their journey, challenges, and the importance of a biblical worldview in maintaining unity and purpose. -- Key Topics * Family and faith in farming * Succession planning and family unity * The role of humility and biblical values in leadership -- Chapters 00:00 The Victim Mentality and Growth Mindset 02:30 The Jackson Family Journey in Farming 06:50 The Challenges of Organic Farming 10:52 Family Dynamics and Expectations 14:53 Faith and Family Values in Farming 19:44 Transitioning Leadership and Trust in Family Business 25:07 Navigating Life's Challenges 30:49 The Importance of Humility and Gratitude 35:29 Family Dynamics in Farming 40:57 Conflict Resolution and Communication 44:11 Mental Health and Emotional Burdens

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  • S1 · E6
    May 27 · 1 hr 17 min

    Farm Safety Isn’t Paperwork; It’s Life or Death with Bec Fing

    Rebecca Fing is the Founder and Managing Director of House Paddock Training and Consulting, based in Goondiwindi. A wife, mum, country girl and self-described "susie-homemaker-wanna-be-gardener," Bec has spent nearly two decades helping businesses and individuals better manage their people, projects, safety and operations through practical training, coaching and consulting. Known for her no-frills, down-to-earth approach, Bec specialises in WHS and HR management, focusing on real-world solutions, engagement and sustainable processes over paperwork. Farm safety, WHS, OH&S, contractor risk, fatigue management, farm inductions, and safety paperwork can feel overwhelming for family farms, but this conversation makes it practical. If you run a farm, employ staff, use contractors, have family helping, host visitors, or worry about what happens if something goes wrong, this episode is for you. In this Hard Ground conversation, Beck from House Paddock Consulting explains why farm safety is not just a compliance issue. It is a people issue, a family issue, and a business survival issue. She breaks down the difference between safety culture and paperwork, why “doing the right thing” matters more than ticking a box, and why simple steps like inductions, emergency plans, training evidence, and honest conversations can put your farm in a much stronger position. This episode is for farmers who feel frustrated by safety rules, scared of liability, or unsure where to start. You will hear practical examples around fatigue at harvest, contractors on farm, recreational use of farm vehicles, shooters, visitors, SOPs, high-risk machinery, and the grey areas that make WHS feel confusing. You’ll learn how to start with a simple farm induction, why emergency preparedness matters, what to ask your team when you want honest safety feedback, and why your documents must reflect what actually happens on your farm. You’ll also hear how contractor responsibility works, why shared responsibility matters, and why high-risk jobs deserve the most attention. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:29 Welcome to Hard Ground 02:03 Meet Beck from House Paddock Consulting 05:04 Why farm safety matters 07:35 The human cost of farm incidents 10:11 Why farmers resist WHS and safety paperwork 14:14 Profit, pressure, and the cost of a life 18:51 Safety culture vs paperwork 21:38 Fatigue management during harvest 23:45 Why paperwork protects the business 26:47 Where farm safety resistance comes from 31:17 Farming freedom vs safety regulation 33:30 Why starting matters more than perfection 44:05 Risk, kids, quad bikes, and farm life 50:23 Employees living on farm and recreational risk 54:04 Shooters, visitors, and grey areas 55:44 Contractors and shared responsibility 56:49 Simple contractor inductions and annual emails 1:04:49 Where to start with WHS 1:06:35 The one question to ask your team 1:12:58 When someone says they feel unsafe 1:15:03 SOPs, insurance, and high-risk machinery 1:15:38 Contractor safety standards 1:16:19 Beck’s farm safety programs #FarmSafety #WHS #FamilyFarms #AgricultureAustralia #FarmBusiness

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