Laura Koot on what keeps her Farmstrong

Module Overview

Proud Southerner Laura Koot juggles a lot of things – she’s involved with two agri-businesses, has a young family and is part of the Farmstrong Supporters’ Network.

She sat down recently and chatted to The Country’s Rowena Duncum about what drew her to Farmstrong, the challenges she’s faced and how she looks after her wellbeing.

Laura, who grew up on a sheep and deer farm and lives in Kingston at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, says that like many other people, she’s been through some challenging times.

“But I’ve been really proactive in getting on top of my mental health and developing confidence in who I am, in my abilities and have been steadfast in creating a life that I’m really proud of,” Laura says.

“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been the most meaningful work that I’ve done.”

Farmstrong a good fit

Laura, who founded Real Country and is the Fairlight Foundation executive director, says Farmstrong’s emphasis on the Five Ways to Wellbeing resonated deeply with her.

“Farmstrong is a really good fit and it’s been a great thing to be part of because the other supporters see things similar to me and we just get out there and we get stuff done, which is what I love.”

The last couple of months have been particularly challenging for Laura, who is usually super-efficient when she needs to be.

“I sat down one day to do some work a couple of weeks ago… but because I was so overwhelmed I spent three hours staring at a computer screen and achieved very little.”

“I was under a lot of pressure, I was very over-whelmed… and I had to go ‘Right, you’re not in a great place, what are you going to do about it?’.”

Giving back helpful

So, Laura decided to give back to her community, which is something that makes her feel good.

“Giving to others and doing things for my community makes me feel really good about myself and even though you’d think it’s adding more to my list, I understood a long time ago that the to-do list never ends or gets any smaller.”

She says taking things off her to-do list doesn’t work for her. What works is giving to others, connecting with others, being active and learning a new skill, which are all part of the Five Ways to Wellbeing.

“I’m not going to sit around and continue to be overwhelmed and under pressure… so I decided to put on a free day for local farmers where they could come and have a BBQ, shoot some clays, throw some axes and have a yarn because it’s been a tough spring for all in our community to be fair.”

The weather was beautiful that day, so many farmers had to get on with essential work on the farm, she says.

However, the farmers who could make it had an ‘absolute ball’, including a fellow Farmstrong Supporter who made the journey north to attend.

“We had some good yarns, and it was great to actually personally connect with Matt Paterson, who’s a fellow Farmstrong Supporter based in Lumsden.”

You can listen to Laura’s full interview here.