As farm business owners, we can often be operating at intense and unsustainable levels for extended periods of time. Many times, the farm comes first, and so many other important things take the back seat.

Our farms can be under-resourced, our teams insufficient, our realities out of control and operations completely dependent upon us. Our plans are in our heads, marriages out of alignment - husbands, wives and families missing out on what life and family are truly meant to be about.

That is where Platinum Mastermind members Sam & Carla Armytage found themselves.

Let’s be very real for a minute: the pressures of owning and running a significant farm business can be immense. Even for the super-human, at times, this can all become too much.

In sharing their genuinely inspirational story, in their usual humble and understated ways, Sam & Carla explain where their life was at, consumed by the pressures of putting the farm first. They outline the very real impact this was having on their marriage and family.

To their credit, and 5 years on, Sam & Carla have completely transformed their business, farm, team and lives. They own and manage a truly successful and highly scalable business with the capacity to grow and support their next generation of passionate young farmers in Charlotte, Will & James.

Breakthroughs can follow breakdowns. Transformation can come from acknowledging burn-out and then giving yourself permission to take a break, re-claim perspective and go again with renewed energy, different priorities and a more meaningful and common plan.

Sometimes, we need education and support to change direction, not motivation to speed up.

I want to acknowledge you, Sam & Carla, for your willingness to share your journey and for the immense, often quiet and in-the-background contribution you make to other members of our Farm Owners Academy community.

Well done for the grit and sheer commitment you have led with, the love and loyalty you consistently extend to each other, and congratulations on the transformations you have achieved – personally, as a couple, as parents and as business leaders – for your commitment to change and your success truly now speaks for itself.

For all the challenges and hardships, we are all so very proud of you and excited for you.

Here’s to a very bright future!

Hutch & the Farm Owners Academy Team