# 189 - Fertiliser & Fuel Prices: How to Lead Through This New Economic Uncertainty with Tracy Secombe & Sam Johnsson

Are you concerned by the uncertainty surrounding increased fuel prices?

Is the current global turmoil challenging your view on how to best navigate this season?

The biggest risk right now is not fuel, fertiliser, interest rates, or global instability. It's panic.

Uncertainty has a way of hijacking clear thinking. It pulls people into worst-case scenarios and pushes reactive decisions before the facts are fully in.

That is where the real damage starts. Not in the disruption itself, but in the response to it.

Because when something shifts, whether it is a headline, a price rise, or a disruption, the natural human response is not calm, measured thinking. It is alarm. It is projection. It is the tendency to ask, “What if this gets worse?” rather than, “What is actually true right now?”.

In this conversation, Sam Johnsson, Tracy Secombe and I unpack what it really looks like to lead through uncertainty, not just from a business perspective, but from a mindset and leadership standpoint.

We cover:

• how to check your state first and move from angst and panic back to composure and optimism

• why stepping away from drama, media, and negativity helps you come back to facts and make logical, informed decisions

• how to use forecasting to assess worst case, average case, and best case, and adapt your approach accordingly

• how practices like gratitude, exercise, and self-regulation help lift your mindset so you can lead your family and team more strongly

You do not need to pretend uncertainty is not there. You do need to lead yourself well enough that it does not make your decisions for you.

Sam and Tracy, thank you for the practical insight and steady perspective you’ve brought to this conversation on how to lead through uncertainty.

Navigating the financial side of the business in times like this can feel overwhelming, and you’re not alone. Many farm owners have felt that same pressure and have used the Cash Flow Optimiser to turn uncertainty into clearer thinking and more confident decisions. If that’s where you’re at right now, you can find out more here.

Keep winning,

Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team