Ducks on the Pond Kirsten Diprose and Jackie Elliott

This Episode is Sponsored by: Creative Little Soul
Yes, we invented the term “Bush Podpreneur.” But that’s because there’s a phenomenon that’s been happening in rural Australia that we need to recognise. “Bush Podpreneur” captures the way rural women are producing podcasts in entrepreneurial ways to build community,  social connections and even businesses and income.
In this special episode, Kirsten Diprose is joined by guest co-host Dr Maria Rae, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Policy at Deakin University to unpack why and how rural women are starting their own podcasts and what it means for them.
You’ll hear from six rural women podcasters:
Skye Manson, founder of Manson Podcasting Network, Gunning, NSWKimberley Furness, founder of Oak Magazine, Bendigo VICKatrina Myers, This Rural Life, Barham NSWStephanie Coombes, Central Station Podcast, Katherine, NTStephanie Tretheway, Motherland, TASSamantha Meurant, Rural Compass, Cunnamulla, QLDWe discuss the realities of creating a podcast (including time and money), the opportunities podcasting can bring you and how to manage the duty of care you have to your guests, especially when they’ve emotionally opened up to you.
The podcast market is becoming increasingly saturated, but the listenership continues to grow in Australia. The latest figures (2023) show 43% of Australians regularly listen to podcasts. And that's up quite significantly from four years ago when it was about 25%. 
Read the academic paper written by Dr Maria Rae and Kirsten Diprose: Bush Podpreneurs: How Rural Women Podcast Producers Are Building Digital and Social Connectivity
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EPISODE SPONSORSHIP Thank you to Chrissy Symeonakis, founder of Creative Little Soul for sponsoring this episode. If you’d like to sponsor an episode (or a series!) of Ducks on the Pond, get in touch: kirsten@ruralpodcastingco.com

You’ll laugh so hard in this episode, you’ll wet yourself. But then, learn how you can fix that wee problem of yours too!


Many of us probably never thought about our pelvic floor, until we had a baby. Perhaps you were sent home with exercises to tighten it up.But did you know, your pelvic floor can be too tight? Or that stress, hormonal changes, lifting heavy things, and even constipation can all potentially lead to pelvic floor issues?


We meet Courtenay Polock (Wodonga, VIC), who is an accredited exercise physiologist, specialising in women's health. She launched Her Exercise Physiology, which is a virtual clinic, helping women through video consultations. 


It makes sense that many of her clients are rural women.  

In this episode, we learn what causes pelvic pain, what a prolapse is, what happens if your pelvic floor is too tight and just about the way women's pain is treated in general. 


Ever heard of a wandering womb? It's one of those lovely old phrases for women's problems that no one cared to understand back in the day… we talk about that too. So brush aside any awkwardness and hit play! 


**Would you like to sponsor an episode of Ducks on the Pond and get your brand out here to thousands of rural women?  Email us at ducksonthepond.podcast@gmail.com

Are we allowed to call it a 'crisis yet?" 

As any Mum in rural and regional Australia and they can tell you stress and the cost of not having access to reliable childcare.

Rural women are waiting months if they are 'lucky', but it is not unusual now to wait years for a place in childcare.  The Parenthood has released a report, called "Choiceless" which sheds light on the difficult experiences more than 150 women around the country have had.

According to the report about 450  towns with a population under 3, 000 do not have centre based daycare. 

This is affecting the careers of women in the country and also the development of children, who aren't always school-ready by the age they should be.  The housing crisis and labour shortage is directly linked to the lack of childcare options too, yet you don't hear about it in the media, nearly as much. So we are.

Hear from:
Tara Rich - Mother and Communications Professional, who has spent nearly a decade looking for suitable childcare for her family.

Maddy Butler -  Campaign Director at the Parenthood, who is advocating for the Federal Government to better fund a multi-level approach to improving childcare options.There's no single solution to this. It's complex, but the Parenthood is arguing for a National Workforce Strategy to boost childcare educator numbers in rural and regional Australia.

** Would you like to sponsor an episode? Get in touch to promote your business on our podcast. Email: ducksonthepond.podcast@gmail.com
This podcast is brought to you by the Rural Podcasting Co (We can help YOU make a podcast!)

Do you own a small rural or regional business and feel bogged down or just completely overwhelmed by the thought of marketing? Do you use Facebook or Instagram, but aren't sure where to turn, to take your business to the next level and build your community?

Top social media and marketing consultant, Jenn Donovan has recently released a book; Small town, Big impact: 107 Simple Marketing Strategies for Regional Business Success.

Jenn is a country girl, who lives in Yarrawonga, NSW. So she actually understands rural and regional life.  In this episode, we discuss
Why you should't be afraid of sending emails to your listHow to create a lead generator (for emails)The difference between posting on social media and a social media strategyHow to decide if you should be adding Tik Tok, a book or even a podcast into your suite of marketing channelsIs Twitter (or X, as it's known these days) a dead channel these days?!
Would you like to sponsor an episode? Get in touch to promote your business on our podcast. Email: ducksonthepond.podcast@gmail.com
We also do collaboration series  - we'd love to hear your idea!

This podcast is brought to you by the Rural Podcasting Co (We can help YOU make a podcast!)

Is 'volunteerism dead...  or dying'? We know volunteer numbers in the city are dropping, but are our rural volunteers feeling burnt out too? And why is often the same few people doing all the hard work?

Angie Nisbet, host and creator of "Married to the Land" podcast joins us for this special collaboration episode of Ducks on the Pond. 

Angie lives in north-western QLD, 80 km south of Hughenden, where she's a rural mother, wife, grazier, podcast host... and dedicated community volunteer, including at the Fashions on the Field, at the Cloncurry Race Day.

But, with many women now balancing work and family responsibilities, finding spare time to volunteer can be daunting. Yet so many of our schools, sporting clubs, local events and fire services rely on volunteers to function.

Kirsten and Jackie volunteer locally too. All three of us love it. But there have been some tough lessons along the way. So, join us for some very candid conversations about volunteering in the country and the demands of modern life.

This podcast is produced by the Rural Podcasting Co.
***Are you a rural woman looking to get your brand in front of other rural women? Well hello! We're looking for episode sponsors! Email us at ducksonthepond.podcast@gmail.com or send us a DM over Instagram for more information.

Why do we have such a tough time acknowledging that death, is part of life?

If you talk about death, you might be considered morbid, or worry that you'll upset someone. But is our fear of planning for death, actually preventing us from celebrating the life our loved ones lived?

In this episode, we hear from two rural women who are changing the way we approach death, to better honour the lives of the deceased and help those left behind grieve:

* Becky Barry - marriage celebrant turned funeral celebrant, from the Wimmera, VIC.

Becky is breaking away from more traditional services to help families host the kind of celebration their loved one would have loved to attend. From bottles of champagne, to AC/DC music... it's all about celebrating how someone lived, not how they died.

* Colleen Hughson - freelance filmmaker and creator of 'legacy videos' in Warrnambool, VIC.

 Colleen is helping to preserve the stories and memories of loved ones, by creating meaningful videos, by interviewing someone while they're still alive. These videos may be played at funerals, or viewed by families later, as a special keepsake and piece of family history.

This podcast is produced by the Rural Podcasting Co.

***Are you a rural woman looking to get your brand in front of other rural women? Well hello! We're looking for episode sponsors! Email us at ducksonthepond.podcast@gmail.com or send us a DM over Instagram for more information.