That Western Life Podcast — That Western Life

Join the community today!

Posts in Rodeo

Ep. 94 - Janzen Tew, Part Tew

Ep. 94 - Janzen Tew, Part Tew

Janzen Tew is a self-taught photographer that has grown her marketing and digital marketing agency in the niche world of western fashion over the past half decade. As a result, she was named to the COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30’s inaugural class in 2020. But her story doesn’t stop there, she’s continued to be a mover and shaker in the western fashion industry and her company, Denim & Velvet Marketing, has taken over the management of the official shopping guide of the National Finals Rodeo - Western Runway. As a part of that management, they’ll be expanding to media outlets in 2022, showcasing western fashion on top news outlets at rodeos all around the country.

Ep. 89 - Erin DeLong of Durango Boots

Ep. 89 - Erin DeLong of Durango Boots

Full of energy, spunk and a love for meeting people and telling stories of the western lifestyle, Erin DeLong is the marketing and public relations director for Rocky Brand’s western division, Durango Boots. The newly named official boot of the National Finals Rodeo, Erin talks about the Durango Rodeo Team and how it’s selected, their partnerships with the American Rodeo and the COWGIRL 30 Under 30 program.

Ep. 88 - Julia Ayres of Twisted X

Ep. 88 - Julia Ayres of Twisted X

Growing up in a military family, Julia Ayres moved every two years until she was seventeen years old. Despite all the new locations, there was something that she was passionate about from a young age - horses. Whether it was eight year old Julia demanding her dad follow a horse trailer to find where the horses were or asking to ride the trail ride horses, Julia was dedicated to learning all that she could. Her hard work paid off and she completed her degree in equine sciences at Colorado State University with an emphasis in event production. Today, she works for Twisted X in marketing and sponsorships, and continues to share her passion for horses and the western lifestyle as a COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 recipient.

Ep. 87 - Peyton Bennight; Yeti's Rodeo Specialist

Ep. 87 - Peyton Bennight; Yeti's Rodeo Specialist

Peyton Bennight has a long history and passion for the western industries of rodeo and ranching - being raised in a sale barn and living on a cattle ranch will do that. Always on the move and working hard, Peyton takes us through her career post college at Texas A&M University, covering her background as an animal husbandry expert for monkeys, teaching agriculture at her high school alma mater, and then becoming the rodeo specialist for YETI. Her passion for horses, cattle, rodeo and ranching all comes through in this fun conversation full of laughs and good stories!

Ep. 86 - Behind the Brand with Justin Brand's Taylor Morton

Taylor Morton is the marketing manager for Justin Brands, Inc., the parent company behind one of our most talked about pro rodeo sponsors: Justin Boots. Justin Boots and the subsequent heritage brands that include, but aren’t limited too, Nocona Boots and Reba by Justin, are a huge component in the western industries, sponsoring many women and men in professional rodeo, country singers, and even mainstream professional athletes. From the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, to the National Finals Rodeo, we chat all things Justin, prorodeo and marketing with COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 2021 recipient, Taylor Morton!

Ep. 85 - 2016 College Goat Tying Champion Turned Rodeo Coach, Shelby Winchell

Ep. 85 - 2016 College Goat Tying Champion Turned Rodeo Coach, Shelby Winchell

Shelby Winchell is one of the more unique guests to come on the podcast as a combination of competitor, rodeo coach and educator. If you’re ready to dive deep into the analytics of college rodeo both as a competitor and as a coach, this episode will open your eyes to the opportunities that high school and college rodeo can provide youth competitors today.

Ep. 84 - Western Sports Round-Up Producer Karlee Peterson

Ep. 84 - Western Sports Round-Up Producer Karlee Peterson

Karlee Peterson is the dynamic mastermind producer behind The Cowboy Channel - a streaming network dedicated to all things rodeo and the western life. But if you had asked Karlee before college what her career would be, she would have told you “International Lawyer.” Great mentors gave her the opportunity to dabble in television production and she was hooked; combine that with her South Dakotan roots of rodeo, training horses with her family and the western lifestyle, and it created the perfect dream career for her!

