Rural Revival

We’re in Cody, Wyoming (pop. 9,885) this week on the podcast with Maggie Haron of Iron & Pine Design. Maggie makes beautiful, custom-made handlettered and handpainted signs using old barn wood. Today she’s sharing how what started out as a fun way to make some extra cash eventually turned into a dream that wouldn't quit — and a legit, full-time business! She also talks about the unique way she...

Welcome to the Rural Revival podcast. I’m your host Danna Larson. We’re in Brimfield, Illinois (pop. 933) this week on the podcast with Mikaela Endress and Kami Stahl of Kamaela’s Kreamery. Mikaela is a student and Kami is a farmer, and together these two best friends have a pop up ice cream shop in a vintage trailer called Little Dipper, and can be found hitting up fun locations across Illinois a...

This week on the podcast we’re in Underwood, Iowa (pop. 917) with sixth generation farmers Kevin and Sara Ross. We’re talking about Kevin and Sara’s important role in connecting with farmers and advocating for agriculture, including Kevin’s new role as President of the National Corn Growers Association. We also touch on life on the farm with their four boys, the importance of technology and connec...

This week on the podcast we’re in College Grove, Tennessee (unincorporated) with Mary Morgan Gentry of Gentry’s Farm and Hatcher Family Dairy. From growing up on the farm in Franklin, Tennessee to working in several shops on Franklin’s historic Main Street, Mary Morgan has had a front row seat to the revival that’s happened here. Now she’s stepping fully into the ag world as the new wife of a dair...

We’re celebrating FarmHers everywhere this week on the podcast, and we’re so excited to have Marji Guyler-Alaniz, creator of FarmHer, with us to share her story and how she has built the FarmHer brand. From quitting her corporate job to start what she didn’t know at the time would be FarmHer, Marji talks about how she somewhat unexpectedly turned her passion for photography and writing into a hous...

This week we’re in Columbia Falls, Montana (pop. 4,710) with Alyson Dorr of The Red Barn. Alyson is a fourth generation farmer who is helping bring up the next generation of family farm kids. She and her husband Casey share their little slice of heaven through The Red Barn, their luxury loft vacation rental, their farm-grown peppermint oil, raw honey, and pastured, all-natural pork. And she’s tell...

We’re in Pawhuska, Oklahoma (pop. 3,589) this week with Callie Lee of Osage Outfitters. Callie and her husband Joey moved to Pawhuska in 2013 to open their store, and since then have helped completely transform the town’s historic downtown and bring the best quality boots and highest end of western fashion in the area. Callie’s talking about why they chose Pawhuska, how Ree Drummond has helped rom...

This week we’re in Cody, Wyoming (pop. 9.885) with Jesse Renfors of Cody Coffee Roaster. From a professional luger to a stay-at-home dad turned coffee roaster, Jesse is sharing about his journey and how he has grown his company from a side hustle to an international success. Whether it’s turning an older service station into the ultimate Cody Coffee shop, to opening two locations in a month, to hi...

This week we’re back in Harrington, Washington with Karen Allen of Hotel Lincoln, The Electric Hotel. Karen and her husband Jerry have a love for restoration and their work on this hotel, originally built in 1902, is a labor of love that is ten years in the making. It was called The Electric Hotel because the building was provisioned for electricity before the City of Harrington had electricity su...

This week on the podcast we’re in Harrington, Washington (pop. 424) with Justin and Heather Slack of The Post & Office — a local coffee shop and co-working space. As self-described ‘accidental business owners,’ Justin and Heather are sharing about their quick move to Harrington and the adventures that have followed — from opening up new businesses to Justin’s new role as mayor. Plus, you’ll ap...

This week we’re in Harrison, Montana (pop. 137) with Nikki Edmundson of Canty Boots. Nikki’s sharing how a custom pair of boots she made for herself turned into an international business. You’ll love Nikki’s perseverance as a business owner - from establishing her trademark to pursuing the stores she knew were the right fit for her product. She’s also sharing about her new store that opened this s...

This week we’re in Chugwater, Wyoming with Jill Winger of The Prairie Homestead. After growing up in the suburbs, Jill and her husband Christian knew they wanted a life in the country. So they went all in and started building what we now know as The Prairie Homestead. Jill’s sharing all about her life as a homesteader, what she has learned as this brand and business has grown and expanded, and how...

This week we’re in Belleville, Kansas (pop. 1,991) with Dan Douglas of Belleville Hometown Lumber. Dan is sharing about his unlikely path as an entrepreneur, and how he was able to come back to his hometown and open a business. We touch on community over competition, what it means to bring jobs to his hometown, and how their business growth is having an impact beyond their community. You’ll be imp...

This week on the podcast we’re in Fairfax, Oklahoma (pop. 1,380) with Emily Myers of Lantana Made. Emily is a ranch wife and mom who crafts western handmade bags out of her home on the ranch. From an internship at the Fort Worth Stockyards to a job at Miranda Lambert’s Pink Pistol store, she’s sharing about the journey that led to Lantana Made. Since starting her business she’s put her own mark on...

This week on the podcast we’re in Pawhuska, Oklahoma (pop. 3,377) with Steven and Tiffany Poe, owners of The Grandview Inn. Steven and Tiffany are sharing how a homeschool group connection introduced them to Ree Drummond — who we all know as The Pioneer Woman — which led to them moving to Pawhuska, and how they now have their own piece of Drummond history at the Inn. The Inn is a place that radiat...

We road tripped to Prairie Grove, Arkansas (pop. 4,380) for this week’s podcast with Zack and Laura Kraus, creators and owners of Flamingo Springs Trailer Resort. Zack and Laura are sharing how they decided to quit their multiple jobs in LA, sell their stuff, and ultimately move to Arkansas and open a trailer resort that really is as awesome as it sounds. From astroturf to Atari to a beebee gun ra...

This week on the podcast we’re in Bedford, Iowa (pop. 1,440) with Sandy Schubert of Hedgie’s Books, Toys, and More. Sandy and her husband moved to Bedford a little over four years ago. From taking a chance on a new town, to the success of her store, to the way this community has embraced her and her husband, you’ll love hearing Sandy’s story and how this move was so right, in so many ways. She is...

This week on the podcast we’re with Natalie Kovarik and JaTanna Williams of Ranch Wives Beef Co., based out of their ranches in rural Nebraska and Montana. We met up on the road when they were in Kansas City to speak at the American Hereford Association’s Brand Marketing Summit, and we got to have a great conversation about how their lifelong friendship has turned into a business and partnership....

We’re in Corning, Iowa this week with Anne Greenwalt of Carver’s Ridge. Anne is a fifth generation entrepreneur and is sharing how she and her husband Tyson started a boulder engraving business that has since grown into an amazing product line of handcrafted, personalized gifts. They recently moved the entire business to Anne’s hometown of Corning and are loving the small town life there - and Ann...

We’re in New Glarus, Wisconsin this week with Morgann McCoy - Owner, Designer, and Seamstress at A Well Worn Story. Morgann creates high quality, handcrafted goods - including durable bags, aprons, and home goods - by transforming textiles into heirloom pieces to tell a unique story. We love how Morgann took a sewing machine and a dream and $5000 and created this amazing company, and her intention...

This week on the podcast we’re talking with Belle Golden of Belle’s Flower Truck in Tifton, Georgia. She’s sharing how, as someone who never had arranged flowers or even had dreams for a flower truck, knew in her heart this was something she was supposed to do and brought it to life in a matter of days. The result is now one of the hottest things in her small town - Belle’s Flower Truck. It’s awes...

We’re in Vian, Oklahoma this week talking with Lyndsey Sullivan, who recently opened a lifestyle gym called The Field House. She’s sharing how she brought what had been a dream in her heart for over five years to life by restoring a vacant building on main street. Typically a gym membership is looked at as a luxury item that can only be found in a city, but Lyndsey’s shifting that mindset in her r...

We’re on the farm outside of Atlantic, Iowa with Michelle Myers of Dirt Road Candle Company for this week’s podcast. Michelle started a side hustle making soy candles - and with scents like Iowa Back Roads, Small Town Gossip, and County Fair - her business has quickly taken off. She’s sharing how she’s built her brand and business, and about her Iowa Farm girl roots and life on the farm. Michelle...

This week on the podcast we’re in Cimarron, New Mexico (pop. 1,021) with entrepreneurs Colin and Erin Tawney - and what happened to be a fortuitous stop on our road trip to California earlier this year. We pulled into town just as the Super Bowl was ending and stopped by the only place that happened to be open, and as we got to talking to the owners, we realized we really needed them to share thei...

This week on the podcast we’re in Versailles, Kentucky (pop. 9,292) with entrepreneur Emily Riddle. Emily and her husband have invested into their small town square by bringing in several new businesses, and in just a year and a half it has evolved into a vibrant, thriving destination that’s attracting young people — and most recently Hollywood — as the site for a Drew Barrymore movie set. Emily i...