Leaders Of The West

In this week's episode, we're continuing the conversation on low-tox living with a look inside my kitchen and around my home. After so many of you reached out following the episode I did on beauty products, I wanted to share the swaps we've made when it comes to everyday items we use most for kitchen and household products. As always, I'm not an expert, just someone who's learning along the way an...

This week, we’re airing another popular episode we’ve aired in the past! In this episode, we’re doing some Q&A with our amazing Marketing Director, Sarah Wilson, putting me in the hot seat. I had you guys submit questions about Of The West; whether the questions were about ranch life, personal life, business, or entrepreneurship, nothing was off-limits. These questions are a bit more personal...

In this week’s episode, we’re taking a little break from our usual career and business conversations for a more personal discussion. After sharing on Instagram that I don’t use certain products in my own home, I received a flood of questions about the products we do use and how I’ve approached reducing our family’s overall toxic burden. I’m not a medical professional, and I certainly don’t have al...

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing a lesson that came from a foggy drive across southern Idaho and the perspective it gave me about navigating uncertainty in life and business. We all go through seasons where we can’t clearly see what’s ahead, whether it’s a career transition, a business challenge, a relationship struggle, or simply feeling stuck. In those moments, our instinct is often to stop a...

I’m back with another episode for our solo summer series. Today, I’m sharing a lesson that started with hard-boiled eggs and ended with a $450 plumbing bill. What seemed like a harmless tip I found online turned out to be completely wrong, and it got me thinking about how often we accept information as fact simply because we saw it on the internet. From social media posts and viral headlines to AI...

Welcome to our very first summer episode of Leaders of the West! For June and July, we’re doing something a little different around here. Instead of guest interviews, I’m spending the summer diving into more solo episodes, talking about life, business, career growth, hiring, job seeking, and the heart behind why Of The West was created in the first place. And to kick things off, we’re re-airing th...

In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Brent Turner, founder of Agri-Generational and author of Piece of Land, for a conversation that I honestly think every farm and ranch family needs to hear. We dive into the realities of succession planning, why so many families avoid these conversations, and what’s actually at stake when there’s no clear plan in place. Brent shares how his background i...

I’m so excited for this week’s episode! I’m sitting down with my friend Rachel McGinn, who many of you probably know online as Rachel Joi. Rachel was truly one of the original creators sharing Western fashion online in the early days of Instagram, and in this conversation, we talk about how much life has changed since then. From fashion and content creation to motherhood, ranch life, music, and si...

In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Sidney Schmidt, a Superior Livestock Auction representative, to talk about what it really looks like to build a career in cattle marketing from the ground up. Sidney shares his journey from growing up around cattle to working in feedyards and eventually stepping into a role with Superior, where he built his book of business through relationships, trust...

In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Kristin Kiseljack, founder of Ida Mae Home, to talk about her journey from corporate retail buyer to building a business rooted in heritage, creativity, and American manufacturing. Kristin shares how she got her start working in global retail and import production, and how the challenges of that industry ultimately led her to bring production back to T...

In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Leann Saunders, president of Where Food Comes From. We talk about something that impacts every single one of us in agriculture, whether we realize it or not: third-party verification. Leann has seen the beef industry from every angle, from working on the buyer side with McDonald's to building one of the earliest USDA process verified programs, and now...

This week, I’m sitting down with Shannon “Mud” Lowery, the artist and founder behind Mud Lowery jewelry. We talk about how he built his business completely self-taught, starting with a need to support his roping lifestyle and turning it into one of the most recognizable names in Western jewelry. From those early days of figuring things out to having his pieces worn by some of the biggest names in...

This week, I’m sitting down with Shelby Clement, and I think this conversation will resonate with so many of you. Shelby built a social media agency from the ground up after walking away from corporate, and we talk about what it actually looks like to chase something bigger that’s been placed on your heart. From taking that leap of faith to navigating growth, burnout, and boundaries, she shares th...

