Parenting is hard at the best of times — add farm stress, exhaustion, or the chaos of harvest, and it can feel near impossible to be the parent you want to be. In this episode of From Stress to Strength: Navigating Life on the Land, Steph shares honest reflections from her own family life alongside practical strategies for staying connected with your kids when everything feels overwhelming.

You’ll hear about:

• Why “good enough” parenting really is enough.

• Practical tools from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.

• Everyday strategies: acknowledging feelings, giving choices, problem-solving as a family, and using notes or rituals for connection.

• The importance of repair when things go wrong — because none of us get it right every time.

This series is part of Farm Life Psych with Steph Schmidt and proudly supported by Ski for Life, who do incredible grassroots work in rural mental health and suicide prevention.

👉 Tune in for practical, compassionate ideas you can try on your farm and in your family this week.

👉 Find more resources for navigating Farm Life in the Farm Life Handbook Digital Hub www.farmlifehandbook.com.au

👉 Sign up for little reminders to help you stay on track:

www.stephschmidt.com.au/littlerocks

Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information only. If you are struggling, please reach out for support. In Australia you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or in South Australia contact Regional Access on 1300 032 186.

In this episode of From Stress to Strength: Navigating Life on the Land, part of my Farm Life Psych podcast, I’m taking you into the shearing shed — not just for the wool, but for the wisdom.

Currently we are navigating the chaos of shearing, a time I love and find exhausting - all at the same time. (Remember, it's all about the AND).

Shearing season is a masterclass in teamwork, routine, and finding small moments of joy in hard work. I share five lessons from the shed that can help us all — whether you run sheep or not — to look after our wellbeing:

• The power of the team (and why going far together beats going fast alone)

• Finding rest and rhythm in your days

• The lift that music and joy can bring

• Fueling your body for the work ahead

• Letting go of the “prickly bits”

It’s about finding practical ways to carry these lessons into everyday farm life, so we can keep going — together — even through the busiest, most exhausting seasons.

This From Stress to Strength series is proudly supported by Ski for Life, a grassroots organisation promoting mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention in rural communities across Australia.

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about Ski for Life: www.skiforlife.com.au

• Connect with me on Instagram or Facebook: @stephschmidt.farmlifepsych

• More episodes & resources: www.stephschmidt.com.au/podcast

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who’d appreciate it, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast is for general information and education purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are struggling or feel you may need support, please reach out to a qualified health professional. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Regional Access on 1300 032 186 (in South Australia). You do not have to go through difficult times alone — help is available.

In this episode of From Stress to Strength, Steph explores the idea of capacity—and why shifting the conversation from “mental health” to “how much I’ve got to give” might just change everything.

We often talk about stress as something wrong with us, but what if it’s just what happens when the demands placed on us exceed our capacity (or our perceived capacity) to cope? In this down-to-earth episode, Steph talks through what capacity looks like on the farm and in family life—and how to check in, protect it, and gently rebuild when you're running low.

Whether your silo’s full or scraping the bottom, this episode is your reminder that you don’t have to be at 100% to keep going—but you do need to notice where you’re at.

You’ll learn:

• How to check in with your capacity (without judgment)

• What drains your silo—and what fills it back up

• How capacity plays out in our relationships

• The importance of having honest conversations about load

• Simple ways to protect and build capacity day-to-day

🔧 Featuring practical metaphors, small tweaks, and a whole lot of validation for how hard it is right now.

This series is proudly supported by Ski for Life, an organisation committed to suicide prevention and stronger mental health in rural Australia.

📍 Find more at: stephschmidt.com.au/podcast

If this episode brings up anything for you:
📞 Lifeline: 13 11 14
📞 Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
📞 SA Rural Mental Health Triage: 13 14 65

When the stress is high, our relationships often take the biggest hit — especially on the farm, where family and business are deeply intertwined. In this episode, join Steph Schmidt as she explores how stress impacts our relationships and shares practical strategies to reconnect and repair, even in tough seasons.

Whether it's with your partner, parents, kids, or co-workers, this episode is a reminder that we’re in this together - and that small actions can make a big difference.

In this episode, Steph unpacks:

• How stress shrinks our “window of tolerance” and makes conflict more likely

• Why conflict is inevitable—and how repair matters more than perfection

• The power of perspective shifting: “You can be in a relationship or you can be right”

• A handful of practical tips to reconnect, from small daily check-ins to sharing your “why”

• Why shared purpose can anchor your family farm in hard times

💡 This episode is for anyone navigating the push and pull of relationships during times of pressure. You are not alone—and you don’t have to get it perfect.

Disclaimer:
This podcast provides general information for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional mental health advice. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out.

📞 Lifeline: 13 11 14 — 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention
📞 Regional Access (SA): 1300 032 186 — Free professional phone and online counselling for people living or working in regional South Australia
📞 Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 — Counselling for people affected by suicide

🎧 Listen and explore all episodes at stephschmidt.com.au/podcast
🙏 Proudly supported by Ski for Life — promoting mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention across rural Australia.

Our minds are meaning-making machines — but sometimes, they trap us in loops of self-criticism, worst-case scenarios, and unhelpful comparisons. In this episode, Steph unpacks the most common thinking traps we all fall into, especially when stress levels are high and life on the land feels overwhelming.

