BE-Treat - RE-Set Sessions For Rural Women

FREE & ONLINE

15th October – 24th November 2020

When you’re running on empty, and the candle has been burning at both ends for so long, it’s hard to find the energy to keep going. You’re pulled in every direction, carrying the invisible load of endless tasks, with no chance to get away and you just need a few moments to take a breath and get some clarity.  

By regathering your thoughts, reframing where you’re at and re-setting for the future, you can be the best version of yourself in hard times. The Rural Women’s Network is here to support you with our BE-Treat Series – 8 sessions to help get you back on track, re-energised, and ready to go again – without having to leave your home or spend a cent.  

In these immersive & FREE Online events, we’ll tap into the Collective Wisdom of rural women experts and support you to RESET!

If you are a rural woman who is looking for some inspiration, motivation, reminders that you aren’t alone, the chance to laugh, write and find new ways to recover, heal and reset, then please join us!

You can join 1 session or all of them - it’s a BE-TREAT just for you!

In these powerful online events we’ll hear from 20 different rural women presenters, panelists and hosts on topics including:

With a mix of workshops, panel sessions, Q&A and networking these events will bring you many opportunities for resetting and being.

2020/10/15 20:45:03

What Is - BE-Treat - RE-Set Sessions For Rural Women

The program, developed and delivered by the Rural Women’s Network, aims to provide rural women with an opportunity to breathe and reset, as well as gain essential skills to help them continue to support their families and community.

These powerful and practical sessions, designed specifically for rural women, will explore topics such as What do I need right now? and How do I say no when everyone needs me? What to do when you become the one everyone turns to? and How do I listen to myself? How can I laugh again and how can I heal?

The series will be launched on International Day of World Rural
Women, 15 October 2020 and events will be hosted during October and
November via Zoom.

All sessions will be free and delivered online.

Rural Women’s Network Senior Coordinator, Allison Priest, said the sessions have been designed in response to feedback gathered from teams involved women on on the frontline of the recovery and rebuilding process in rural NSW.

“Each session will be 90 minutes in duration and will be hosted/facilitated and presented by rural women subject matter experts and those with lived experience in disaster recovery.

“Sessions will ensure that rural women are exposed to contextually appropriate experts and information. 

“The primary focus is on providing ‘time out’ rather than overloading participants with new information and education.”

A Series of Short,  Online Immersions To Explore, Learn, Connect & RE-SET in many aspects of your life and in recovery.

Online Event Details
8 Events

Date: 15th October – 24th November
Time: Variable times
Device: You can join the event on your computer, tablet or mobile phone
Hosted by The Rural Women’s Network & Facilitate by THE Rural Woman. 

Secure your seat today!

Register Below

Register your details and join us to activate collective wisdom and to learn from rural women with lived experience, expertise and years of wisdom – in the face of crisis we can truly transform.

What Can I Expect from my participation in these Online Events?

Register For The Events You Are Excited To Join So You Can:

START A CONVERSATION our presenters and panelists will be sharing their insights and you’ll be invited to ask questions, get deeper and invite new perspectives 

BE INSPIRED to consider new perspectives, take a different approach, reach out to others and activate with focus

FEEL CONNECTED this event is going to be really interactive so you’ll connect with the presenters and the participants and expand your network. It will help mitigate the feelings of isolation and overwhelm

We are a community dedicated to lifelong learning and empowering people to live lives they love – to bloom where they are. We lead what we desire – which is thriving, healing and evolving. This is a community people want to be part of – for life!

THE SESSIONS

What do I need right now? 

Stories from the frontline – Rural women thriving post disaster. How they did it and why you can too

730pm- 9pm

Thursday 15th October (International Rural Women’s Day)

A panel session where we will hear from rural women who are lived-experience trauma survivors – rural women who have thrived beyond the disaster they faced. They will explore what has helped them, what they did, who they reached out to and, with reflection, what they could have done differently.

There will also be an opportunity for meeting other rural women in the session and making connections in small group/break-out sessions where you can share your unique story of thriving beyond disaster.

