For too long, we as a society have dealt with the loss of a baby, by almost pretending he or she didn’t exist. But for the mother, that baby is always with her. The love is the same as it would be for any child; it’s just as strong and fierce.

But the grief is unique. The grief is for the baby they love, but also the future they never got to have. This can then be compounded by a healthcare system that doesn’t always assist grieving mothers in the way that’s needed.

In this special episode of Ducks of the Pond, we hear individual stories of grieving and baby loss, as well as a collective response from a group of Warrnambool mothers, who call themselves “the Electric Eight”. It’s a support group that started forming 13 years ago, for mothers whose babies have died.

You’ll hear the voices of:

• Louise Murrihy - Mother of 3 who is speaking on behalf of the Electric Eight. She lost her first born son, Max. She’s based in Warrnambool, VIC
• Rochelle Olsen - Mother of 3 who founded The Baby Loss Mentor. She lost her first born son, Edward. She’s a pharmacist, based in Hillston, NSW

This collective response is so valuable, because it’s a reminder that we all grieve differently - and that mothers who have lost a baby have different needs at different times. You’ll gain insight how a mother might be feeling and how to best support her as a friend, family member or co-worker.

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We get to design some of the chapters of our life… but others we don’t. Ashley Molloy has been a police officer, worked in marketing, built her own home and now designs jewellery. Each chapter seems very different on face value. But Ashley sees her life as a continuity of growth; in skills, experience and understanding what’s right for each chapter of life.

Her most difficult chapter was the unexpected loss of her daughter, who was stillborn. It was in this Chapter where Ashley learned courage, acceptance and perspective about what really matters in life.

Ashley is now channeling her passion into a new Australian gold jewellery business, ByCC Fine Jewellery. Her aim is to align her values with a business that supports other rural women.

Ashley’s business ByCC Fine Jewellery is also the sponsor of this season of Ducks on the Pond. Thank you Ashley!

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We are hearing more and more about the use of agtech for precision farming tech, for water level monitoring, soil carbon accounting, and so much more. So where do you even start? And is it even worth the time and effort?

In this episode we look at how you can better engage with these emerging technologies - whether that’s on farm, as an investor, or getting involved in the industry itself. In the future, we can also expect more regulations around sustainability, whether that’s in the form of carbon accounting or another form of environmental governance. So should we be getting ready now?

To discuss, we have two industry leaders:

• Ebony Greaves - CEO of Sea Oak Consulting, which helps agriculture businesses transition to more climate resilient practices. Ebony is based in Victoria’s High Country.
  
  
• Sarah Nolet - CEO and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, an agrifood venture capital firm and advisory in climate resilient systems.

We also have some very frank discussions about the role of women in driving this change. Let's face it, when you get the technology industry mixed with the agriculture industry…. you generally get a lot of men. So, how can we, as women, get more involved to even up the scale?

This episode is hosted by Kirsten Diprose.

This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production. Love this podcast? You might also like: Two Smart Blondes and Town Criers.

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