We're in the throes of summer here in Montana. Somehow we've escaped the record heat and are thinking of all our friends in other parts of the country who are dealing with drought, flooding, and extreme weather conditions. Caring for land and livestock can be daunting, even on good days. We SEE you and hope for reprieve. Mother Nature tends to dish out a lot of variety; learning to sustain through hard times continues to be a never-ending lesson in humility.

 

Summers feel short, sweet, and busy here at WIR. As we roll through July, we are making an effort to take moments for ourselves where we can—whether it's taking a breath during the long days caring for land and livestock to enjoy the sunshine (or an oasis of shade), spending time with kids home from school or visiting family members, and making sure that amidst the hustle and bustle and seemingly endless hours of daylight, we are prioritizing a moment to check in and care for ourselves, too.

 

Most (all) of us are caregivers in one way or another, and our own mental and physical health often takes the back burner. These days, we seem to be bombarded by headlines and social media posts about "self-care," but the reality is it looks different for everyone, and it takes conscious allowance to center our well-being. Taking care of ourselves is vital to show up fully for our families, communities, ourselves, and each other. 

 

Mental health can be a personal and emotional subject, and we are not experts. Still, we know its importance and that these conversations can often be sidelined in our rural, agrarian cultures and traditions. In this month's digest, you will find a deeper dive into this topic from folks with knowledge and experience (thank you, Macala Rose, for sharing your expertise, and Megan Torgerson for an entire podcast episode dedicated to this). 

 

We have some new and exciting events and programs coming up this fall, with several opportunities for learning and connecting in person—be on the lookout for updates! 

 

Take care of yourselves,

Take care of each other,

and we look forward to seeing you soon.

At the beginning of this year, Women in Ranching hosted a pilot program centered around mindfulness and tending to your inner well-being. 

 

In that program, fifteen women, supported by three facilitators, explored the idea of meeting ourselves where we were, in order to explore the agriculture of our soul and give ourselves radical permission. 

 

During that four-week exploration, the women participating in the program went inward, collectively. 

 

In the first two weeks, we explored connection to our bodies through breathwork and quieting our minds in the present moment through meditation. 

 

In the second two weeks, we went deeper, using narrative therapy and the visualization work of Lakota psychologist Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona to have a dialogue with the spirit of an illness and the negative beliefs we hold within our minds and bodies. 

 

We then gave ourselves radical permission to let go, heal, or move forward from things holding us back and set intention statements to help us move forward.

Throughout the month, Amber, Christina, and I discussed and encouraged our participants to ask themselves the following questions:

 

We then asked:

What if your radical permission rubs folks the wrong way? It will.

What if other peoples' radical permission of self rubs YOU the wrong way? It will.

What if radical permission doesn't sit well in your rural, traditional community? It won't.

 

While the program focused on our inner worlds, it laid the foundation to empower outward expression of truth. To lead or to ride shotgun to heart-felt beliefs and causes. This fall, we'll be convening an even larger group of women to explore our thoughts and emotions using evidence-based somatic practices to learn how to move from reaction to response. Be on the lookout for an invitation to join us.

 

Both Macala and Christina love horses and exploring country backroads. Partnering with Women In Ranching, under the guidance of Amber Smith, Macala and Christina created this program specifically for women moving ranching and agriculture forward. 

 

Macala is the founder of Practice Dirty and The Mindfulness Tools Co. She is a certified somatic and mindfulness facilitator. Macala is also a woman in ranching. After 15 years in corporate America, she found herself at a crossroads of what she wanted to do with her life and wandered onto a farm. Realizing the need to help women in marginalized communities, she became educated in somatic experiencing and mindfulness and started to make programs designed specifically for women in marginalized groups.

The program is co-led by Christina Fajardo, a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience specializing in trauma recovery for women and children. Christina is an EAGALA-certified, equine-assisted therapy practitioner in Washington and develops outdoor experiential programs for children using horses.

 

Alison Brennan, MSU Extension's designated mental health specialist, Courtney Brown Kibblewhite with Northern Ag Network and Beyond the Weather, and wellness coach and rancher Lisa Williams discuss mental health resources and stigma around mental health in Montana's rural and agricultural communities. This episode spans data on farm stress and suicide, free counseling services for Montana producers, like Beyond the Weather, and actionable tips for restoring balance and wellbeing to our lives.

Curious about the inaugural Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo that took place last month?  Check out this wonderful highlight video of the event. Watch Video Here.

One of our new board members, Lucille Contreras, was recently featured in the NYT piece, “Bison Return to Native American Lands, Revitalizing Sacred Rituals.”

The piece reflects on the history of bison extermination as a way to repress indigenous peoples, and explores how their reintroduction and conservation is reinvigorating landscapes, ecosystems and indigenous communities.

 

To understand more about the impacts of displacement on culture and community, learn more here.

 

Proceeds from your ticket sales support the good work of the Red Ants Pants Foundation to increase women's leadership, support working family farms and ranches and enrich rural communities. If you need any more motivation than that…Tanya Tucker is in the line-up!