Panel Members

  1. Kim Deans (Inverell)
  2. Dinah Mitchell (South Coast NSW)
  3. Jen Cowley (Dubbo NSW)
  4. Kate Schwager (Burren Junction)

About The Panelists

Kim Deans

Kim is a coach, educator and facilitator with over 30 years of experience working with rural businesses. Kim’s work is inspired by nature and her experiences in farm business management, holistic management, regenerative agriculture, systems thinking, permaculture, biodynamic farming and gardening. Kim spent 12 years working as a Rural Financial Counsellor so has worked with hundreds of farming businesses experiencing natural disasters and her rural property was impacted by the Tingha Plateau fire in 2019.

https://www.reinventingagriculture.com.au/

Jen Cowley

Jen has a diverse resume and an eclectic range of interests, experiences and passions, but it’s with storytelling and in community development that she feels most at home. She is a former editor and award-winning journalist, and is the author of a number of non-fiction and children’s books. Jen has a passion for community development and has served on a number of boards in the arts, wildlife conservation, community development, mental health and disability services.

Jen has worked with at-risk youth, been involved with humanitarian projects at home and around the world and has worked extensively with remote Aboriginal settlements in the NT. In 2019, Jen was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to regional communities.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercowley/

Dinah Mitchell

Dinah is the designer and operator of Pearl Button Bridal the south coast’s only sustainable and ethical bespoke bridalwear business. Dinah has been working on sustainability in fashion for the last 20 years. She has brought her forward thinking perspective to bridal wear to create original and conscious designs for modern brides. Dinah’s property and business was impacted by the 2020 summer bushfires.

http://www.pearlbutton.com.au

Kate Schwager

Kate lives at Burren Junction in the North West region of NSW and is a devoted community development professional. She has experience dealing with businesses, communities, researchers, and people from diverse backgrounds. During the 1 in 100-year drought and after winning the NSW Rural Women’s Award in 2006, Kate and her husband experienced a major downturn in their share farming business. Kate learned some valuable lessons and recently used those lessons again in the recent drought and would like to share those tips and her story of how they got through the last two droughts with others who may be experiencing similar struggles in their businesses.

http://katesonweb.com.au/

How do I say no when everyone needs me?

Learning to make it safe to get help and focus on yourself and strategies for saying no.

730pm – 9pm

Tuesday 20th October

A panel session focused on the art of saying NO, the value of connecting to all kinds of therapy and asking for and receiving support for yourself and also strategies for connecting others to the support that’s available too. 

There will also be an opportunity for meeting other rural women in the session and making connections in small group/break-out sessions where you can share your unique strategies for saying now and getting help!

Panel Members

  1. Dimity Smith (DPI)
  2. Catherine Marriott (Bushfire Recovery) 
  3. Dr Kylie Bennett (Moodgym – Online Mental Self-Help)
  4. Shanna Whan (Sober in the Country)

About The Panelists

Dimity Smith

Dimity is a registered psychologist and rural women’s advocate based just outside of Moree, working for the DPI as a Project Officer within the Rural Women’s Network team. Dimity’s family are dairy farmers from Scone and, as a result, she has always been hugely passionate about rural, regional and remote agricultural communities and ensuring they are sustainable and thriving. After having her own founder business journeys with women’s networking and events businesses Savvy Birds and GRO Events, Dimity transitioned from her psychology career in occupational rehabilitation, WHS, HR & private practice to the world of women’s events, innovation and startups. For the past 12 years, Dimity has worked across Tamworth, Armidale, Moree, the Hunter and the NENW, helping individuals and businesses with mental health, injury management and innovation. Most recently Dimity completed an innovation role with the University of New England’s SMART Region Incubator to support startup founders in their goals to create successful scaling businesses from rural, regional and remote areas.

Catherine Marriott

Over the last 15 years, Catherine has worked in management, strategic and leadership roles in the agricultural, research and regional development sectors in Australia and internationally. Catherine is UNE’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was the 2012 WA Rural Women of the Year. In her spare time, Catherine loves cycling, horse riding, travel and exploring the outback. She is also passionate about finding a cure for cancer and has raised over $100,000 to put towards research, education programs and patient support.

