Blether Together: Our Scottish Podcast Awards victory lap
We’ve had some good news! Blether Together has won Best Interview at the first ever Scottish Podcast Awards, so we’re taking a little victory lap.
For this special bonus episode, we’re sharing the three clips we submitted to the judges, bringing together conversations about menopause, mental health, physical health, farming, family and finding a better balance in life.
Best Interview at the Scottish Podcast Awards
We are totally delighted, and very proud, that Blether Together has been named Best Interview at the first ever Scottish Podcast Awards.
For our award entry, we were asked to choose three clips, totalling no more than 20 minutes, that demonstrated what Blether Together does.
Choosing just three wasn’t easy.
The clips we eventually submitted feature Caithness crofter Sally Crowe and Dr Heather Currie MBE, Tommy Dale, and East Lothian farmers Willie Thomson and Anna Davies.
Together, they capture what we hope Blether Together is all about: honest conversations about the things that affect our wellbeing, told by people who are willing to share what they have learned along the way.
So, to celebrate the win, we’ve brought those three clips together for this special bonus episode.
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Sally Crowe and Dr Heather Currie: talking openly about menopause
Our first clip comes from the Blether Together menopause special, featuring Caithness crofter Sally Crowe and expert gynaecologist Dr Heather Currie MBE.
Sally speaks with characteristic honesty and humour about her own experience of perimenopause, from the emotional effects and sleepless nights to the conversations women in farming might once have felt unable to have.
Heather reflects on Sally’s experience and explains why there is no single experience of menopause, or one approach that will work for everyone.
She also explores some of the things within farming life that can help women through the menopause transition, including being outdoors, keeping active and talking more openly about what they are experiencing.
Tommy Dale: when trying harder stopped working
Our second clip features Tommy Dale of Forth Resource Management and Caledonian Horticulture, talking about a period of mental ill health in 2013 that, in his words, “completely broke” him.
At the time, Tommy was juggling businesses, a social enterprise and the loss of his close friend Johnny, while continuing to push himself harder and harder.
He describes how a “black cloud” came down and overwhelmed him, and how the experience forced him to rethink the way he approached work and life.
Tommy talks about the difficult decisions he had to make to recover and the lessons he took from that period, including recognising his own limits and changing the way he runs his businesses.
As he explains, until then he had believed you could achieve almost anything simply by trying harder. Eventually, he discovered there was a limit.
Willie Thomson and Anna Davies: there is more to life than farming
Our final award clip comes from our conversation with East Lothian farmers Willie Thomson and Anna Davies.
Willie talks about developing rheumatoid arthritis in his mid-40s and how the diagnosis forced him to slow down and reconsider how he farmed and ran the business.
For Anna, it reinforced something she had been telling Willie for years: there is more to life than farming.
Their conversation explores how their outlook has changed, from taking time away from the farm to being there for family occasions, holidays and the moments that can be all too easy to miss when there is always another job waiting.
As Anna puts it, the years go quickly and you can’t take your time with you. For Willie, being forced to slow down has also made him question how much his mindset might have changed had his health not made that decision for him.
Our victory lap
Perhaps we’re showing off a little, but we don’t care.
We wanted to mark winning Best Interview at the first ever Scottish Podcast Awards, and to share the conversations that helped us get there.
Most of all, the award is a reflection of the people who have trusted us enough to talk openly about their lives and experiences.
A huge thank you to Sally, Heather, Tommy, Willie and Anna, to every guest who has joined us for a blether, and to everyone who has listened, shared an episode or told somebody else about the podcast.
Listen to our Scottish Podcast Awards bonus episode now and join us for our victory lap.
About Blether Together
Blether Together is the Farmstrong Scotland podcast, sharing honest conversations about the ups and downs of farming and rural life and the things people do to look after themselves and those around them.
You can find all episodes of Blether Together through Farmstrong Scotland and wherever you get your podcasts.
