I will *miss* the privilege of stepping into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary rural women in such an intimate way. 

But chapters end and that's what's happening here. 

It seems fitting to have Ali Smith - one of my greatest friends - as my final guest.

She really does embody all I love about storytelling in rural Australia.

She's bubbly and unbelievable generous in every role she's ever turned her hand to, she's endlessly thoughtful and respectful and despite all this she would never want any fanfare or grand accolades. 

Ali grew up in the city both Canberra and Sydney but she LOVES rural people and their lives , and thats perfect because she now lives on a farm with her partner Gus at Burren Junction in northern New South Wales. 

Gosh that community is lucky to have her as a journalist for the local paper.

They're lucky because - many would never know the depths of her experience as a journo. 

She's worked for Laurie Oakes - one of the greatest political journalists Australia has known. During her 8 years with 60 minutes - another of Australia's greatest current affairs shows -she spend hours and hours beside Turia Pitt as she recovered from her horrific burns - a person she now remains very special friends with. 

She's also an author - last year she co-authored Outback Astronomer with Liz Hayes from 60 minutes. 

Smith to me is the antithesis of integrity in every avenue of life. I'm really lucky to be able to call her one of my closest friends. 

I'm so happy to be celebrating all her achievements here and I hope you enjoy it too.

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Listen to more than 100 other stories just like this one in our backlog.

Chances are if you come across a short film that has anything to do with rural Australia that really grabs you then its come from her film production business Rabbit Hop Films.

She's had a super cool life, which twists and turns all over the place and all over the globe. 

She's always wanted to do film, but I guess she took a while to find her confidence in it as a viable business - so she's had many other different adventures along the way. 

She certainly has a creative whimsical heir about her - even through the microphone.

Rural Australia is lucky to have people like Sasha - who have experienced so many wide and varied versions of life in so many different places with so many different people - the quantum of that is such a valuable perspective on how unique and world-class Australia Ag and its people are. 

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Of late I’ve become a full time farmer. Previously I was a farming sous chef, well actually not really I was really a mother, enabling the proper farmer to do their work while I did some part time work and kept the home fires burning - they are no longer farming so I am - and the mothering well that continues too. 

So it’s time for my world to get a bit smaller, before it hopefully gets big again.

This will be the final season of Company. 

I started this podcast 6 years ago and have interviewed over 100 guests

100 guests is a lot but it honestly feels more like 500 to me -  because it feels like I have been interviewing extraordinary rural people for my whole working life - which I actually have through my ABC work, and with other various ag companies and government agencies and through my on stage work.

Today's guest also has something to say about Endings.

It's the lovely, gentle Cressida Cains who for the last 15 years has developed and run Pecora Dairy a sheep dairy and cheesery in Robertson in the NSW Southern Highlands. 

But Pecora Dairy is no longer. 

At the end of last year Cressida made the tough decision to close that chapter. 

I think, in Australia, there's a certain stigma attached to any family that decides to leave a farm, or sell up - it's so often viewed as a failure. 

But Cressida wants to say; that it's not a failure, and she hopes to be able to change the narrative  - and say it's not a failure, it's brave - and its really important to recognise when it is time to stop, time to leave - rather than staying and staying and staying.

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

She's lives on a farm not to far from me, near Bowning on the NSW Southern Tablelands. 

Kathleen is part of a growing movement to NOT work so hard on the farm, to enable her to focus more on family - and to subsidise her farming lifestyle with a full time professional career. 

From the conversations I'm having everywhere - I'm seeing and hearing that making money from farming is hard, too hard in many cases - and more and more people are remaining on farm but are downsizing and releasing the pressure. 

She's a really good example of looking after yourself, leading in a way that makes sense to her way of life as a farm girl - she loves getting her nails done and sprays a spritzes herself with perfume every time she steps out the door. 

Company is hosted by Skye Manson and produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Kirsten Diprose and I have the same vocation. We make podcasts from rural Australia, focused on stories from rural Australia. 

The difference is that Kirsten was originally a city girl - who now lives on a sheep, cattle, cropping and even dairy farm with her husband and two boys - so she's not used to the nuances of rural life in the same way that I am. 

It's this curiosity that's sparked a whole new business for Kirsten: the Rural Podcasting Co and also a PHD looking deep into rural journalism, podcasting and conversations in our communities. 

To add - she's actually living her best life at the moment travelling around Australia in a caravan ...... and so naturally that's where we started our chat.

Company is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Zoe Lamont's life has been full of twists and turns - there is absolutely no clear trajectory in this story. 

But her life, her career has been FULL - and full of some huge mould breaking businesses and achievements. 

Now Zoe lives with her husband and two children on a farm between Wagga Wagga and Junee. 

