Growing the Future

GTF Podcast: The Silent Killer in Ag

Episode Summary

In this episode Terry and Holden sit down with Lesley Kelly. Lesley opens up about her husbands experiences with anxiety on the farm. It took great courage to share his story on social media. In the end, it changed their lives, and the lives of many others. There are very few that went before them. Now the conversation about mental health in ag has changed.

Episode Notes

The Silent Killer in Ag

Lesley Kelly farms in Saskatchewan. She is the co-founder of Do More Agriculture Foundation, host of What the Farm podcast, and the voice behind High Heels and Canola Fields on social media. She brought her husband Terry and her son Holden into this conversation.

The thing nobody talks about is the thing this episode is about.

What's Inside

- What Lesley's first conversation about farm mental health publicly cost her -- and why she did it anyway

- How to recognize the signs in yourself and in the people farming around you

- The role parents play when a child on the farm is struggling

- What self-care looks like when the farm doesn't take days off

- Succession planning that accounts for mental health, not just land and equipment

- The impact Lesley's dad made on the community -- and what that meant when he was gone

Related Episodes

- What the Farm Asked of Andy Junkin -- succession, identity, and what farming costs a son

- What Breaks First -- Jeff Bennett's Raw Truth About Farming (Apr 2026) -- five hard years, unfiltered

In this episode, you will learn:

Why is Lesley passionate about sharing their mental health story?
Lesley’s background in farming
Lesley’s social media influence
How to deal with the stigma and feelings of mental health
How can parents can help their kids when struggling?
Why is it so hard to talk about mental health?
How are schools dealing with student’s mental health
What is the finger exercise and what is it good for?
How to be self aware when it comes to your mental health
What happened the first time Lesley opened up on social media about mental health?
How you can help those struggling with their mental health?
What is self care? How should one practice it?
Succession plans that include mental health
Lesley’s dad and the impact he made on the community