What if the biggest risk to your family farm isn’t drought, interest rates, or commodity prices— but you running yourself into the ground?In this episode of The Agricoach Wealth & Wisdom Podcast, Ben sits down with executive coach Tanya Atkinson, who works with leaders and farming families across Australia on growth, transition and burnout. Together they unpack a hard truth most high-performing families quietly brush aside: burnout is everywhere in agriculture, and it’s often the most driven, reliable people who are closest to the edge.
Tanya pulls back the curtain on what burnout really is and why it’s not the same as just being busy or stressed. She and Ben talk through how it shows up on family farms—loss of interest in things you used to love, brain fog, snapping at the people closest to you, or feeling permanently “tired but wired” even when you finally get a day off. They look at how this plays out in succession, when decades of striving crash into unspoken expectations, conflict and broken trust.
You’ll hear Ben share the health scare and near-miss that forced him to reassess everything, plus the brutal stories and beliefs many rural people carry about work, worth and “toughing it out”. Tanya lays out practical, realistic guardrails for busy farming families: simple, workable ways to reset your nervous system, protect your relationships, and still get the job done without torching yourself in the process.
If you’re building serious wealth, growing the business and trying to set up the next generation, this conversation will help you ask a bigger question: what’s the point of all this success if your health, marriage, or family unity don’t make it across the line with you?