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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We’re in the middle of a Federal election campaign…and you can already see that issues such as the cost of living, housing, health and crime are going to be crucial areas of focus for pretty much any candidate hoping to get elected.

But what if the issue that matters most to you, or to your family or your community… is NOT one of those hot button topics?

And while we are seeing progress being made in terms of the representation of women in politics, there's still a long way to go before we have true parity on issues that affect women's health, safety, and general wellbeing.

So how can rural women make sure they're heard when it comes to raising important issues in the lead up to the election? And how do you have productive and meaningful conversations with people who are on the completely opposite side of the political spectrum? That's what we are talking about in this episode, with our guests:

* Cynthia Mahoney - Facilitator, Mentor and Author of “Cultivate: How Neuroscience and Wellbeing Supports Rural Leaders to Thrive”

* Gillian Fenell - Farmer at Lambina Station, SA and ‘Agvocate’

This episode is sponsored by ByCC Fine Jewellery. Australian made, ethically sourced, keepsake pieces. Check out the ‘Beyond the Pond’ drop made for Ducks on the Pond!

This podcast is produced by the Rural Podcasting Co. Love this podcast? You might also like, Two Smart Blondes.

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We're coming back! And we're looking at the BIG issues facing Australian rural women. From healthcare, baby loss to climate change... this Season of Ducks is going even bigger than before.

We also introduce out Season 7 Sponsor, Ashley Molloy, the founder of ByCC Fine Jewellery... and announce an exciting giveaway!

This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production. Interested in podcasting? We can help!

Like this pod? You should also check out Two Smart Blondes.

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Do you have a goal or dream that you want to pursue, but stop yourself because you feel it’s too selfish or you don’t have enough time?

Sometimes we women formulate the idea that we need to be of service to others… in order to be loved. And it’s not our fault. This idea can come from messages coming from society, or perhaps from the homes we grew up in.

The good news is that we can learn how to reprogramme these unhelpful ways of thinking and get ourselves motivated to pursue what we want, or stop the ‘busyness’ to actually understand what makes us happy.

Hear from two experts, who work with women every day, using positive psychology to help them break through their own mental barriers… (while chipping away at the societal ones!)

Jodie Fleming - Clinical and Health Psychologist, Warrnambool, VIC

Karen Foster - Business and Leadership Development consultant and Mayor of the Moyne Shire, Port Fairy, VIC.

Jodie and Karen are part of Rural Women LEAD - a personal and professional development series, running from May - July 2025 across south west Victoria. Book tickets here.

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Agriculture isn’t just the act of growing crops or tending to the animals, as the dictionary likes to define it. And it's how outsiders can see it too. A bloke with his sheep and cows.

Rather, agriculture is a complex system, that impacts and is impacted by a variety of things from government regulation, people, climate change, business, politics etc. And it's also integrated with family systems too (including, women and children!).

Therefore stepping into the space of advocacy on an issue in agriculture, can often feel difficult. I am delighted to bring on Catherine Marriott OAM onto the Ducks on the Pond podcast, as part of a collaboration with Australian Rural Leadership Foundation.

Catherine (or "Maz") is a systems thinker and beef industry advocate, who has often has to explain to regulators and politicians what shutting down or changing one part of the system will mean to other parts of the system... and beyond.

This has given Maz a unique insight into how to make changes in the Ag sector successfully. She talks about her experiences with live export and her recent efforts in the ESG space.

You’ll also hear from Claire Delahunty in this episode, another rural woman (and host of Rural Leadership Unearthed), as our host. With Kirsten Diprose, this time as a guest!

THANK YOU to our episode sponsor: Aspen Lou - Rural Interior Design Specialist (She has a special promotion for Ducks listeners too!)

This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production

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Tea tree oil and nanotechnology for fly strike and foot-rot resistant sheep…. These are just some of the exciting innovations happening in agriculture. But how do lift an entire sector or industry?

It’s not always easy in farming when most of us work alone or with family.

But in this episode, you'll hear about the benefits of taking part in extension programs, learning from research trials, and even just forming local groups to learn from your neighbours.

Emily King is the National Extension Manager for Australian Wool Innovation. She's based in Dubbo and in her role, delivers a range of programs to help growers improve their production and trial the latest in research. In this episode, Emily discusses some of the latest innovations for wool production and sheep as well as some of the most successful extension programs that are still being delivered today.

So if you’re keen to improve farming practices and production not just on your farm, but for your whole community or industry, this episode is for you!

This is the third and final episode in our Knowledge is Power series that we're making in collaboration with Rural Industries Skill Training (RIST). Make sure you listen to the other two episodes: “Building a farm business from scratch” - feat. Dr Lexi Leonard and “Managing the Family Farm” - feat. Rachael McGrath.

More about RIST:

We are a leading independent provider of Training & Education for the Agricultural Sector.Located in the heart of Victoria's Western District, RIST are your Local Agricultural College with a National Reach. TOID4198

This podcast is produced by the Rural Podcasting Co.

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