Rhino Resilience

09/10/2026

Rhino Resilience 2.0 is here. 🦏

I've spent the last several weeks rebuilding Rhino Resilience from the ground up—not just how it looks, but what I want it to become.

At the center of it is something I'm especially excited about: The Rural Toolbox.

It's a growing library of Thinking Tools—short, practical life lessons that give you something to remember and use when life gets hard. Whether you're dealing with stress, uncertainty, difficult emotions, relationships, asking for help, or just trying to handle life a little better, there's a tool for that.

There are already a number of tools waiting for you, and we're just getting started. New tools will continue to be added regularly, along with the podcast, articles, and other resources built to strengthen rural life.

Take a look around. Try a Tool. Share one with somebody who might need it.

And if you know an organization that works with rural people, please share Rhino Resilience with them too. I want these tools to reach the people and communities who can use them.

The demands of rural life are real. The beauty is real too.

Rhino Resilience 2.0 is built for the long haul.

🦏 https://rhinoresilience.com

09/10/2026

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day.

And I keep thinking about how easy it is to miss what someone else is carrying. Especially in rural communities, we’re pretty good at putting our boots on, going to work, taking care of what needs taking care of, and telling people, “I’m fine.” Sometimes we are. Sometimes we’re not.

You don’t have to have the perfect words to check on somebody. You don’t have to be a therapist. You don’t have to know how to fix what they’re going through. Sometimes it starts with something as simple as, “How are you doing—really?” And then being willing to stay long enough to hear the answer.

And if you’re the one carrying more than you know how to carry right now, asking for help isn’t surrendering. Sometimes asking for help is the next move that keeps you in the game.

The score right now is not the final score. There are people who would rather hear your story than attend your funeral.

Check on your people today. And if you’re struggling, let somebody check on you.

Stay steady. We’re in this together.

— Chris
Rhino Resilience | Strength for Rural Life

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a su***de or mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline.

***dePreventionDay

09/08/2026

This is happening right here in Northeast Colorado—and it looks like a great opportunity for anyone who cares about agriculture, behavioral health, and strengthening our rural communities.

Definitely worth checking out—and please help spread the word!

Join us for the Colorado Agricultural Behavioral Health Summit!

Strong rural communities start with connections. This in-person summit brings together agricultural communities, rural leaders, behavioral health providers, and organizations to connect, share perspectives, and explore ways to strengthen behavioral health support across rural Colorado.

Together, we’ll focus on the unique experiences and needs of agricultural communities and work toward building stronger connections between rural communities and behavioral health resources.

Whether you’re involved in agriculture, provide behavioral health services, support rural communities, or simply want to be part of the conversation, you’re invited!

📅 October 15–16, 2026
📍 Morgan Community College | Fort Morgan, CO
💲 $25 registration includes 4 meals
🎓 CEUs available at no extra charge
🌾 Producers register free: Email [email protected] for more information

Learn more & register:https://rmfu.org/colorado-agricultural-behavioral-health-summit/

A special thank you to our sponsors and partners — Colorado Behavioral Health Administration, AgWell, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and Colorado Department of Agriculture — for helping make this important gathering possible!

09/02/2026

**We are getting REALLY close. 🦏**

For the past several weeks, I’ve been giving you little behind-the-scenes glimpses of what I’ve been building with Rhino Resilience 2.0.

And now the pieces are finally starting to come together.

The Rhino Resilience website has been completely rebuilt.

The first Thinking Tools are finished.

And right now, I’m building one of the final pieces…

**The Rural Toolbox.**

This is where all of those Thinking Tools will eventually live—an ever-growing library of practical, memorable tools designed to help rural people handle the real stuff life throws at us.

Stress. Pressure. Getting stuck. Losing perspective. Isolation. Relationships. Hard seasons. Asking for help. Finding your way forward.

Not just information to read.

**Tools you can remember when you actually need them.**

And I have to admit… seeing the Rural Toolbox finally starting to take shape has me pretty excited.

There’s still a little work left to do, but we are getting very close to the point where I can finally say:

**Rhino Resilience 2.0 is ready.**

And I cannot wait to open the doors and show you what I’ve been building.

**Strength for Rural Life. 🦏**

08/29/2026

I’ve been a little quieter on here lately, but there’s been a lot happening behind the scenes.

I’m still reworking Rhino Resilience and building what I’ve been calling **Rhino Resilience 2.0**.

A big part of that has been getting clearer about what I want Rhino Resilience to actually *do* for people.

