You're feeding the world, defending agriculture online, navigating family business decisions that would stump an MBA, and doing it all before most people finish their morning coffee. You don't need a standing ovation – you need real tools.
You love this work. You show up for it every single day – even when the world misunderstands what you grow, how you grow it, and who you are.
But here's what doesn't get said enough at women's ag conferences: the exhaustion isn't just physical. It's the weight of doing everything well – farming, advocating, leading, communicating, supporting everyone around you – while quietly wondering if you're doing any of it right. It's watching misinformation about your operation spread faster than you can respond. It's the isolation of being underestimated in rooms where you've already earned your seat.
2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer. A title doesn't fix burnout, silence misinformation, or give you the words for the hard conversations. That's what this program does.
Michele Payn grew up on a dairy and crop farm in southern Michigan. Farming is still women's work on her small Indiana farm today. She's spent 25 years navigating the same world you're navigating – the financial hardships, the tough family decisions, the daily business of defending agriculture in an era of food bullying and machine-generated misinformation.
She's one of your own. And her stories will make you laugh, and leave you really thinking. Michele brings something nobody else is offering: grace in self-leadership, gratitude as a mental wellness tool, and growth through the advocacy and AI skills tomorrow's agriculture demands.
Does this sound familiar?
You're carrying more than your share – and calling it strength.
You want to talk about what you do without sounding defensive or technical, but don't think you have the expertise.
Stress is quietly taking more from you than it should.
AI and social media are telling agriculture's story. Your voice deserves to be in that conversation.
What your audience will learn:
- Grace in leadership – how to lead yourself before you lead others, set boundaries without guilt, and recognize that self-care is not a luxury – it's a business strategy.
- Gratitude as a mental wellness tool – practical, science-backed approaches to managing chronic stress and finding meaning even in agriculture's hardest seasons. Chocolate is preferred, but coping skills are necessary.
- How to communicate agriculture's truth – without getting technical, defensive, or exhausted. Not just advocacy – connection. Heart-level communication with the people furthest from the farm.
- What AI is saying about your operation – and why the authentic stories of women in agriculture are exactly what's needed to counter it.
- How to lead through self-doubt – the imposter syndrome, the second-guessing, the pressure of proving yourself in spaces you've already earned.
- A personal action plan – built around your farm, your community, your voice. Not a script. A tool you can use Monday morning.
Your audience will leave:
- Seen – in the honest, specific way that only comes from a speaker who has lived this life from the inside.
- Refueled – with practical hope and real tools, not just a pep talk.
- Equipped with a personal communication and advocacy framework for the conversations that matter most
- Empowered to treat stress management as a proactive business skill, not a crisis response
- Ready to lead agriculture's next chapter knowing exactly who they are and why it matters
Across the U.S. and Canada, women have walked away from Michele's sessions feeling seen, refueled, and ready to lead. Ohio Women's Agri Intelligence Conference, Mid Kansas Co-op, Compeer Financial, South Carolina Farm Bureau, and others have brought this program to their women leaders.
Give your female leaders the gift of grace, gratitude, and growth.
Contact Michele today to brainstorm about your next conference or leadership session!
"Words can't describe what you do; from your stories about rural America to kickboxing, your keynote was truly remarkable." — Wisconsin Association of Fairs member
"The audience was empowered by you and the fact that you were one of them, a woman in agriculture, validated your comments." — Laurie Wolinski, Delaware Cooperative Extension Service
Available as: Keynote (60–90 min) | Half-day workshop | Conference breakout (45-90 minutes)
Ideal for: Women in agriculture conferences | Farm Bureau women's programs | Cooperative and agribusiness women's leadership events | Extension women's summits | Young women in agriculture programs | State commodity organization women's programs
Clients include: Ohio Women's Agri Intelligence Conference, Mid Kansas Co-op, Compeer Financial, South Carolina Farm Bureau, New Mexico Women in Agriculture, Oklahoma Women in Agriculture & Small Business, Virginia Cattlewomen, American Agri-Women, Women in Agribusiness
Take-home tools: Personal advocacy action plan | SMART stress management framework | Agriculture's Growth Journal & Food Bullying book (optional add-on)
"Michele was engaging, educational, and encouraging to each of us in our profession — whether that was on the farm, or working alongside farmers." — Kylie Nettiga, Western Iowa Dairy Alliance
"You have a special gift to inspire others to champion their cause. I went home and shared your message with my family and friends." —Judy Isaacson, Iowa State University Extension
"Heartfelt, touching and transformational to farmers and ranchers who need to see that sustainability is more than taking care of the land — it is also about taking care of themselves." — Dr. Megan Webb, Eastern WV Community & Technical College
