For many people, the boundaries between work and life have become increasingly blurred. Hybrid working, long hours and the expectation to always be connected can make it difficult to properly switch off.

For those working in farming, however, that blurred boundary is nothing new.

The kitchen table can be the business table. Home can be the workplace. And when your livelihood, family life and personal identity are all tied to the same place, finding space to step away from the pressures of work can be incredibly difficult.

In the latest episode of The MorePeople Podcast, Andrew Fitzmaurice sits down with Tom York, farm business consultant, endurance athlete, content creator and mental health advocate, to explore resilience, discipline, mental health and the importance of being authentically yourself.

From personal challenge to purpose

Tom's journey into mental health advocacy wasn't necessarily planned.

Growing up overweight and struggling with undiagnosed ADHD, he describes a childhood where fitting in wasn't always easy. A significant weight-loss journey later became the starting point for something much bigger, eventually leading to endurance challenges, including 100-mile events.

What Tom discovered along the way was that fitness wasn't simply about physical health. It became a tool for managing his mental health and building resilience.

"I think just proving that element to myself that I could get through the sort of tough times built the resilience that I then have used as layers to build on ever since."

That experience has shaped much of what Tom does today. Rather than focusing solely on his own achievements, he uses his experiences to encourage others to recognise what they are capable of.

And that distinction is important.

Tom isn't asking people to replicate his challenges. He's encouraging people to identify their own resources, their own strengths and their own challenges and work out what they can do with them.

Motivation gets you started. Discipline keeps you going.

One of the most interesting themes from the conversation is the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation is often treated as the key to achieving something. We wait until we feel inspired, energised or ready to make a change. But motivation isn't particularly reliable. Tom describes it simply:

"Motivation is like putting the key in the ignition and starting the car. Discipline is the tank of fuel that will keep you going."

It's a useful analogy because discipline isn't necessarily about doing something extreme or difficult. It's about consistency. Going for the run when you don't particularly feel like it. Taking a step back after a difficult day. Continuing to have conversations that might feel uncomfortable. Making time to look after yourself even when work is demanding. Over time, those small, consistent actions become habits.

And that principle applies just as much to our working lives as it does to fitness.

The importance of creating boundaries

For Tom, one of the biggest challenges facing people working in agriculture is the lack of separation between work and home.

A farmer might have an important business conversation around the kitchen table in the morning, before returning to that same table for dinner with their family that evening. There isn't necessarily a commute to provide a mental transition between the two. But increasingly, that experience is becoming familiar to people outside agriculture too.

Working from home has brought enormous benefits, but it has also created a world where the physical and psychological boundaries between work and personal life can disappear.

Tom's advice is simple: find something that helps you detach.

That might be going for a walk, exercising, getting outside or simply creating a routine that marks the end of the working day. The important thing is making a conscious decision to step away. Because recognising that you've had a difficult day isn't weakness. It's awareness - and knowing what you need to do next is a form of discipline in itself.

Farming's resilience can offer hope

Mental health conversations within farming have changed considerably, but the industry still faces significant challenges. Rural isolation, fewer local meeting places and the nature of farming as a lifestyle rather than simply a job can make it particularly difficult for people to find opportunities to talk.

Yet Tom believes there is another side to the story.

Farmers are incredibly resilient. They have faced difficult circumstances for generations and continue to adapt, evolve and keep going. Rather than simply highlighting the challenges facing agriculture, Tom believes the industry should also share its successes and its resilience.

"Bad media travels far quicker than good media, which is a shame because that often clouds the great stuff that goes on within the industry."

It's a message that extends well beyond farming.

There is enormous value in sharing positive stories, particularly when someone else might be going through a difficult period and need to see that there is a way forward. Resilience doesn't mean that something hasn't been difficult. Quite the opposite. It means finding a way through it.

Your personal brand starts with being yourself

Tom's work on social media has given him another platform to share these messages, but his approach to content creation is refreshingly straightforward: don't try to be somebody else.

Social media can make it tempting to copy what works for other people. We see someone achieve success and try to replicate their content, their tone or their approach. But Tom believes the reason people connect with others online is because of what makes them different. His own experiences are unique to him. His endurance challenges, career and journey with mental health aren't things he expects others to replicate.

Instead, he hopes people take something from his story and apply it to their own lives. That is perhaps a useful way of thinking about personal brand in the workplace too. Your personal brand isn't about becoming the most visible person in the room or creating the perfect LinkedIn presence. It's about establishing trust and being recognisably yourself.

Authenticity matters more than ever

That becomes particularly relevant as AI continues to transform how we communicate.

AI can help us structure an idea, refine a message or make our writing clearer. But Tom makes an important distinction: it can't replace the person behind the story.

"No one can tell your story better than you can. No one can be you better than you can."

For professionals, authenticity is becoming increasingly valuable. People want to know who they're dealing with. They want to trust the person behind the CV, the LinkedIn profile, the presentation or the business proposal. And ultimately, trust is built through consistency.

It's why a perfectly polished piece of content can sometimes feel less compelling than something slightly rougher but genuinely human.

The bigger lesson: use what you've got

Perhaps the most powerful message from Tom's story is that resilience doesn't look the same for everyone. His journey has involved endurance challenges, fitness, farming and advocacy. Someone else's might look completely different.

The important thing isn't to replicate someone else's definition of success. It's to understand your own strengths and resources, and then work out how you can use them.

Whether that's building healthier habits, creating boundaries around work, asking for help, pursuing a personal challenge or simply having a difficult conversation you've been avoiding – progress often starts with small, consistent actions.

And sometimes, the most important step is simply recognising that you don't have to do things exactly like everyone else.

You just have to find what works for you – and have the discipline to keep going.

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