Old Fashioned On Purpose

A cookbook takes years to create—and a lot can change between the first recipe test and the day you finally hold the finished book in your hands. In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes for my NEW cookbook, The Old-Fashioned on Purpose Cookbook , from the Easter eggs and meaningful photos, to the story behind the cover and the role the Soda Fountain played in it all. I’m also addressing...

You may have seen the headlines warning about possible food shortages in 2027, but how much should we actually be worried? In this episode, I’m digging into what’s behind those warnings, some of the very real cracks in our modern food system, and why I think they’re worth paying attention to without spiraling into doom-and-gloom prepping. I’ll share why margin has become my motto lately and give s...

After the worst garden season I’ve ever had, I had the pleasure of chatting with soil scientist Dr. Caitlin Youngquist on my podcast to help me figure out what was actually going on beneath the surface. We dig into my soil test results, tips for adding organic matter to the soil, and whether no-dig or tilling makes sense in a struggling garden. We also talk about soil testing, possible herbicide c...

What does progress cost us and how do we decide when the price is too high? In this episode, I’m thinking about the great Wendell Berry, my recent garden and soil struggles, the rise of data centers, and the way we’ve learned to value land. I’m exploring the tension between exploitation and stewardship, progress and preservation, and the important difference between asking whether we can do someth...

When I started my first homestead in 2008, I had plenty of enthusiasm and absolutely no patience. Nearly two decades later, I’m beginning again on a new piece of ground, but this time I’m not starting from scratch; I’m starting from experience. In this episode, I’m sharing the biggest lessons shaping how I approach my new home and 20 acres, from making slower decisions and resisting the urge to do...

If you’ve ever wondered how a book goes from a half-formed idea in your head to something sitting on a bookstore shelf, I’m pulling back the curtain on exactly how it happened for me. In this episode, I’m walking through my experience with agents, book proposals, pitching publishers, advances and royalties, writing, photography, and the surprisingly long road to publication. I’ll also explain the...

Grocery prices keep climbing, but most of the advice I’ve heard for spending less still seems to boil down to “use coupons” and “don’t grocery shop while you’re hungry.” After years of running a restaurant, I’ve started thinking about my household food economy very differently. In this episode, I’m sharing the practical strategies I’ve picked up from the restaurant world and how they’ve changed th...

In this episode, I’m talking with Emilie Toups of Toups & Co. about what actually happens to our skin as we age and why so many mainstream skincare products may not be helping. We dig into a simple, natural skincare routine that anyone can start doing at home plus how these options compare to mainstream ingredients like retinol. Emilie also shares how to make the switch to natural skincare wit...

I’ve had some epic garden failures over the years, but nothing quite like this one. And judging by what I’m hearing, I know I’m not the only person whose garden has struggled this year. In this episode, I’m sharing the three main problems that seem to have created the worst garden of my life and also what I’m learning as I try to unravel them. No polished success story here, just real-time trouble...

As food prices continue to rise, buying the cheapest option isn’t always the same as spending wisely. In this episode, I'm chatting with Diana Strayer from Azure Standard. Together, we explore how Azure Standard helps folks access nutrient-dense food, how you can really save money through bulk buying, and also how to shop their sales pages strategically. Our conversation offers a great practi...

Being a beginner as an adult is humbling, awkward, and sometimes downright embarrassing—but it also takes a surprising amount of courage. In this episode, I’m sharing a few recent experiences that reminded me just how vulnerable it feels to learn something new, why other people can be so quick to criticize, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with not being good at something yet. I'll...

 My house is hot this summer—and after more than a decade of central air, I’m realizing just how accustomed I’ve become to comfort. In this episode, I’m sharing how the heat has made me more aware of my surroundings, more appreciative of certain things, and more thoughtful about what “old-fashioned on purpose” really means in everyday life. I’m also talking about what we’re eating during these swe...

