Company

After more than 100 episodes of Company this is the FINAL EPISODE.

I will *miss* the privilege of stepping into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary rural women in such an intimate way. 

But chapters end and that's what's happening here. 

It seems fitting to have Ali Smith - one of my greatest friends - as my final guest.

She really does embody all I love about storytelling in rural Australia.

She's bubbly and unbelievable generous in every role she's ever turned her hand to, she's endlessly thoughtful and respectful and despite all this she would never want any fanfare or grand accolades. 

Ali grew up in the city both Canberra and Sydney but she LOVES rural people and their lives , and thats perfect because she now lives on a farm with her partner Gus at Burren Junction in northern New South Wales. 

Gosh that community is lucky to have her as a journalist for the local paper.

They're lucky because - many would never know the depths of her experience as a journo. 

She's worked for Laurie Oakes - one of the greatest political journalists Australia has known. During her 8 years with 60 minutes - another of Australia's greatest current affairs shows -she spend hours and hours beside Turia Pitt as she recovered from her horrific burns - a person she now remains very special friends with. 

She's also an author - last year she co-authored Outback Astronomer with Liz Hayes from 60 minutes. 

Smith to me is the antithesis of integrity in every avenue of life. I'm really lucky to be able to call her one of my closest friends. 

I'm so happy to be celebrating all her achievements here and I hope you enjoy it too.

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Listen to more than 100 other stories just like this one in our backlog.

Sascha Estens is a film maker living in Moree and working all over Australia. 

Chances are if you come across a short film that has anything to do with rural Australia that really grabs you then its come from her film production business Rabbit Hop Films.

She's had a super cool life, which twists and turns all over the place and all over the globe. 

She's always wanted to do film, but I guess she took a while to find her confidence in it as a viable business - so she's had many other different adventures along the way. 

She certainly has a creative whimsical heir about her - even through the microphone.

Rural Australia is lucky to have people like Sasha - who have experienced so many wide and varied versions of life in so many different places with so many different people - the quantum of that is such a valuable perspective on how unique and world-class Australia Ag and its people are. 

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

I know it's been a while. The end of 2025 was Tumultuous for me, with a capital T.

Of late I’ve become a full time farmer. Previously I was a farming sous chef, well actually not really I was really a mother, enabling the proper farmer to do their work while I did some part time work and kept the home fires burning - they are no longer farming so I am - and the mothering well that continues too. 

So it’s time for my world to get a bit smaller, before it hopefully gets big again.

This will be the final season of Company. 

I started this podcast 6 years ago and have interviewed over 100 guests

100 guests is a lot but it honestly feels more like 500 to me -  because it feels like I have been interviewing extraordinary rural people for my whole working life - which I actually have through my ABC work, and with other various ag companies and government agencies and through my on stage work.

Today's guest also has something to say about Endings.

It's the lovely, gentle Cressida Cains who for the last 15 years has developed and run Pecora Dairy a sheep dairy and cheesery in Robertson in the NSW Southern Highlands. 

But Pecora Dairy is no longer. 

At the end of last year Cressida made the tough decision to close that chapter. 

I think, in Australia, there's a certain stigma attached to any family that decides to leave a farm, or sell up - it's so often viewed as a failure. 

But Cressida wants to say; that it's not a failure, and she hopes to be able to change the narrative  - and say it's not a failure, it's brave - and its really important to recognise when it is time to stop, time to leave - rather than staying and staying and staying.

Company is a podcast produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Today's guest is Kathleen Allen who's coined a number of phrases around female leadership in agriculture. 

She's lives on a farm not to far from me, near Bowning on the NSW Southern Tablelands. 

Kathleen is part of a growing movement to NOT work so hard on the farm, to enable her to focus more on family - and to subsidise her farming lifestyle with a full time professional career. 

From the conversations I'm having everywhere - I'm seeing and hearing that making money from farming is hard, too hard in many cases - and more and more people are remaining on farm but are downsizing and releasing the pressure. 

She's a really good example of looking after yourself, leading in a way that makes sense to her way of life as a farm girl - she loves getting her nails done and sprays a spritzes herself with perfume every time she steps out the door. 

Company is hosted by Skye Manson and produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

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.

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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.
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