Dr Kylie Bennett

Kylie is the Managing Director of e-hub Health which delivers automated, evidence-based online self-help programs for mental health. The programs include moodgym, a cognitive behaviour therapy training program with over 1 million registered users worldwide (moodgym.com.au). Kylie has personally experienced depression and anxiety and is passionate about empowering individuals to manage their mental health through quality and accessible resources. She works with organisations around the world to provide access to online self-help programs. Read about free self-help programs for Australians at assist.ehubhealth.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylie-bennett-ehubhealth/

Shanna Whan

Shanna  is the creator, founder, and CEO of national charity Sober in the Country Ltd. She describes herself as a regular girl from the country with a story that’s actually very, very common. Her two-decade descent from trauma that took her from hiding behind a ‘party-girl persona’ and finally into alcoholism would end up becoming her life’s work. She is now almost six years happily recovered and advocates for others. She is very up-front to say she is nothing more than a garden variety recovered alcoholic – like many all over the country; but that she made the choice to speak publicly and candidly about the truth of alcohol addiction in rural Australia and the often insurmountable challenges of overcoming addiction in permanent isolation where anonymity is not possible and where she believes an entire demographic is being wilfully overlooked by our national health leaders.

https://www.soberinthecountry.org/

Dadirri – Deep Listening 

Learning the art and value of deep listening in the context of recovery and resilience building

730pm – 9pm

Thursday 22nd October

Dadirri – learning the art and value of deep listening in the context of recovery and resilience building. Indigneous elder Prof. Judy Atkinson will teach us how to deeply listen and practice the art of Dadirri. We will learn how this gift from our First Nations people can help us all heal. You will experience a number of facilitated experiences that will show you the power of the act of listening to self and others.

About the Presenter

Prof. Judy Atkinson

Judy Atkinson identifies as a Jiman / Bundjalung (Aboriginal Australian) woman. With a PhD from QUT, her primary academic and research focus is in the area of violence and relational trauma, and healing for Indigenous, and indeed all peoples. She was awarded 2011 the Fritz Redlich award for Mental Health and Human Rights from the Harvard University Global Mental Health Trauma and Recovery program.

Her book: Trauma Trails – Recreating Songlines: The transgenerational effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia, was sub-listed for a human rights award. Judy retired at the end of 2010, so she can focus on working with communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea in trauma informed and trauma specific educational – healing work, what she calls educaring – an Indigenous Healing Practice.

http://www.wealli.com.au

Recovery & Resilience Using Creativity

Art Therapy tools to help us avoid burnout and minimise anxiety and stress. 

1pm – 2:30pm

Tuesday 27th October

In this session we will apply some delightfully engaging art therapy techniques to explore how we can support the reduction of reduced stress, anxiety and other impacts of trauma. 

This will be a fun, engaging and very practical session with participants exploring ways to transform their stress and anxiety, how to redefine their experience, move beyond the ‘fight or flight’ response and how to avoid overwhelm and burn out.

About the Presenter

Anna Kellerman

Anna is a creative nurturer, super-connector and lateral thinker. She is a registered clinical art therapist with a Masters in Art Therapy. She has been working with families, children, adolescents with a range of emotional and behavioural challenges for the last 20 years. 

The main themes Anna works with relate to safety, building trust and resilience, and ways to regulate emotions. Anna uses a trauma-based approach to her art therapy work which focuses on empowering clients with supportive coping skills to help manage lifelong issues.

In 2013, Anna founded the Mama Creatives community, which provides a safe and nurturing platform for creative women to share their stories and feel reconnected to their creative spirit.

https://mamacreatives.com/

Beyond Self-Care

The 9 elements of holistic wellbeing and how to integrate them into your every day life.

1pm – 2:30pm

Tuesday 10th November

In this session you will identify and implement self care – that goes way beyond a bath and having to meditate! You will be invited to create a conducive environment in which you can grow and thrive, exploring how to identify and correct behaviours that are currently interrupting your Wellbeing.

About The Presenter

Priscilla-Jaya

Priscilla Jaya

Priscilla, The CPR Chick, is your one-stop-shop for Body, Mind and Soul upgrade! Having worked as an RN in the Cardio-thoracic ICU and General Intensive Care unit for over 16 years, she has an extensive knowledge about the body, its mechanisms, the impact, prevention and management of chronic diseases. Priscilla’s business – The CPR Chick – was born after the tragedy of losing her younger brother to suicide and to the lack of CPR skills. Being in the business of saving lives, she has jump-started many hearts and witnessed the power of CPR. The CPR Chick is on a mission to save lives through education. Today Priscilla wears many hats. She is a Health Coach, Mental Health trainer, Leadership trainer, speaker and coach. She understands the power of the Body, Soul, and Mind connection, and simplifies complex medical terms so you can remember, and implement. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillajaya/

Laughter is the best medicine.

