Mental Health Adversity Allowed Wisconsin Dairy Couple to Learn the Value of “Best Yes”
Days on the farm are packed full of running a business with a never-ending to-do list. Add in kids’ activities and such and it certainly can feel like there are not enough hours in the days.
Dairy mom and business owner Courtney Booth certainly can relate. In addition to raising a small herd of dairy cattle, her husband, Chris, co-owns his veterinarian practice, Dairy Doctors near Plymouth, Wis.
For the Booth family, their life is now divided by the before and after of what unfolded seven years ago when Chris suffered a mild heart attack while attending the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention. “He was fortunate to have a minor blockage, which was a good outcome, but this shook us up personally and sent us in a state of many new emotions over the next year,” his wife, Courtney says.
Quickly the young couple was questioned about how they would handle this challenge and change among all their responsibilities personally and professionally. At the time, the Booth children were 12, 10, 7 and 2 and were very active in school, sports, 4-H activities, along with Junior Holstein dairy judging and dairy cattle shows. Add in Booths demanding schedule to run a small farm, own and operate their veterinary business and serve as 4-H leaders and community volunteers for dairy, school and church, this health hardship added so much to their already overflowing plate of life.
“Right away we felt called by worldly pressure to pull out of everything because of what happened and to find more balance,” Courtney says. However, she admits that after making those changes that were supposed to help the couple minimize their anxiety and fear, she had become confused and felt a loss of purpose.
“Chris and I talked about what happened around my mindset and it was taking me into a state of depression,” Courtney adds. “Chris admittedly felt a bit depressed, too.”
The couple realized that saying no to everything to put more focus on Chris’s health to help minimize stress and establish balance made them feel like they were not living by their inner values.
Through support of Christian council, leadership development courses and spending time on daily walks together, the couple began to understand the importance of moving forward in their journey. Courtney talks about how she and her husband were able to reflect by understanding how adversity had changed them and how they wanted to live and lead their lives moving forward. “It was a reawakening, and it was vital in helping us get to a state of well-being,” Courtney says.
Through the divided life event that shook the Booths, they were able to learn the value of their “best yes,” and today they make sure and visit their values daily. Through this process, they can focus where and how they want to invest their time to find joy and fulfillment in their hearts; helping them have a healthier mind, body and soul.
Last year, western Pennsylvania dairy farmer, Jessica Peters began sharing a project, “Secrets of Ag,” that has had nearly 400 submissions since its launch. This project allows people in agriculture to anonymously submit their secrets online and then once a week, Peters reposts them on her social media accounts for the world to see.
Visit the Ag Secrets homepage to learn more about the project, send in your own secret and read more confessions from your peers.
For more information on the leadership training, coaching and speaking that the Booth couple offers, which has helped them achieve healthier mental health, click on www.boothleadership.com.