Her main venture right now is Farm Door.

Which I actually had no idea about......the reason I've always wanted to speak with Zoe about her start up superannuation business, Verve Super, which was a superannuation company with a holistic approach full focused on women and female investments.

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Today guest Emma Williams, saw an opportunity in that...

After years of working in communications. marketing and branding - she had a hunch that she could help ag businesses market themselves in a way that brought about proper growth.

She started Acre Agency just under two years ago and has worked with more than 50 clients and recently grown her team to five.

Emma describes herself as a generalist - she and her business know the basics of many things - and so when it comes to telling the story of a business - she thinks she's got her finger on the pulse as to what will work and why. There is no cookie cutting here. 

And she know's her stuff; here she is.

Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

She lives on a property between Carathool and Goolgowi and her business Saltbush Stretch is based in a gorgeous studio on the main street of Hay. 

I've had the pleasure of working with Em over the last year to devise and develop her podcast Saltbush Babes. It brings all of the urban funky energy to a podcast that's funny focused on the stories of rural chicks who take part in her pilates classes both in person and online. 

This is the story of small business in the bush. It's not easy for anyone- and sometimes there needs to be some unconventional thinking in order to make finances and cash flow work. 

Company is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

In more recent time we've chose to focus more closely on the in's and out's of some female run rural businesses and today is no exception. 

Our guest Sahra Tohow Dixon owns garden workwear brand Le Sac with her mother-in-law Trish Dixon. 

It's a new brand that's quickly gained a lot of attention and marketshare in the bush. 

And I think this is due in part to the combined skills its owners. 

Sahra's family originated from Somalia. Her father was possibly one of the first Somalian immigrants to Australia in the 1970's. As a child growing up in Queensland ,Sahra loved Netball and Fashion and didn't much like school - she ended up working in fashion, PR and marketing in various roles in London and Australia before she met her husband Hamish. 

Now's she's a part time farmer, part time many other (creative) things ...... as you will learn here today.

You can find le sac @le_sac__ - https://www.instagram.com/le_sac__/

Or online at shoplesac.com

Company is a Manson Podcasting Production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Get more involved with our crew and everything we love by signing up to our free fortnightly newsletter at companyonsundays.substack.com - 

And if you choose to pay for a subscription, its 10 bucks a week, you will receive email missives twice a week.

She grew up on a sheep and hay farm near Canowindra in central west NSW and studied Medicine at University.

But as a self proclaimed microphone hog who spend many hours singing in church as a child - she's always loved singing and has been writing songs since the age of 13.
Now she's doing her work on the world stage.
She's about to release her third Album 'Like Plasticine' and has song alongside some of the biggest names in the industry Missy Higgins, Bon Iver, The Tallest Man on Earth and David Grey (later this year).
Gordi also identifies as Queer - which has been the source of much pain, reflection and resignation.

But as you will hear, it's her songwriting that's allow her to come to terms with this and life in general - and it's provided her with experiences beyond her wildest dreams of a child growing up on a humble farm.

You can pre-order her new album Like Plasticine now at gordimusic.com - and listen to all her previous works on Spotify.
Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.
Stay in the loop with our world and all the things I am loving right now by signing up to my weekly newsletter Company on Sundays at companyonsundays.substack.com

I'm always a-gog at the pace in which Motherland has grown, from the outside looking in it seems they are always celebrating new and exciting big wins.

But in the last 12 months - life outside of Motherland - has changed dramatically for Steph and her family.

They've sold half the farm.
Moved houses.
She's scaled back the stress - and upped the happiness.

So if you think you already know the story of Motherland and Steph Trethewey I suggest you keep listening because this one is not what you're expecting.

Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

I feel like our career paths have been running parallel for years.

Like me, Georgie is a Mum to three children, she lives in a regional community and works remotely for Rabobank.

We are both storytellers - who love where we live - and want nothing more than the awesome people and partnerships that exist there to be shown off to a wider audience.

She's actually referred to as an in-house journalist with Rabobank which I couldn't love more.

This is her story ....

So to sit down with two women who have edited two of my favourite publications to talk about the world of magazine writing and story selection - is pure indulgence.

Katrina Strickland is the former editor of the Good Weekend Magazine and Annabelle Hickson is the editor of Galah.

The reason we came together was to to speak about Galah's Regional Photography Prize of which Katrina is a judge - and which is cued up to feature in Good Weekend magazine this weekend. Keep a look out.

But wow - this conversation is so much than that.

It paddles from conversation to masterclass to part counselling session and back again -

it's a long episode and I dont take that lightly I know your time is [resciosu but I really struggled to cut it down.

