Motherland Australia

Shianne O'Donoghue-Kent entered her first rodeo at five and by 25 had won Australian rodeo titles, spending most of her life in the saddle. What she didn't expect was becoming a stepmum to four children before 30, or facing a pregnancy that nearly left her unable to walk. At 20 weeks pregnant, Shianne could barely move. Doctors said the pain was normal, but an MRI later revealed two ruptured discs and severe nerve damage that had left her unable to move her right leg. Surgeons warned she could lose her ability to walk altogether. Today, Shianne lives near Echuca on the NSW-Victoria border, where she and her partner Pete run horses, farm hay and livestock, and raise their young daughter alongside Pete's four older children. Today, she speaks candidly about eating disorders, mental health, step-parenting, chronic pain, and the life-changing journey of motherhood.
Support for eating disorders: https://butterfly.org.au
Beyond Blue: 24/7 mental health support line: 1300 22 4636 
Pop Family Speech Pathologists is Australia’s largest online speech pathology practice, supporting families nationwide with expert care and no waitlist. Founded by outback Queensland local Heidi Trusler, Pop was built to make support more accessible for rural and regional families. Learn more or book online at: popfamily.au

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Jess Reynolds lives in the Snowy Valley region of NSW, helping run her family’s Angus stud while raising four daughters with her husband. Warm, funny and incredibly jovial by nature, Jess also has a deeply reflective side that shines through in this conversation. But behind the demands of farming, motherhood and community life, she was struggling in ways she couldn’t explain. It wasn’t until her eldest daughter was diagnosed with autism and ADHD that things began to make sense. Since then, Jess has navigated bushfires, COVID lockdowns, homeschooling, burnout, her own ADHD diagnosis, and the realities of raising neurodivergent children in rural Australia. Today, she shares her story with honesty and vulnerability, including what happened when she finally stopped trying to do it all on her own. This is her story. 
Pop Family Speech Pathologists is Australia’s largest online speech pathology practice, supporting families nationwide with expert care and no waitlist. Founded by outback Queensland local Heidi Trusler, Pop was built to make support more accessible for rural and regional families. Learn more or book online at: popfamily.au
https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

At just 19, Lacey Long launched her first online clothing store—long before online shopping became the norm. A proud indigenous woman with an entrepreneurial spirit, Lacey later founded Buck Wild Country after struggling to find the kind of country clothing her husband wanted to wear. What began as an idea has grown into one of Australia’s best-known western fashion brands, with a deeply personal mental health story behind the name. In this episode, Lacey shares the story behind the business, balancing entrepreneurship with raising three children, navigating FIFO life and regional moves, and why building a life that works for her family has always come before chasing growth. This is her story. 
For crisis mental health support, please call Lifeline: 13 11 14
Pop Family Speech Pathologists is Australia’s largest online speech pathology practice, supporting families nationwide with expert care and no waitlist. Founded by outback Queensland local Heidi Trusler, Pop was built to make support more accessible for rural and regional families. Learn more or book online at: popfamily.au
Vitality by Verus Coaching is a new wellbeing initiative supporting women through menopause and midlife, with a focus on regional and rural communities. Founder Clare Lawley is inviting women to help shape the program through a short survey or focus group. Learn more at veruscoaching.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Katie Craig thought she knew what motherhood might look like. She and her husband Lachy were building a life together in Biloela, Central Queensland, and after years of worrying endometriosis might affect fertility, they were overjoyed to be expecting their little boy, Dougy. But at just 27 weeks pregnant, Katie went into labour. Dougy weighed only 1.1 kilograms at birth, and Katie was then separated from him for the first seven days of his life after testing positive to COVID. What followed was months in NICU, brain surgery, hearing loss investigations, and years navigating medical trauma in rural Australia. Then, just as life was beginning to stabilise, Lachy was diagnosed with terminal cancer at just 34 years old. Today, Katie shares the unimaginable reality of becoming a widow at 29, raising a medically complex child through grief, and why she still feels incredibly hopeful about the future.
Pop Family Speech Pathologists is Australia’s largest online speech pathology practice, delivering flexible telehealth support to rural and regional families nationwide, with no waitlist. Head to: https://popfamily.au/ 
The Victorian Farmers Federation is delivering the Making Our Farms Safer project, offering free, confidential farm safety visits to help producers reduce risks and build safer farming businesses and families. Head to: https://vff.org.au/project/making-our-farms-safer/
https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

You might know Lottie Rae from Australian Survivor. Or from Portrait Artist of the Year, where she painted Ken Done. Or maybe from the time Gigi Hadid slid into her DMs and bought one of her paintings for Bella. Perhaps you follow her art online or listen to her podcast.  But behind the art, the TV appearances and the wild stories, is a deeper side to Lottie you’ve probably never heard before. Until now. 
Lottie was just 22 when she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her eldest son, two days before she was due to leave for Europe. What followed wasn’t the life she had planned — but in many ways, it became the making of her. Since then, she’s pursued art full time, collaborated with major fashion brands, gone viral around the world and navigated motherhood through all of it. Today, you’ll hear Lottie Rae unfiltered — on young motherhood, identity, ambition, survival and learning how to be a mum without losing herself in the process. This is a chat that is as moving and deep as it is wildly funny. I loved getting to know Lottie Rae, the mum. 
Mums Matter, a bulk-billed psychology service, supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum, and the journey of motherhood. If you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply not like yourself, you don’t have to go through it alone. Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more or book a telehealth appointment. 

https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia