Ducks on the Pond

What if some of your greatest leadership strengths are the things that energise you? In the first episode of a special three-part Ducks on the Pond collaboration with Rural Women Lead, supported by Leadership Great South Coast, Kirsten Diprose talks to clinical and health psychologist and positive psychology practitioner Dr Jodie Fleming about the human side of leadership. Jodie works with individuals and workplaces to identify and harness strengths, values, self-compassion and emotional inte...

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you walked away from the life you thought you were supposed to live? Amie Penny grew up in the suburbs of Sydney and went on to work at an investment bank in the CBD. She loved the corporate world and always imagined herself in a successful nine-to-five career. Farming was never part of the plan. Then, what was supposed to be a two-week break on her extended family’s farm near Cowra changed everything. Something clicked for Amie. She surprised herse...

What happens when a rural community decides to stop waiting for someone else to solve its biggest problem? For the people of Mudgee in central-west New South Wales, it meant creating their own solution to the growing shortage of GPs. The result is Doctors 4 Mudgee, a community-led initiative that set an ambitious goal of attracting 10 new doctors in three years. Just 11 months in, they're already halfway there. In this episode of Ducks on the Pond, Kirsten Diprose speaks with winemaker, busin...

It can be hard to attract and retain professionals in the regions and vets are no exception. Entering the eighth year of a regional vet shortage, our guest Dr Rebecca Faris wants to curb it. Having worked as a vet in South West Victoria for many years, Rebecca transitioned to focus on helping students move into the workforce and then eventually vet wellbeing at the Australia Veterinary Association. Rebecca shares that vets experience high rates of poor mental health, one of the re...

Losing a loved one is a worst fear for most, and something that Sarah Guthrie and Georgia Lillie have in common. Sarah’s son Ford died 10 years ago from an accident when he was only 17. Georgia’s husband James died of an aggressive cancer seven years ago, leaving her and her two young boys behind. While they both lived close by in Western Victoria, neither women met until they were encouraged to swap books that they each wrote about their grief. For Sarah it’s an intimate bo...