Season 2 Episode 6: Navigating Family, Farming & Generational Expectations with Abi Cook-Singh

Season 2 Episode 6: Navigating Family, Farming & Generational Expectations with Abi Cook-Singh

Family farms are built on legacy, resilience, hard work and the relationships that quietly hold everything together behind the scenes. But what happens when generations, identities, traditions and unspoken expectations collide under the one roof, on the one piece of land? In this conversation I sit down with the wonderful Abi Cook-Singh, counsellor, researcher, podcast host, and founder of Working It Out Now. After marrying into a fourth-generation farming family on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, Abi experienced firsthand the isolation, pressure, and complexity many women face when stepping into rural family life and business. What began as personal experience became a 14-year passion project exploring one of the most misunderstood relationships in family systems: mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in farming families. Abi’s award-winning Working Her Out research has sparked conversations across Australia and internationally about communication, identity, legacy, resilience, and the women who so often become the emotional glue holding families together. Together we explored: * Abi’s journey from city life and flight attending into a fourth-generation farming family. * The hidden emotional load many rural women carry when trying to “fit in”. * Why mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law often misunderstand each other, even with good intentions. * The powerful story behind a week of shearing, smoko, sandwiches, and the lessons it revealed about identity and belonging. * Why curiosity, communication and storytelling are essential for healthy family businesses. * The emotional complexity of succession, legacy and generational farming expectations. * How changing rural communities, isolation and economic pressures are impacting family dynamics and mental health. * Why the conversations families avoid are often the ones that matter most. * The role men play in helping bridge communication between generations. * How stronger family relationships can create more resilient farms, businesses and communities. This episode is for anyone navigating family business, generational expectations, rural life, marriage, motherhood, identity, or the quiet pressure of trying to belong while staying true to yourself. Together we unpack what it means to build resilient relationships on and off the land, then lay it all out on the Workbench for the Mind. 💡 Ready to start the conversation? 🌾 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Let’s get started. 💡 Ready to start your journey? 📘 Choose You | Free Training [https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you] 🌸 Explore the Workbench for the Mind program [https://www.suzievans.com/workbench] 📚 Find support with the Grief Book [https://www.suzievans.com/shop] 🔗 Find all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/suzievans [https://linktr.ee/suzievans] 🔗 Connect with Abi: 🌐 Working It Out Now [https://workingitout.online/]🎙️Working Her Out Podcast [https://workingitout.online/working-her-out-podcast/]

Season 2 Episode 5: Coercive Control, Survivor Safety & Finding Your Voice with Leesa Scanlan

Domestic violence doesn't always leave bruises. Sometimes it looks like confusion, walking on eggshells, self-doubt, emotional exhaustion, and slowly losing trust in your own reality. And for many victim survivors, the hardest part is not even having the language to explain what's happening. In this conversation I sit down with the courageous Leesa Scanlan, mental health advocate, lived experience speaker, podcast host, and passionate voice for domestic and family violence awareness. After publicly sharing her own experience with coercive control and emotional abuse, Leesa was flooded with messages from women whose stories mirrored her own, reinforcing just how common, hidden, and misunderstood these experiences can be. Leesa now uses her voice to educate others on the warning signs of abuse, survivor safety, coercive control, and the importance of speaking up before things escalate. Through honesty, compassion, and lived experience, she is helping others realise they are not alone. Together we explored: * Leesa’s journey through mental health advocacy and what led her to speak publicly about abuse. * Why coercive control and emotional abuse can be so difficult to recognise. * The shame, self-doubt, and confusion that often keeps people silent. * How manipulation, projection, and trauma bonds keep victim survivors trapped. * The difference between healthy conflict and patterns of intentional control. * Why leaving an abusive relationship can be the most dangerous time. * The importance of education, early intervention, and systemic reform. * Support services available for victim survivors and the power of taking one small step. This episode is for anyone who has ever questioned their own reality, felt emotionally unsafe in a relationship, or quietly wondered, “Is this normal?” It’s also an important conversation for friends, families, and communities wanting to better understand the hidden dynamics of abuse and coercive control. Together we unpack survivor safety, emotional manipulation, recovery, and what it means to slowly reclaim your voice, your confidence, and your life, then lay it all out on the Workbench for the Mind. 💡 Ready to start the conversation? 🌸 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Let’s get started. 💡 Ready to start your journey? 📘 https://www.suzievans.com/find-the-real-youChoose You | Free Training [https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you] 🌸 Explore the Workbench for the Mind program [https://www.suzievans.com/workbench] 📚 Find support with the Grief Book [https://www.suzievans.com/shop] 🔗 Find all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/suzievans [https://linktr.ee/suzievans] 🔗 Support services mentioned in this episode: 🌐 1800RESPECT [https://www.1800respect.org.au/] 🌐 Women’s Safety Services South Australia [https://womenssafetyservices.com.au/] 🌐 The Zahra Foundation [https://zahrafoundation.org.au/] 🌐Catherine House [https://catherinehouse.org.au/]

