In 2022, Olivia Thompson sold 3 cattle stations in the Northern Territory. Those 3 properties exceeded 1 million hectares combined. It’s a world away from the 1000m2 block of land that was her first sale as a real estate agent some 20 years ago in the coastal town of Cairns.
 
Olivia is a prime example of the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by it's cover”. Beyond her beautiful smile and polished look that you’ll see on “For Sale” signs is one of the grittiest, hardworking people I have had the fortune of meeting and calling a friend.
 
In this episode I sat down with Liv to learn about the incredibly diverse range of experiences she has had so far, from growing up on cattle stations, winning a kick boxing title, training cutting horses in America, and having to learn to walk again.
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Olivia Thompson - The kickboxing, cattle station selling, cowgirl who learnt to walk again

True stories from the Australian Outback, told by the people who live them.

Meet the men and women who live and work on some of Australia’s most remote cattle stations.

There are tales of mustering, stock camps, working dogs, rogue cattle and hard bloody yakka, but also the fun of a bush wedding or kicking back at a rodeo.

There’s the simple wonder of living in an amazing landscape, but also the downside: the ravages of flood, fire and drought.

And always there’s the inherent danger of isolation – times when the Flying Doctor came to the rescue, but also times when lives have been tragically cut short.

These compelling true-life stories show what outback life is really like – and why many wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

The first year out of school is equally exciting and terrifying – you’re considered an adult by society, and with that comes both freedoms and responsibilities.
With her high school experience not being the best, and her first job on a station getting off to a rocky start, Pip Bain felt like she had finally found her feet only to learn that her mother had passed away by suicide.
The profound loss of her mother was only amplified by the shock, as Pip learnt she had been sheltered from her mother’s mental health struggles.
In this episode Pip shares her story of how the next decade of her life would be shaped by losing her mother, and how it led her to take the long away around to find her place in this world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pip Bain (Part 2) - Taking the long way around [Repost]

The time we spend with people and places doesn’t determine the impact they can have on our lives.
That is so very true for todays guest, Pip Bain. Although her family sold Mt Clere Station when she was just 8 years old, those 8 short years shaped Pips life and love of the land. The same goes for her mother, who passed when Pip was just 18 years old.
In this episode, Pip recalls memories of her time at Mt Clere and how she found her way back to the land. She also speaks candidly about losing her mother through suicide and how it influenced her views on mental health.
For our long term listeners, if any of this sounds familiar, that is because this episode was recorded and published in 2020 when the podcast was fairly new. Pips story is so compelling that I thought it deserved a second run. Be sure to tune in next week for a follow up episode with Pip.

If you are experiencing depression or are suicidal, or know someone who is, help is available. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 Lifeline: 13 11 14  www.lifeline.com.au Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636  www.beyondblue.org.au/ Mindspot: 1800 61 44 34  http://mindspot.org.au/ Men’s Shed: www.mensheds.org.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pip Bain (Part 1) - Memories of my mother & Mt Clere Station [Repost]

Nick Ormsby has flipped the script on what it means to be a "high school dropout". Despite leaving school at just 14 and having his teachers tell him he'd never make it, Nick's proved them dead wrong.
Now, before he's even hit 40, Nick's running the show with not one, not two, but three companies in horticulture, agriculture, and forestry up in the Northern Territory.
But Nick's journey hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. In this episode, he's taking us back to where it all began. We're talking about the setbacks, the challenges and the opportunities he's had along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Ormsby - Self made

Paddy Heatley had a fairly unconventional childhood. By the time he left home at the age of 9, he’d already dropped out of school – foregoing learning to read and write. At the age of 12, he was smuggling tobacco, alcohol and cattle from South to North Ireland. And, at the age of 16, with his mother’s signature forged, he climbed aboard a ship bound for Australia.
In this episode, Paddy share’s yarns for his early days in Ireland, and his first few years in Australia. He speaks about meeting his future bride, the time he was almost charged with attempted murder, his day working with, and sometimes walking on, crocodiles, to settling in the Northern Territory as a cattle truck driver. Paddy sure has lived life to the fullest. As you can imagine, there was no way we could fit his whole story into one episode, so keep your ears out for more in the coming months.
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Paddy Heatley (Part 1) - A story like no other

From the outside looking in, Tammy Kruckow was living her best life. She and her husband were managing a large cattle station for a corporate pastoral company – the perfect place to raise their three beautiful daughters. She had, as she puts it, "ticked all the boxes". 
But, behind closed doors, things weren’t all as they seemed.
In this episode, Tammy shares her story of coming to the Territory as a shy jillaroo, to becoming a completely different person – the person she thought she had to be not just to fit in, but to progress in her career. 
She is incredibly candid about the impact it had on her life, and those around her. Tammy also shares how it all came to a head, and how she changed her life.
There were many hard lessons she learnt along the way, and she does not hold back in this episode.

Tammy and her team at Top End Leadership are dedicated to 'Setting Leaders and Teams in Agriculture up for Success.' We do this through customised face-to-face and online workshops, self-paced online programs, while offering tailored mentoring and coaching services. With our focus on practical leadership and communication skills across the three key areas of Leading—Self, Others, and Teams—we equip Leaders with the tools to build their confidence in being the leader that they aspire to be, enabling them to build high-functioning teams. Learn more at https://topendleadership.com/


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Olivia Thompson - The kickboxing, cattle station selling, cowgirl who learnt to walk again

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