How to Refresh from Grief and Loss on the Farm

In this episode, I sit down with Jaclyn Turpin, Registered Social Worker and founder of Rural Refresh, for a conversation about grief and loss on the farm, including the losses that don't always involve a death. With over ten years of experience as a social worker and her own connection to agriculture as a farm spouse, Jaclyn understands how deeply change and loss can affect farm families. Together, we talk about experiences like selling livestock, transitioning out of farming, losing independence, and other changes that aren't always recognized as something we need to grieve. Jaclyn shares why naming and talking about these experiences matters, along with practical ways to navigate loss, ask for help, and better support the people around us when they're going through a difficult time. If you or someone you know is navigating grief, change, or loss on the farm, this episode is for you. “We don’t always recognize those non-death losses and transitions as a loss experience, and they really are. This is people’s identity. This is people’s life. It’s their livelihood. It’s so much a part of them.” — Jaclyn Turpin, MSW, RSW, BA Resources Mentioned During This Episode ✅ Rural Refresh website: https://www.ruralrefresh.ca 👉🏻 grief, loss, and mental health support with Jaclyn Turpin ✅ National Farmers Mental Health Alliance: https://nfmha.ca 👉🏻 agriculture-informed mental health support for farmers and farm families ✅ Do More Ag Foundation / AgTalk: https://www.domore.ag/agtalk 👉🏻 confidential mental health support for the Canadian agriculture community About Our Guest: ✅ Contact Jaclyn jaclyn.ruralrefresh@gmail.com ✅ Visit Rural Refresh Website https://www.ruralrefresh.ca/ ✅ Follow Jaclyn on Facebook   / ruralrefresh   ✅ Follow Jaclyn on Instagram   / ruralrefresh   Elaine Froese Resources: ✅ Visit the podcast website - https://elainefroese.com/farm-family-... ✅ SPEAKING - book Elaine for your next event http://elainefroese.com/speaking ✅ COACHING - explore Farm Transition Coaching http://elainefroese.com/coaching ✅ MEMBERSHIP - become a Farm Family Transition Member https://elainefroese.com/membership/ ✅ FREE STUFF - downloadable tools for your farm transition http://elainefroese.com/free-planning... ✅ CONTACT - take the next steps in your transition https://elainefroese.com/contact/ ✅ BURNING QUESTION? Submit it here https://coachfroese.infusionsoft.app/... Farm Family Coach Social Media Links ✅ Facebook -   / farmfamilycoach   ✅ Instagram -   / farmfamilycoach   ✅ LinkedIn -   / farmfamilycoach   ✅ X - https://x.com/elainefroese ✅ TikTok -   / uc-mh-wgrafxctrstxo8qnvw   Timestamps 00:00 Episode intro and Jaclyn Turpin’s work with Rural Refresh 01:19 Growing up around loss and why grief work mattered early 03:07 Naming non-death losses in agriculture 05:19 Using a loss timeline to identify layered grief 06:47 How validation changes the conversation 08:24 Common unhelpful phrases about death and loss 10:21 Better language for grief and support 11:56 Why “let me know if I can help” is too vague 12:41 Specific ways to show up for grieving farm families 14:03 Why farm culture makes grief harder to name 15:12 Children noticing loss and asking direct questions 16:50 What happens after a loss timeline is mapped out 18:50 Understanding ambiguous loss and dementia 20:47 The identity losses tied to dementia and caregiving 23:20 Practical dementia support for farm families 24:21 How to contact Jaclyn Turpin 26:32 Why people resist help until things get bad 27:34 Getting support early and scheduling it in 31:39 Why staying busy is not enough 32:16 Expanding the idea of community support 34:52 Food, flowers, and practical care that lasts beyond the funeral 35:35 Who shows up two months later 36:39 Helping children understand death in age-appropriate ways 37:14 Jaclyn’s virtual support group for spouses of farmers 39:36 Final encouragement for farm families #FarmFamilyLoss #GriefOnTheFarm #FarmFamilyGrief #FarmFamilies #FarmLife #RuralGrief