Motherland Australia

Kristie Bargenquast was pregnant with her son, Mitchell, when she went searching for answers about her own health. Everyday movements were becoming harder, and when Mitchell was just over a year old, Kristie was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic condition causing progressive muscle weakness. Suddenly, she was navigating new motherhood alongside a disability that was changing what her body could do. Today, Mitchell is 11 and has become her beautiful right-hand man, instinctively stepping in when she needs help. Living in Queensland’s South Burnett, Kristie also struggled to find work that could accommodate her declining mobility, so she created her own opportunity. Now running a thriving bookkeeping business from home, Kristie shares her fears for the future and the promising new treatment giving her fresh hope.
Motherland Village is now open for October! Motherland Village is our six-week online mothers’ group program, connecting small groups of rural mums to share honestly, feel supported and build meaningful friendships. This October, we’re welcoming mums with children aged 0–3 and 4–10 years. If cost is a barrier, free scholarships are available, no questions asked. You can also nominate another rural mum for a scholarship. Head to motherlandaustralia.com.au to learn more and apply.
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Brendan Cullen lived 600 kilometres from the nearest beach when he decided to become an open-water swimmer. Training before dawn in lakes and dams, he went on to swim the English Channel in 2022 - spending 17 hours in the water and covering 64 kilometres. But Brendan will tell you that wasn’t the hardest thing he’s ever done. A lifelong sheep and cattle farmer from Broken Hill, Brendan spent decades carrying childhood trauma he didn’t speak about. In 2015, struggling with depression, he walked into Broken Hill Base Hospital and said: “I need help.” It changed his life - and the kind of husband and father he was able to become. In this deeply personal conversation, Brendan opens up about parts of his story he hasn’t spoken about in this way before - including how farming, trauma and mental health has shaped his experience of fatherhood, and what asking for help gave back to him and his family.
This episode features conversations about mental health and depression. If you need help, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14
Father Land is proudly supported by Nutrien Ag Solutions, going further for Australian farmers. From farm supplies and agronomy advice to livestock and finance, Nutrien’s local specialists combine local know-how with the backing of one of Australia’s largest agricultural networks.
Find your local branch at nutrien.com.au and see how Nutrien can go further for your farm.

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Amie Penny was born and raised in suburban Sydney and was building a promising career at Macquarie Bank when one weekend on a family farm near Cowra changed everything. Within a month, she’d quit her job and moved into a rundown farmhouse with no job, no real plan and no idea how to farm. It was there she met her husband Jason, but building the life they wanted would take almost 15 years, countless moves and plenty of sacrifice. Amie raised their two children largely without a village while Jason worked away, with their son Cooper attending six different primary schools as the family chased work around Queensland. Today, Amie runs around 1,200 Angus cattle across several properties near Gunnedah. On this episode of Motherland, she opens up about learning to farm from scratch, raising children without family support and why the life people now call “lucky” was anything but. This is her story.
Alcohol at any stage of pregnancy can harm a baby's development. If you're pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or supporting someone, visit everymomentmatters.org.au for trusted, evidence-based information. It's been developed by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education and endorsed and funded by the Australian Government.

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Fiona Bryant always knew she wanted to be a mum — she just didn't know how hard she'd have to fight for it. After a polycystic ovaries diagnosis, Fiona faced years of fertility treatment, multiple miscarriages and gruelling trips to IVF appointments, all while keeping much of her struggle private. Today, she and her husband Mark have five children and run a farm in central New South Wales. In this episode, Fiona reflects on raising her family, embracing her role as a stay-at-home mum, and supporting her teenage son through a diabetes diagnosis. Now, as her kids start leaving home, she's training to become a midwife... determined to bring better maternity care to rural women like herself. This is her story. 
Alcohol at any stage of pregnancy can harm a baby's development. If you're pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or supporting someone, visit everymomentmatters.org.au for trusted, evidence-based information. It's been developed by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education and endorsed and funded by the Australian Government.
https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

During one of Melbourne’s lockdowns in 2020, Jess Guthrie’s friend convinced her to apply for a little show called Farmer Wants a Wife. Jess and Andrew met on the show, spent 11 months navigating a long-distance relationship and eventually built a life together in Dalgety, in the Snowy Mountains. They married in March 2024 and soon began trying for the baby Jess had dreamed of for years. But becoming parents wasn’t straightforward. At 23, after more than a decade of debilitating periods, Jess had been diagnosed with stage four endometriosis. She knew falling pregnant could be difficult, but she wasn’t prepared for the emotional and logistical toll of fertility treatment from the bush. After an early pregnancy loss, months of treatment and countless long-distance trips for blood tests and scans, Jess finally saw the positive test she had been waiting for. Today, she and Andrew are parents to little Gracie. On this episode of Motherland, Jess opens up about the reality behind reality television, endometriosis, rural fertility treatment and finding joy in a chapter she once feared might never come. This is her story. 
Pregnancy loss support: pinkelephants.org.au
endometriosisaustralia.org
Alcohol at any stage of pregnancy can harm a baby's development. If you're pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or supporting someone, visit everymomentmatters.org.au for trusted, evidence-based information. It's been developed by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education and endorsed and funded by the Australian Government.
https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia