Episode 170: How to Avoid Burnout in Agriculture | Farming, Mindset & Leadership

Introduction

Hi everyone and welcome back to the Homestead Education Podcast. Today I have Kacee Bohle with me from the AgriMinds Podcast and her and I have been getting to know each other quite a bit over the last few weeks discussing all things ag and homeschooling and running our businesses. And so I’m really happy to have her on today to just share all that she has. So thank you for being here, Kacee.

Hello, thank you, Kody, so much for having me on today.

Yeah, do you want to tell everyone a little bit about what you do and all the things?

Well there are several hats, I don’t know if we have enough time for all of them.

That’s why I’m just letting you go, that way I don’t have to remember them all.

Yes, well first and foremost I am a mom of two and right now I have a nine-year-old and a three-year-old. We are in West Central, Indiana. I also have my own business. I’m a coach, speaker, and trainer. Then I also work with my parents on our family farm during the busy seasons. And I think I have my own podcast. We also homeschool. So yeah, like I said, I have so many hats I forget what all I do, but it’s just life for me. At this point it’s like well, what all do I do?

And I think a lot of your listeners can probably relate to that, that we’re just showing up trying to get by some days and feeding our families while also trying to fill our cups up. Helping other people do that is something that I enjoy as well.

Wearing Many Hats

That’s awesome. I’m sitting here thinking about it, it sounds like my life. Just I do all the things. I’m surprised we’ve had a chance—this is our third chat now. I’m like, how did this even happen?

I know. I had to remember, what do I do for a living again? Because it’s all a blur some days.

Some people ask at doctor’s appointments what your occupation is and I’m like…

Or they’ll ask me what’s your daughter’s date of birth and I’ll say my son’s birthday. I was like oh wrong kid, hang on.

We have six kids and two of them have the same first name.

That’s hilarious. I feel for you.

So yeah, I never know what to tell people I actually do for a living. I’m like, I’m a serial entrepreneur.

Yes, I love that.

Or sometimes it’s entrepreneurial ADHD, but that’s when they ask me what’s wrong with me.

You don’t want to know at this point.

Kacee’s Journey into Agriculture & Burnout

Tell us a little bit about your path of AgriMinds because I think for so many of us who have either grown up in farming or are trying to get into farming, there’s a lot of mindset work that goes into that.

Yeah, it’s a really interesting story, one that I never saw coming to be honest with you. I grew up on a fourth generation row crop farm where we grew corn and soybeans here in Indiana. I was one of four daughters and I always thought I’m going to grow up to be the farmer. I’ll be the one that takes over the farm.

No brothers, none of my sisters wanted anything to do with the farm and honestly I felt like it was my responsibility to take over the farm because if I didn’t, then who would?

I went to school, got a degree in agriculture business economics, came back home to the farm and worked during the summer right after college.

Then comes June-July timeframe and there wasn’t really anything going on. We had already gotten everything planted, we had just wrapped up spraying and I was like, well what do I do now?

My dad sent me to our local John Deere dealership to get some parts for the sprayer and while I was in there, I overheard them saying they were looking for a parts person. So I ended up convincing them to give me a job.

I started working for John Deere at that point and farming.

During harvest, I would work all day at the dealership and then I would come home, jump in the tractor, and we would do all the things. I would do that seven days a week for two months.

And I did that for about three years and it was exhausting.

I finally was just like, surely this isn’t what I’m gonna do for the rest of my life.

Choosing a New Path

I got offered a job to work for corporate John Deere and I was like oh my gosh, this is gonna move me out to Missouri. I get to go be with this guy that I’m in love with. But how am I gonna farm though?

So I was at this crossroads where I was so exhausted from the farm and working for our dealership, but then also it’s like I have the love of my life over here.

And I really had a pivotal moment of I can continue down this path or I can start one that looks really scary and go down here.

So I did.

I had a long conversation with my dad and he basically sat me down and said right now there’s not a full-time spot for you. John Deere can offer you retirement funds, PTO, steady income, company vehicle, opportunities, a career that we can’t give you on our farm.