For you - I hope you're able to sense the intensity of commitment to getting stories from your lives into the mainstream.

Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

In the NSW Parliament.

In Cabinet as a Minister for Mental Health, Regional Health and Women.

She's not a politician any more.

But still holds the same vivacious energy to celebrate, elevate and advocate.

Particularly for regional women and regional health services.

This is a Manson Podcasting podcast in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

As in no phone service, beautiful surroundings, the chance to fully recharge and properly catch up with your nearest and dearest.

Rove Numby - run by Lou Crawford at Reid's Flat near Cowra and Boorowa in the NSW southern tablelands - is all that an more

Cocktail Bars are replaced with a wood fire in a ramshackle old stone homestead, there hiking in place of shopping and glamping tents replace overprices hotels.

What's more Rove Numby is part of a commercial modern day farm operation and Lou thinks this is part of its draw - the people who come there also get the chance to have a full, open and relaxed conversation about the details of farming that get glossed over in TV shows or newspaper articles.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

You can find Rove Numby here online or @rovenumby on Instagram.

Keep in the loop with our conversation via our weekly newsletter companyonsundays.substack.com

Edwina grew up in Tamworth, went away and returned. Now she lives with her husband, two children and fave child-dog Daryl on five acres in a house her husband build just outside of town.

This story is not really about Edwina's life but about her growth as an incredible business woman in rural Australia.

Her business Birth Beat - started as a birthing course for locals in her living room and segued into a recognised and respected anti-natal course utilised by most of the large hospitals in Sydney and big corporate employers such as SalesForce. There was a little run for her money on Shark Tank also thrown in there and now the business has been sold to Device Technologies, an Australian based Med -Tech company.

She the Deputy Chair of the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network and the Co-Chair of the Telstra Regional Council.

She was the National winner of the Commonwealth Bank 21-day Challenge Innovation Award,

a Google Regional Online Hero, Nominated for Hesta Nurse/Midwife of the Year, winner of NSW Telstra small business award, Oceana alumni of the Cartier Women's Initiative and listed in the AFR 100 women influence.

So I guess you can imagine that the last 18 months since selling Birth Beat have been a challenging transition - but she's back in the fold - and here to share her learnings.

This is a Manson Podcasting Production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

After a series of personally challenging events; trouble holding pregnancies, an industrial waste development proposal over the hill from her family home and then managing COVID lockdowns with a two week old baby and two older children - all of a sudden and seemingly with no notice, Skye hit a brick wall... she was really pushed to the edge

And it spurred on some big 'make you feel sick' kind of life decisions.

The biggest decision for the Ward family it was to sell the family farm, which had been in her mothers family for generations.

The reason I wanted to have Skye on this podcast not primarily because she has been through a lot but also because I think she has so much to offer in the way she articulates what she's learnt from these times.

And I think, well I hope her reflections on this most challenging of times - might be a balm to you too, as you navigate life's inevitable twists and turns.

Today's guest is an impressive example of a women who's managed to run a world-class business in the city while remaining strongly involved in the evolution of her family farm.

Ali Lord is the CEO of Headbox Australia, an innovative digital events company that she runs by going between her family farm in remote north QLD and head office in Sydney.

I've been wanting to speak with Ali since I heard her parents Artie and Casey Lord speak about succession planning at the Rabobank Tent at Beef Week.

Really, really impressive stuff.

And Ali, our guest today- their daughter - is the proof in the pudding.

CEO of her own company (which has not a lot to do with ag) and a silent partner, family stakeholder of the farm with a fiance who's a manager there.

This interview has a bit of everything - it's defs got a girl boss vibe and there's talk about succession planning, productvity hacks, travel tips, podcast recommendations, how to run a good business, childhood influences, gardening and even Elon Musk.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Lottie Rae works from a shipping container at hoe home in Trangie where she live with her husband and two boys.

Last year she ditched her coffee shop and homewares shop in town to become a full time artist- and thank god she did otherwise we would not have this story to tell.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

When I think about rural and regional businesses that make great presents - Whitney Spicer immediately comes to mind.

She an artist, who now also makes 'products' - scarves, tea towels, hats, shirts - from her small farm farm at Manildra near Orange in NSW where she lives with her husband and three young boys.

She's been clever in growing her brand awareness through collaborations. And is now looking forward to making wholesaling another pillar of her business.

If you're interested in collaborations, branded products and the world of wholesaling this is a great chat to get your ears around

Find Whitney and her products @whitneyspicer on Instagram or get shopping at whitneyspicer.com

This is a Manson podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

We have heaps more interesting stories like this at mansonpodcasting.com

And if you want to invest in one of our 'products' you can become a paid subscriber to our newsletter for $99 a year or $8 month - sign up on the website.