As you all probably know by now, my life has been a tad bit crazy lately. So I did the ultimate unplug from reality recently by participating in a horsemanship clinic for 10 days. Of course, that means that when I got back to 'normal', things were a tad overwhelming. In this episode, I’m sharing what happens when worries turn into a negativity spiral, why our brains aren’t built to juggl...

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about identity and how we lose pieces of ourselves over time, and what it looks like to slowly come back to who we’ve always been. In this episode, I’m sharing what I’ve been rediscovering about myself, why old things have been speaking to me so deeply, and how I'm creating a home with secondhand pieces. I’ll also share practical tips for finding the best vint...

In this episode, I’m giving you a virtual tour of my new old house: the big-picture pieces, the quirky challenges, the garden and yard details, and the interior spaces I’m slowly bringing back to life. I'm sharing the details on how my new old house isn’t polished or perfect, but there’s so much I already love about it, and how I’m learning a ton about how to focus on layers instead of going...

In this episode, I’m sharing the lessons I learned from one of my greatest teachers: my most difficult horse, Tag. We’ll talk about the specific lessons that I learned through lots of training and mentorships as well as why this tough training matters just as much for the human as it does for the horse. More than anything, Tag taught me that progress comes from hard work, paying attention, and lea...

I thought the homesteading part of me had gone quiet—maybe even fizzled out. For a while, I blamed burnout, but I’m beginning to see there was something deeper happening beneath the surface: a reckoning with identity, purpose, and what naturally happens when the things you love become the things you do for a living. In this episode, I’m sharing my backstory with homesteading, my burnout, and the p...

No matter how much my life shifts, I suppose I will always be the woman who starts seeds in late winter. Even in the midst of deep uncertainty. In this episode, I’m sharing what starting over looks like in my new garden. I’ll walk you through the new space, the first steps I’m taking to build a garden from scratch, and the goals I have for it both now and for the future. I’m sure these plans will...

In this deeply personal podcast episode, I’m sharing about walking through the biggest life transition I’ve ever faced. I reflect on how I got here, the vulnerability of being cracked open, and the strange mix of grief, relief, fear, and hope that can all exist at once. I also explore what not to say to someone in a tender season, how we often project our own stories & expectations onto other...

Today, I’m exploring the power of identity and how it shapes us, anchors us, and sometimes quietly begins to confine us. Even the identities that are good and meaningful can become cages when we cling to them too tightly or start to outgrow the version of ourselves they were built around. In this episode, I unpack how to recognize when an identity is supporting you versus trapping you, the questio...

Learning to rope at 40 has humbled me in all the best and worst ways, because nothing exposes your ego faster than being a beginner in front of people who’ve been doing something their whole lives. In this episode, I’m talking about a phrase I’ve been repeating to myself in the branding pen: embarrassment is the cost of entry. We’ll explore what this phrase means, why so many of us feel threatened...

In this podcast episode, I’m sharing what I’d do if I were starting an online business from scratch in 2026. I'll chat about my own business story, what’s changed in the online world, and the core principles I believe still matter most. If you’ve been dreaming about starting an online business of your own, this episode should give you some tips and encouragement as you start your own business...

In this podcast episode, I’m sharing details on how I’m cooking these days. I'll explain why rigid recipes and traditional meal plans just don’t work well for our full, ever-changing family life. We’ll talk about the strategies and principles I lean on instead, including how to make peace with a more flexible approach to food, and why giving yourself permission to experiment can be so freeing...

In this podcast episode, I'm going to share the books that have been most impactful on my life. I’ve read a lot of books over the years, but these are the ones that truly changed me. They influenced how I see the world, how I make decisions, and even how I understand myself.  Podcast Episode Highlights: These books have been impactful to me (and why) The Devil's Element by Dan Egan 10x I...

After reviving the oldest operating soda fountain in the state of Wyoming, I can tell you firsthand that there is something deeply meaningful about bringing an old place back to life. Yet, like most things we romanticize from a distance, it’s usually a whole lot less romantic up close. Since buying the soda fountain five years ago, I’ve had a lot of people ask about following in my footsteps. So i...