Women In Wellies

Sarah-Jane Laing (SJ) is Chief Executive at Scottish Land & Estates and is a familiar face in rural Scotland. From her childhood in Kelso with early memories of life on a working farm to becoming the first woman to lead Scottish Land and Estates, SJ’s journey is one of commitment, courage and care for the rural places she loves.We explore her early career in housing and public policy, the unexpected summer job that changed everything, and the twenty one years that have shaped her role at the heart of land use and land ownership in Scotland. SJ opens up about balancing leadership with raising a family, the honest conversations that made it possible, and the pressures that many women face when trying to be everything to everyone.We dive into the challenges of the current political landscape, the outdated stereotypes that still dominate discussions about land ownership, and the realities of advocating for a living, working countryside. SJ also shares the policy wins she is most proud of, including the Helping It Happen Awards and the Women in Agriculture Taskforce which continue to empower and elevate voices across the sector.Her reflections on leadership, her experience with the Windsor Leadership Trust and her belief in the power of turning up as your true self offer inspiration for anyone navigating rural careers or community life. It is a conversation filled with honesty, humour and heart and we hope it leaves you feeling encouraged and understood.The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with SJ and Scottish Land & Estates on social media :  Instagram - @scottishlandandestates  \\ LinkedIn - Sarah-Jane Laing / Scottish Land & Estates \\ Twitter (X) - @SJLaing / @ScotLandEstatesEpisode Recorded on 10th November 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Pickles, fire cooking and a whole lot of entrepreneurial chaos! This episode with Lucy Pattinson of Goat Rodeo Goods is an absolute ride from start to finish!Having first met Lucy while she was chefing an event in the Scottish Borders, its a delight to welcome her to the Women in Wellies podcast. From growing up in rural Derbyshire with a freezer full of pigeon, to a food-and-wine adventure in France that accidentally led her into professional cooking, to becoming a private chef for high-end estates… Lucy’s journey is as unexpected as it is inspiring.We dive into her love of game, her early days hosting ladies’ clay shoots, how she learned to cook over fire, why she believes in eating with the seasons, and the many twists that eventually led her to co-found Goat Rodeo Goods with her business partner Kat. Expect stories of house renovations gone rogue, stalking weeks in remote bothies, cooking paella for 50 in a pan she’d never used before, and the chaotic (and hilarious) birth of their now-cult pickle brand.We also talk about Fodder & Farm, the magic of long-table feasts built entirely from the land around them, the power of community, and the joy of creating memorable food from what’s literally outside the back door.It’s warm, wild, funny and full of heart and we hope it brings you a smile (and maybe sends you off to buy some pickles!) as you listen in.The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Lucy and Goat Rodeo Goods on social media :  Instagram - @thefodderation / @goatrodeogoods  \\ LinkedIn - Lucy Pattinson / Goat Rodeo Goods \\ Tiktok - @goatrodeogoodsEpisode Recorded on 31st October 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Liz Barron-Majerik is Scotland Director for Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the land based and nature based sector, which works closely with Scottish Government. She has a background in plant science and agronomy, is also a Chartered Forester and STEM Ambassador, and received an MBE for her work in STEM Engagement.Liz shares her own career journey through working in higher education including in hair and beauty to land at Lantra with wellies in hand. Liz shares the juggle of Mum life alongside work particularly in recent years as they have navigated her son’s diagnosis with kidney disease.This conversation dives into skills, careers in wellies and highlights the opportunities for training at all levels. We see the power of collaboration and the importance of organisations coming together to ensure we are able to deliver training that is accessible to all such as the Women in Agriculture Training Fund now delivered by Lantra. Women in Wellies was founded in the hope we could highlight opportunities for careers that require you to wear wellies (at least some of the time!) so this conversation with Liz about courses and routes in feels perfectly fitting. Tune in - it might even inspire you to look at what course you could take for some learning this year!The Award Winning Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Liz on social media :  Instagram -  \\ LinkedIn - Liz Barron-Majerik / Lantra ScotlandFind out more about Lantra Scotland here : https://www.scotland.lantra.co.uk/Episode Recorded on 20th October 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Woody Morris helps women find their happiness, health and energy from Happy Thistle Farm in the Scottish Borders and this conversation is filled with happiness and joy from start to finish (where even the dogs have their say!). From a career in sports journalism that took Woody to Hong Kong, London and Southport to her rural idyl in the Scottish Borders this is a story that is woven with the call of coming home to Scotland. Woody shares some of the challenges of working in sports journalism, the motivation she took from loosing her parents young and even the story of driving from Southport to Scotland while in labour! Woody shares her plans for the retreat they are building at Happy Thistle Farm which already includes goat yoga (Women in Wellies x Goat Yoga next summer anyone?!), her friendly flock of sheep and the horses. We talk about the poverty that exists in rural communities and her crazy plan to raise money for Cash for Kids that resulted in a horse race but also a turning point for Woody to become a Health & Wellness Life Coach. We smiled the whole way through so here’s hoping it brings you a smile or two as you listen in! The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Woody  on social media :  Instagram -  @woodyymorris \\ LinkedIn - Woody Morris \\ Facebook - Woody MorrisEpisode Recorded on 13th October 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Sylvia