Club Cultivate

This week's guest was actually a listener request AND she also happens to be host, Whitney Dahmer's, bestie. Briley Richard is a freelance agricultural communicator based outside Wichita, Kansas, who has built a thriving business rooted in writing, photography, graphic design, and social media - almost entirely through word of mouth and networking. She grew up in southern Louisiana showing Brahman...

Taylor Fort graduated from Texas Tech with an ag communications degree, went back to the family hog farm, and spent five years figuring out how to photograph baby pigs. Then COVID hit, live sales dried up, and he bet everything on the only skill he had. Nobody was doing it full time. He did it anyway. Today Taylor is a full-time livestock photographer, videographer, live stream producer, and found...

She knew she wanted to go to Oklahoma State University when she was seven years old. She applied nowhere else. And somehow, the girl from Turlock, California who loved English class and Angus cattle ended up exactly where she was supposed to be - managing editor of the Angus Journal in St. Joseph, Missouri, six years and counting. Megan Silveira is one of those people who makes it look easy, but t...

He was there at 3:30 in the morning on opening day and didn't leave until 1 a.m. He writes 90 pages of copy for a 208-page publication, sends up to 14 news releases a day during the show, manages 60 sponsored social posts across the run, and does it all with a team of four. Oh, and he started the whole thing 13 months ago. Kyler Hardegree is the communications assistant at the Fort Worth Stock Sho...

She started photographing goats at 15 with zero experience, made an ad in Microsoft Word, and somehow convinced herself she had it covered. Spoiler: she did not. But that scrappy, full-send mentality is exactly what built Samantha Rainey of Story Haus Collective into one of the most versatile creatives working in agriculture today. At 24, Samantha is a videographer, graphic designer, web designer,...

What happens when a livestock judge who swore she'd never do "creative stuff" ends up building a thriving ag marketing business? You get Linay Williams — founder of Black Creek Innovations, former Director of Marketing at Texas Tech's Davis College of Agriculture, and current VP of Advertising at Texas Farm Credit. In this episode, Linay gets real about the full arc of her career: freelancing righ...

Tyler Schuster is a development professional at Texas Tech's College of Agriculture, host of the Basically Famous podcast, and founder of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Brands & Blazers. Born and raised on her family's ranch in Texas, Tyler brings a uniquely grounded perspective on building community, owning your personal brand, and showing up boldly in both life and career. In this episode, Whitney an...

Revenue does not equal profit. In this solo episode, Whitney breaks down the Profit First system by Mike Michalowicz and explains how this simple framework can help creative entrepreneurs organize their finances, pay themselves consistently, and build a healthier business. Instead of waiting to see what’s left at the end of the month, this system flips the traditional equation and puts profit firs...

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to create content inside a breed association (or how to break into that world), this episode is for you. Kelsey Vejraska shares how she went from “I know nothing about a camera” to Audio Visual Specialist at the American Hereford Association, plus practical advice on storytelling, gear, inspiration, and fast turnaround event coverage. In this episode, you’ll...

In this episode of the Club Cultivate Podcast, Whitney sits down with social media strategist Taylor Caruso to unpack what’s actually working in social media right now. From building content pillars and planning smarter, to using AI without losing authenticity, this conversation is a tactical and honest look at growing a business online without burning out. If you’ve ever wondered whether social m...

In this episode of the Club Cultivate Podcast, Whitney Whitaker sits down with Monica Hild of Four Back Photography for a highly tactical conversation on livestock photography, specifically photographing and marketing sheep for online sales. Monica shares how she went from a science-minded animal health background to becoming a go-to sheep photographer, and breaks down the fundamentals every breed...

Summary In this episode of the Club Cultivate podcast, host Whitney Whitaker welcomes Joelynn Rathmann, a seasoned livestock photographer, to share her journey and insights into the world of photography within the livestock industry. Joelynn recounts her early fascination with photography, sparked by livestock shows in her childhood, and how she navigated her career path through various internship...

Whitney shares the exact system she uses to plan her year as a creative business owner—using a simple Google Sheets framework to turn big goals into monthly and weekly action. In this episode, we cover: Why goals matter (and how they help during chaotic seasons) Starting with a 5–10 year vision and working backwards Choosing your “Core Four” pillars for the year The difference between income goals...

