Nicole McNaughton, CEO of the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) — one of Australia’s leading food industry clusters.

Nicole shares her incredible journey from working in global marketing and tourism to now leading an innovative and powerful network of over 400 food and agribusiness members across the Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Noosa, Moreton Bay, and beyond.

In this episode, we chat about:
How FAN began and what sparked its creation
Why collaboration is a game-changer for regional food producers and agribusinesses
The real challenges small and regional food businesses are facing — and how FAN is helping solve them
The importance of building trust and community within a competitive industry
Why clusters like FAN are essential to growing sustainable, resilient agrifood industries
How Nicole’s past experiences in major campaigns like Tourism and Events Queensland's 'Best Job in the World' shaped her leadership approach
The vision behind the Turbine Precinct — Australia’s new food and beverage innovation hub

Whether you’re a producer, small business owner, or someone passionate about supporting regional Australia, this episode will open your eyes to what’s possible when we collaborate, share, and innovate together.

Follow Nicole and FAN on Instagram and follow her Instagram picks or social suggestions:
Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN): https://foodagribusiness.org.au/
Instagram: @fanqld
LinkedIn: Food and Agribusiness Network

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate and review the podcast — it helps us reach more rural women and communities!

#Podcast #Agribusiness #FoodInnovation #RegionalAustralia #WomenInAg #FAN #Collaboration #Leadership #SmallBusinessSupport

Boarding Schools Expo Emerald Thursday 1 May Friday, 2 May 2025 Boarding Schools Expo is coming to Emerald – 21 leading boarding schools all under one roof. It’s the perfect chance to meet face-to-face with school reps, ask the big questions, and get all the information you need about scholarships, bursaries, and everything in between.

www.boardingexpo.com.au

Proud Samep woman and changemaker Libby Cook-Black joins the podcast for a powerful and deeply personal episode about sport, identity, and creating change.

Born on Thursday Island and raised across two worlds, Libby has worn many hats—former Australian Rugby League Jillaroo, Queensland Reds Rugby Sevens player, and participant in the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. But it's her role as the founder of The Female Co, a not-for-profit focused on bridging the opportunity gap for women and girls in regional and remote communities, that is making waves across Australia.

A 2025 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award Queensland Finalist, Libby speaks candidly about:

• Her sporting journey as a First Nations woman
• The stark realities of limited resources in remote Australia
• The moment she realised she needed to build something bigger
• Why equity and opportunity are at the heart of everything she does

This is more than just a conversation—it’s a call to action.

Follow Libby on Instagram at @libbycookblack and @thefemaleco
Learn more at www.thefemaleco.com

#TheFemaleCo #LibbyCookBlack #FirstNationsVoices #RuralWomen #AgriFutures2025 #PodcastAustralia

Boarding Schools Expo Emerald Thursday 1 May Friday, 2 May 2025 Boarding Schools Expo is coming to Emerald – 21 leading boarding schools all under one roof. It’s the perfect chance to meet face-to-face with school reps, ask the big questions, and get all the information you need about scholarships, bursaries, and everything in between.

www.boardingexpo.com.au

We saddle up with two dynamic women rewriting the rulebook on what it means to work in ag.

Meet Edwina Doery and Ruby Buchanan, the powerhouse duo behind Uwannagoforabeer Contracting—a name that’s as cheeky as it is unforgettable. In their 20s, these two mates launched their own contracting business, armed with motorbikes, working dogs, and grit.

But don’t be fooled by the dust and denim—behind the handlebars are a qualified nurse and a law graduate who have built a life that balances study, work, and a love for the land.

In this episode, we chat about:

• How Uwannagoforabeer started
  
  
• What it’s like building a business in ag as two young women
  
  
• Juggling career paths with country life
  
  
• Why passion and hard work are the ultimate tools for success
  
  

These women prove that you can chase cows and chase dreams—at the same time.

Follow Uwannagoforabeer on Instagram and follow her Instagram picks or social suggestions:

FarmHER Hands UPF50+ sun protection gloves our mission to safeguard the hands of rural and remote women as they work, live, and play. Our UPF50+ sun protection gloves empower them with confidence and comfort, enhancing their well-being and resilience in agriculture. We are dedicated to nurturing and celebrating these extraordinary women who shape our agricultural landscape. www.farmherhands.com.au

I’m joined by Kate Quinn and Emily Day, two full-time artists who turned their love of floral still life into a creative movement — Bloom Art Experiences.