I don’t just want to put more mental health information into the world. There’s plenty of information out there already.

**I want to give people something they can actually use when life gets hard.**

That’s a big reason I’ve been building the **Rural Toolbox**—an ever-growing library of simple Thinking Tools built around images, analogies, questions, and mental cues that are easy to remember when you actually need them.

And sometimes those tools are born in unexpected places.

Recently, I was talking with someone and used an analogy I’ve used many times over the years: **The Cup.**

We all have a certain amount we can carry.

Stress. Responsibilities. Worry. Frustration. Work. Family. Life.

It all goes into the cup.

And sometimes what finally makes us overflow is something incredibly small.

**But that last drop wasn’t really the problem.
The cup was already full.**

What really caught my attention was when this person later told me how much that simple analogy stuck with them—and that they had already started sharing it with other people.

That’s when I thought:

**This needs to become a Thinking Tool.**

And as I’ve started developing The Cup, I’m realizing there’s much more to it than simply learning how to empty our cup.

Sometimes we need to look at what we keep putting into it.

Sometimes we need to change how we carry what’s already there.

And sometimes we can actually **build a bigger cup.**

So that’s one more thing currently being built behind the scenes at Rhino Resilience 2.0.

Still working on this one.

But I think it’s going to be a good one.

**What’s filling your cup lately?**

08/29/2026

Really enjoyed John Sachse *Built in the Dirt* and the perspective he brings to resilience, leadership, and rural life. Definitely worth checking out this conversation on The Impact Farming Show. Great stuff, John!

There are some people who have a perspective you don't often get in agriculture.

John Sachse is one of them.

John is a fourth-generation rancher, entrepreneur, Army National Guard officer and certified resiliency coach in the U.S. Army. Through RanchFIT, he works with leaders to build resilience, strengthen their mindset and turn life's challenges into opportunities for growth.

That combination of military experience and ranching gives John a unique understanding of pressure, leadership, adversity and what it takes to keep moving forward.

I recently sat down with John on The Impact Farming Show to talk about his military experience, farming and the lessons he's learned about resilience.

It's a conversation that goes well beyond farming.

🎥🎙️Watch/Listen now: https://www.farmmarketer.com/Resources/ResourceItem?resourceItemId=641

TracyMBrunet

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🙏 A big thank you to this week’s sponsor:
KWS Seeds Canada – KWS Hybrid Rye
Discover the power of Hybrid Rye from KWS
https://www.kws.com/ca/en/
KWS Canada

08/20/2026

A little behind-the-scenes look at what I’ve been building with Rhino Resilience…

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been developing something I’m calling **Thinking Tools**.

The idea is pretty simple.

Most of us don’t need another long list of things we’re supposed to remember when life gets hard. We need a few practical ideas that are simple enough to **stick with us — and show up when we actually need them.**

So I’ve been building a Rural Toolbox filled with Thinking Tools designed specifically with rural life in mind.

The first **10 tools are now finished.**

The full Rural Toolbox isn’t open on the website yet, but I thought I’d give you an early look at one of them:

**Watch Your Gauges**

It’s built around something most of us already understand: if you’re operating equipment, you pay attention to the gauges. You don’t wait until the engine is smoking to wonder how things are running.

Maybe we should learn to do the same thing with ourselves.

👉 https://rhinoresilience.com/thinking-tools/the-gauges/

If you have a few minutes, I’d genuinely like you to check it out.

And then come back here and tell me what you think.

**Was it useful? Did it make sense? Is there something about it you think would actually stick with you?**

You’re getting a look at this before the full Rural Toolbox is opened up, so your feedback can actually help me as I keep building it!

08/17/2026

🔊 **Turn your sound on for this one.**

I took this short video in the mountains, and when I watched it again, I realized the best part wasn't really the view.

It was the sound.

So before you keep scrolling, give yourself ten seconds.

Turn up the volume.
Listen to the water.
Let your shoulders drop a little.
And just be here for a moment.

This is also a little glimpse behind the scenes of what I've been building with **Rhino Resilience 2.0**.

I'm creating practical thinking tools for real life — simple things you can remember and use when you're stressed, overwhelmed, stuck, or just carrying a lot.

Because resilience isn't always about pushing harder.

Sometimes it's about knowing what you need in the moment so you can keep doing the work you love and living the life you love - for the long haul!

🦏 More of Rhino Resilience 2.0 is coming soon. 🦏

But before you go...

**What did you notice after just ten seconds of listening to the water?**

I'd love to hear what those few seconds did for you.