On this episode of Cultivating Resilience, host Hans Hageman speaks with Jaime Angelini and Emily Horton. Jaime Angelini is the statewide director of suicide prevention and crisis response at the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. Emily is the Director of Policy & Community Engagement at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and co-chair of the Heritage Industries Mental Health and Wellness Working Group. Having grown up on a farm in Mid-Coast Maine and lost her brother, a commercial farmer, after his struggle with mental illness, Emily brings both personal and professional insight to this conversation.
Mental health support can be hard to ask for, especially in farming communities where long hours, self-reliance, financial stress, and limited access to care can make it difficult to pause and reach out.
On this episode of Cultivating Resilience, host Hans Hageman speaks with Jaime Angelini and Emily Horton. Jaime Angelini is the statewide director of suicide prevention and crisis response at the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. Emily is the Director of Policy & Community Engagement at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and co-chair of the Heritage Industries Mental Health and Wellness Working Group. Having grown up on a farm in Mid-Coast Maine and lost her brother, a commercial farmer, after his struggle with mental illness, Emily brings both personal and professional insight to this conversation.
Together, Emily and Jaime talk about how to recognize when someone may be struggling, how to start a conversation in a practical and respectful way, and why support does not always have to begin in a clinical setting. They also discuss the barriers rural farmers face when trying to access care, the importance of meeting people where they are, and the role family, friends, neighbors, and other farmers can play in helping someone feel less alone.
This conversation offers a reminder that mental health care is health care, and that even small acts of connection can matter.
Highlights Include:
Episode-specific resources
General farmer support resources
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show or topics you’d like discussed in future episodes, email us at cultivemos@youngfarmers.org.