Coping effectively with life’s challenges can take it’s toll and getting the most out of every day is not always easy.
ifarmwell is a free online tool kit designed by Australian farmers to help other Australian farmers to help farmers cope effectively with life’s challenges and get the most out of every day, regardless of the circumstances they face.
Their mission is to equip farmers with new tools that reduce the negative impact that stressful situations have on their lives, so they have more time and energy to focus on the things that make them happy.
It does this by sharing practical ways of coping with difficult circumstances, thoughts and feelings (especially worries about things you can’t control) and helping you to work out where it is most useful for you to put your attention and energy.
Joining us are the team from ifarmwell, Kate Gunn, Natasha Caulfield and John Gladigau who will share the research proven work they are doing in this space to help support
Our Speakers
A/Prof Kate Gunn
Founder and Director, Clinical Psychologist and Enterprise Fellow
Kate grew up on a farm near Streaky Bay in South Australia and founded ifarmwell based upon calls from farmers within her own community for relevant and accessible ways for them to prevent and manage the stress that goes with life on the land. She is proud to have been able to combine her understanding of farming culture with psychology and behavioural science, to work with Australian farming communities and assist in this way. In her spare time, you’ll find Kate visiting her family’s farm at Mount Cooper, gardening, trying to get fit! or enjoying the company of her family and friends.
Dr Natasha Caulfield
Research Manager
Tash works closely with Kate as the team’s Research Manager, to help maintain ifarmwell’s profile on the national stage and pursue strategic opportunities to help make new, farmer-friendly supports available across the Australian agricultural industry.
Tash has her PhD and Masters of Organisational Psychology and brings a wealth of experience from managing research centres. In her free time, Tash likes to walk her golden retriever, get out on a mountain bike and drink coffee.
John Gladigau
Creative Director and Farmer Advocate
John is a third-generation farmer, living and farming in the Northern Mallee region of South Australia. In 2009, John and his wife Bronwyn joined with another local farming family to create “Bulla Burra’, a collaborative family farm, formed by the merging of two existing family farms, and the leasing / sharefarming of additional land to create efficiencies and economies of scale. John is also a Nuffield Scholar and Director of Grain Producers South Australia.
John now also works part time with the ifarmwell team on various projects, providing valuable insights from his lived experience of farming, and creative input to help ensure important wellbeing messages are delivered in engaging ways.
In his spare time you will find John being actively involved in his local community, for example he is the creative force behind a local theatre company called Little Town Productions. In 2021 and 2022 he wrote a dinner theatre production entitled ‘Kick off ya Boots’ targeted at farming families, which celebrates the life of Aussie farmers and with a focus on wellbeing and looking out for each other, which ifarmwell was proud to partner on.