[TW/CW: MH, MI] This episode of The Rural Woman Podcast contains discussion of mental health, mental illness, discussion of suicide. These themes may be upsetting to some listeners. If you or a loved one find yourself needing emotional support or are in crisis please note the following resources:

Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 or send a text to 45645

US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

USA & Canada Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor

On this week’s episode of The Rural Woman Podcast, you’ll meet Katie Lyons. Katie grew up on a century farm in West Central Illinois raising hogs, beef cattle and growing row crops.  Highly active in 4-H, this passion for agriculture eventually pushed her to pursue a career within the industry.  After graduating from the University of Illinois’ Animal Sciences program, she has worked within some of the most influential agricultural companies including Cargill, Monsanto, and now Bayer Crop Sciences.  Katie’s passion continues to help American agriculture “feed the world”.  With her husband John, Katie is raising two boys, Jack and Aidan, who are very active in 4-H and love all things farming, the outdoors, and dream of carrying on in some way the family farm tradition.

It is not money, but love that pushes a farmer to pursue this vocation.  Love that walks hand in hand with loss, heartache, and sometimes depression.  Feeding the world is stressful.  Even the strongest souls are not immune to its strain.  After losing her father to suicide in 2013, Katie has combined her passion and loss into a mission; advocating for mental health on the farm.  Katie is working to spread information on depression, anxiety and suicide in hopes of helping others seek the support they need before another family shares her loss.  

I am honoured to be sharing Katie’s story with you all today. You may hear some similarities from Katies story as with Liz Hulsizer’s story from last week’s episode as Katie’s Father David, is Liz’s Father in law. I want to take a moment to thank both Katie and Liz for sharing their story of loss and for being so vulnerable with us all. 

We are at the end of September and the end of out series of Suicide Awareness & prevention here on The Rural Woman Podcast. I want to say just because it is the end of this series on the podcast, doesn’t mean we stop talking about mental illness and the importance of Mental health. We heard from so many incredible women this month who were vulnerable talking about the terrible loss and the suffering they have faced. They were brave in sharing their stories in hopes that not one more family will have to experience what they have gone through. 

If you haven’t done so already, please take a look at the show notes from this past months episode, including today’s with Katie, for mental health resources that have been mentioned throughout the month as well as many more. Thank you for taking the time to hear these conversations, thought they may be hard to listen to, they a necessary to keep the conversations about mental illness and suicide from being one of shame and to be one of strength and resilience.

Mental Health Resources

Provincial Mental Health Helplines | Ontario |  Alberta | British Columbia | Saskatchewan | Manitoba | Yukon | Northwest Territories | Quebec | Newfoundland | New Brunswick | PEI | Nunavut | Nova Scotia

Canadian Association For Suicide Prevention | Do More Ag | FCC Wellness | Canadian Mental Health Services | Digital Resources for Mental Health | Mental Health First Aid | QPR Training | The Trevor Project | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | Psychology Today | Ag State of Mind | TransFARMation