Episode 19- Why Confident Land Stewards Make Better Decisions (And How to Become One)

Two ranchers. Same drought. Same tools. Completely different outcomes.

Why did one thrive while the other barely hung on?

In this solo episode, Christine reveals the hidden factor that separates thriving land stewards from those constantly stuck in stress and survival: decision-making confidence. You’ll learn why having the right framework—not just more knowledge—makes all the difference when crisis hits.

From the screw worm outbreak to chronic droughts and floods, Christine breaks down how most land managers fall into reductionist thinking, reacting to symptoms instead of addressing root causes. But there’s another way—holistic decision-making that builds true resilience.

Tune in for:

• Real examples of land stewards navigating crisis differently
• How to tell if you’re stuck in the “firefighting” loop
• Why knowledge isn’t enough without a framework for action
• A powerful mindset shift that changes everything

🎓 Ready to manage from confidence instead of fear?

Join Christine for the free 3-day masterclass, Regenerative and Resilient Pathway, happening July 22–24. Learn how to shift from reactive firefighting to clear, confident, and regenerative leadership—no matter what challenges come your way.

📌 Register here or DM “RESILIENT” on Instagram @ThrivingLandStewards for the link.

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Let's make regenerative ranching and farming more intentional, profitable, and fulfilling. I’d love to hear your biggest takeaway from this episode—DM me on Instagram or schedule a call to chat about it!

Connect with Christine Martin:
Website: https://thrivinglandsteward.com
Email: info@thrivinglandsteward.com