Learning to laugh (and cry) again and flick the switch of joy!

1pm – 2:30pm

Tuesday 17th November

A session that will allow the fullest expression of your emotions and teach us how to use laughter as both a release and an intention setting – and finding  the switch to flick for a life of joy and happiness! A 45 minute workshop in Laughter YOGA followed by some rural women’s comedy to get you practicing what you’ve just learned!

About the Presenter:

Sue Curley

Sue Curley qualified with the International Yoga Teachers Association in 2005. Complimenting this with her Laughter Leaders certificate 2010. Since then, Sue has been sharing appreciation of Laughter to a wide range of organisations and students. We all feel better when we laugh. That’s because of a biochemical process going on in our bodies. Sue loves the way Laughter Yoga is a fun, accessible and effective brain exercise program. In practising Laughter Yoga, you learn to be less stressed, more creative. You develop a positivity to deal with negative situations, along with hope and optimism to cope with difficult times.

About the comedians:

Kylie Henderson

Kylie is an author, songwriter, artist and adventurer. A wife to one very gorgeous husband and mum to two teenage boys she has spent many years as an owner/operator within the rural hospitality industry and over the years has dabbled in other small business enterprises and creative projects.

Now with a stand-up Comedy show added to her diverse range of creative exploits Kylie has just signed a publishing contract to release her first book in 2021.

Mel & Susie on Tour

Yarns, comedy bush poems, a bit of singing and a lot of Queensland bull – that’s the Traveling Variety Show that Mel and Susie toured around Australia in an old library bus before settling at their own theatre ‘A Hidden Gem’ in Lightning Ridge.

They recently edited an Anthology of Bush Poetry for Australian Geographic and they love working with school kids, dressing them up and acting out poems as little plays

https://www.facebook.com/Mel-and-Susie-on-Tour-434427689955860/

You can’t pour from an empty cup

How to better support yourself and your community

7:30pm – 9pm

Thursday 19th November

Are you the one that everyone comes to when they are struggling? 

Are you worried about how to have the conversation without making things worse? 

And how do you balance supporting another person, when you already have a lot on your plate?

This 45 minute workshop will explore practical tools and strategies to support people to help themselves when they are struggling, as well as  pathways to care in regional communities. Participants will also learn the importance of looking after themselves in these supporting roles to ensure that they can continue to support their own family, friends, businesses and communities. 

About the Presenter

Letitia Cross RAMPH

Letitia is passionate about rural communities and comes from a prior agriculture background in production, commodity trading, natural resource management and industry development. However, after seeing first-hand the devastating consequences of poor mental health on her community and wanting to be part of a positive practical solution, she undertook postgraduate studies in Counselling and Psychotherapy. After working as a therapist, Letitia joined the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) in North Western NSW three years ago. She promotes early intervention through awareness and understanding, and works towards having all people living in rural and remote NSW linked to the appropriate mental health information, resources and services.

About the Panelists

Dr Amanda Jeffreys

Dr Amanda Jefferys is Clinic Director for University of New England Psychology Clinic providing around 2000 sessions per annum to the community. Amanda also works locally providing clinical psychology services to her community in Gunnedah. Being a true rural Psychologist is demanding and Amanda services her community, the community at large and also trains and supervisors Psychologists in their training.

https://www.practicalhealthconsulting.com.au

Phoebe Maroulis

With over 25 years focussing on Community Development, Innovation and Social Capacity, Phoebe is now actively involved in ensuring rural Australians find profitable opportunities to do what they love, in a way that keeps them, their landscapes and communities, thriving.

Phoebe has degrees in Industrial Design, Financial Counselling and Commerce and a career path that has lead her through agri politics, community development, the arts, running a service station, bioenergy, grazing and agriculture, online retailing and much in between.

Life brings Phoebe the greatest joy when she is able to help shift people from being actors in someone else’s play, to being the director of their own.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebemaroulis/

Phoebe Maroulis

Danielle Murphy

Danielle moved from the inner City to Cobargo in 2004 and since then has made her life in this small rural community. She has raised 4 children, my eldest is at University on a Dean’s Scholarship doing a double degree and three teenage boys are at home. Her youngest has Autism and Epilepsy.

