AgriCoach Wealth & Wisdom Podcast by The Financial Bloke

#116: Next Gen Doesn't Want To Be On Farm? They Could Be Your Greatest Asset with Andrew Conaghan, Managing Director of Livestock Junction

What if the child who doesn’t want to come back on farm is actually your biggest long-term advantage?In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Conaghan, Managing Director of Livestock Junction, to challenge one of the quiet assumptions that holds many family businesses back — that contribution only counts if it happens on the ground, in the paddock, every day.Andrew’s pathway couldn’t be more different from the traditional ag narrative. He built his career in IT, systems, and project management off-farm, yet today he plays a central role in the strategic direction of his family’s feedlot business — while also leading a fast-growing ag-tech company servicing producers across Australia.This conversation is for farming families asking hard questions about the future. What do you do when the next generation doesn’t want the same role you had? How do you spot value that isn’t obvious at first glance? And how do you create space for contribution without forcing people into a mould they were never meant to fit?If you’re thinking about the long game — not just succession, but sustainability, relevance, and growth — this episode will challenge how you see the next generation.To learn more about Andrew, Livestock Junction and Barmount Feedlot, checkout their website and socials here:Livestock JunctionWeb: www.livestockjunction.com.auFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/livestockjunctionauInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/livestock_junction/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/livestock-junction Barmount FeedlotWeb: https://www.barmount.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barmountfeedlot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barmount_feedlot LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barmount-feedlot --------------------------------------------------------If you’re the kind of family that leads from the front, not waits for a crisis, the 2026 Roadmap Workshops are for you. Seats open to the waitlist first. Join at: agricoach.com.au/takeaction -----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family’s wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The AgriCoach Podcast each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/

MINI: Coaching Isn't Just For Footy

Most farming families don’t fail because they can’t run a business.They fail because the family part was never properly prepared.Not long ago, the idea of having a coach in agriculture sounded odd — even unnecessary. Today, some of the most switched-on, asset-rich families in the country are quietly asking a different question: who’s actually helping us stay aligned as a family while everything else gets bigger, faster, and more complex?This mini episode challenges the assumption that coaching is about productivity hacks or running harder each day. If you’ve ever wondered whether things are truly aligned beneath the surface — or what the cost might be of leaving the hardest conversations untouched — this short episode will make you pause, reflect, and possibly start a conversation your family has been postponing for years.-----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family’s wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The AgriCoach Podcast each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/

#115: The Families Who Win Start Early: How Prepared Families Outperform Everyone Else

Most families wait until something breaks to start succession conversations. High-performing families don’t.In this powerful conversation, Ben sits down with succession planner Tim Lane of Proagtive to unpack a truth most farming families quietly suspect: the ones who thrive across generations aren’t the biggest or wealthiest — they’re simply the ones who start early and keep talking.Tim lifts the curtain on what he’s seen after decades around kitchen tables across Australia — the families who glide through transition, the ones who hit turbulence, and the tiny mindset shifts that separate the two. You’ll hear how “success planning” (not “succession planning”) helps families think long-term, lower pressure, and build clarity bit by bit, years before any assets change hands.Ben and Tim get real about the fears parents carry, the untapped drive of the next generation, the dangers of assumptions, and how early conversations create confidence, creativity and unity. You’ll also discover why starting 5–15 years ahead isn’t “too early” — it’s the single greatest advantage a family can give itself.If you're a parent wanting to prepare well, or a next-gen ag leader wondering how to step up without stepping on toes, this episode offers the roadmap — practical, calm, grounded and completely aligned with what high-performing farming families do differently.--------------------------------------------------------If you’re the kind of family that leads from the front, not waits for a crisis, the 2026 Roadmap Workshops are for you. Seats open to the waitlist first. Join at: agricoach.com.au/takeaction -----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family’s wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The AgriCoach Podcast each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/

MINI: Slaying The Entitlement Dragon

What if the real threat to your family business isn’t drought, interest rates, or commodity prices — but entitlement creeping into the next generation?In this Mini Episode, Ben Law — The Financial Bloke — takes aim at the behaviour that quietly rots family businesses from the inside. Entitlement isn’t random, and it’s not “just their personality”. Most of the time, we create it at home without realising: standards slip, excuses get tolerated, and kids get rescued instead of raised.Ben lays out the uncomfortable truth: rules, punishments and guilt don’t fix entitlement. They fuel it. The only antidote that works — every time — is earned pride. The deep pride that comes from sacrifice, contribution and understanding the cost of what the family has built.If you care about raising capable young adults who can lead the family business into the future — not inherit it with a sense of entitlement — this episode gives you the thinking and the language to make that happen. Hear how professionalism, responsibility and connection to the family story shape the next generation not just to “take over”, but to deserve their place at the table.-----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family’s wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The AgriCoach Podcast each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/

#114: Burnout Is Breaking Farming Families — Here’s How to Stop It with Tanya Atkinson - Human Intelligence Architect

What if the biggest risk to your family farm isn’t drought, interest rates, or commodity prices— but you running yourself into the ground?In this episode of The Agricoach Wealth & Wisdom Podcast, Ben sits down with executive coach Tanya Atkinson, who works with leaders and farming families across Australia on growth, transition and burnout. Together they unpack a hard truth most high-performing families quietly brush aside: burnout is everywhere in agriculture, and it’s often the most driven, reliable people who are closest to the edge.Tanya pulls back the curtain on what burnout really is and why it’s not the same as just being busy or stressed. She and Ben talk through how it shows up on family farms—loss of interest in things you used to love, brain fog, snapping at the people closest to you, or feeling permanently “tired but wired” even when you finally get a day off. They look at how this plays out in succession, when decades of striving crash into unspoken expectations, conflict and broken trust.You’ll hear Ben share the health scare and near-miss that forced him to reassess everything, plus the brutal stories and beliefs many rural people carry about work, worth and “toughing it out”. Tanya lays out practical, realistic guardrails for busy farming families: simple, workable ways to reset your nervous system, protect your relationships, and still get the job done without torching yourself in the process.If you’re building serious wealth, growing the business and trying to set up the next generation, this conversation will help you ask a bigger question: what’s the point of all this success if your health, marriage, or family unity don’t make it across the line with you?--------------------------------------------------------If you’re the kind of family that leads from the front, not waits for a crisis, the 2026 Roadmap Workshops are for you. Seats open to the waitlist first. Join at: agricoach.com.au/takeaction -----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family’s wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The AgriCoach Podcast each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/