You’ll learn:

• Why thinking traps are normal (and not a sign that something's wrong with you)

• The most common traps: all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, mind reading, "shoulds" and "musts", labelling, overgeneralizing, emotional reasoning, and minimising your own strengths

• Simple tools to step out of these loops and regain perspective

• How to use the STOPP strategy to interrupt spirals and take meaningful next steps

Whether you're stuck in your own head or supporting someone else who is, this episode offers practical ways to pause, notice, and choose what happens next.

🧠 You don’t have to believe every thought you have. But you can learn to notice it — and choose your next move.

Referenced strategies:

• STOPP: Stop – Take a breath – Observe – Pull back – Proceed with what matters

• The 5x5 perspective rule

• “I’m having the thought that…” defusion tool

  
  

This episode is part of the From Stress to Strength series, proudly supported by Ski for Life, a grassroots organisation promoting mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention in rural communities across Australia.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
🌾 Connect with Steph on Instagram & Facebook: @stephschmidt.farmlifepsych
💻 Explore more: www.stephschmidt.com.au
📝 Complete the check-in survey: www.stephschmidt.com.au/podcast

When the pressure builds and it feels like everything is too much, what can you actually do to get through that moment?

In this episode of From Stress to Strength, join Steph Schmidt - psychologist and farmer - as she shares practical, body-based strategies to help you ride the emotional waves of tough seasons—without getting smashed underneath them. Whether you're standing in the paddock, driving the ute, or managing chaos in the kitchen, these tools are designed to help you ground yourself and find your footing.

Drawing from her experience as a psychologist and farmer, Steph unpacks:

• Why our nervous systems go into overdrive under stress

• How to "start from the outside in" to shift overwhelming feelings

• The power of grounding through the ACE and TIPP strategies

• How small sensory anchors can make a big difference

• Why practicing now helps when the pressure hits later

You don’t need to fix everything—sometimes surviving the moment is enough.

🧠 Supported by Ski for Life, this special podcast series is here to help you care for your mental health and wellbeing, one small, real-world step at a time.

👉 Don’t forget to complete the podcast check-in at:
www.stephschmidt.com.au/podcast

🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.
📣 Share this episode with someone who might need it.
💬 Connect with me on social media:
Instagram & Facebook: @stephschmidt.farmlifepsych
LinkedIn: Steph Schmidt

Welcome to From Stress to Strength, a special podcast series by Farm Life Psych with Steph Schmidt, proudly supported by Ski for Life.

Join Steph Schmidt, a psychologist, farmer and mum as she explores strategies to help navigate the challenges (and the joys) of farming life.

In this first episode, Steph sets the scene for the season ahead—sharing why this podcast series was created, what’s been happening on farms across South Australia (and beyond), and why it’s okay to simply be surviving right now. With so many juggling relentless drought, financial pressure, and emotional fatigue, Steph introduces the powerful concept of “filling your silo”—a relatable and practical wellbeing metaphor for farming life.

💬 In this episode, you'll hear:

• A real-time check-in on the 2024 season and what farmers are facing

• Why running on empty might get the job done—but at what cost?

• A guided "silo check-in" to reflect on your current energy levels

• Practical strategies for noticing what’s draining or filling your tank

• A reminder that thriving isn’t the only goal—sometimes surviving is enough

Whether you’re in the paddock, the ute, or at home with the chaos of life, this short, honest episode will help you pause, reflect, and gently care for yourself.

📝 Take the 2-minute check-in survey:
Help us understand how this series is supporting you and your community. Your anonymous responses will guide future episodes and help evaluate the impact of the series.
👉 Complete the podcast check-in at www.stephschmidt.com.au/podcast

🌱 This series is proudly supported by Ski for Life, a grassroots organisation promoting mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention in rural communities across Australia.

👩‍💻 Connect with Steph:
Website: www.stephschmidt.com.au
Instagram/Facebook: @stephschmidt.farmlifepsych
LinkedIn: Steph Schmidt

📩 Want to share your reflections or ideas for upcoming episodes? Get in touch at steph@stephschmidt.com.au

In this bite-sized Cultivate episode, join me, Steph Schmidt, a psychologist, farmer, and mum of 3. I explore the power of movement—not as punishment or pressure, but as permission to shift stress and reconnect with your body.

Whether you're shearing sheep, feeding out hay, or stuck in a tractor cab for 14 hours, this episode helps you rethink movement in a way that works for you.

From tiny micro-movements to driveway walks and squats in the sheep yards, I share how movement can send signals of safety to your nervous system, anchor you to the present, and improve your day—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

What you'll learn:

• Why movement matters (even when you're exhausted)

• Simple strategies to build movement into your day

• How to use movement as a mindfulness practice

• Ways to stay accountable (even if you hate gyms)

Links & Resources:

• Farm Life Fitness⁠

• Fat Farmers

• Kate Ivey Fitness

• Saltbush Stretch

• Active Farmers⁠

Make sure you subscribe or follow to stay up to date with future episodes.

Share this episode with someone who might benefit from it.

Send me your thoughts and feedback - steph@stephschmidt.com.au