Danielle has been an active volunteer including managing the school uniforms for 8 years, canteen duty, has been involved with the Cobargo Skate Park and BMX track and since 2005 has been on the committee of the Cobargo Folk Festival. Since January 5 2020 Daniell has been a volunteer coordinator of the Cobargo Bushfire Relief Centre (approx 40hrs/week) supporting the community to access the support they need. 182 homes were lost in the Cobargo region, she also reaches out to other areas within the Shire and further afield.

https://www.facebook.com/cobargobushfirereliefcentre

Creative Expression

Writing your way to healing

1pm – 2:30pm

Tuesday 24th November

Imagine if the words you wrote enabled your great, great grandchildren to heal their wounds. 

In this session we will learn how to write so we can express our stories, release and transmute our trauma and support others to heal too. 

We will explore words and phrases that enable us to write cathartically about our lives and suffering with the goal to grow, gain resilience, peace and to support the other people in our lives now and in future generations to find their own largeness and inner strength.

About the Presenter

Dale-Louise Antram

Dale has been a teacher of writing and literature for over two decades. Writing has always been an integral part of her life. She is an avid reader and writer and believes that through personal writing we can self counsel, celebrate our lives and share our stories which can then help other women to celebrate and process the inevitable trials that are part of life.Dale says that people think that writing is only something individuals do to earn a living but it is the pure joy, relaxation and the ability to share our life stories that are central reasons why people write.

What Can I Expect From These RE-SET Sessions?

You will be inspired and moved deeply by what you will hear from our presenters and panelists and will be taken into realms of thought you hadn’t yet realised was where you needed to go!

Each of the 8 sessions are interactive online events where the participants are as crucial as the presenters and panelists so be prepared with great questions and a willingness to get uncomfortable and have a great time!

In this event you our panelists and presenters will invite you to ponder questions like:

  • what is recovery?
  • what wisdom can we gain from unusual places?
  • how do we embrace our adversity as an asset
  • what role do we play in keeping ourselves safe?
  • what role does wellness play in a thriving rural future?
  • is our mindset the key?
  • what plans are we making?
  • what is resilience really and how do we ‘get it’ 

What Do I Do Next?

We are really looking forward to seeing you LIVE, so please make sure you have the following tasks completed so you can maximise your opportunity to Activate your Energy!

  • Register by completing the registration forms for EVERY Session (you must register for each one you want to attend) on this page
  • You have marked the times and dates in your diary (non-negotiable time!)
  • You have a quiet private space when the event is on
  • You have your laptop, phone or tablet ready and charged
  • You have a webcam (YES, we want to SEE you please!)
  • Headphones are a great idea

Online Event Details – 8 Events
Date:15th October – 24th November 2020
Time:variable
Device: You can join the event on your computer, tablet or mobile phone
Your Host: The Rural Women’s Network & THE Rural Woman

THE SCHEDULE

What do I need right now?

730pm- 9pm

Facilitated Connection (networking) Session

Thursday 15th October (International Rural Women’s Day)

How do I say no when everyone needs me?

730pm – 9pm

Facilitated connection – Peer to Peer Session

Tuesday 20th October

Dadirri - Deep Listening

Learning the art and value of deep listening in the context of recovery and resilience building

730pm 

Facilitated Connection (networking) Session 

Thursday 22nd October

Recovery & Resilience Using Creativity

Art Therapy tools to help us avoid burnout and minimise anxiety and stress.

1pm – 230pm

Workshop

Tuesday 27th October

Beyond Self-Care

The 9 elements of holistic wellbeing and how to integrate them into your every day life

1pm – 230pm

Workshop

Tuesday 10th November

Laughter is the best medicine

Learning to laugh (and cry) again and flick the switch of joy!

1pm – 230pm 

Workshop

Tuesday 17th November

Accidental Counsellor

What to do when you find yourself as the one who everyone comes to

730pm – 9pm

Workshop and Panel Session 

Thursday 19th November

Creative Expression

Writing your way to healing

1pm – 230pm

Workshop

Tuesday 24th November

Powered by – THE Rural Woman The Rural Woman