Season 2 Episode 4: Living for the Moment: Love, Loss & Purpose with Ella Stratton

Identity, grief, love, and the unimaginable reality of caring for a child with a life-limiting illness - it’s a path no parent expects to walk. But within that heartbreak, there can also be profound meaning, connection, and purpose. In this deeply moving conversation, I sit down with the incredible Ella Stratton, founder of HAS Foundation Australia, a charity created in honour of her son Hunter. After navigating nearly 12 years of pediatric palliative care, Ella has transformed her grief into a mission to support families facing the same journey - ensuring no one feels alone in their darkest moments. Together with her husband, Ella has built a foundation grounded in love, lived experience, and the belief that even the smallest acts of support can make the biggest difference. We explored: * Hunter’s story - a life full of love, connection, and extraordinary impact. * What pediatric palliative care really looks like (and why it’s so misunderstood). * The hidden realities families face - isolation, financial pressure, and anticipatory grief. * How “live for the moment, love for a lifetime” became a guiding philosophy. * The power of practical support - meals, care packs, and simply being thought of. * Why connection and community can ease the weight of even the deepest grief. * Turning pain into purpose - and leading with love without needing all the answers. * Simple ways to anchor into meaningful moments, even in the hardest seasons. This episode is for anyone navigating grief, supporting someone through it, or wanting to better understand the quiet strength of families living through the unthinkable. Together, we unpack what it means to hold both heartbreak and beauty at the same time - and lay it all out on the Workbench for the Mind. 💡 Ready to go first? 🌸 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Let’s get started. 💡 Ready to start your journey? 📘 Choose You | Free Training https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you [https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you] 🌸 Explore the Workbench for the Mind program https://www.suzievans.com/workbench [https://www.suzievans.com/workbench] 📚 Find support with the Grief Book https://www.suzievans.com/shop [https://www.suzievans.com/shop] 🔗 Find all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/suzievans [https://linktr.ee/suzievans] 🔗 Connect with Ella & HAS Foundation: 🌐 https://hasfoundation.org.au/ [https://hasfoundation.org.au/] 💛 Learn more, donate, or support families through care packs and community initiatives

Season 2 Episode 3: Starting Over in Midlife: Trust Yourself Again with Krista Bleich

