There’s a huge amount of symbolism in a new year, and that can bring with it a lot of pressure.

As we mark the start of a year and a new season for the ARLF podcast, Rural Leadership Unearthed, we wanted to give you some inspiration and ideas that we hope will set you up to start the year off in a positive way.

So, we’ve wrapped up a bit of collective wisdom from some past guests, including Aaron Thomas, Megan McLoughlin, OIi Le Lievre, Melanie Bloor, Liz Stott and Bernice Hookey. While in many ways wildly different, these leaders all share strong values and a clear sense of the impact they want to have. They have also mastered the art of reflection: taking their rich experiences – successes and failures – and tucking away lessons that serve them well into the future.

If you need to ‘take the pressure down’ and put your aims for the new year in perspective, this is an episode for you.

Some highlights:

• Aaron Thomas on slowing down

• Megan McLoughlin on living our lives with empathy and gratitude

• Oli le Lievre on managing our inner critics

• Melanie Bloor on creating fertile ground for ours and others’ efforts to flourish

• Liz Stott on making plans and setting goals

• Bernice Hookey on making sure that we let love guide our leadership.

Our host:

Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.

Resources:

ARLF podcast blog

Rural Leadership Unearthed – Dairy Leader’s Mental Health Mission

Rural Leadership Unearthed – To Be Saved by a Stranger

Rural Leadership Unearthed – Reframing How We Think About Farming

Rural Leadership Unearthed – Resilient Communities Run on Connection and Kindness

Rural Leadership Unearthed – Cotton’s Leadership Fibre

Rural Leadership Unearthed – Healing Self to Heal Others

In this episode, we reflect on the recent challenges and wins for Australian agriculture and take a look at trends that will continue to impact the sector. This is a conversation between two veterans of agricultural advocacy and leadership in rural Australia: CEO of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and former head of the National Farmers Federation, Matt Linnegar, and our inaugural Special Representative for Australian Agriculture, Su McCluskey.

Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, Su shares her recent experience representing Australian agriculture at the COP29 Summit in Azerbaijan. She and Matt discuss the ways international events are creating headwinds and tailwinds for our rural industries, and the role of leadership and innovation in managing these.

In the face of significant uncertainty around global politics and trade, Matt and Su examine the keys to resilience in the face of challenges, and the importance of supporting the collaborative leadership required for our agricultural sector to thrive.

Some highlights:

• Su walks us through what really happens at a climate conference

• Matt’s take-aways from the 2024 Australian Farm Institute Roundtable

• What net zero means for Australian agriculture right now

• How shifting global regulations and changes of government might be felt closer to home

• Why sustainability matters more than ever

• The importance of collective, collaborative leadership

• Opportunities and causes of optimism for Australian agriculture’s future

Our host:

Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.

Resources:

ARLF podcast blog

ARLF website

COP29 Baku

Australian Farm Institute Roundtable - Walking the talk: Putting policy into action

Rural Leadership Unearthed episode 8 – Cotton’s Leadership Fibre

In this expansive episode registered nurse, John Wright, reflects on the career he has built as a remote area nurse and clinical educator currently serving some of Australia’s most remote communities. John is a proud emissary for a career that he has found to be rewarding, challenging and rich.

Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, John shares the winding path he walked on his way to join the ranks of a profession of which men make up just over ten percent. His love of ‘bush’ communities has remained a constant throughout his life, as has his gravitation to work where his skills are most needed.

John is frank about the legacy of family violence in his childhood and the way it impacted his ability to deal with conflict as an adult. In the management roles he has taken on throughout his career, John has worked determinedly to develop healthy communication skills and tools to have difficult conversations. Learning is another constant throughout John’s story, as at every turn he has invested in further study to enable him to give his best to every role. He talks about the impostor syndrome and the leadership development opportunity that helped him to truly embrace ‘being a leader’.

John is currently a Nurse Education and Research Coordinator with the Tennant Creek Hospital’s Clinical Improvement Unit, and he has a part time secondment with Flinders University as a teaching academic. He completed Course 16 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program in 2010 thanks to a scholarship from the-then Department of Health and Ageing.

Some highlights:

• The rewards for men of a career in nursing

• Why early career health workers should give remote communities a go

• How to beat imposter syndrome and reject self-imposed limits

• How practical steps and peer support helped John un-learn a fear of conflict

• Insights into the long-term impact of the global pandemic on the health workforce

• Relationships and trust: the keys to being a health practitioner in rural communities

• How feeling valued, heard, and respected helps health workers to stay in the bush

Our host:

Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.

Resources:

ARLF podcast blog

ARLF website

Australian Rural Leadership Program

Department of Health and Aged Care

CRANAplus

This episode discusses domestic and family violence. If you need support, reach out:

Lifeline | call 13 11 14 | text 0477 13 11 14

Kids Helpline | 1800 551 800

1800 RESPECT | 1800 737 732

Kids Helpline | 1800 551 800

MensLine Australia | 1300 789 978

Safe and Equal