#111 | From the US to Rural, Australian Farm Life: Kristen's Journey to Life on the Farm

About this episode

Kristen shares her journey from the US to rural Australia, detailing her transition to farm life and the development of a regenerative beef business.

In this episode of The Ultimate Farm Life, Kristen shares how she moved from the United States (Virginia) to Australia after studying marine biology at James Cook University, meeting her future husband Ben as her Great Barrier Reef dive instructor, and later working in software sales at companies including Tableau and Microsoft. After years of saving to sail and completing an 8,700-nautical-mile trip, Kristen and Ben sought more purpose and, with Ben’s family, bought a farm in 2020 in the Hunter Valley, building a regenerative paddock-to-plate beef business while needing reliable internet for remote work, including an innovative pre-Starlink setup that led to an ABC segment and Ben starting an internet business. They shifted from selling stock to market to retail cuts, farmers markets, and subscription boxes supported by custom software for forecasting and whole-animal utilization. Kristen discusses planning, budgeting, embracing failure, communication in family ventures, and storytelling in direct-to-consumer sales, and notes being a 2026 Women Changing the World Awards finalist, placing third globally in Food & Beverage. Discount Codes: Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a…

People in this episode

Host: Katja Williams

Guest: Kristen

Topics covered

• migration
• farming
• entrepreneurship
• sustainability
• family business
• marine biology

Keywords

• farm life
• regenerative agriculture
• software sales
• direct-to-consumer
• internet business
• sailing

Sponsors

Book Box

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: James Cook University, Tableau, Microsoft

Products: Book Box

Places: Virginia, Australia, Hunter Valley

More episodes of The Ultimate Farm Wife Podcast with Host Katja Williams

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• Ep. 108 | A Journey of Love, Farming, and Publishing with Robyn Verrall · April 29, 2026 · 23 min
• #107 | Passion, Perseverance, and Breeding Brahckles with Renee Wyn · April 23, 2026 · 31 min
• #106 · February 4, 2026 · 6 min
• #105 · January 29, 2026 · 8 min