Ormiston and Highland Ponies are a well known pairing and what a treat it was to dive into her stories, experiences and lessons in this podcast episode. Having met in the main ring at the Scottish Game Fair and sharing an insight into these wonderful ponies in the Highland Pony demonstrations it was only right to bring this to the podcast too! From keeping her first horse in the back garden to travels to Australia, this episode is certainly entertaining. We unpack the Highland Pony, the role they can play, how special they are and, as you might expect, there is a story or 2 from Sylvia’s time spent working with the royal ponies. This episode brings heritage and tradition with a focus on the future, an insight into these magnificent creatures and an opportunity to hear what comes next for Sylvia! Find out more about the Gul Charity here : https://www.guloutdoortherapy.org.uk/The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Sylvia on social media :  Instagram -  @snakebite_syl \\ Tiktok - Sylvia Ormiston \\ Facebook - Sylvia OrmistonEpisode Recorded on 24th September 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Alice Wilson is a Senior Associate at Galbraith Ayr and joins me for this milestone episode  - number 50! Alice works throughout South West Scotland as a rural surveyor where no two days are ever the same. Having been brought up on the family dairy farm Alice’s enthusiasm for all things rural runs deep and has shaped both the location she now works in and the variety of work she does. We go from rugby pitches to farm tables, talk about the power of community, the importance of trust and the role of land agents. This conversation demonstrates how little Alice sits still but also how she has grown to find balance and, just occasionally, say no. Perfect listening with a cup of tea!The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Alice on social media : LinkedIn - Alice Wilson and Galbraith \\ Instagram -  @alicemwilson and @galbraithgroup Episode Recorded on 15th August 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Donna Smith is chief executive of the Scottish Crofting Federation with previous roles including deputy CEO at the Crofting Commission and senior business analyst in the Scottish Government rural payments and inspections division as well as running her own business consultancy for 4 years. Join us as Donna takes us on her career journey particularly sharing the impact of breast cancer with a newborn and toddler had and continues to have on her decision making and opportunity seizing today. We talk about the move back out of self employment to take up her current position at the Scottish Crofting Federation. Donna has also held voluntary roles including chair of mental health charity Mikeysline and been president of Highland Business Women. We chat about Mikeysline, a fabulous Highland charity founded on peer support and saving lives through text lines and innovative solutions. We, obviously, talk crofting - the challenges being faced, the grit and resilience of crofters and the opportunities they face. This conversation is varied, quite the journey and everything I knew it would be having worked alongside Donna on the Highland Business Women Board - sit back, relax and enjoy!The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Donna on social media : LinkedIn - Donna Smith and Scottish Crofting Federation \\ Instagram -  @scottishcroftingfederationSCF The Gathering : https://www.crofting.org/gathering-2025/Episode Recorded on 15th August 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Lucy Laidlaw is a communications, marketing and community engagement consult based in East Lothian and working with a wide array of rural businesses supporting them to share their message, connect meaningfully and make an impact. From the juggle of raising boisterous boys to the joy of dopamine dressing we cover it all in this conversation. Join us as Lucy takes us on her journey to today. A traditional journey from school to university and into a career inspired by her parents before embracing the opportunity for a rural job at the Buccleuch Estate and ultimately jumping in to business ownership to support the juggle of family life during Covid. We talk, perhaps unsurprisingly, about the importance of good communication, of community and what that means for business. If you’ve met Lucy, you’ll know she is always fabulously dressed from bright lipstick to brilliant dresses and pom poms in there too so we chat about this too - confidence, dopamine dressing and the switch that flicked at forty. Filled with laughter, this is a feel good episode you don’t want to miss! The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Lucy on social media : LinkedIn - Lucy Laidlaw and Lucy Laidlaw Communication \\ Instagram -  @lucylaidlawcommunivation Episode Recorded on 14th August 2025.All views expressed are our own.

Lynsay Bell Manson is an architect, owner of Studio LBA and Orwell Farm’s rural business hub, a mum, a wife and plenty more besides. She runs two brilliant businesses, delivers beautiful projects, raises an awesome kid, has her own rural idyl and plenty more besides and I loved chatting to Lynsay for this episode of the Women in Wellies Podcast. Well this conversation really takes us on a journey that demonstrates Lynsay’s entrepreneurial energy, determination, spontaneity and the power of the gut instinct. From winging her way into her interview for architecture at university Lynsay has carved her path, built a business, shifted the business and overcome hard times. Growing a family - some with hooves - and building a highly sustainable rural business hub alongside running an architecture practice is something to be admired.This is an episode packed with reminders to give things a go, to build a team around us who we can depend on and to remember to have fun, ride the horses, go to the events and make the connections along the way - there is something in here for everyone so do tune in and listen! Please note : just a word of warning,  this episode contains a conversation about miscarriage.The Women in Wellies Podcast is sponsored by Scottish Law firm, Gillespie Macandrew, advising on all areas of land & rural business, private client, energy and real estate.Connect with Lynsay on social media : LinkedIn - Lynsay Bell Manson and Studio LBA \\ Instagram -  @lynsaybellmanson and @studio_lba Episode Recorded on 11th June 2025.All views expressed are our own.