Hey friend! Welcome back to another post! Today, we’re going to do things a little bit differently.
I recently started listening to “Of the West” podcast by Jessie Jarvis and I absolutely love it. She and her guests spill so much wisdom in EVERY episode. I know I’m always taking notes on their tips for work and life in the Western industry!
In episode #7, Jessie challenged everyone to answer her “rapid fire questions” she does at the end of each podcast episode – so here we are! I’m going to share my answers to her “rapid fire” podcast questions!
What is the best piece of business or personal advice that you’ve ever been given?
“Do hard things.”
My dad gave me a book when I was in middle school called, “Do Hard Things.” He has always challenged me to take the ‘hard path’ that everyone else avoids.
This challenge reminds me of a line from a Robert Frost poem:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”
We all have a choice to make. Will you take the easy path or will you chase after your dreams? Personally, I have always chosen to chase after my dreams and that has made all the difference.
If you could give people any words of wisdom and you knew they would take them to heart, what would they be?
I’d say be yourself. Pursue the things YOU love and are passionate about. Most people won’t get it and might even try to drag you down, but don’t let them. Run toward your goals!
I’d also say to put yourself out there. I started my blog in June of 2020. I was a little bit worried about what people would think, but soon found that I was having too much fun to care. I have met so many cool people through my Instagram account, @the_active_historian that I wouldn’t have met otherwise had I not started the page. I found a community of historians and Westerners who like my posts about Western history, women’s history, and rodeo history! Your people will find you and it’ll be great 🙂
It was partially because of my blog and social media pages that I landed my dream job at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum! Don’t give up on your dream! I’m living my best life every day because I get to share the importance of the Western way of life and it’s history with people from around the world!
If you could go to dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
As a historian, I have always found this question to be so HARD… I would want to host a dinner party so I could invite multiple people. Let’s just make it a BBQ!
I LOVE rodeo history and would want to talk with cowgirls like Bonnie McCarroll, Fox Hastings, and Lucille Mulhall.
I find Wild West show history fascinating as well. These business men were taking their ideas of “the West” and entertaining people through show business. These shows were not always accurate, but people were drawn to the them. So, I would invite Buffalo Bill Cody, Pawnee Bill, and the Miller Brothers to my BBQ.
I am passionate about women’s stories in the West so I want to chat with Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane, Olive Oatman, Agnes Lake Hickok, Elizabeth Corey, Elaine Goodale Eastman, and so many more.
I would need to invite the key historical figures who were in my Master’s Thesis. I would want to hear their stories firsthand.
Finally, I would invite my family members who moved across the West. I have researched my family’s history on the Weldon side and I would love to meet them all. I am who I am today because of the foundation they laid over the generations.
As for people for who are still alive, there are so many awesome female leaders in ag and western who I would absolutely love to sit down and have dinner with!
What is one quote that you lead your life by?
“Do today what others won’t, so you can achieve tomorrow what others can’t.”
I saw this quote written on the white board at the pool one morning when I was in middle school or junior high. Our swim coach was always writing motivational quotes or thoughts on the board. This one stuck with me.
In order to be successful, you have to be willing to do the hard things that other people aren’t willing to do. This might cost you some things, but knowing you are one step closer to your dream makes it worth it to me.
I also love the words in the “Cowboy Code” and “Code of the West.” The statements in these two poems are so similar, but so important. I’ll drop a few of my favorite lines below!
“We end the day knowing we gave it everything we had.” (Cowboy Code)
“We dream as big as the sky.” (Cowboy Code)
“Live each day with courage.” (Code of the West)
“Ride for the brand.” (Code of the West)
“Being a cowboy isn’t in our clothes, it’s in our character.” (Cowboy Code)
These are the quotes that I strive to live my life by. I know that working hard and dreaming big will always be important if I want to achieve big things!
Concluding Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed reading my answers to these questions. I love hearing Jessie’s guests answer them on her podcast! I hope you’ll check “Of the West” out and learn as much as I have!
I’ll talk to ya soon! 🙂
The Active Historian 
Leave a comment