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That Western Life Podcast

The That Western Life podcast is hosted by Katie Schrock, Rachel Owens-Sarno, Katie Surritt, and Joe Harper! Join us weekly for great conversations about rodeo and the western lifestyle.

Posts in Western Lifestyle
Ep. 124 - Season 6: A 2023 Recap & A 2024 Preview

Season 6 is gearing up for the Top 5 Rodeo Sports Podcast That Western Life with co-hosts Katie Schrock, Rachel Owens-Sarno, Katie Surritt, and Joe Harper. Join us as we recap the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo & Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Annual Convention and dive into our predictions for 2024 with a preview of the 2024 podcasting season.

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Advocacy, National Finals Rodeo, Media, Rodeo, Western History, Western LifestyleKatie SchrockThomas & MackPRCA, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, PRCA Convention, State of the PRCA, Tom Glause, Rachel Owens-Sarno, Katie Surritt, Katie Schrock, Statisics, membership, rookies, permits, nfr, National Finals Rodeo, team roping, The Cowboy Channel, Ransomware, Cybersecurity, Secretary, Cowboy Christmas, ProCom, Sponsorship, Steve Rempelos, Matt Cohen, Wrangler, Justin Boots, Resistol, Ram Rodeo, RAM Truck, Coors, Sports Business Journal, Sports Illustrated, Jeff Medders, Jordan Weaver, Flatbed Podcast, Bosque Ranch Productions, Taylor Sheridan, PRCA Media Awards, Media, Karlee Peterson, 100 Rodeos in 100 Days, Carrie Ann Statler, Reno Rodeo, Animal Welfare, LA County, Cow Palace, San Francisco, Tie Down Roping, Cindy Schonholtz, NFR Shooting, NFR Slack, UNLV, NFR Moments, Ky Hamilton, Bull Riding, Josh Frost, Stetson Wright, Rodeo Romeo, Steer Roping, Cole Patterson, Kansas, Breakaway Roping, Shelby Boisjoli, Shelby Bosilji-Meged, Shelby Meged, All Around Cowboy, Stetson Wight, Barbeack Riding, Bareback, Keenan Hayes, Saddle Bronc, Zeke Turston, Zeke Thurston, Australia, Australian Rodeo Romeo, Steer Wrestling, Tyler Waguespack, Tyler Wad, Wesley Thorp, Riley Webb, Barrel Racing, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Thomas & Mack, Arena Size, Arena Record, Fan Experience, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Rodeo Vegas, Roper Country Christmas, Amazon, Resorts World, Teton Ridge, Formula 1 Race, Rocker STeiner, Rocker Steiner, Breakaway Roping Journal, Rodeo History, Western News, Western HistoryComment
Ep. 123 - Athletic Training for Rodeo Athletes with Natasha McCann

There’s been a new movement in the past year regarding rodeo athletes placing an emphasis on athlete as a big part of their budding career success. Natasha McCann grew up an athlete before a major injury sidelined her from her collegiate dreams. A resilient young lady, Natasha became a buckaroo riding colts and then, on the side, got her EMT license and worked in an ambulance. Her passion for fitness and the western life led her to become a 2023 COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 Recipient, as well as an athletic trainer for some of rodeos top athletes and a training coach with Champion Fitness Living.

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Ep. 121 - Wrangler Western's Vice President & General Manager Allen Montgomery

To sit down with the iconic brand of Wrangler has been on our podcast bucket list for quite some time and we were fortunate enough to have the Vice President and General Manager of Wrangler Western Wear on the podcast for a unique insight into rodeo’s largest apparel brand. Not only do we discuss the history of Wrangler, who they build their products after, but also their upcoming tends with Yellowstone and Coconut Cowboys. Additionally, we talk to them about the marketing behind the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and what that week is like for them as a team to prepare for the biggest stage in the western world.

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Ep. 120 - **EXCLUSIVE** Road to the Horse Part II with JR Robles

When we first interview JR Robles after his amazing Wild Card Round win in Fort Worth for the Road to the Horse, we knew that we wanted to chat with him after his time in Kentucky. It seemed that JR was destined for greatness but the truth of that matter? None of us could have predicted what would happen next! While JR may not have won the entire event in Kentucky, he set the horse world on fire and put Road to the Horse back on the map in all of the best ways!

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Ep. 119 - COWGIRL 30 Under 30 Key Note Kiah Twisselman Burchett

Kiah Twisselman Burchett is a sixth-generation rancher from San Luis Obispo, California, whose love for the beef industry took her to a job for the Beef! It’s What For Dinner team at the Kentucky Beef Council. There she was trained in media and the beef industry on a national and professional level - something that would come in handy when her entire life changed with just the shift of her mindset. From PEOPLE Magazine to The Kelly Clarkson Show to being the upcoming Keynote at the COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30’s first ever Girl Talk breakout session, Kiah is a positive light in the western industry helping people break toxic fad trends and changing their lives for the longterm and the better!

