This is a pretty big deep dive into one of my favourite topics: podcasting in rural Australia. 

Kirsten Diprose and I have the same vocation. We make podcasts from rural Australia, focused on stories from rural Australia. 

The difference is that Kirsten was originally a city girl - who now lives on a sheep, cattle, cropping and even dairy farm with her husband and two boys - so she's not used to the nuances of rural life in the same way that I am. 

It's this curiosity that's sparked a whole new business for Kirsten: the Rural Podcasting Co and also a PHD looking deep into rural journalism, podcasting and conversations in our communities. 

To add - she's actually living her best life at the moment travelling around Australia in a caravan ...... and so naturally that's where we started our chat.

Company is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Today's guest has always been a self confessed nerd - who had brains and the will to study but never really knew what she wanted to do. 

Zoe Lamont's life has been full of twists and turns - there is absolutely no clear trajectory in this story. 

But her life, her career has been FULL - and full of some huge mould breaking businesses and achievements. 

Now Zoe lives with her husband and two children on a farm between Wagga Wagga and Junee. 

Her main venture right now is Farm Door.

Which I actually had no idea about......the reason I've always wanted to speak with Zoe about her start up superannuation business, Verve Super, which was a superannuation company with a holistic approach full focused on women and female investments.

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Sometimes I think we are all guilty of posting about our businesses to social media and hoping for the best.....

Today guest Emma Williams, saw an opportunity in that...

After years of working in communications. marketing and branding - she had a hunch that she could help ag businesses market themselves in a way that brought about proper growth.

She started Acre Agency just under two years ago and has worked with more than 50 clients and recently grown her team to five.

Emma describes herself as a generalist - she and her business know the basics of many things - and so when it comes to telling the story of a business - she thinks she's got her finger on the pulse as to what will work and why. There is no cookie cutting here. 

And she know's her stuff; here she is.

Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

This girl, woman, firecracker is Em Armstrong and let me tell you she's a REAL vibe.

She lives on a property between Carathool and Goolgowi and her business Saltbush Stretch is based in a gorgeous studio on the main street of Hay. 

I've had the pleasure of working with Em over the last year to devise and develop her podcast Saltbush Babes. It brings all of the urban funky energy to a podcast that's funny focused on the stories of rural chicks who take part in her pilates classes both in person and online. 

This is the story of small business in the bush. It's not easy for anyone- and sometimes there needs to be some unconventional thinking in order to make finances and cash flow work. 

Company is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

This podcast is all about highlighting and celebrating the brilliant women of rural and regional Australia and all the wonderful things they are achieving. 

In more recent time we've chose to focus more closely on the in's and out's of some female run rural businesses and today is no exception. 

Our guest Sahra Tohow Dixon owns garden workwear brand Le Sac with her mother-in-law Trish Dixon. 

It's a new brand that's quickly gained a lot of attention and marketshare in the bush. 

And I think this is due in part to the combined skills its owners. 

Sahra's family originated from Somalia. Her father was possibly one of the first Somalian immigrants to Australia in the 1970's. As a child growing up in Queensland ,Sahra loved Netball and Fashion and didn't much like school - she ended up working in fashion, PR and marketing in various roles in London and Australia before she met her husband Hamish. 

Now's she's a part time farmer, part time many other (creative) things ...... as you will learn here today.

You can find le sac @le_sac__ - https://www.instagram.com/le_sac__/

Or online at shoplesac.com

Company is a Manson Podcasting Production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Get more involved with our crew and everything we love by signing up to our free fortnightly newsletter at companyonsundays.substack.com - 

And if you choose to pay for a subscription, its 10 bucks a week, you will receive email missives twice a week.

I've been wanting to interview Gordi for years because she's such a good example of the women I want to highlight.

She grew up on a sheep and hay farm near Canowindra in central west NSW and studied Medicine at University.

But as a self proclaimed microphone hog who spend many hours singing in church as a child - she's always loved singing and has been writing songs since the age of 13.
Now she's doing her work on the world stage.
She's about to release her third Album 'Like Plasticine' and has song alongside some of the biggest names in the industry Missy Higgins, Bon Iver, The Tallest Man on Earth and David Grey (later this year).
Gordi also identifies as Queer - which has been the source of much pain, reflection and resignation.

But as you will hear, it's her songwriting that's allow her to come to terms with this and life in general - and it's provided her with experiences beyond her wildest dreams of a child growing up on a humble farm.

You can pre-order her new album Like Plasticine now at gordimusic.com - and listen to all her previous works on Spotify.
Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.
Stay in the loop with our world and all the things I am loving right now by signing up to my weekly newsletter Company on Sundays at companyonsundays.substack.com

Stephanie Trethewey is the Founder and CEO of Motherland a non-for -profit organisation on a mission to reduce isolation for Mum's living in rural Australia.

I'm always a-gog at the pace in which Motherland has grown, from the outside looking in it seems they are always celebrating new and exciting big wins.

But in the last 12 months - life outside of Motherland - has changed dramatically for Steph and her family.

They've sold half the farm.
Moved houses.
She's scaled back the stress - and upped the happiness.

So if you think you already know the story of Motherland and Steph Trethewey I suggest you keep listening because this one is not what you're expecting.

Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Today, for our last episode for Season 1, 2025 I down with Georgie Poole; someone I've always wanted to get to know better.

I feel like our career paths have been running parallel for years.

Like me, Georgie is a Mum to three children, she lives in a regional community and works remotely for Rabobank.

We are both storytellers - who love where we live - and want nothing more than the awesome people and partnerships that exist there to be shown off to a wider audience.

She's actually referred to as an in-house journalist with Rabobank which I couldn't love more.

This is her story ....

For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with magazines - seriously - from the age of about 8,9 or 10 - I used to save all my pennies to buy hoards of magazines, it started as Australian geographic and then morphed into Girlfriend and Dolly, then Cosmopolitan, the Harpers Bazaar and Country Style and Vogue and now Graziher and Galah and UK Homes and Garden - and on the weekends i always buy the SMH for the Good Weekend and the Spectrum.

So to sit down with two women who have edited two of my favourite publications to talk about the world of magazine writing and story selection - is pure indulgence.

Katrina Strickland is the former editor of the Good Weekend Magazine and Annabelle Hickson is the editor of Galah.

The reason we came together was to to speak about Galah's Regional Photography Prize of which Katrina is a judge - and which is cued up to feature in Good Weekend magazine this weekend. Keep a look out.

But wow - this conversation is so much than that.

It paddles from conversation to masterclass to part counselling session and back again -

it's a long episode and I dont take that lightly I know your time is [resciosu but I really struggled to cut it down.

For you - I hope you're able to sense the intensity of commitment to getting stories from your lives into the mainstream.

Company is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Bronnie Taylor used to be a Politician.

In the NSW Parliament.

In Cabinet as a Minister for Mental Health, Regional Health and Women.

She's not a politician any more.

But still holds the same vivacious energy to celebrate, elevate and advocate.

Particularly for regional women and regional health services.

This is a Manson Podcasting podcast in partnership with Rabobank Australia.