Ep. 83 - HorsePro.TV's Shaina Zollman

Ep. 83 - HorsePro.TV's Shaina Zollman

Shaina Zollman grew up in the cowboy town of Pendleton, Oregon, and went on to follow in her families legacy of Pendleton Round-Up participation and volunteerism when she was a part of their court as first a princess and then the queen. After her years as a titleholder, she got involved with cow horses and, after graduating from Oregon State University with a Wildlife Biology degree, she found her passion of education and content creation with her boyfriend, Dusty. Together they created HorsePro.TV where Shaina took Dusty’s idea and learned all the technology needed to make it a reality. She does all of the content strategy, video creation, and membership outreach and management for their online database of fundamental equine training programs.

Ep. 82 - Trick Riding Around the World with Brandi Phillips

Ep. 82 - Trick Riding Around the World with Brandi Phillips

Brandi Phillips is a hardworking, passionate cowgirl dedicated to keeping the sport of trick riding and trick roping alive. While once a rodeo event, cultures have shifted leaving trick riding in the hands of women and specifically a mentorship training camp called the Riata Ranch. A product of the program, Brandi still gives back today, as she has traveled the globe both with the team and individually, training with her mentor Jennifer Nicholson.

Ep. 81 - Team Roping Journal Assistant and Digital Editor Kaitlin Gustave

Ep. 81 - Team Roping Journal Assistant and Digital Editor Kaitlin Gustave

Kaitlin Gustave discovered her love of team roping at the age of sixteen and never looked back. The young roper, an editor in her own right, has competed at the college level in team roping and breakaway roping. After an internship with what was then known as Spin to Win Rodeo and is now known as The Team Roping Journal, she took a job with them and has never looked back!

A COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 recipient, we are so excited to dive into who she thinks are the up and comers in the roping industry and who to watch for at the National Finals Rodeo!

Ep. 80 - PBR World Finals Female Stock Contractor Paige Stout presented by COWGIRL Magazine

Ep. 80 - PBR World Finals Female Stock Contractor Paige Stout presented by COWGIRL Magazine

Paige Stout was named a COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 as a part of their inaugural class in 2020. It’s no surprise as this young woman has taken bucking bulls to the PBR World Finals five of the eight years that she has been hauling! Getting her first bull at ten years, Paige walks us through raising bucking bulls, getting her nursing degree, and what she sees as the future of women in western industries!

Ep. 78 - McFarland Production's Natalie McFarland presented by COWGIRL Magazine

Ep. 78 - McFarland Production's Natalie McFarland presented by COWGIRL Magazine

Owner of McFarland Productions, Natalie McFarland was named to COWGIRL Magazine's inaugural 30 Under 30 class in 2020. A passionate advocate for all things agriculture, her company may be best known for it's video work but her entire team works hard to provide a one-stop shop for all things digital in the western world!

Ep. 77 - Ken Amorosano and the COWGIRL Magazine Collaboration with That Western Life

Ep. 77 - Ken Amorosano and the COWGIRL Magazine Collaboration with That Western Life

Today’s guest is someone that we have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to introduce to our listeners and that is someone who is making one of the biggest differences for women in the western industries. If you have listened to any of our episodes or read our blogs, you have heard us talk about the COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 program and today the CEO and Editor of COWGIRL Magazine’s Ken Amorosano is on the show today. We dive into all things COWGIRL Magazine and Ken’s career trajectory to owning the magazine, as well as the COWGIRL 30 Under 30 program and application process, and their 2021 model search!

Ep. 76 - Keith Ryan Cartwright & The Untold History of the Black Cowboys of Rodeo

Ep. 76 - Keith Ryan Cartwright & The Untold History of the Black Cowboys of Rodeo

They ride horses, rope calves, buck broncos, ride and fight bulls, and even wrestle steers. They are Black cowboys, and the legacies of their pursuits intersect with those of America's struggle for racial equality, human rights, and social justice.
Keith Ryan Cartwright brings to life the stories of such pioneers as Cleo Hearn, the first Black cowboy to professionally rope in the Rodeo Cowboy Association; Myrtis Dightman, who became known as the Jackie Robinson of Rodeo after being the first Black cowboy to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo; and Tex Williams, the first Black cowboy to become a state high school rodeo champion in Texas.
Black Cowboys of Rodeo: Unsung Heroes from Harlem to Hollywood and the American West author Keith Ryan Cartwright talks about his unlikely career in the PBR from the world of entertainment to the production of this pivotal book. Black Cowboys of Rodeo is a collection of one hundred years of stories, told by these revolutionary Black pioneers themselves and set against the backdrop of Reconstruction, Jim Crow, segregation, the civil rights movement, and eventually the integration of a racially divided country.

