'Feeling Good Together' Book Club Discussion with Ashley Machado

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program selected “Feeling Good Together: The Secret to Making Troubled Relationships Work,” by David D. Burns, M.D., as the selection for its spring 2022 book club. This virtual discussion was held at 6 p.m. Central time on May 26 with Ashely Machado, a life coach and mental health professional who specializes in working with agricultural professionals and families. In “Feeling Good Together,” Burns discusses Cognitive Interpersonal Therapy (CIT) as a radically different method for developing more loving and satisfying relationships with the people we care about, even if they may be hard to get along with. Based on 25 years of clinical experience and new research involving more than 1,000 individuals, the book is filled with examples of tools like the Relationship Satisfaction Test, the Blame Cost-Benefit Analysis, Five Secrets of Effective Communication and more. Machado grew up in the dairy industry and now lives in California with her husband, a calf rancher and almond farmer. With a bachelor’s degree in human development and a master’s in social work, with an emphasis in clinical mental health, she is rethinking the way we support mental health in the ag industry. She applies 15 years of experience to help ag families and businesses break down big ideas and deep feelings into simple, actionable strategies, and add the necessary mental health tools to operate and live life fully.