The Full Episode Audio:
Show Notes:
Most farming families have thought about wills, powers of attorney and succession. Far fewer have answered the more uncomfortable question:
If you carked it tomorrow, would your family actually know what to do?
Not just who gets what.
Who do they call? What did you want to happen? What happens with the business? Did you want the farm kept together? And what are the hundreds of smaller decisions your family will suddenly be forced to make at one of the worst possible times?
In Episode 134 of the AgriCoach Wealth & Wisdom Podcast, Ben sits down with Lisa Herbert, journalist, author and death literacy advocate behind The Bottom Drawer Book.
Lisa has spent years finding a practical way to make a subject most of us would rather avoid a little easier to talk about.
And that matters for farming families.
We spend plenty of time thinking about farm succession planning, estate structures, wills, trusts and protecting assets. But as Ben and Lisa discuss, those documents don't necessarily tell your family what you wanted — or remove the emotional load of having to guess.
This conversation goes beyond funeral planning.
It gets into why we've become so uncomfortable talking about death, why avoiding the conversation can leave families carrying unnecessary pressure, and how seemingly small unanswered questions can become surprisingly difficult when grief and family dynamics collide.
Ben also reflects on his own family's very different reactions to the subject — from a mum keen to get her wishes down on paper to a dad who would rather not discuss it at all. And, if he's honest, Ben isn't particularly comfortable with it either.
There's also another side to legacy that rarely makes it into the legal documents: the stories, memories, humour and family history that disappear surprisingly quickly once someone is gone.
If you're thinking about succession, ageing parents, business continuity or simply making life a little easier for the people you leave behind, this is a conversation worth having.
Preferably while everyone is still around to have it.
Find out more about Lisa and The Bottom Drawer Book, or order a copy at:
https://thebottomdrawerbook.com.au/