Ep. 74 - Surviving Cancer & The Power of Horses with Adelle Stewart

Ep. 74 - Surviving Cancer & The Power of Horses with Adelle Stewart

Adelle Stewart's story starts with a passion for horses and, despite the many trials and tribulations along the way, continues in the horse world. As the executive director for a Canadian non-profit centered around mental health in agriculture, Adelle's passion for helping people and animals also includes her luxury boutique boarding facility Prime Equine. A cowboy mounted shooter, a lover of good riding ponies, and a wilderness survivial expert, Adelle shares her journey with us, as well as her pivotal 2020 of handling cancer and a pandemic alone.

Ep. 72 - Tori Miller, From Miss Rodeo Arkansas to NBC's The Voice

Ep. 72 - Tori Miller, From Miss Rodeo Arkansas to NBC's The Voice

Tori Miller graduated high school at the age of sixteen years old to drive 18 hours east to audition for one of two spots on a University’s traveling singing troupe. She not only made the stop, but she traveled the country for four years while getting her English degree. But 120 plus shows a year for that stretch took it’s toll and she felt burnt out. “Go back to your roots,” advised her step father and those roots were the world of rodeo. Three pageants later and she was named the 2016 Miss Rodeo Arkansas, the Rising Star at the subsequent Miss Rodeo America Pageant, her rodeo queen fashion was featured in Vogue, and then she made the Season 19 cast of NBC’s The Voice on Team Gwen Stefani!

Ep. 66 - Former Bull Rider Turned Bull Riding Agent, Vexil's Own Shawn Wiese

Ep. 66 - Former Bull Rider Turned Bull Riding Agent, Vexil's Own Shawn Wiese

Shawn Wiese isn’t just a former professional bull rider, he’s also a bull riding agent with his XD Sports brand, the owner of Vexil clothing brand and a fellow podcaster, we are so excited to have Shawn on the show today. We dive deep into curating sponsorship relationships and how Shawn learned from each phase of his life different tools and attributes to take him to the next level and his next business.

Advocacy, Hunting, PBR, Ranching, Rodeo, Western LifestyleKatie SchrockFebruary 17, 2021Shawn Wiese, Bull Ridin, PBR, profesional bull riders, bull riding, Texas, Louisiana, Wiese, Vexil, practice pensComment

Ep. 64 - Talking Careers, Dale Brisby, and Rodeo with Kadee Coffman Blair

Ep. 64 - Talking Careers, Dale Brisby, and Rodeo with Kadee Coffman Blair

Kadee Coffman Blair grew up on a cattle ranch in California with a passion for rodeo and showing horses. Those passions combined to take her on a ride of a lifetime as she became Miss Clovis Rodeo, Miss Rodeo Salinas and Miss Rodeo California!

Without missing a beat, she finished her education in double time, moved to Texas one decade ago exactly, and then continued to shape the face of rodeo broadcasting and western sports news coverage as a sideline reporter for some of the biggest rodeos, most notably the National Finals Rodeo, a co-host with Pam Minick for RFD-TV's Gentle Giants, a commentator for the Parade of Roses, and so much more!

Make sure to sit back and soak it all in as we talk careers, Kadee's advice for the next generation, the importance of mentors, and, of course, we had to ask her, "What's up with Dale Brisby?"

Advocacy, Media, National Finals Rodeo, Rodeo, Rodeo Queen, Western Lifestyle, Youth DevelopmentKatie SchrockFebruary 10, 2021Miss Rodeo California, Miss Rodeo America, Clovis Rodeo, Rodeo Salinas, California Circuit, Texas, Kadee Coffman, Kadee Coffman Blair, Superior Livestock, Dallas Market CenterComment

Ep. 63 - Jessie Jarvis of Of the West

Ep. 63 - Jessie Jarvis of Of the West

Welcome to episode 63, which is the unofficial kick off to our THIRD season of the That Western Life podcast! We are talking all things business, entrepreneurship, going back to working on the family ranch, and the new business venture of Mrs. Jessie Jarvis called Of the West!

Ep. 61 - National Finals Rodeo 2020 Round 8 Recap

Ep. 61 - National Finals Rodeo 2020 Round 8 Recap

Welcome to Round 8 and CANADA night! This year, five Canadians qualified for the National Finals Rodeo with one bareback bronc rider, two team ropers, a saddle bronc rider and a steer wrestler.