Most people associate the word “rural” with farms and bales of hay. I can suggest an association you may not have expected. Ridgecrest, where I’ve lived for the last 14 years, is a town of 28,000 in the Mojave Desert of California, a city that doesn’t produce crops but is home to a U.S. Navy base where the enlisted and Department of Defense (DoD) employees work on classified research and development projects, test planes (the weather is especially good for that), and develop technologies for soldiers. Ridgecrest is definitely rural both in how its people view the rest of the world and in its remoteness from services. The closest towns, with abundant medical services and shopping (Lancaster, CA, and Palmdale, CA), are 140 miles away roundtrip.

My name is Jeff Corle. I am a viral independent music artist with over 70 million streams and views. I’m also a professional keynote concert speaker and a farmer mental health advocate. But up until the spring of 2022 I was simply a full-time, fourth-generation dairy farmer loving my life milking cows on my family farm in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania. So how did this incredible life transformation of going from cows to country music come about?  Well, let me tell you . . .

We always milked between 40 and 50 cows on our farm. And as many of you know, that herd size makes it really hard to compete these days and stay in business, when we have a milk price that often times doesn’t even cover the cost of producing the milk.

Life on a family farm may look peaceful with the wide-open fields, deep connection to nature, a consistent routine, a slower pace compared to busy cities, and more. But for Jeremy McChesney, those same fields carry the emotional weight of experiencing loss, financial pressure, family struggles, and years of silent mental battles. His story is proof that even in rural communities, the fight for mental stability can be the hardest, yet the most crucial battle.

The people of rural America face many challenges that are inherent in the volatility of farming, ranching, agriculture, mining, fishing, and forestry – industries that are the foundation of the rural economy impacting 46 million rural residents. Add to that geographic isolation, and it’s easy to see how stress and anxiety become a normal part of life in rural communities. For all of these reasons, Rural Minds – the only national 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on confronting rural mental health challenges and the stigma that surrounds mental illness – is dedicated to rural mental health awareness every month and every day of the year.

Filmed in a continuous-shot, Mother's Day, winner of Best Actress and Best of the Festival, is an honest portrayal of mental illness. Watch this riveting portrait of lived experience managing mental health challenges in rural New York, including a special introduction from the director, Travis Carlson, and Rural Minds Founder and Chairman, Jeff Winton.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a condition that causes your face, your body, or both to make sudden, repetitive movements that you can’t control. It commonly results from the long-term use of antipsychotic medications that are prescribed for mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. For people who live in rural America, coping with TD can present unique challenges due to limited healthcare resources, social stigma, and transportation barriers.