From just one type of shoe in 2019 to 37 different styles and colours of shoes 5 years later.

Business has grown 20% year on year at least and her shoes have been stocked in hundreds of stores all over Australia and New Zealand.

This conversation is a raw account of what a beast retail business can become when you're experiencing high growth.

Jane says all this 'getting bigger' might look great from the outside but it’s been so hard - waaaaay harder than she imagined and than many of you would be aware.

And so, she talks you through the in's and out's she's tried to keep up - financially: there's never much profit and banks don't want to lend you money and then there's the personal toll: which nearly sent Jane over the edge on 2024.

But we do start on a great note - talking about her fave part of the business, the shed, 50 metres from her house which has been totally converted to become her own Millwood Warehouse on her farm at Coolamon, a little town in NSW’s Riverina.

What the hell?! How did this happen?

And what's happened to this small bush brand as a result?

This whole story is so not what you think.

The journey has been strategic, and hot and sweaty and intense.

It's a masterclass in ways to cleverly capitalise on 'opportunities' or periods of quick growth.

This is a Manson Podcasting podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Oh my god. I think this is the eternal question of females who've grown up on the land. I can definitely relate.

Um yes, skills from the runway in New York can help any agricultural business.

And that's how Gabby Neal who founded Intact Co - a capsule of staples made from100% wool - see's it too. She grew up on a wool farm near Condobolin, NSW and now runs her brand from Newcastle in between working at home on the farm.

Her aesthetic is modern, edgy and simple - there are no sheep or woodsheds in sight.

All I can say, is more of this please.

This podcast is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

You can find more episodes and more rural lifestyle podcasts at mansonpodcasting.com

intactco.com.au

Five years later, it's become a nation-wide success with numerous events, hosted in small rural communities all over Australia.

Rural Women's Day is a non-for-profit organisation and amazingly Jackie works as a volunteer. This will change with the inclusion of Squadron Energy as a major partner as of 2024.

Listen to Jackie's story and realise that you don't have to be qualified to make things happen in life you just have to have a 'reason' and enjoy it - and the rest will come.

If you want to host an event in your community get involved at ruralwomensday.com.au

This podcast is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Fin all our stories and sign up for our newsletter at mansonpodcasting.com

Julia, the child of two teachers, has clearly been influenced by her parents vocation. She’s a teacher, a sharer, someone who likes to see others rise and shine - and in some ways this is her life’s work - getting regional Australia and it’s people on the map - and helping others to develop projects and businesses that give opportunity to people living outside of our cities.

Fresh out of an 18 month stint as the first ever regionally based Chief Entrepreneur of QLD, Julia is about to launch something new......

The Connection Table is a really unique and dynamic networking platform developed by Julia in partnership with former Winner of the Agrifutures Rural Woman of the Year award and lady of many projects, Jo Palmer. 

At it’s core, The Connection Table is about shepherding talented people from rural and regional Australia into the best boards, advisories and leadership roles in this country. 

Basically these guys want rural voices to be heard and valued at every level of decision making and they see The Connection Table as the mechanism to make this happen.

It’s designed to become THE place for executives, government, corporates and industry to look to when searching for their next CEO, board of directors, leadership team etc etc. 

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve been asked to be an ambassador for The Connection Table - so you will not only see me on board but also be hearing more about it from me in the future.

The Connection Table

Julia's book: Business in the Bush.

This podcast is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Maria Crawford is a country girl, who’s progressed through the ag industry - with a keen and detailed interest in how supply chains operate. This interest and obvious skill has landed her in her current position as the innovation and sustainability manager for Coles livestock. 

To me, a conversation with a female in a position like this a golden opportunity for me to be able to ask the questions so you, as farming families, or as a person living in a community supported by agriculture, can get an idea of the bigger picture

And Maria delivers. This podcast is a wonderful insight into what kind of meat Coles buys from our farmers and there’s a lot of talk specifically about carbon emissions and how Coles is trying out some new things to try and reach the industry goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. 

Company is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

You can find all our shows or sign-up for our free newsletter at mansonpodcasting.com

Claire started her working life as a producer for the BBC before becoming a political commentator for Scotland's national farming paper. More recently she’s been travelling the world as a Nuffield Scholar researching the ag narratives in countries all over the world in her quest to build a way for more collaborative and positive messaging from the ag sector into the general population.

Generally speaking she’s a women drive to teach farmers how to tell the very best of their stories in the hope of garnering that eternally sought after ‘understanding and recognition from the wider population – not just those in the echo chamber of agriculture.

Nutritional food scientist, Dr Anneline Padayachee took to the stage recently at LambEx in Adelaide recently, comparing consumer perceptions of lamb to those of beef.

