Acres of Ambition

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Louisa Gilmour is an aspiring film director and producer with a deep passion for telling authentic Australian stories, and the 2026 NSW Young Woman.

Louisa grew up in Warialda in a family involved in the show scene. She competed as a Junior Young Woman as a teen, then headed to Sydney to study filmmaking. Years later, she came back to the Young Woman program with a clear reason why.

"I wanted to do my best for the community that raised me. We're very much a big family."

In this episode, Louisa takes us inside the Young Woman zone final, where 14 women competed. She shares what the program has given her: friendships, opportunities and a place in the wider Royal Agricultural Society family.

"Winning is extra on top. The real win is the state finals week. And the year leading up to the state finals where you can represent your community. And meet so many phenomenal people."

We also talk about why rural and regional filmmaking and storytelling matter. And why the people who live these stories are the ones who should be telling them. Louisa finishes with her top tip for public speaking and the goals she's focusing on, personally and professionally.

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Greta Donaldson grew up in northern Victoria, the middle of three sisters, with grandmas she describes as "bloody good cooks." 

What started as a hobby - making brittle from her grandma's CWA recipe - turned into Bendigo Brittle, a business built on the kind of handmade quality Greta grew up on.

Before all that, Greta was deep in the corporate world, working in Public Relations in Melbourne. In this episode, she opens up about the tipping point that made her walk away from that life, chasing "more nurture, more heart, more soul" - even when she didn't know where she'd find it.

We talk about building a brand Bendigo could be proud of, the real work behind scaling a small business - wholesale, quality control, markets, discounts and everything in between. And Greta's advice for staying in the game: "never put your eggs in one basket," and always keep a bit of mongrel in you.

We also get into the flavours of Bendigo Brittle, where Greta sources her ingredients (including Queensland peanuts) and why stepping outside your own business every now and then is good for your mental health.

A conversation about heart, hustle and building something handmade.

https://www.bendigobrittle.com.au

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Two states. Two titles. One long-standing friendship.

Cassie Bush (2025 NSW Young Woman of the Year, Cootamundra) and Aleacea Nixon (2025 Queensland Showgirl, and the first woman from Roma to take out the title) have been mates for years - and last year they both landed the biggest titles in their respective states.

In this episode, Cassie and Aleacea pull back the curtain on what the Young Woman and Showgirl programs involve - the new skills, the friendships, the parts nobody warns you about after you win, the mindset work and a practical breathing technique to settle the nerves before speaking.

They talk about what to do if you miss out on going to state finals, what each state's program could learn from the other, and the moment public speaking stopped being terrifying and started being second nature.

Cassie also has a message for Louisa Gilmour, the newly crowned 2026 NSW Young Woman. And Aleacea reflects on what it meant to be Roma's first ever state winner.

"If you've got something to say, say it." Cassie

🎧 Listen now.

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Brehoni grew up on a Western Australian property surrounded by animals and fruit trees, for the most part knowing where her food came from. That upbringing planted the seed for Incaberry, an app that lets people buy, sell and trade local, home-grown produce.

From civil engineering and accounting to building a food-tech app from scratch, Brehoni's path wasn't obvious - she had no idea where to start. But once the idea hit, she went all in: 6.5 years and $300K invested, plus a 100-day content commitment that ended up going viral quickly.

In this episode, Brehoni shares how Incaberry came to life, where the name came from and why she's determined to change the way Australians shop for food.

"I made a commitment a really long time ago to always follow my heart."

Download Incaberry now.

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Kelly Johnson is a dairy farmer's daughter who didn't set out to build a business. She wanted to stop good food going to waste. What started with chocolate-dipped peaches has grown into Woodlane Pantry - soups, risottos, meals, hike food, freeze-dried fruit, food for the elderly - all made from surplus and second-grade produce that farmers and backyard growers would otherwise throw out.

In 2025, Kelly was named the South Australian winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award. But this conversation isn't really about the award. It's about what happens after - the spotlight, the strange gap between how your business looks from the outside and what's happening on the ground.

The same year Kelly picked up major recognition and media coverage, Woodlane Pantry had its worst sales year yet.

We talk about what it's like to put yourself and your story out there when you'd rather stay in the background. The changes she's made to the business in the past twelve months to set it up for success. What life in the spotlight is like. The truths about running a business in regional Australia that never make it into an award submission. And why, for Kelly, none of it means anything if she can't keep selling product - because staying on mission means staying in business.

As Kelly puts it "I was forced out of the background of where I like to hide."

If you've got an idea or a project that matters and you're wondering whether you're allowed to put your hand up for it - this one's for you.

 woodlanepantry.au

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Laura Kiel grew up in Yeoval. At school she referred to herself as 'the allergy girl' - living on pear and rice for her first few years. As she grew up, her mum always found ways of making great food that met her dietary needs.

Now she's a nutritionist and pilates instructor based in Parkes, helping women figure out why they feel tired, foggy or "off."

In this episode, we talk about...

• Why so many women are under-eating (and don't even know it)
• The gut-brain connection - your gut really is your second brain
• The biggest myth about nutrition women need to stop believing
• How your diet should change in your 20s, 30s and 40s
• A simple mushroom hack that boosts your vitamin D
• One tip every morning coffee drinker needs to hear
• Why kiwi fruit might just be nature's multivitamin

Laura's advice? Get your bloods done. Find out what's really going on underneath.

If you've ever said "I just don't feel right" - this one's for you.

https://linktr.ee/balanceinsideandout

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Did you know some kids think a bull is female? Or have no idea how food gets to their plate?

Claudia Humphries is on a mission to fix that.

Claudia grew up on the land, became an ag teacher, worked as a governess in remote Australia and now teaches at the School of the Air in Dubbo. She's also the founder of Ag Heroes - a business born over a beer with her dad, trying to solve one of agriculture's biggest problems: kids growing up with zero connection to where their food and fibre comes from.

In this first episode of Acres of Ambition, Claudia talks about what it's like to build something brand new, how she became an ag teacher and where she sees Ag Heroes going in the next five years. She also shares her number one tip for nannies and governesses. And tells us about her own podcast, Conversations with Ag Heroes.

Claudia is an Agricultural Acceleration Grant winner and former Oberon Young Woman of the Year. 

"A lot of people take for granted that they can just eat and have food every day. People don't think about the processes that got the food there." - Claudia Humphries

https://www.instagram.com/theagheroes