Go try it out for a couple of years and when you’re ready to come back home, we’ll be here.

Motherhood, Career, and Identity

So I did. My husband and I moved out to Missouri. I was living this amazing life. It was the picture-perfect career.

And then I got pregnant.

It happens.

Unexpectedly. I love my kids so, so much. However, that was not the timeline I had in mind.

I went from traveling, working this amazing job, making amazing money, and really feeling fulfilled…

And then life happens.

I’m now gonna be a mom, I’m not married, I’m five hours away from my parents and any of my friends.

What do we do?

Balancing Work and Home

I was trying to juggle being a working parent alongside supporting my parents on the farm, seeing aging grandparents, trying to eat healthy, exercise, be a good parent, be a good wife, and just be a good human.

You and drink water.

Yeah.

At that point I was not only the breadwinner, I was also the bread maker.

The moment I walked back in the door after three days of travel for work, I would come home and need to catch up on laundry, dishes, make sure this is done, make sure that is done.

And I just felt like nothing was getting done while I was gone.

Communication and Marriage

That’s where I really started to figure out the worst thing that can happen when you’re communicating with somebody is making an assumption that it’s happened.

So I had to get really specific about what I wanted done and not just assume.

It’s not that they don’t want to support you as a spouse, but if you don’t make it clear…

Exactly.

Finding AgriMinds

I tried to find a community or the tribe.

I couldn’t find my tribe so I said I’m gonna create the tribe.

So I created this Facebook group and we’re having these conversations.

People kept asking me what I would do, how I would handle things.

Eventually I felt like this feels really good to be that person for somebody else.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that was what coaching was.

Somebody said to me, why don’t you monetize that?

So I learned the difference between coaching, consulting, and counseling.

And I realized coaching was what I wanted to do.

Building the Business

I went through Maxwell Leadership and became a certified leadership coach.

But there were a lot of things that needed to be tweaked to speak the language of those in agriculture.

So I took the leadership tools and resources I got and applied them to agriculture.

And that’s what I built my entire business around.

It started off with AgriMinds Live, which is a 12-week group coaching program.

I combined all of my favorite tools, topics, and resources into one 12-week program tailored to agriculture.

And that started my entire business.

The Four Pillars of AgriMinds

The four key areas I frame everything around are:

• Time mastery
• Boundaries
• Leadership
• Mindset

We talk about thoughts and feelings and actions and results.

We talk about mindset around worthiness, money, love, productivity, and success.

Then that turns into communication.

And then leadership, both of self and others.

Because if we can’t lead ourselves well, how can you expect to lead others well?

Burnout in Agriculture

Burnout can happen to anybody at any time.

But here’s what I always tell people—

I don’t believe burnout comes from doing too much work.

Because I love to work.

Where I think burnout comes from is doing too much of the wrong thing at the wrong time.

That’s huge.

And sometimes we can’t change the circumstances.

But what can we change?

We can change how we’re viewing things.

Homeschooling Journey

I didn’t plan on homeschooling when I left corporate America.

Then I got a call from the principal saying my son had a two-day out-of-school suspension because he pushed another kid.

And I was shocked.

When I went to pick him up I looked her dead in the face and I said:

Hudson won’t be returning.

And I yanked him out of school.

I had no plan.

I wasn’t planning on homeschooling.

I had only been an entrepreneur for a month.

But I just knew.

Making It Work

We school year-round.

So if there is a week where we need to take time off because of baseball or travel, we can.

We do school when we can do school.

I work when I can work.

It’s easier to be a homeschooling and entrepreneur parent than it was to go around the public school schedule.

Final Thoughts on Motherhood & Growth

I think it’s special that our kids want to be there.

How great is it that my kids love me so much?

But I also still need time to feel like Kacee.

It’s a constant battle.

But I know it’s part of a bigger plan.

Keep Growing

What does keep growing mean to you?

Growth is giving yourself permission to take in new information and saying:

Do I want to do something with this?

Closing

Well thank you so much for coming on today and sharing all that information. I absolutely love what you’re doing and think so many people can benefit from your mission.

Thanks, Kody.