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Ep. 117 - Rebranding the American Cow Boy

When it comes to the history of the American Cowboy, modern media has painted the picture to look one way when the reality shows that enslaved African Americans known as "Cow Boys" were truly the icons that changed the west, creating a unique equalizer post Emancipation Proclamation. Katie Surritt & Katie Schrock take a deep dive into the history of African American cow boys and the impacts they have had on the west, cattle drives, and rodeo as we know it.

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Ep. 114 - Road to the Horse Wild Card Winner Jona "JR" Robles

Jona Robles is the face, the voice, and the brains behind JR Horse Training based out of Sherwood, Oregon. He specializes in the implementation of natural horsemanship in his horse training to cater a program to horses of a variety of disciplines. While we have a lot to talk about in regards to reining horses, colt starting and eventing horses - there is a lot that JR has done over the years in horse training.

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Ep. 107 - The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund with Special Guest Author Shanna Hatfield

The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund will always hold a special place in our hearts for its impact on the professionalism of pro rodeo, as well as the work Justin Boots does to take care of our contestants and athletes not only in the arena, but outside of the arena walls as well. We dive into the history of the JCCF, the brand that is Justin Boots, and the founding people of the Justin Sports Medicine Team. Additionally, we chat with Cowboy Romance Author Shanna Hatfield regarding her writing career and how a percentage of her book sale proceeds every October 1st through Christmas Eve goes directly to the JCCF.

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Ep. 106 - Be A Maker with Nevada Miller

Learning from home, at your own pace is the mission behind the Be A Maker School - an online community dedicated to preserving the western crafts and arts of makers. Organized and spearheaded by Nevada Miller, a silversmith from the high desert, Nevada’s mission has grown over the years to create this unique opportunity to learn and grow about the western trades to create your own style and marketable side hobby.

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EP. 105 - The Kentucky Derby with Alden Stehly

Alden Stehly is a the third-generation of her family to be a part of the Thoroughbred Racehorse scene. Her great grandfather was the first to catch the bug after owning stockyards throughout southern California and being asked to auctioneer for a racehorse sale. He changed the game of racehorse auctions from slower paced, art gallery style bidding, to the cadence and energy that we are familiar with from the cattle sales pens.

Alden's father joined the profession as well and her mother created a legacy for herself as a pinhooker who created great horses ready to be topped (or ridden). A pinhooker is someone who takes a weanling and then grows/trains them out to a yearling, or a yearling to a two-year-old. Alden has followed her parents' profession as a pinhooker.

Alden discusses all things Kentucky Derby from the controversies, the celebrities, the fashion, and, most importantly, the horses.

Read more at https://www.ThatWesternLife.com/podcast/episode105.

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Today's hosts are Katie Schrock & Rachel Owens-Sarno.

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Ep. 100 - Flip the Script

For a special 100th episode of the podcast, we brought in two awesome individuals to “flip the script” to interview Katie & Rachel. Fans submitted questions throughout the weeks leading up to the recording of the episode and we recorded a nearly 90 minute, all-encompassing, great conversation!

A big shoutout to JJ Harrison who has joined us in every season for joining us on the podcast to help keep things exciting, full of laughs and a great time!

A big thank you to Scout Baker who jumped in with challenging task of moderating the entire episode and keeping us on task!

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Ep. 95- Pendleton Round Up President Randy Bracher

Pendleton Round Up was forced to miss the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to add salt in the wound, they had won seven consecutive ProRodeo Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year. In 2021, they were back and better than ever - reclaiming their title at the 2021 PRCA Awards Banquet. But it was no small feat and Pendleton President Randy Bracher shares how they overcame the challenges and difficulties that held them up for the 2021 event.

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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.

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Ep. 93 - Sundial Show Clothing's Kaitlin Lorman

Kaitlin Lorman is the creative mind and genius behind Sundial Show Clothing, a unique western performance shirt company located in Ohio. The home of the Quarter Horse Congress, Kaitlin is just as surprised as the next person that she ended up finding a home in the western industry with her unique performance shirt creations. These items have made such a statement, that when combined with her entrepreneur prowess, skillsets, and tenacity for welcoming everyone into the western lifestyle, earned her a place in COWGIRL Magazine’s prestigious 2021 class of 30 Under 30.

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Ep. 91 - Bryce Albright of the Dude Rancher's Association chat the importance of FFA and youth leadership

Bryce Albright, the young and tenacious executive director of the Dude Ranchers’ Association, may only be 25 years old but a childhood spent working on Dude Ranches and being involved in FFA helped shape her to who she is today. Bryce joins us for a second episode on the podcast, this time as a part of the COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 2021 class - an honor that she couldn’t believe she won! Bryce chats about the current positive impacts that the economy during a global pandemic has had for the Dude Ranch members, as well as ideas for a girls retreat this winter, and what it means to be nearing their one hundred year anniversary as a trade association.

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Ep. 90 - LONESTAR's Dean Sams, November Music of the Month

Welcome our November Country Music Artist of the Month, Dean Sams of Lonestar! We are so excited to sit down and chat about their illustrious career as a band, the band dynamics, and pivotal moments, but we are also excited to chat with Dean about his upbringing, his accidental start of music and his greatest purpose in life - to be a dad!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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