In this episode of Club Cultivate, Whitney sits down with Alyssa Walsh, founder of Sweet Briar Creative, to talk about building a creative business in the ag industry. From starting a simple college portfolio to running a full-time branding and video studio, Alyssa shares how she’s refined her services, protected her time, and built a brand that actually works for her life and her clients. In this...

In this episode of Club Cultivate, Whitney sits down with Tanner Kersey-Lopez, a California native and Oklahoma State University alum whose career path has taken him from the show ring to the world of agricultural public relations. Now an Account Supervisor at Bader Rutter, Tanner shares his journey through FFA, OSU’s ag-comm program, grad school during COVID, and into the fast-moving world of age...

In this week’s episode, Whitney sits down with photographer and creative, Cade Childers of C3, to talk about carving out a career in the livestock marketing world—without growing up in ag or holding an ag comm degree. Cade shares how he went from a sports family and a biochemistry/microbiology path aimed at medical school to running C3, a creative business based in Edmond, Oklahoma, that travels t...

In this week’s episode, Whitney sits down with Lexi Marek Beeler—owner of L & B Consulting and founder of Hey Sister—to dig into the reality of social media and entrepreneurship in agriculture: choosing platforms that fit your goals, building a brand without burning out, and running a business from a rural main street. Lexi shares how an eighth-grade smartphone and a family show-pig operation...

In this week’s episode, Whitney sits down with Dr. Ruth Inman—founder of Ruth Inman Creative Services and soon-to-be Inman Collective Marketing Group—to talk about building a modern ag marketing agency from the ground up — from strategy and brand development to the business skills creatives need to earn a seat at the table. Ruth shares how a career spanning higher ed, extension communications, and...

In this week’s episode, Whitney sits down with Robyn Amthauer, owner of Stella Sutton Design, to talk about the creative side of the livestock industry — from ad design and branding to building a business rooted in agriculture and authenticity. Robyn shares how she turned her creative curiosity into a full-time career after years in corporate marketing, and how she balances business, motherhood, a...

DESCRIPTION: Whitney sits down with Brandi Buzzard to talk about building an honest, effective voice in agriculture—online and off. From a hobby ranch upbringing to leading communications at national breed associations to full-time entrepreneurship, Brandi shares how she found her lane: educating grocery shoppers about how food is raised, telling better stories, and standing firm in science. We di...

DESCRIPTION: Whitney sits down with Kara Dadson of Dadson Farms to talk about turning real barn life into impactful content. Kara shares how posting showmanship videos to sell pigs evolved into educating the public, helping new families level up, and building a fast-growing multi-platform presence. We dig into what to post, where to post, and how to keep it positive, useful, and consistent—without...

Episode 11: Building a Creative Business with Emma Masur of Lookout Co In this episode of the Club Cultivate Podcast, Whitney Whitaker sits down with Emma Masur, designer and founder of Lookout Co, to talk all things branding, graphic design, and client experience. Emma shares her journey from job hunting during the pandemic to building a thriving design studio, and why branding is more than just...

In this episode, Whitney Whitaker interviews Megan Blankenship, a prominent figure in livestock photography and the owner of Next Level Images. Megan shares her journey from a shy child on a family farm to a successful photographer in the livestock industry. She discusses the importance of passion, building relationships, and the challenges of balancing work and family life. Megan emphasizes the s...

In this episode of the Club Cultivate podcast, Whitney interviews Jennifer Shike, the editor and brand leader at Farm Journal. Jennifer shares her journey in agriculture and writing, emphasizing the importance of internships and programs like 4-H and FFA in shaping her career. She discusses her current role at Farm Journal, where she focuses on storytelling across various platforms, including prin...

In this episode of the Club Cultivate podcast, Whitney interviews Allison Burenheide, who shares her unique career journey from her undergraduate studies at Texas A&M to her impactful roles at Merck Animal Health, including her experience moving abroad to the UK. The conversation explores themes of personal branding, the value of graduate education, the importance of networking, and the challe...