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Episode 100. A milestone we never imagined reaching—because today, the mic finally turns on Katja.

For the first time, the founder and host behind ⭐ The Ultimate Farm Wife Podcast ⭐ Agsolutley Fabulous Podcast ⭐ Harvest Her Power – Women in Family Farming Conference

…sits in the guest seat.

In this raw, honest, surprising and deeply moving 100th-episode special, Katja opens up about the journey you’ve never fully heard before—what it took to build two leading rural podcasts, raise a family on the land, navigate generational farming pressures, and create a national movement empowering women in agriculture.

In This Episode

✨ The real reason Katja started The Ultimate Farm Wife ✨ How a young mum on a drought-stricken farm became a national rural voice ✨ Growing two farms, four kids, and two podcasts at once ✨ Building the Harvest Her Power Conference from scratch ✨ The moments she nearly walked away ✨ The future of rural women’s storytelling and leadership ✨ What she’s never shared publicly—until now

Why You’ll Love This Episode

This isn’t just a celebration. It’s a milestone for rural women everywhere—proof that your story, your voice and your resilience matter.

Whether you’re a farmer, a mum, a business owner, or someone who simply loves honest conversations from the heart of Australia… this episode is one you’ll replay again and again.

Harvest Her Power; Empowerment and Skills Conference for women in family farming.

https://farmwivesconference.com.au/

Tickets on sale NOW.

Discount Codes:

Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout!

Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

Episode: A Conversation with Fiona McArthur — Midwife, Author, Rural Advocate

In today’s powerful episode, Katja sits down with the extraordinary Fiona McArthur (formerly Fiona Simpson) — a midwife of 35 years, bestselling Australian author of more than 60 books, mother of five boys, cattlewoman, and passionate advocate for women living, working and raising families on the land.

This is a warm, wise, and deeply relatable conversation full of stories rural women will instantly connect with.

🌾 Episode Highlights

• Fiona’s early years as a midwife at Kempsey Hospital, and juggling shift work, a paramedic husband, and five sons under seven
• How she claimed her own time with daily 4am–6am writing sessions — and how this changed the trajectory of her life
• The journey from writing for pleasure at the Kempsey Library to becoming a published author with Penguin and Harlequin
• Why her books champion strong women, young mothers, rural resilience, and birth outside the hospital system
• The inspiration and real-life stories behind her new novel Lightning Ridge Ladies
• The power of rural communities, especially following the devastating Macleay Valley floods
• Fiona’s belief that rural women are “not impostors in their own dreams”
• Practical advice for carving out time when life, kids, farming and chaos feel overwhelming
• The importance of friendships, feminine energy, and finding one supportive creative companion
• What Fiona will bring to the 2026 Harvest Her Power Conference — confidence, rediscovery, creativity and self-belief

🎤 Fiona at the 2026 Harvest Her Power Conference

Fiona will guide rural women through:

• finding your inner voice
• turning rural life into opportunity
• carving out guilt-free personal time
• overcoming self-doubt
• building confidence and creative habits
• embracing your story, passion and purpose

Her message: “Your aspirations are as important as your farm commitments.”

🌿 Perfect For

• Farm wives
• Daughters returning to the family farm
• Women integrating into family farming businesses
• Women in ag seeking identity, community and support
• Anyone wanting to rediscover passion, creativity or self-belief

Harvest Her Power; Empowerment and Skills Conference for women in family farming.

https://farmwivesconference.com.au/

Tickets on sale NOW.

Discount Codes:

Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout!

Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

Welcome back to The Ultimate Farm Wife Podcast! Today’s episode dives deep into identity, values, rural life, and what it really means to be a woman integrating into a family farming business.

I’m joined by the incredible Melinda Guest — rural psychologist, director, lecturer, mentor, speaker and proud farm-raised mum from Narrabri.

Melinda brings decades of experience in rural mental health, family dynamics, relationships, and what shapes our sense of self as women living and working in agriculture.

This conversation is packed with truth, laughter, and powerful tools for any woman navigating farming, family, marriage, motherhood, or life in a rural community.

💬 In This Episode We Cover:

🌱 Identity, Roles & Values for Rural Women

• Why understanding your core values is crucial when joining or returning to a family farm
• How to figure out who you are in the farming business
• Why so many women “headbutt” with in-laws — and how values misalignment plays a role
• The pressures, expectations and myths around being a “farm wife”

🌾 Growing Up Rural

• Melinda’s upbringing on a generational Narrabri farm
• How moving away (and back) shaped her view on rural identity
• Her journey into psychology during a time when mental health wasn’t openly discussed

📍 Challenges for Women on the Farm

• Gender biases and outdated assumptions women still face in 2025
• Why contractors still ask for “the husband” even when the woman is the director
• The UNE research showing only 10% of farm daughters are considered in succession planning
• How daughters and daughters-in-law can navigate their place on the farm

🤝 The Power of Connection

• Why rural isolation and loneliness is one of the biggest mental health challenges in agriculture
• How the inaugural Harvest Her Power Conference created lifelong networks
• Why Melinda said YES to joining the 2026 conference committee

❤️ Relationships & Intimacy on Farm (Sneak Peek of 2026 Workshop!)