Her case study – which she’s been researching for the last few years especially for this Lamb Ex talk – showed the lamb industry some ways in may be able to think differently about marketing it’s main meat product.

Now, stop, before you think you’ve heard this all before – I can tell you you haven’t this is an all-encompassing study – and while you’ll only get a snap shot of it here today, I think you will grow to see Dr Anneline as a great ambassador for our ag industries.

Today the podcast is sounding slightly different. It’s a live recording of my conversation with Emily Riggs, founder and creative woman behind the 100 per cent merino wool clothing brand Iris & Wool.

We were lucky enough to speak on stage at the recent LambEx conference held in Adelaide.

I would describe Emily Riggs as an 'accidentally' astute business woman who also happens to find herself living with 14,000 head of sheep on a merino wool station country in South Australia.

It's serendipitous that she loves fashion and happens to be surrounded by animals that naturally grow the most eco friendly, sustainable, renewable, biodegradable, soft, thermo regulating, easy to work with fibre on the planet.

She's also a great example that your product is nothing if you don't sell the story of it.

It’s a far cry from the life he was leading in the regional town of Narrabri at the age of 10. He was regularly fighting in the playground, was hyperactive in the classroom and loved to eat pizza on the couch.

Two years later – his brother told him to put the pizza down and come with him, to the boxing gym. Six weeks later he had his first fight in nearby town, Cobar.

This story, the journey. IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY.

There have been many falling out’s, trouble getting recognition because he was from the country, travel, money, eating, so many things. But Shannan Davey – the boy with his roots firmly bound in Narrabri – has triumphed – and he’s not done yet – he’s so excited for Australia’s boxing team at Paris.

He reckons it’s going to change the face of boxing in Australia – and that’s why he continues to work so hard.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Production assistance by Alice Moffitt.

Follow Shannan and other rural and regional athelete's journeys @mansonpodcasting on Instagram.

She’ll be representing Australia in Boccia in both the individual and pairs events in the B3 classification.

Boccia is one of the only sports specific to the Paralympics and basically it’s a ball target game that has similarities lawn bowls, bocce and snooker as well.

No matter the result at Paris – Jamieson is already hailed a hero at home in Dunedoo where she’s been immortalised in a huge mural in the center of town.

It does make me think of what her childhood was like there –I’m sure there were no other children scooting around the main street of town in a wheelchair

Jamieson says it certainly had its challenges but mostly benefits.

This is a Manson Podcasting podcast in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Production assistance by Alice Moffitt.

Many Australians can remember watching on in devestation for him, but in a moment of I-don't-know-what, he got up and willed himself over the finish line, still achieving a Personal Best (PB) time.

Pat says Australians should be proud of how they embraced him in this moment and ever since.

Pat is back for the Paris Olympics, but this time in the Marathon, a race he's been working towards for all of his running life - and one he says is much more enjoyable to run!

This is Pat's third Olympics.

His 90 year old Nan (his greatest hero) will be leading the cheer squad in his home town of Toowoomba, backed by her 24 grandchildren, all his cousins.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Production Assistance by Alice Moffitt.

1. Aislin will be competing in the Olympic Skeet Clay Target Shooting Event and then ever-so-casually will also take herself off to run a her first ever Marathon a matter of days later.
2. As a child Aislin was one of those children picking up the broken clay targets at the local gun club on the weekend – as soon as she hit the legal shooting age of 12 – she was into it. That year she met her current coach – and mapped out an 8 year plan with the Tokyo Olympics as the goal. Talk about impressive life goals!
3. Paris is her second Olympics - but she’s incredibly level headed about the whole journey reiterating that she constantly reminds herself that life is not this sport – and that she hopes to be in the game for many more Olympics to come.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Production assistance is by Alice Moffitt

For more stories of Olympic athletes from rural and regional Australia follow us @mansonpodcasting on Instagram.

At the age of 2 he lost his right foot in a lawn mower accident. This, he says. never really impacted his life and he went on to lead a normal, hyper-active childhood playing any and all sports with his mates from town.

At the age of 12 he met Paralympian Ellie Cole and after handling her gold medal, he decided that was the path for him. And set his sights on the Olympic Games.

This is his second Paralympics and he'll represent Australia in the S10 classification for the 200 Individual Medley and 100 butterfly events.

Boat is 26 year old Jack O’Brien from Walgett in north west NSW

Since the middle of May he’s been training, lapping, perfecting his style, mind, muscles and mentality, in various training camps and competitions across Europe – as the Australian Rowing Team works and works and works to give itself the best chance at a medal in Paris.