Born from a desire to make art more accessible, especially in regional Australia, Bloom was created to provide supportive, joyful and high-quality painting workshops for people of all skill levels. Whether you're a beginner or a hobbyist, Bloom is about more than just painting — it’s about connection, creative self-care, and finding joy in the process.

🌸 In this episode, we chat about:

• How Kate and Emily met and decided to create Bloom
• The challenges and wins of launching an art business in regional Australia
• Why Bloom is more than a workshop — it’s an experience
• The impact of offering creativity to people who can’t access traditional art classes
• Bloom’s exciting expansion into online tutorials and take-home art kits
• Why creative outlets matter — especially for rural women

Whether you’ve never picked up a paintbrush or you’re rekindling an old love for art, this episode will inspire you to bloom right where you are.

🎨 Want to join a Bloom experience or bring one to your town?
Find out more: https://bloomartexperiences.com.au
✨ If you're within 100km of Brisbane, check out 'Bloom at Home' — a beautiful way to gather your friends and create something special together.

🎧 Hit play and let your creativity bloom.

Follow Emily and Kate on Instagram and follow her Instagram picks or social suggestions:
Instagram:

@bloom.art.experiences

Kate Quinn | Australian Painter (@katequinnart) • Instagram photos and videos

E M I L Y D A Y | Australian artist (@e_milydaystudio) • Instagram photos and videos

Jackson's Art Supplies (@jacksons_art) • Instagram photos and videos

Bloom website. https://www.bloomartexperiences.com

Bloom Online. https://www.bloomartexperiences.com/bloom-online

Bloom Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/bloomartexperiences

Kate's website https://www.katequinnart.com

Emily's website. https://www.instagram.com/e_milydaystudio/?hl=en

Jackson Art Blog https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/ or Book - How To Be An Artist by Jerry Saltz Audiobook. https://www.audible.com.au/pd/How-to-Be-an-Artist-Audiobook/1781577951

Bush Flowers - https://bushflowers.com.au/products/bush-flowers-book

FarmHER Hands UPF50+ sun protection gloves our mission to safeguard the hands of rural and remote women as they work, live, and play. Our UPF50+ sun protection gloves empower them with confidence and comfort, enhancing their well-being and resilience in agriculture. We are dedicated to nurturing and celebrating these extraordinary women who shape our agricultural landscape. www.farmherhands.com.au

Monday 24th March 2025 -Over the past week, communities across South West Queensland have been dealt a devastating blow. Places like Stonehenge, Windorah, Adavale, Quilpie, Eromanga, Jundah and across the Channel Country have been swallowed by floodwaters. Homes inundated. Yards washed out. Millions of hectares under water.

If you’ve had your head in the sand, now is the time to tune in. What’s happening out here is unfathomable. And behind every flood warning is a family. A farm. A future now uncertain.

I’m incredibly grateful to be joined today by two women who are living through this — Louise Hoch,Wendy Sheehan and Charmain Batt. They bring us a raw and real recap of what’s unfolding on the ground, and how they’re coping with the emotional and physical toll of this natural disaster. As the flood water start to go down it will be only then we will be able to assess the damage.

@on.the.fenceline

@dandlhoch

@bulldust_and_mulga

FarmHER Hands UPF50+ sun protection gloves our mission to safeguard the hands of rural and remote women as they work, live, and play. Our UPF50+ sun protection gloves empower them with confidence and comfort, enhancing their well-being and resilience in agriculture. We are dedicated to nurturing and celebrating these extraordinary women who shape our agricultural landscape. www.farmherhands.com.au

Fee May, a woman whose journey has taken her from the paddocks of rural Australia to the world of photography, storytelling, and entrepreneurship. Fee has worn many hats—farmer, agritourism leader, business owner, and now a creative force behind rural and regional marketing.

We dive into her remarkable career shifts, from running a pastured pork farm and agritourism venture in Toowoomba to launching the successful Toowoomba Farmers' Market, and ultimately, finding a new purpose through photography, social media management and business mentoring. Fee opens up about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the realities of single parenting, overcoming self-doubt, and the mental resilience needed to rebuild after major life changes.

She shares how her love for authentic storytelling has helped rural businesses connect with their communities and why she’s now turning her focus to country wedding photography, creative workshops and supporting small business owners in finding balance.

If you're someone who’s been through big life pivots, wondering how to turn your passions into a sustainable career, or simply love an inspiring story of resilience, reinvention, and rural life, this is an episode for you.

