All farmers wear many hats, but others wear more than they need to. From farming, to podcasting, being a mum and heralding rural women through a groundbreaking conference, my guest today is spreading an important message with her own unique story. Founder of Harvest Her Power, Katja Williams wants all women in her position to be armed with skills, resilience and guidance when they find themselves on the land, especially through marriage.
Katja is a Dubbo based farmer, and grew up in Orange, so the land is in her blood. “I was one of the first in my friend group to marry a farmer and move to the land, and even for myself coming off a sheep property and moving to a much larger enterprise – that was a big adjustment.”
“There was a lot of finding my own place in the business. Finding my own place on someone else’s farm.”
Katja decided if she was having a hard time fitting in, then there must be other women in the same position. Her effort to find a community started with an Instagram page shortly after having her first baby. Katja found herself sharing things like problem solving taking her baby to work, and keeping her baby protected from the elements whilst out mustering on the bike. Her page gained popularity. Soon it became The Ultimate Farm Wife podcast, and more recently, the inaugural Harvest Her Power conference in 2025 was a way to bring a lot of that wisdom to her followers. “It became evident to me that some people were wanting more than just to chat with me. They were looking for mentorship and workshops,” she explains.
The 2026 conference line-up at Dubbo Western Plains Zoo includes workshops, panels and activities for women in family farming business who are trying to balance business with living in a remote area whilst also bolstering personal growth and raising a family. “Many of us start with a romantic view, then we get a healthy dose of reality,” she laughs.
“When you’re feeling like you don’t belong on that farm, or that you don’t have the skills, or that you’re not good enough – just remember you were asked into the business. They knew who you were before you moved to the farm. You don’t have to change who you are.”
Katja wants women to know that just because it’s hard, that doesn’t have to mean it’s bad. Her advice is to treat it like any workplace – there are challenges, and some relationships with colleagues are better than others. And there are some amazing advantages, like being able to take the kids to work.
With other jobs in criminology, and later becoming a certified tea blender, Katja found her previous skills were very transferable to farming. “It’s unexpected when a skill set does turn up and you’re like- I know that, I can do this!”
“When I first got married, one of my sisters said to me – you’re going to have the best life. You’re going to be a lady of leisure.”
Needless to say, there’s not much leisure. But she was right about one thing – life is good!
For loyal followers, Katja is currently working on a book called The Ultimate Farm Wife Guide. And tickets are available now for Harvest Her Power 2026.
Hear more stories like this by subscribing to the Telling Our Story podcast on iTunes (or wherever you listen to podcasts) and follow podcast host Angie Asimus on Instagram for more updates.
