Company Manson Podcasting Network

One man to look out for in the Opening Ceremony – and in the Australian Men’s Rowing 8
Boat is 26 year old Jack O’Brien from Walgett in north west NSW

Since the middle of May he’s been training, lapping, perfecting his style, mind, muscles and mentality, in various training camps and competitions across Europe – as the Australian Rowing Team works and works and works to give itself the best chance at a medal in Paris.

Time away from home is nothing new for Jack – who went away to boarding school at the end of year 5, aged 11.  

Even so, the farm is his ‘happy place’ – where he has the freedom to get away from the world of Rowing - and ponder life, with the comforts of his family being close by.

There’s a definite family vibe to Jack – and he loves the Walgett community too.

Who’ve been known to go crazy on the billboard creation side of things in the past!

This is a Manson Podcasting Production done in partnership with Rabobank Australia.
Production assistance from Alice Moffitt
Host is Skye Manson

For race updates and more information about rural and regional athletes competing at the Paris Games follow along @mansonpodcasting on Instagram.

Anyone who know’s me. Or who follow’s along here will know, I love newsletters.

I love media, and magazines, and stories. And now I am just a bit smug with newsletters – they are delivered to my inbox, I do not have to read anything I don’t want to and the diversity is waaaaaaaay hugher than in normal journalism.

One of my favourites, in fact most likely my favourite newsletter is from Sydney based journalist, author, dog lover and wannabe cook, Stephanie Wood.


Many of you will be familiar with Stephanie Cook. Her byline; has adorned many, many of the articles of the the Good Weekend Magazine.

And she’s also the author of Fake. A book documenting her relationship with a man who promised her the world, but who was in fact was an elaborate liar, swindler and ‘fabulist’ who prized everything from Stephanie financially, mentally and emotionally.

Fake was published in 2019 but THIS WEEK her book was released – to brilliantly high acclaim – as series on Paramount Plus – Asher Keddie plays Stephanie…. We all must watch it!

In this special bonus episode of Company – I converse with Stephanie, it does not feel like an interview. It was recorded last year – and at this time – Fake’s TV adaptation was not public knowledge. So our focus is on writing and daily routines and newsletters, and exactly why she chooses to write one.

Introducing: Paddock To Paris a Manson Podcasting Podcast celebrating rural and regionlal athletes on their way to the Paris Olympics.

Search Paddock to Paris in your podcast app and follow or subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode.

Today we give you a taste of Skye Manson's conversation with Narrabri born and bred Laura Gourley who's going to Paris to row in the Womens Quad Scull.

Of the 37 athletes on Australia's Rowing team, at least 6 of them are from rural Australia.

This ratio of country to city people is high and so it's fitting that we kick off this podcast - which is all about elevating the stories of rural and regional Australian atheletes heading to Paris - with a sport that's seen a high representation from farm kids over the years.

And 24 year old Laura who'll be rowing in the Women's Quad Skull is no different. She grew up on a cropping farm at Edgeroi, 20 mins outside of Narrabri.

In fact she tributes some of her success: to the kindness of her fellow farming friends. One neighbour lent her a skull - as in a single rowing boat - to train in During Covid. And another neighbour lent her their 2km long irrigation channel - to train on.

Laura and her family have always been sports mad -

Her grandfather left farming to play Rugby League and went on to win two premierships with St George Dragon's in the mid-60's.

But Laura's journey as a rower didn't start until she went to boarding school. She was approached to give rowing a try because of her physique - and things went from there. She was the youngest person in her Rowing 8 and top of the charts on the Urg; The electronic rowing machine.

This is a Manson Podcasting production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.
Production support by Alice Moffitt.

Carmen Quade lives with her husband on a cropping farm at Tallimba near West Wyalong in central west New South Wales. They have five children and two businesses.
 
Carmen is a total office geek; she LOVES it, and she’s good at it.
 
And when she realised this was the case, after studying her Masters of Accounting she decided that she’d like to help others become a boss in the office too and started Agrifocused a business training men and women to get the most from all their 'inside' or office jobs.
 
This conversation moves all over the place, but is still delightful and I stepped up from the recording with a bag full of new things to try in family and business life…… such is the nuance wisdom of Carmen Quade.

More goodness from Carmen Quade can be found on our Daily Routines podcast.

This podcast is produced by Manson Podcasting in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Have you noticed a boom in rural fashion designers? 

Last September, Holly Goodman and I sat down to record this interview. 

Holly lives in Tamworth with her husband and three young children and is a fashion designer with her own label, Peter Bill, which has morphed from young boys clothing into a really impressive womens range. 

In Spring last year, Holly put on The Rural Runway, a fashion runway and show of some of her favourite rural designers. 

I really loved this - as I suppose I just hope that someone picks up this idea and runs with it. I’d love nothing more than to attend a full blown fashion show made up of designers from all our local towns and communities.

So the interview may be dated but I'm still celebrating the premise of it; creating a platform in which to celebrate and showcase the work of fashion designers in rural Australia.

This podcast is produced in partnership with Rabobank Australia

Find more lifestyle podcasts from rural Australia at mansonpodcasting.com

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter here

This is the story of a unique coming together of a molecular scientist, a farmer and a PR and marketing executive in the beauty industry (all within one family).
Annoyingly; the latter, the marketing and PR exec had experienced dry, cracked lips for the better part of 10 years. 
Fed up; and driven by memories of childhood holidays spent in the family shearing shed, turned to the most natural, (and foolproof product she could think of; Lanolin.
Kirsten Carriol is the founder, creator and CEO of Lanolips Australia a global company that's been running for 15 years now and has a product that's been voted the World's Best Lip Balm.
Kirsten is a city girl at heart, but this story I think shows the importance of gifting on-farm experiences to young minds - who can go on to do anything with their lives and you never know what brilliance, they might create from that.
You can find Kirsten's products at lanolips.com
If you'd like to hear more lifestyle stories from rural Australia we have more podcasts at mansonpodcasting.com
Or read our free weekly newsletter. Sign up on the website mansonpodcasting.com