Time away from home is nothing new for Jack – who went away to boarding school at the end of year 5, aged 11.  

Even so, the farm is his ‘happy place’ – where he has the freedom to get away from the world of Rowing - and ponder life, with the comforts of his family being close by.

There’s a definite family vibe to Jack – and he loves the Walgett community too.

Who’ve been known to go crazy on the billboard creation side of things in the past!

This is a Manson Podcasting Production done in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Production assistance from Alice Moffitt

Host is Skye Manson

For race updates and more information about rural and regional athletes competing at the Paris Games follow along @mansonpodcasting on Instagram.

I love media, and magazines, and stories. And now I am just a bit smug with newsletters – they are delivered to my inbox, I do not have to read anything I don’t want to and the diversity is waaaaaaaay hugher than in normal journalism.

One of my favourites, in fact most likely my favourite newsletter is from Sydney based journalist, author, dog lover and wannabe cook, Stephanie Wood.

Many of you will be familiar with Stephanie Cook. Her byline; has adorned many, many of the articles of the the Good Weekend Magazine.

And she’s also the author of Fake. A book documenting her relationship with a man who promised her the world, but who was in fact was an elaborate liar, swindler and ‘fabulist’ who prized everything from Stephanie financially, mentally and emotionally.

Fake was published in 2019 but THIS WEEK her book was released – to brilliantly high acclaim – as series on Paramount Plus – Asher Keddie plays Stephanie…. We all must watch it!

In this special bonus episode of Company – I converse with Stephanie, it does not feel like an interview. It was recorded last year – and at this time – Fake’s TV adaptation was not public knowledge. So our focus is on writing and daily routines and newsletters, and exactly why she chooses to write one.

Search Paddock to Paris in your podcast app and follow or subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode.

Today we give you a taste of Skye Manson's conversation with Narrabri born and bred Laura Gourley who's going to Paris to row in the Womens Quad Scull.

Of the 37 athletes on Australia's Rowing team, at least 6 of them are from rural Australia.

This ratio of country to city people is high and so it's fitting that we kick off this podcast - which is all about elevating the stories of rural and regional Australian atheletes heading to Paris - with a sport that's seen a high representation from farm kids over the years.

And 24 year old Laura who'll be rowing in the Women's Quad Skull is no different. She grew up on a cropping farm at Edgeroi, 20 mins outside of Narrabri.

In fact she tributes some of her success: to the kindness of her fellow farming friends. One neighbour lent her a skull - as in a single rowing boat - to train in During Covid. And another neighbour lent her their 2km long irrigation channel - to train on.

Laura and her family have always been sports mad -

Her grandfather left farming to play Rugby League and went on to win two premierships with St George Dragon's in the mid-60's.

But Laura's journey as a rower didn't start until she went to boarding school. She was approached to give rowing a try because of her physique - and things went from there. She was the youngest person in her Rowing 8 and top of the charts on the Urg; The electronic rowing machine.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Production support by Alice Moffitt.

Carmen is a total office geek; she LOVES it, and she’s good at it.

And when she realised this was the case, after studying her Masters of Accounting she decided that she’d like to help others become a boss in the office too and started Agrifocused a business training men and women to get the most from all their 'inside' or office jobs.

This conversation moves all over the place, but is still delightful and I stepped up from the recording with a bag full of new things to try in family and business life…… such is the nuance wisdom of Carmen Quade.

More goodness from Carmen Quade can be found on our Daily Routines podcast.

This podcast is produced by Manson Podcasting in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Last September, Holly Goodman and I sat down to record this interview. 

Holly lives in Tamworth with her husband and three young children and is a fashion designer with her own label, Peter Bill, which has morphed from young boys clothing into a really impressive womens range. 

In Spring last year, Holly put on The Rural Runway, a fashion runway and show of some of her favourite rural designers. 

I really loved this - as I suppose I just hope that someone picks up this idea and runs with it. I’d love nothing more than to attend a full blown fashion show made up of designers from all our local towns and communities.

So the interview may be dated but I'm still celebrating the premise of it; creating a platform in which to celebrate and showcase the work of fashion designers in rural Australia.

This podcast is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia

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Annoyingly; the latter, the marketing and PR exec had experienced dry, cracked lips for the better part of 10 years. 

Fed up; and driven by memories of childhood holidays spent in the family shearing shed, turned to the most natural, (and foolproof product she could think of; Lanolin.

Kirsten Carriol is the founder, creator and CEO of Lanolips Australia a global company that's been running for 15 years now and has a product that's been voted the World's Best Lip Balm.

Kirsten is a city girl at heart, but this story I think shows the importance of gifting on-farm experiences to young minds - who can go on to do anything with their lives and you never know what brilliance, they might create from that.