• The reality of relationships during harvest, calving, cropping & chaos
• Intimacy through different stages of marriage
• How to reconnect when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed or simply annoyed with each other
• The hilarious 1933 marriage questionnaire Melinda uses to show how far we’ve come

Harvest Her Power; Empowerment and Skills Conference for women in family farming.

https://farmwivesconference.com.au/

Tickets on sale NOW.

Discount Codes:

Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout!

Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

In today’s deeply heartfelt and honest episode, Katja sits down with Elaine Burnett, a woman whose story will resonate with every farm wife, partner, daughter, and woman navigating her place in agriculture.

Elaine opens up about returning to farm life, finding her role in a 6th-generation family farming business, and the emotional adjustments that come with blending past experiences, drought recovery, family dynamics, and rediscovering confidence after time away from ag.

This episode is filled with warmth, humour, practical wisdom, and the kind of raw truth that rural women rarely say out loud — but desperately need to hear.

🌟 In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

🔹 Elaine’s Farming Background

• Growing up as the daughter of a hardworking farm manager
• Showing Herefords, horse work, campdrafting, and country childhood memories
• The difference between farming under a manager vs farming with tight budgets
• How her father's high standards shaped her expectations on today's property

🔹 Family, Roles & Real Talk About Farm Life

• Living and working with her partner and his mum
• The emotional shift of going from independence to integrating into a big family
• How different generations communicate, cope, work, and support each other
• The long, unspoken list of jobs farm women do: cleaner, gardener, fencer, stock hand, bookkeeper, driver, feed-runner, lamb-rearer, mum, organiser, glue that holds it all together…

🔹 Harvest Her Power Conference

• Why Elaine nearly didn’t come
• What made her buy the ticket
• The moment a simple badge and a stranger’s words changed everything
• The power of community, support, and hearing other women’s stories
• Why she says: “Please come — sit with me.”

💬 Best Quotes from Elaine in This Episode

• “When you’re the daughter of a farm manager, someone else pays the bills — everything has to be perfect.”
• “I thought I was useless. The conference reminded me how much I actually do.”
• “You’ve got livestock, you’ve got deadstock — I’d forgotten how confronting that can be.”
• “I’m a lucky new farmer.”
• “Please come to the conference. Especially if you think it’s not for you.”

🌱 This Episode Is For You If…

✔ You’re a woman living or working on a farm ✔ You’re trying to find your place in a family farming business ✔ You’re overwhelmed, undervalued, or unsure if you’re “doing enough” ✔ You’re craving connection with other rural women ✔ You’re navigating drought recovery, workload stress, or farm-family dynamics ✔ You’re considering attending the Harvest Her Power Conferen

Harvest Her Power; Empowerment and Skills Conference for women in family farming.

https://farmwivesconference.com.au/

Tickets on sale soon.

Discount Codes:

Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout!

Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

We’re kicking things off with the incredible Katie O’Brien — a farmer, mum, horse rider, farrier and now a passionate Mental Health Advocate for women in Agriculture.

Katie has walked the path so many rural women know all too well — moving to the farm, finding her footing, losing parts of herself along the way, and slowly rebuilding her identity with strength and purpose. In this episode we chat about life, love, independence, mental health and what it’s really like to marry a farmer.

And make sure you follow Katie and the incredible work she’s doing: @checkyourmates_openthegates

Harvest Her Power; Empowerment and Skills Conference for women in family farming.

https://farmwivesconference.com.au/

Tickets on sale soon.

Discount Codes:

Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout!

Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

Links

ONLINE BINGO NIGHT - $20.00 - GREAT PRIZES TO BE WON!!

https://www.123tix.com.au/events/50070/virtual-bingo-night

🚜 THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Homestead Road - Don’t forget — you can grab 40% off Homestead Road clothing with code KATJA40 until 31 Oct.

https://homesteadroad.com.au/pages/about

Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/

Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout!

Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

Email us - agsolutelyfab@gmail.com

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

Anna grew up surrounded by sheep, goats, and the open skies of rural Australia — but as a teenager, she left for boarding school and never thought she’d return to farm life. Years later, she and her husband traded their busy city lives for a caravan adventure around Australia. What started as a road trip turned into a life-changing detour when they stopped by her family’s farm to help out… and never left! Now, Anna is raising her kids where she grew up, rediscovering her roots, and learning what it means to be part of a multi-generational farming legacy. Join her journey of reconnecting with the land, integrating into the family business, and balancing motherhood, farming, and modern country living. 🌾 In this episode/video you’ll discover: • How Anna’s childhood on a sheep and goat farm shaped her values • What inspired her and her husband to leave city life behind • The unexpected twist that brought them back to the family farm • Challenges and joys of integrating back into family farming • Raising kids on the land and teaching the next generation about rural life 🐑 Keywords farm life australia, family farm story, leaving city life behind, returning to the farm, australian farming family, caravan around australia, homesteading australia, farm family vlog, raising kids on the farm, rural living australia, back to the land story, farm life journey, sheep and goat farm, aussie homestead, country lifestyle australia