Turning Pain Into Purpose: Sarah Wheeler on Grief, Horses & Having a Crack at Life

At 28, Sarah Wheeler has already experienced enormous loss, rediscovered her place in agriculture and ridden 5,500 kilometres on horseback across regional Australia, raising more than $650,000 for charity along the way. But this conversation is about much more than the ride. Sarah shares how losing her dad at 12 and her mum in her mid-20s changed her perspective on life, how working across rural Australia helped her find her feet again, and why the people she met during nine months on horseback became one of the journey's most powerful parts. We also talk about the part that doesn't make the highlight reel: coming home after achieving something enormous and wondering,  "What now?" Sarah is now building G'day Grief, with a vision to bring people experiencing loss together through nature, animals and shared experiences. And she's already dreaming about another adventure involving horses, dirt bikes, the Murray River, the Nullarbor and potentially a few things she doesn't yet know how to do. Chapters 00:00 Finding her way back to agriculture 03:04 Sarah's sisters and the family farm 04:12 Losing Mum and keeping the farm moving 06:19 What rural community really means 07:57 The idea to ride 5,500 kilometres 11:11 Announcing the ride before knowing how she'd do it 13:27 The people who made the journey 15:00 Raising more than $650,000 16:49 What happens after achieving something enormous 18:22 Turning pain into purpose 19:12 Building G'day Grief 21:44 Creating something for people experiencing loss 25:16 Sarah's next big adventure 27:46 Why giving it a go matters more than finishing 28:34 Learning to live with grief Proudly brought to you by Rabobank The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders. That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections. Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations. Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.