What We Cover:

- Fee’s unexpected journey from finance to farming to photography
- The realities of running an agritourism business & building trust with consumers
- Why she left farming and how she found a new passion in storytelling and photography
- The challenges of solo parenting & rebuilding after divorce
- How mental health struggles, burnout & self-doubt shaped her approach to life & business
- The power of authenticity in branding & storytelling for rural businesses
- Fee’s new focus on country wedding photography, workshops & creative business mentoring

Follow Fee May on Instagram and follow her Instagram picks or social suggestions:
Instagram:

@hamlet_and_fields

@fionamayimagery

@sarablakely

@jennakutcher

@mirandalambert

@georgiestevenson

@lisamessenger + @collectivehub

@manonmatthews

@holly_goodman

@whitneyspicer

@gingingardenclub

🎙️ Recommended Podcasts:

• The Imperfects
• Motherland Australia
• Jumbled
• She's on the Money
• Grow Your Photography Business Podcast

FarmHER Hands UPF50+ sun protection gloves our mission to safeguard the hands of rural and remote women as they work, live, and play. Our UPF50+ sun protection gloves empower them with confidence and comfort, enhancing their well-being and resilience in agriculture. We are dedicated to nurturing and celebrating these extraordinary women who shape our agricultural landscape. www.farmherhands.com.au

Shannon Speight, a vet-turned-entrepreneur who has made waves in the beef industry. From growing up in a family that moved around for mining work to working as a jillaroo in the NT, Shannon’s journey into agriculture wasn’t a straight path—but it’s been a remarkable one.

Shannon shares how her experiences as a vet in Charters Towers and Longreach shaped her understanding of the beef supply chain and ultimately led her to co-found Black Box, a game-changing data analytics company for livestock producers. We also talk about her journey into farm ownership, what it’s really like balancing a thriving career with raising three young boys, and how burnout in 2023 forced her to reassess her approach to work and life.

We discuss:
The lessons learned from starting Black Box and what it’s changing for cattle producers
The realities of living remotely, from childcare challenges to health access
The mental load of juggling motherhood and business in ag
The biggest opportunities and roadblocks in the beef industry today
What more women in ag need to hear about building a career while raising a family

This conversation is full of insights, honesty, and lessons learned from the land—a must-listen for anyone in agriculture, business, or rural life.

Follow Shannon on Instagram and follow her Instagram picks or social suggestions:
Instagram:

@shannon.speight

Website: Black Box Co

LinkedIn: Shannon Speight

FarmHER Hands UPF50+ sun protection gloves our mission to safeguard the hands of rural and remote women as they work, live, and play. Our UPF50+ sun protection gloves empower them with confidence and comfort, enhancing their well-being and resilience in agriculture. We are dedicated to nurturing and celebrating these extraordinary women who shape our agricultural landscape. www.farmherhands.com.au

Kimmie Cameron, a rural mother, grazier, and The Rural Dietitian. Kimmie’s journey is one of resilience, love, and finding purpose through both heartbreak and opportunity.

Growing up in Western Queensland, Kimmie’s career took her into the world of nutrition and dietetics, where she built a name for herself in regional health. But after moving to New England, NSW, and marrying her husband Sando, her life took on new challenges—juggling motherhood, rural life, and eventually, navigating immense personal loss.

In 2022, Kimmie and Sando lost their daughter Pippa to stillbirth at 36+4 weeks, an event that deeply shaped their family’s story. Through grief, growth, and courage, Kimmie has used her experience to help rural women through The Rural Dietitian, providing accessible nutrition support for mums juggling farm life, family, and their own well-being.

In this episode, we dive into:
The transition from a thriving career in dietetics to life on the land
The realities of rural motherhood and the grief of losing a child
How Kimmie and her husband navigated loss while keeping their family strong
The courage to start over and build The Rural Dietitian
How rural women can prioritise their health without the overwhelm

Finding balance in farm life, business, and family

This episode is raw, heartfelt, and deeply inspiring. Kimmie’s story is a reminder of the strength found in rural women, the importance of open conversations around loss and resilience, and why supporting one another is more crucial than ever.

Follow Kimmie on Instagram and follow her Instagram picks or social suggestions:
Instagram:

@theruraldietitian

@los-kitchen

@doctimcrowe

FarmHER Hands UPF50+ sun protection gloves our mission to safeguard the hands of rural and remote women as they work, live, and play. Our UPF50+ sun protection gloves empower them with confidence and comfort, enhancing their well-being and resilience in agriculture. We are dedicated to nurturing and celebrating these extraordinary women who shape our agricultural landscape. www.farmherhands.com.au