Transcript

Christine Martin: 0:19

Hello, Christine here, and this is gonna be a solo episode just between you and I and I wanted to start by telling you about two different ranchers that I know both hit with the same drought the last couple years. Both using rotational grazing cover crops and and implementing all the regenerative principles and practices. But here's what's interesting. One of them thrived through it, even expanding their operation, and the other was extremely stressed, was barely hanging on and even talked about selling and moving back to town. What made the difference between the two? It wasn't their practices, it wasn't their land. It wasn't even the severity of the drought they faced. The difference was how they made decisions under pressure. Today, in this episode, I wanna talk about something that's rarely discussed in regenerative agricultural circles, the role of confidence in land management decisions. I promise you by the end of this episode, you're gonna see your operation in a completely different light. Here's what I see happening everywhere. Smart, dedicated land stewards, passionate land stewards who know their stuff, but when a crisis hits drought, disease outbreak, or market crash, they panic and they start making decisions outta fear instead of clarity. And here's the kicker. Fear-based decisions always focus on the symptom, not the root cause. And when you're operating from panic, you're not gonna have the mental space to ask the deeper questions. You're just reacting. This is why two people with the same knowledge can get completely different results. One is making decisions from confidence and clarity. The other is making decisions from fear and overwhelm. Here's what most people don't realize. This isn't a personality thing. This isn't about being naturally confident or not. It's about having the right framework for making decisions. Let me show you exactly what I mean with something that's happening right now. The New World Screwworm Outbreak. I've been watching how different land stewards respond to this crisis, and it's fascinating. Most people immediately go into what I call the reductionist mode. They see the problem as screw worms attacking animals and the solution. Fight the screw worms, buy more fly spray, increased chemical treatments react to the threat, but one of my clients is looking at it completely different. Instead of panicking, they feel confident that their grazing management allows for habitat. For those beneficial insects, the parasitic wasp, the predatory beetles, the spiders that naturally control fly populations, their cow manu, are only around for a day or two due to their high dung beetle population, so that there are fewer, flies around Their livestock have excellent rumen and health that supports natural immunity And the proper stockmanship practices reduces open wounds that attract flies. All this means that you don't have to spend thousands on chemical fly control resulting in long-term resilience and money saved. That's just a tiny glimpse of what I call holistic thinking versus reductionist thinking, and this distinction changes everything. But here's what I really want you to understand. This isn't just about screw worms or a single crisis. This is about a fundamental difference in how you approach every decision in your operation. Think about it. We're currently experiencing screw worms. We battle screw worms before. We have devastating hurricanes, unprecedented droughts, flooding that wipes out entire seasons. And what's the typical response? More insurance, better equipment. Stronger chemicals, emergency feed reserves, and all of these are reductionist solutions to complex problems, Most land stewards are trapped in reductionist thinking even without realizing it. So let me paint you a picture, see if any of this sounds familiar. You see a problem and your first thought is, what product can I buy to fix this? Your soil test results. What fertilizer do I need? Weeds are taking over and you're out there trying to find the right herbicide. Poor cattle performance. You change the mineral program or the feed ration, parasites showing up. You just rotate the dewormers. You feel like you're constantly putting out fires. Just when you think you've got things under control, something else breaks, fails or goes wrong, and mother nature is always gonna throw us those curve balls, right? You're always one crisis away from disaster. You keep solving the same problems over and over and over again. Every spring, it's the same weed pressure. Every summer, it's the same drought stress. Every winter, it's the same feed shortage. You fix it, but it comes back. You're spending more on inputs every year, but not seeing proportional improvements. More fertilizer, more chemicals, more feed, more equipment, and your stress levels stay the same or get worse. You feel overwhelmed by all the variables, weather markets, regulations, diseases. There's always something you can't control. Throwing you off your plans. When people ask how your operation is doing, you immediately start talking about what's going wrong, the weather, the prices, the latest disease outbreak instead of what's going right. Does that sound familiar? That's reductionist thinking in action. You've been trained to break everything down into isolated problems with isolated solutions, hurricane damage, file insurance claims, and rebuild the same way drought. Buy more hay and drill more water wells. Flood install better drainage, screw worms, increase chemical treatments. But what if I told you that the holistic thinking, true holistic thinking could transform how you respond to every crisis, everything that mother nature throws at you, everything that the market throws at you. What if there was a way to make decisions that build resilience against all of these challenges simultaneously? instead of just reacting to each one individually? Here's the thing, you already have all the knowledge you need. You know about rotational grazing, about soil health, about animal behavior, and emergency preparedness. Knowledge without the right decision making framework just creates more overwhelm. That's why smart, capable land stewards stay stuck. They keep adding more tools to the toolbox instead of learning how to think differently about which tool to use when they prepare for the last disaster instead of building systems that can handle whatever comes next. The difference between confident land stewards and stress land stewards isn't more knowledge. It's having a reliable framework for making holistic decisions, and this framework has specific steps. There's a process for shifting from reductionist thinking to holistic thinking. There's a method for identifying root causes instead of chasing those symptoms. That also cost us a lot more money. There's a system for building both land resilience and personal resilience at the same time. But here's what I can't do in a 20 minute podcast episode. I can't teach you how to completely shift your decision making approach. That would be like trying to rewire your brain from a bumper sticker, what I gave you today, that glimpse of holistic versus reductionist thinking. That's just the beginning. There's so much more to learn about how your mind defaults to reductionist mode, especially under pressure and the specific techniques for catching yourself and shifting to holistic thinking. If you're sitting there thinking, I need to learn this holistic approach, here's the truth. The world is changing constantly. We're facing challenges. Our grandparents never imagined new diseases, extreme weather patterns, market volatility, regulatory changes. The land stewards who are going to thrive aren't the ones that are most knowledgeable or have the best equipment. They're the ones who can adapt to constant change with confidence and resilience. That confidence comes from having a holistic mindset. When you truly understand how to think holistically, you have the tools and the knowledge to be resilient against anything that gets thrown at you. You're not just prepared for the last crisis. You're prepared for whatever comes next. But here's the challenge. Most of us know about holistic thinking intellectually, but when pressure hits, when push comes to shove. We default back to old patterns. We start looking for quick fixes instead of lasting solutions. I'm doing a free three day masterclass happening July 22nd through the 24th, where I'm going to show you how to develop unshakeable confidence through holistic thinking. You'll learn how to make decisions that build resilience for whatever challenges come your way, whether it's screw worms, drought, flood, market changes, or things we haven't even thought of yet. You'll discover how to shift from reactive management to confident adaptive leadership, and you'll walk away with the mindset tools that create lasting resilience in both your operation and your life. This isn't just about learning more tactics. This is about developing the confidence that comes from knowing you can handle whatever the world throws at you. And here's why this matters. Right now we're heading into what could be a challenging season between weather and certainties, ongoing disease pressure and market volatility. The land stewards who thrive are gonna be the ones with holistic decision making frameworks. The ones still stuck in reductionist thinking they're gonna keep fighting fires, spending money on symptoms, and burning themselves out. Don't be one of them. The masterclass is completely free. Registration link is in the show notes. Or you can DM me on Instagram at Thriving Land Stewards. DM me the word resilience and I'll send you the link to register for the masterclass. Remember those two ranchers I told you about at the beginning? The one who thrived through the drought had one thing the other didn't. A holistic framework for making decisions under pressure. You can be that rancher, but it starts with learning to think differently. If this episode shifted something for you, share it with someone who needs to hear this. I'll see you in the masterclass. Link is in the show notes or DM me on Instagram at Thriving Land Stewards, the word resilient and you'll get the link to register. Don't keep managing from fear. Learn to manage from confidence. Thanks for listening and talk to you in the next episode.