You can find Kirsten's products at lanolips.com

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She is SO in touch with herself. 

She listens to her intuition, works out what she wants and then gains confidence to push forward in that area - no matter how unconventional it may seem to the often traditional mindset of those in agriculture. 

So, how exactly does a large ecological organic beef farmer, who’s also a funeral celebrant, popular BNB owner and manager, with a masters degree in Leadership and Management, who’s deeply connected to the land she owns - oh and mother to four children - get the mix right? 

She listens to herself.

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With thanks to rabobankaustralia.com

And Carly can be found @bloodwoodcabin and @bonniedoonebeef

She's been a lynchpin in opening the eyes of everyday Australians to the the way of life, homes, gardens and businesses of rural and regional people and families - through countless beautiful stories.

In this sense I think she's a trail blazer. She also a great example of quiet leadership.

Claire is the most lovely person to meet. she's gently spoken, warm and polite - and these trails have not held her back - she's been able to achieve most of the things she has desired all while living 170-odd kms from the supermarket.

She is mother to four girls, a beef producer with her husband Andrew, a board director for Beef Australia, the organisation behind, Beef Week, she's transported a disused church to her farm for renovation and her latest project was the six week transformation of a block of units and an old Queenslander at Cooee Bay near Yeppoon, QLD.

This is a Manson Podcasting production brought to you with thanks to Rabobank Australia.

But it wasn't the titles to her name that pushed me to tie her down at one of the busiest weeks of her life, Beef Week in Rockhampton, QLD, it was her endless championing of young people in agriculture that most had me intriguied.

Why is she so tireless? How does she manage the time to champion so many from the sidelines? And what's in it for her?

This podcast is brought to you by Rabobank Australia and was recorded in the committee room at Beef Week in Rockhampton in May 2025.

Sarah is one of four girls in the Wheeler family who've suffered through incredible heartache and grief after losing both their parents. Their mother Terri died from biliary cancer and their father Gavin died in 2010 suddenly and unexpectedly from an enlarged heart.

Sarah says feeling broken and lost in the wake of losing two parents in such a short time and so young that, she just knew she wanted to do 'something meaningful and something that would help her to find focus and healing' while helping and inspiring others to do the same.

For her, The Outback Long Ride is the answer to that soul searching and will spread awareness far and wide for her future endeavours of her own charity 'A Daughter's Way'; where she aims to create all expenses paid weekend to 7 day retreats, group camps or group expeditions run by trained mental health professionals, and developed by clinical psychologists and so much more for rural and regional families experiencing grief and loss in Australia.

Sarah's looking forward to hopefully meeting lots of people along the way over the next 9-12 months as well as documenting her travels through photography that she's aiming to turn into a coffee table book, an exhibition and maybe even a documentary.

You can Donate to The Long Outback Ride's page at the Pancare Foundation here.

You can follow The Outback Long Ride at @_beneaththebrim on Instagram

Or here on Facebook

The Outback Long Ride; YouTube

To support low survival Upper GI Cancers go to pancare.org.au  

I knew not much about Cara’s high end fashion boutique Inky and Moss in Roma QLD and nothing about her second online label Sorority Clothing. So we got chatting and I learned that most of the shirts in Sorority Clothing are made from Liberty Prints - big tick, huge tick for me. 

We started exchanging Liberty stories …… and then she told me the story of how the business came to be. She’s lost her identical twin sister years ago - and this was Cara’s Ode to her sister - and is a venture in which she feels a strong sense of spiritual guidance and good luck

And then she started telling me about all the one-on-one attention and conversations she has with the people of Liberty in London. 

This is what this podcast is all about. A new clothing label born in Roma Queensland with a direct line to the people in charge of Liberty in London and with shirts manufactured at Lake Como in Italy. 

It happens, but not just in the cities. And we’re here to celebrate it.

Thankyou to Rabobank Australia for its support of this series of Company.

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Beechworth Honey is a first generation business with a fourth generation heritage. 

30 years on their business is the second largest brand in the Australian Honey market - and the biggest family owned Honey company in Australia. 

Their ascent to this lofty high is built on hard work and a determined integrity to treat all aspects and people within the business how they would like to be treated themselves. Simple mantra. Big results.

*There was never any encouragement nor plan for Jodie to follow in her family's beekeeping footsteps. For all she knew she was set to be a teacher.

Thank you to Rabobank Australia for its support of this Series of the Company podcast.

In Britain is also the case for live orchestra events. But in Australia, this is unheard of. 

Enter Bourby Webster a pom from rural UK, who trained in classical live music at Oxford University and is now determined to change the zeitgeist around live orchestral performances in rural and regional Australia. 

