There are seasons where responsibility feels heavy.
Unwanted, even.
Like one more thing added to an already full plate.

But sometimes, responsibility isn’t just something to get through — it’s the very thing that grows us.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on how often growth doesn’t happen in the quiet, prepared, well-rested moments we imagine it will. Instead, it shows up right in the middle of chaos — when someone hands us a job we didn’t exactly volunteer for, and we have no choice but to figure it out.

I share two very real stories from farm life that taught me this in a big way.

The first takes us into the calf shed — back to the very first job I ever properly took on on the farm: feeding calves. What I thought would be the “easy” job quickly became a steep learning curve, especially when we were hit with crypto during calving season, in the middle of COVID, with no staff. Tubing sick calves every three hours was terrifying, overwhelming, and something I didn’t feel ready for — but it was also the moment I realised I was far more capable than I thought.

The second story is about learning to drive the tractor. Something I didn’t grow up doing, didn’t feel confident with, and honestly avoided for a long time because the timing never felt right. It wasn’t until I had space — real space, without pressure or someone watching over my shoulder — that I could learn in my own way and at my own pace. And once again, responsibility quietly turned into confidence.

As I talk through these stories, I also reflect on how closely this mirrors motherhood.

We give our kids small responsibilities every day — feeding the dog, shutting gates, carrying eggs, helping out — and we watch how those moments build their confidence. Yet when it’s us standing on the edge of something new, we’re so much harder on ourselves. We forget that we deserve the same opportunity to learn, to wobble, and to grow.

This episode is a reminder that confidence doesn’t come before responsibility — it comes because of it. That growth rarely feels empowering in the moment. And that many of the things you now do without thinking once felt completely overwhelming.

If you’re in a season where responsibility feels uncomfortable, heavy, or just plain scary, I hope this episode helps you see it a little differently — not as something that’s breaking you, but as something that might be quietly shaping you.

• Why growth so often happens in chaos, not calm
• Feeding calves and learning hard things in high-pressure moments
• The fear and responsibility that comes with tubing sick calves
• Learning to drive the tractor later than I thought I “should”
• Why confidence usually comes after responsibility, not before
• The strong parallels between farm life and motherhood
• How responsibility builds confidence in our kids — and in us
• Why communication matters when we want to learn and grow
• Recognising just how capable you already are

Connect with Jess:

@thejess.knight

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