We know how important it is to be inspired by both big businesses and individuals, which is why we are excited to present Talking Leaders, a monthly initiative from the AHDB which will see a series of inspirational speakers share their life experiences and deliver impactful stories to the AgriLeader community.

In the January episode of Talking Leaders, we were delighted to be joined by Sharon May, a mental health advocate and counsellor – joining us on what is described as Blue Monday.

Following a career in physical healthcare, her love of people and their stories led Sharon to shift her focus to emotional healthcare and retrain as a counsellor whilst bringing up our three children. She set up her own practice on the farm 8 years ago, which has now grown into a multi-therapist counselling hub providing face to face mental health support to the rural community in which we live.

She loves her job, and particularly enjoy working with small business owners, life stage issues and women’s health. She is passionate about tackling stigma and normalising the conversations around mental health and wellbeing.

Her awareness of the mental health challenges within agriculture led to me choosing that as an area of focus whilst completing her Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice, culminating in a research study on the mental health of farm wives.

We know how important it is to be inspired by both big businesses and individuals, which is why we are excited to present Talking Leaders, a monthly initiative from the AHDB which will see a series of inspirational speakers share their life experiences and deliver impactful stories to the AgriLeader community.

In the December episode of Talking Leaders, we were delighted to be joined by Hattie McFadzean, Senior Consultant at Promar International and recent Nuffield Farming Scholar.

With weather patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable, how can UK dairy farmers build resilience and adapt for the future? Hattie joins us to discuss the findings of her Nuffield study, “Enhancing the Resilience of the UK Dairy Sector: How Do We Practically Adapt to Increasingly Volatile Weather Conditions?”

Drawing on insights from her travels and research, Hattie explores how dairy businesses around the world are responding to climate variability and what practical steps UK producers can take to “weather-proof” their own operations.

Hear Hattie’s reflections on leadership, innovation, and collaboration across the dairy sector – and how embracing change today can help secure a more sustainable future for tomorrow’s farmers.

We know how important it is to be inspired by both big businesses and individuals, which is why we are excited to present Talking Leaders, a monthly initiative from the AHDB which will see a series of inspirational speakers share their life experiences and deliver impactful stories to the AgriLeader community.

In the November episode of Talking Leaders, we are delighted to be joined by Adam Bedford, Collaborative Projects Director at Fera Science, to explore how working together can help farming businesses navigate uncertainty and thrive. With a career spanning farm-level experience, leadership roles at the NFU, and now driving collaboration between farmers, scientists and the food industry, Adam will share how building partnerships and pooling ideas can strengthen resilience and unlock opportunities across UK agriculture.