When Bourby moved to Perth - it was for love. There was no thought, nor ambition to change the culture of music in Australia. 

But when her relationship failed…She looked around her and noticed a huge gaping hole in the culture of Australian orchestra. 

Her idea was to try and recreate the British model of touring a symphony orchestra to regional communities and so she created the Perth Symphony Orchestra; music for everyone, anywhere. 

People laughed. Asked if she was joking? ‘This is impossible, people won’t travel to come to an event like this’ They don’t need it, they don’t want it. There’s no doubt she’s been up against it. There’s a huge cultural ‘cringe’ to overcome.

To add - Western Australia already had a symphony orchestra, WASO which is longstanding, respected and well known. 

This is a Manson Podcast Network production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Years ago Kim and her partner sold *everything* chasing a feeling of fulfilment in the creation of her social enterprise Thankful. When no-one in Australia would invest nor take her seriously, she uprooted her family - and a very comfortable life in Melbourne - and took them to a lesser life in New York.

We talk about 'ambition' and 'innovation' on this podcast and Kim is a shining example of what can be achieved if you are courageous enough to go for it, and keep going and going and going. Cliched I know. But Kim's persistence has seen her glean support and recognition from the United Nations, members of the Rockerfeller family and the Ford Motor Group family.

SafeFul App: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/saveful/id6460647948

Thankful Podcast

Thankful4Soil Film

Thankful4Farmers initiative

When it comes to Edwina, sure there are a few extra’s thrown in there like a nanny and invitations to fancy shows and opening nights - but ultimately she’s a mother, who’s very successful in her high profile job, but who also spends hours scrolling interiors on Instagram and naps during the days.

When I watch Edwina on Sunrise. I just wonder how she does it all? Like really, 3am alarms and two young children and a high profile and extra business ventures: it’s a lot.

But I also really admire the path that she has carved for herself as a self proclaimed ‘devotee’ to country life.  And we need people like Edwina in our corner - someone who’s happy to champion our causes, projects, challenges, the special people.

Today we talk about her TV presenter life, her daily routine and we get excited about her latest venture Saltash Farm at Carcoar near Orange in central west NSW.

This podcast is produced by Manson Podcasting Network in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Bec’s main mission in her film making is to challenge stereotypes everywhere. She’s pushing boundaries in her narratives, her characters and in the way she produces film.

In many ways this film is based on a lifetime of observation and for that Rural Australia is lucky to have her - because her perspective as someone who grew up in WA’s wheatbelt runs deep, drawing on her experiences and observations of childhood, community, stereotypes, expectations, hard times, good times - its endless. 

HOMESPUN was was financed in large part by Bec personally. It was shot in just two-weeks with locals - who had no acting experience - featured as many of the main characters. I’ve watched it a few times now and there are so many relatable moments, that hit deep in parts and just make you laugh in others. It’s refreshing to see how humorous and engaging these kind of characters can be on screen - because really, we’ve never seen rural Australia depicted in this way before. You have to make time to see this film. 

Here's the trailer - https://youtu.be/IGBMaGS3G_s

And here's the film on Stan - https://www.stan.com.au/watch/homespun-2021

Thank you to Rabobank for sponsoring this season of Company.

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But when it comes to her print magazine and modern media business Galah  Press - she IS an addict, a women possessed, to flip the narrative on life in rural Australia.

As an original outsider to rural Australia (she grew up in Sydney’s north shore) the mirror that she holds up to people and projects in the bush - is flattering -  and it reverberates light deep into the corners of our communities - into the lives of people that sometimes even we ignore - musicians, artists, creatives, artisans - painting a full, diverse and awesome picture of where we live; 

Don't be deterred if you think you have heard Annabelle's story before, today we discuss the behind the scenes business mentality of her venture.

How does Annabelle single-handedly manage and grow this business with no large scale advertisers, a 160,000 dollar printing bill three times a year and contract staff that need to be paid. 

Galah Press consists of a thrice annually print magazine, two newsletters, multiple events, a new hard cover book - and more things to come, like a podcast and a writers course.  

Explore it all at digital.galahpress.com

Company is Manson Podcasting Network’s flagship show alongside, Daily Routines, Women Behind Wool and Garden. 

We’re online at mansonpodcasting.com if you want to catch-up or share any of these shows.  

To fully embed yourself in our community use the website to sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter - it lands on Sunday mornings - and I like to think of it the weekend magazine but in digital format, and curated especially for people like you and me! 

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This Season of Company is sponsored by Rabobank. We've been talking about its Client Councils and Community Fund today - if you have a community initiative that will help your community thrive the Rabobank team would love to know about it. rabobank.com.au