This week I’m sitting down with Andrew Coppin, co-founder and CEO of Ranchbot, to talk about how technology is transforming one of the most fundamental challenges in ranching: water management. Andrew grew up in remote Australia and spent years checking wells, pumps, and pipelines, only to later build a company that eliminates that exact inefficiency. We dive into how Ranchbot is helping producers...

In this final episode of Mentor March, I’m doing something a little different. Instead of bringing on another guest, I’m diving into a topic that completely shifted my perspective after seeing that 67% of you said you don’t currently have a mentor. So today, I’m breaking down how to actually build your own “board of directors” and why mentorship doesn’t have to look formal to be impactful. From pe...

In this week’s Mentor March episode, I’m sitting down with someone who has had a massive impact on my life and career, my longtime friend and mentor, Ashley Alderson, founder of The Boutique Hub. Ashley was actually my boss first, and over the past decade, our relationship has evolved from employer and employee to close friends and trusted sounding boards for each other in business and life. In th...

This week on Leaders of the West, Mentor March continues with Laurie Lickley, a rancher from Jerome, Idaho, a former member of the Idaho State House of Representatives, and one of the few women to have led both the Idaho Cattle Association and the Idaho Beef Council. Laurie shares how growing up along the Salmon River shaped her work ethic and leadership style, and how she and her husband, Bill, b...

This week on Leaders of the West, Mentor March continues with Jillian Murphy, a sales strategist and former food and beverage distribution executive who helped bring brands like Boom Chicka Pop, PopCorners, and Health-Ade Kombucha to market. Jillian shares how she transitioned from corporate sales into building her own multi-seven-figure consulting business and what it really takes for products to...

I am so excited for this episode and an announcement! This week, we are kicking off something new called Mentor March. Over the next four weeks, I’ll be bringing you conversations with people who have personally mentored me in different areas of my life, from business and agriculture to marriage, leadership, and entrepreneurship. These are the people who have shaped how I think, how I lead, and ho...

This week, I had the absolute honor of sitting down with Pam Minick, cowgirl, competitor, broadcaster, history-maker, and one of the most respected women in the Western industry. But more than any title she has held, this conversation is about something deeper. It’s about joy. Pam shares her journey from growing up riding horses in Las Vegas to becoming Miss Rodeo America and breaking barrier afte...

I’m so excited for this week’s guest, Chris Boleman, the President and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We’re just weeks away from the gates opening to one of the most iconic events in the country. Chris shares what it’s like to lead an organization of this magnitude, how it’s grown into a year-round economic powerhouse, and why their mission of supporting agriculture, education, and W...

In this powerful solo episode, I’m sharing a message that’s been sitting on my heart: how our tightest grips on people, businesses, and outcomes can unintentionally suffocate the very things we’re trying to grow. Inspired by Of Mice and Men, I talk through how love can morph into control, and how that shift can affect family farms, careers, marriages, and leadership dynamics. This isn’t a “fix it...

This week, I’m joined by Brian Moates, Head of Farm and Partner Experience at Our Farms, a growing marketplace and movement reshaping how we shop for food and support farmers. Brian has a fascinating background, from motorsports and marketing to building digital-first experiences for brands like Ford and Lincoln, and now he’s bringing that expertise to agriculture. In this episode, we talk about h...

This week, I’m joined by Kacee Bohle, founder of AgriMinds and one of my favorite people to talk real-life leadership with. Kacee is a certified executive coach who helps people in agriculture get unstuck, communicate better, and move forward with clarity and confidence. In this episode, we’re diving deep into decision-making: what holds us back, why perfectionism gets in the way, and analysis par...

We’re back for Part 2 with Jena Oschner, and this one goes deep. In this week’s episode, we talk about detoxing your home, ditching everyday toxins, and the products we actually use, without shame or fear. From face taping to Tylenol alternatives to artificial dyes, we’re covering the real-life ways we’re learning, adjusting, and finding what works for our families. Jena also shares about her jour...