Sowing Hope in Rural America: Tackling the Farm Mental Health Crisis with Monica Kramer McConkey
From Hope Illuminated Podcast: Helping the Helpers Bring Light to Life’s Darkest Moments by Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas
October 28, 2025 · 46 min
About this episode
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas discusses the farm mental health crisis with Monica Kramer McConkey, exploring the challenges and solutions for rural communities.
In this powerful and deeply compassionate episode, Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas talks with Monica Kramer McConkey, one of the nation’s leading voices on rural and agricultural mental health, about the silent crisis facing farm families across America.Monica brings both clinical expertise and lived experience—she grew up on a farm in northwestern Minnesota and has spent over 30 years supporting agricultural communities through depression, addiction, and suicide loss. Together, Sally and Monica explore the intersection of isolation, economic pressure, and cultural stoicism—and how resilience, connection, and tailored interventions are changing lives across rural America.Listeners will gain insight into how we can bridge the urban-rural divide in mental health, build suicide-safe communities, and sow hope where it’s needed most. For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/155
People in this episode
Host: Sally Spencer-Thomas
Guest: Monica Kramer McConkey
Topics covered
- farm mental health
- rural communities
- depression
- addiction
- suicide prevention
Keywords
- resilience
- connection
- cultural stoicism
- urban-rural divide
- suicide-safe communities
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Sowing Hope in Rural America: Tackling the Farm Mental Health Crisis
Places: America, Minnesota
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