292: How A Chance Encounter With Alpacas Changed Michelle Hamilton’s Life & Helped Her Find Joy Again

Michelle Hamilton lives on a farm in Central Queensland with her husband Pete and son Wiley. Growing up on the land, she thought she was ready for rural life — but motherhood brought challenges she never saw coming including post natal depression. But Michelle’s turning point came unexpectedly at a local agricultural show, where she encountered alpacas! What began as a simple encounter grew into something much bigger. Breeding alpacas and growing her business helped Michelle rediscover purpose, energy and connection, and re-engage with motherhood, her family and herself. Then a near-fatal farming accident involving her husband forced their family to pause and rethink what truly mattered, including their marriage.Today, with more joy, a paddock full of alpacas, and a clearer perspective, Michelle is living life very differently.Gidget Foundation: www.gidgetfoundation.org.auPANDA Helpline: 1300 726 30CABLE's new Heritage 365 collection features timeless wardrobe pieces crafted from luxurious 100% Australian Merino Wool — designed to be worn and cherished season after season. Explore the latest arrivals in Cable stores or online HERE. Hogans Family Jewellers is a family-owned business with over 80 years of craftsmanship. From engagements to life’s special milestones, their timeless pieces are designed to be treasured for generations. Discover their ready-to-wear collection online HERE or in-store at 241 Margaret Street, Toowoomba.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Vanessa Bell has lived many lives in one. Discovered at just 15, she was launched into high fashion — travelling the globe and shooting for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. But behind the glamour came grit. A chapter marked by domestic violence, sleeping in her car, and temporarily losing her sight from stress forced Vanessa to rebuild from the ground up. It was through knitting that she began to heal. In a full-circle moment, that same fibre now sits at the heart of her life. Today, Vanessa is a Merino wool grower in the New England high country, a stepmum to three and mum to her son Charlie. Alongside her husband Philip, she now runs vast Australian stations and has launched a luxury knitwear brand championing Australian wool and sustainability. From city lights to shearing sheds, her story is one of courage, reinvention and backing yourself. Cinta Insights, the new community connecting rural Australians, is proud to partner with Motherland’s summer podcast series. Join the Cinta Collective HERE to share your voice, earn rewards, go in the draw to win one of five $250 Prezzee cards, and trigger a $10 donation to Motherland in your name.For more than 100 years, Anglican Church Grammar School, commonly known as Churchie, has nurtured generations of boarders from rural Australia. Located on a spacious campus, just minutes from Brisbane’s CBD, Churchie offers an immersive seven-day boarding program for boys in Years 7 to 12. To learn more about a Churchie education for your son, visit churchie.com.au/boarding https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Kimberly is a psychologist and mum from Moranbah, Queensland. Five years ago, her world was shattered when she lost her 13-year-old son, Ethan, just nine weeks after a leukemia diagnosis. Ethan was a talented young footballer, signed to the Broncos’ elite development squad — strong, determined and full of life. And then, in a matter of weeks, everything changed. In this episode, Kimberly shares those unimaginable months… from the first signs something wasn’t right to a Christmas Day hospital visit that turned their world upside down. But this conversation isn’t only about loss. In her grief, Kimberly saw how little real-time, local support exists for bereaved parents (especially in rural communities) and how quickly support can fade. From that realisation, Kids Connecting Parents was born: an app connecting grieving parents so no one has to navigate child loss alone.Griefline (1300 845 745): A national helpline, 8am to 8pm (AEST), 7 days a week.Red Nose Grief and Loss (1300 308 307): Support for the loss of a child.Cinta Insights, the new community connecting rural Australians, is proud to partner with Motherland’s summer podcast series. Join the Cinta Collective HERE to share your voice, earn rewards, go in the draw to win one of five $250 Prezzee cards, and trigger a $10 donation to Motherland in your name.Thank you to Cobram Estate for supporting the Motherland podcast. Proudly Australian and made with care, their extra virgin olivehttps://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Prue McCormack is a sixth-generation cattle farmer in the Hunter Valley, NSW, a vet, and a mum of two. When her son Jock was three, Prue and her husband began noticing developmental delays. What followed were long waitlists, countless appointments, and eventually a diagnosis of autism and ADHD. In this episode, Prue shares the shock, grief and guilt that came with that moment — along with the fierce love that drives her motherhood. She speaks candidly about meltdowns, public judgment, rural healthcare gaps, and the toll it’s taken on her nervous system. But she also shares the beauty — the strengths, the hyper-focus, the gift of farm life, and the power of community understanding. Prue said yes to this conversation because it’s the one she wishes she’d heard at the beginning of her journey raising a neurodivergent child. This is her story.Cinta Insights, the new community connecting rural Australians, is proud to partner with Motherland’s summer podcast series. Join the Cinta Collective HERE to share your voice, earn rewards, go in the draw to win one of five $250 Prezzee cards, and trigger a $10 donation to Motherland in your name.Thank you to Cobram Estate for supporting the Motherland podcast. Proudly Australian and made with care, their extra virgin olive oil is grown, harvested, and cold-pressed within just hours for exceptional freshness and flavour. It’s a staple in kitchens right across the country. Go to https://cobramestate.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Laura Wilson lives in Quilpie in far western Queensland, where she and her partner Jake are raising six children under the age of ten. Yes, six! A registered nurse by background, Laura always knew she wanted to be a mum. What she maybe didn’t plan on was becoming a mother at 24, growing her family quickly, and spending long stretches solo parenting while Jake built their trucking business. She’s birthed babies hundreds of kilometres from home, and in one case, delivered one of her sons herself. In this conversation, we talk about big families, remote healthcare, and why Laura genuinely loves motherhood…even in the chaos. This is a story of perspective, joy and choosing gratitude in the season you’re in.Cinta Insights, the new community connecting rural Australians, is proud to partner with Motherland’s summer podcast series. Join the Cinta Collective via THIS LINK to share your voice, earn rewards, go in the draw to win one of five $250 Prezzee cards, and trigger a $10 donation to Motherland in your name.For more than 100 years, Fairholme College Toowoomba has delivered an exceptional all-girls education from Kindy to Year 12. A day and boarding school, it’s a home away from home for rural and regional families, nurturing confidence, character and community. Visit fairholme.qld.edu.au. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Today I’m thrilled to bring you a bonus episode with Kylie Lindsay, Head of nbn Local in Queensland, for a powerful conversation about leadership, motherhood, mental health, and regional connectivity. Kylie shares her journey from growing up in Townsville to working in high-pressure politics, navigating anxiety, and becoming a mum to her son Archie just before turning 40. We talk about what it’s really like returning to work after having a baby, why flexible workplaces matter, and how leadership can look different after motherhood. Kylie also opens up about separation and life as a solo mum and why she's so passionate about raising a free-range kid outside the city. This is her story.We’re proud to have nbn back as our Platinum Motherland Connect Partner for the next 12 months. Motherland Connect is Australia’s first online health directory for rural mums, helping women find the right mental and physical health support faster. Thanks to nbn’s support, we’re strengthening digital access so no rural mum is left behind. Learn more at motherlandconnect.org.au.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Today's episode is one of the most raw and important conversations I’ve ever shared. Corrina Rawlinson is a rural mum from Esperance, WA — a businesswoman and straight shooter, bravely telling the truth about what motherhood and mental illness can look like behind closed doors. She shares growing up in small rural communities, carrying childhood trauma into adulthood, pushing through while keeping everyone else afloat — until she reached breaking point. Corrina speaks openly about being admitted to a psychiatric hospital and what it took to come back from the darkest place. This is a conversation about survival and hope — proof that healing is possible and life can be rebuilt.Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/1800RESPECT: https://1800respect.org.au/PANDA: https://panda.org.auPink Elephants Support Network: https://www.pinkelephants.org.auThe Empowered Motherhood Program is an online pregnancy, birth and postnatal recovery program designed by a women’s health physiotherapist. EMP offers expert guidance, safe workouts and real support from home. Motherland listeners get 20% off with code MOTHERLAND20 at empoweredmother.com.au For more than 100 years, Fairholme College Toowoomba has delivered an exceptional all-girls education from Kindy to Year 12. A day and boarding school, it’s a home away from home for rural and regional families, nurturing confidence, character and community. Visit fairholme.qld.edu.au. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Rachael Kirby’s version of motherhood looks nothing like it did a year ago. After growing up in rural central NSW and meeting her husband in the shearing sheds out west, she’s now raising three young kids (with a fourth on the way) while living full-time in a caravan on the shearing circuit. Her husband is a shearer, Rach is a shearer’s cook, and together they juggle work, marriage, parenting and life in the bush—side by side, every day. This isn’t just a story about life on the road, but about burnout, bravery, and choosing time over routine. Today, Rach shares why she blew up her life, what caravan motherhood really looks like, and how redefining stability has brought her closer to peace. The Empowered Motherhood Program is an online pregnancy, birth and postnatal recovery program designed by a women’s health physiotherapist. EMP offers expert guidance, safe workouts and real support from home. Motherland listeners get 20% off with code MOTHERLAND20 at empoweredmother.com.au For more than 100 years, Fairholme College Toowoomba has delivered an exceptional all-girls education from Kindy to Year 12. A day and boarding school, it’s a home away from home for rural and regional families, nurturing confidence, character and community. Visit fairholme.qld.edu.au. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Today's episode is a story of love, unimaginable loss, betrayal, and deep, hard-won hope. Belinda Viver’s daughter Adelaide tapped me on the shoulder at a Motherland event last year and said, “You need to speak to my mum.” She was right. Belinda grew up on the land, built a full life with her husband Jack, and raised three daughters until everything changed in July 2020, when Jack died suddenly. What followed was a cascade of heartbreak: multiple family losses, shock, grief, and a betrayal that turned her world upside down and forced her to question everything she thought she knew. But this is not a story that sits in darkness. It’s about resilience, truth-telling, learning to live alongside grief, and discovering that even after immense loss, there can still be meaning, purpose and hope.Just a quick warning today’s show does contain a brief mention of suicide. If you or anyone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14For more than 100 years, Fairholme College Toowoomba has delivered an exceptional all-girls education from Kindy to Year 12. A day and boarding school, it’s a home away from home for rural and regional families, nurturing confidence, character and community. Visit fairholme.qld.edu.au.  If you’re thinking about having a baby (or already there) The Memo makes it easier. Thoughtfully curated by parents who know what you actually need, from hospital bags to postpartum care. Motherland listeners get 10% off with MOTHERLAND10. Ends Feb 1. Visit thememo.com.au. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Debbie Dowden arrived in Australia by boat when she was just 3 years old. Her family were ‘10 pound poms’ in search of a sunnier life in Australia. Little did she know that life would see her raising 4 children 600kms from Perth in Outback Western Australia. Debbie was working as a theory instructor at a flight school when she decided that she actually wanted to fly the planes, not just teach people about them. It was here that she met her husband Ash- and she approached her relationship with Ash the same way she did with learning to fly, getting out of her comfort zone. As a young single mum at the time, all of Debbie’s family lived in Perth. But when she met Ash Dowden, the owner of Challa Station in the Southern Rangelands of WA, she knew she needed to go bush. And bush she went. She packed up her life, her daughter and quit her job and arrived at Challa with limited experience. Fast forward to 2025 and she’s now running it alongside her husband. This is her story. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia