As Becks Smith prepares to record her podcast The Whole Story, she puts a port-a-cot mattress on the headboard of her bed to help with sound quality.
Her bedroom doubled as a studio, given many of the rooms of the Maniototo farmhouse she shares with husband Jason and their three young children, were too echoey.
Occasionally, their working dogs could be heard barking in the background of the podcast, while rural connectivity issues sometimes also had to be worked through.
But it summed her up; rather than having a slick studio somewhere, it was authentic and real, based on a 700ha sheep, beef and deer property in the heart of rural Otago.
"To resonate with farmers, you don’t need polished and shiny," she said.
Like many rural women, Mrs Smith wears a few hats; she is a mother-of-three, a farmer, a part-time veterinarian and a holistic sustainability advocate which led to her launching a podcast series in partnership with FMG.
The aim was combined both inspirational and practical messages to drive holistic sustainability across New Zealand agriculture.
In 2020, Mrs Smith — a former Zanda McDonald Award finalist — founded The Whole Star, a B-Corp certified ag business, working with farmers to assess their current farming systems and work towards sustainable goals.
While there was a lot of information around sustainable farming, she saw the need for more advice around holistic sustainability.
Her podcast was an exciting way to deliver and share the story of sustainability in agriculture.
It was a much broader audience than her social media network or local community.
Hosting the podcast did not faze her; she had been a guest on podcasts herself and the more she talked and presented, the more she enjoyed it.
The most daunting aspect had been the how to do it; but the drive and passion was there and she knew the end result would be well received.
"The highlight is the incredible people who share their stories and voices, that’s the hard work done for me.
"I’m just a vehicle for being able to provide it," she said.
Her speakers so far had included Bridget Williams (Bead and Proceed), Prue Kane (WAI Wanaka), Wayne Langford (Meat the Need) and Kane Brisco (Farm Fit NZ).
A big component of the work she was doing through The Whole Story was about inspiring people and shifting their mindset to a positive one.
Sustainability had become linked with negativity, or even helplessness, and people needed to "have a shining beacon of hope".
When it came to her own mindset, she tried to keep focused on what was factual, pressing, imminent and required.
"I feel being on the farm is almost easier than working in ag, you can see right in front of you the actual needs of the day.
"What needs to be done and what’s real, not what’s a threat or perceived threat.
"It keeps you grounded," she said.
The beauty of The Whole Story was its flexibility, allowing her family time and vet work on-call in the evenings and at weekends.
Mrs Smith was doing some individual consultation work and was preparing to launch some online workshops in the evenings.
For her, it was about building a life and a business that worked around their family and farm, and inspiring excitement around sustainability in as many farmers as possible.
"It’s not just about environmental outcomes, it’s about people, it’s about communities, education and looking after our farming businesses and our economy," she said.