Identity, reinvention, the quiet pull toward something more, many of us feel it long before we understand it. A whisper that life could be fuller, truer, more aligned… if only we had the courage to listen. But what happens when that whisper becomes impossible to ignore? In this conversation, I sit down with the deeply grounded and inspiring Krista Bleich, NLP practitioner, hypnotherapist, and author of The One Who Knows: A Memoir of Starting Over in Midlife. Krista’s journey is one of profound unraveling and rebuilding after losing her business, ending her marriage, and redefining her entire identity in her late 50s. Together, we explore what it really means to begin again, not from scratch, but from experience. We explored: * Krista’s lifelong sense that something was “off” and how that quiet knowing guided her back to herself. * The moment everything changed, losing her business, filing for bankruptcy, and leaving her marriage within months. * Why success built on external validation can leave us feeling empty and exhausted. * The difference between being “stuck” and being in a necessary pause before clarity arrives. * How to build trust in yourself through small, consistent steps, not giant leaps. * What bravery actually looks like in everyday life, hint, it’s not what you think. * Why midlife isn’t an ending, it’s often the most honest beginning. * The power of following your inner knowing, even when you don’t yet understand where it’s leading. This episode is for anyone standing at a crossroads, wondering if it’s too late, too messy, or too uncertain to start again. Together, we unpack what it means to trust the voice within, then lay it all out on the Workbench for the Mind. 💡 Ready to listen to the one who knows? 🌸 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Let’s get started. 💡 Ready to start your journey? 📘 Choose You | Free Training https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you [https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you] 🌸 Explore the Workbench for the Mind program https://www.suzievans.com/workbench [https://www.suzievans.com/workbench] 📚 Find support with the Grief Book https://www.suzievans.com/shop [https://www.suzievans.com/shop] 🔗 Find all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/suzievans [https://linktr.ee/suzievans] 🔗 Connect with Krista: https://www.facebook.com/kristableich/ [https://www.facebook.com/kristableich/] 📘 The One Who Knows available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/One-Who-Knows-Starting-Midlife-ebook/dp/B0GG42G8XG [https://www.amazon.com.au/One-Who-Knows-Starting-Midlife-ebook/dp/B0GG42G8XG]

Season 2 Episode 2: Planting Seeds for Safety & Rural Care with Alex Thomas

Identity, responsibility, the quiet resilience of rural life, for many, safety has become something imposed from the outside, shaped by rules rather than relationships. But what if the real path to safer communities isn’t more compliance… But more connection? In this conversation, I sat down with the incredible Alex Thomas, speaker, facilitator, safety consultant, and founder of the Plant a Seed for Safety movement. Raised on a remote sheep station and shaped by deeply personal experiences, Alex is on a mission to transform how we think about safety, care, and human behaviour in rural Australia. After spending nearly two decades in work health and safety, and walking alongside her father through years of chronic illness, Alex brings a perspective that cuts through bureaucracy and gets to the heart of what actually keeps people safe: trust, autonomy, and honest conversation. Together, we explored: * Growing up on the land, and how freedom, responsibility, and risk shaped Alex’s worldview. * Why traditional, compliance-based safety models are failing rural communities. * The hidden danger of fear-based leadership, and how it silences the very people we need to hear from. * How Alex’s father’s journey through illness and the rural health system reshaped her mission. * The deep disconnect between city systems and country realities, and why compassion must bridge the gap. * Why anger isn’t the enemy, and how it can become a powerful catalyst for change. * The real meaning behind “Plant a Seed for Safety”, and why small, thoughtful conversations matter more than rules. * A simple but life-saving question framework: What could kill someone? How could it happen? What are we going to do about it? * What true safety culture looks like, trust, transparency, and empowering people at every level. This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt the tension between systems and humanity, and knows there must be a better way. Together, we unpack what it really means to care for people in a way that actually works, and lay it all out on the Workbench for the Mind. 💡 Ready to plant a seed? 🌱 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Let’s get started. 💡 Ready to start your journey? 📘 Choose You | Free Training https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you [https://www.suzievans.com/free-training-choose-you] 🌸 Explore the Workbench for the Mind program https://www.suzievans.com/workbench [https://www.suzievans.com/workbench]  📚 Find support with the Grief Book https://www.suzievans.com/shop [https://www.suzievans.com/shop]  🔗 Find all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/suzievans [https://linktr.ee/suzievans]  🔗 Connect with Alex: 🌐 Plant a Seed for Safety, https://plantaseedforsafety.com [https://plantaseedforsafety.com]