Fenceline Conversations

From a mother who survived World War II to a teacher who changed the direction of his life, Tony Pelletier's story is one of resilience, hard work, and the opportunities that shape generations.

Growing up with limited financial resources after losing his father at 13, Tony learned early that quitting wasn't an option. But a life-changing conversation with a high school math teacher opened the door to Texas A&M University, where education, mentorship, and lifelong relationships would help shape his future.

In this episode of Fenceline Conversations, Brett Wright sits down with Tony to explore his journey from first-generation college student to successful engineer, energy industry executive, and entrepreneur. Along the way, Tony shares what he's learned about building trust, overcoming adversity, the power of networking, and why the way we respond to challenges matters more than avoiding them.

Through remarkable family stories, lessons from the football field, and an unexpected connection between Navy SEAL training and growing up in agriculture, Tony reminds us that the determination to keep going is often something we learn long before we realize its value.

The Stay With It Lesson: When Quitting Isn't an Option

Success isn't about avoiding setbacks, but learning how to respond when things don't go as planned. Over time, the ability to adapt, solve problems, and keep moving forward becomes part of who you are.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:27 Meet Tony Pelletier 02:25 Tony's Parents and Family History 13:32 His Mother's Last Writing 15:49 Growing Up With Little 17:51 Lessons From Playing Football 19:26 Growing Up Without a Father 20:43 Understanding His Mother's Sacrifices 25:40 The Life-Defining Advice That Changed Everything 27:09 What Happened After College Acceptance 29:12 The Power of Networking and Relationships 32:50 Tony's Career in Engineering and the Energy Industry 37:26 What Investors Look For in Business Leaders 38:25 How His Story Could Have Been Different 40:46 What Raising Money Taught Him 42:16 Retirement, Purpose, and What's Next 46:30 Life Lessons From Adversity 48:11 What Makes People Stick With It? 50:46 How First-Generation College Students Change Families 52:05 Episode Recap With Bret & Kayla

Learn more about Fenceline Conversations: https://fencelineconversations.com/

When Jamie Wheelis and her family closed their boarding and training facility, she found herself facing a difficult question: What comes next?

The answer grew from something Jamie and her business partner, Chloe Torres, were already doing. After years of building rural properties, managing farms and connecting people with trusted contractors, they recognized an opportunity to build a business around those relationships.

In this episode of Fenceline Conversations, Jamie talks with Brett about the beginnings of Rural Strategies and how the company helps landowners plan projects, find reliable vendors and manage work on their properties.

Jamie also shares the realities of balancing a growing business, farm management, horses and motherhood. From asking for help to holding her children accountable at home, she has learned that balance does not always mean doing everything yourself.

They also discuss the difficult end of Jamie's boarding-facility chapter, the opportunities that followed and the support system that helped her move forward. Her story is a reminder that closing one door can create room for opportunities you could not see coming.

Jamie and Brett talk about:

• How Real Strategies grew from relationships and knowledge Jamie already had

• Helping rural landowners plan projects and find trusted vendors

• Why a strong network matters in rural business

• Closing a boarding and training facility and facing an uncertain next chapter

• Balancing motherhood, business ownership and farm management

• Recognizing when it is time to ask for help

• The importance of mentors, family, friends and accountability

• Making time for horses and ranch roping

• Learning from rushed decisions without continuing to beat yourself up

Timestamps:

01:00 Meet Jamie Willis 01:33 How Real Strategies began 04:55 Why the network is everything 10:25 Balancing motherhood, business and horses 16:50 Quitting one business & moving forward 21:55 Building A Home & Lessons Learned 23:46 How to connect with Real Strategies 24:02 Episode Discussion

Episode mentions:

Rural Strategies - https://ruralstrategiestx.com/

RS Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ruralstrategies/

RS Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560753090091

RS Email - [email protected]

What if doing things "by the book" still wasn't getting you where you wanted to go?

Matthew Menke grew up in a multigenerational cattle operation where conservative stocking, low inputs and traditional management were simply the way things were done. But after a stockmanship clinic challenged nearly everything he thought he knew about moving cattle, one realization stuck with him: if they could be wrong about stockmanship, they could be wrong about anything.

That willingness to question led Matthew down a much bigger road.

In this episode of Fenceline Conversations, Matthew and Bret talk about rotational and adaptive grazing, rebuilding soil health, increasing carrying capacity, custom grazing, walking away from a profitable hay business, learning the hard way not to change too much too quickly and why good stewardship requires a lifelong willingness to learn.

They also step outside the pasture to talk about Matthew's other life behind a fiddle, including years on the road with Gary P. Nunn and the unexpected phone call that landed him inside Nashville's historic RCA Studio A recording with Colter Wall.

It's a conversation about cattle, soil, music, mistakes and what can happen when you stop assuming the old way is the only way.

Tags: fenceline conversation, bret wright, fenceline conversations, podcast, motivational podcast, custom grazing, adaptive grazing, ranch, farm, hay, agriculture, agriculture podcast, farming, ranching, cattle, raising cattle, texas cattle, texas ranch, texas, cattle business, cattle herd, stockmanship, stockman

Timestamp

1:07 - Introducing Matthew Menke

2:42 - Background

4:37 - the lesson that changed the future

11:44 - How Business is Setup

13:44 - Diversification / Custom Grazing

17:41 - Stopping hay production

25:19 - Too Much Change Too Fast

26:05 - Parasite Issues / New Cows Coming In

29:43 - Worming Cattle

31:19 - Playing The Fiddle & Being a Professional Musician

35:56 - Up Ahead

37:51 - Brett & Kayla Recap

Links

Matthew - [email protected] Ranching For Profit - https://ranchingforprofit.com/

Martin Black Horsemanship Clinic - Martin Black Horsemanship Resources

• Learning stockmanship from Martin Black

• Questioning long-held cattle management practices

• Moving from set stocking into rotational and adaptive grazing

• Managing larger groups of cattle

• Increasing carrying capacity

• Water and fencing infrastructure

• Leasing land within a family operation

• Ranching for Profit principles

• Custom grazing as a business tool

• Separating land and operating businesses

• Paying market rent and opportunity interest

• Matthew's hay business

• Why he ultimately stopped producing hay

• Soil health and plant root systems

• Microbial communities

• Fertilizer and herbicide dependence

• Exporting nutrients through hay

• Bale grazing and unrolling hay

• Animal impact

• Parasite management

• The dangers of changing too much too quickly

• Reducing dewormer use responsibly

• Dung beetles and soil biology

• Adaptive genetics

• Lifelong learning

• Playing fiddle while continuing to ranch

• Touring with Gary P. Nunn

• Recording with Colter Wall

• RCA Studio A

• Balancing agriculture and music

For more than forty years, Deitra Robertson has helped people buy and sell the places where their lives unfold.

As an Accredited Land Consultant and founder of Deitra Robertson Real Estate, she specializes exclusively in Texas farms, ranches, equestrian estates and rural land. But as Brett quickly discovers, this conversation isn't really about real estate.

It's about hospitality. Horses. Community. Stewardship.

Deitra shares how hosting Martin Black horsemanship clinics began with one simple goal: make one more horse's life better. That mission has grown into a close-knit community of horsemen and women who continue learning together year after year.

The conversation also explores what makes rural property unique, why experience matters when buying land, how relationships have shaped Deitra's career, and why she believes the best professionals "live what they sell."

The episode closes with a simple perspective that's guided her through every season of life: trust God, choose happy, and let Him point your feet in the direction you're supposed to go.

Links:

Deitra Robertson Real Estate - https://www.iknowranches.com/ Realtors Land Institute - https://www.rliland.com/texas

Texas Alliance Institute - https://texaslandbrokers.org/ Martin Black Horsemanship Clinic - Martin Black Horsemanship Resources

Timestamps:

02:35 - Meeting Deitra

02:50 - Martin Black & The Ripple Effect of Horsemanship & Community

03:26 - Hosting Clinics & Building Community

08:04 - Building a New Home & Life Recently

11:42 - Why Farm & Ranch Real Esate is Different

18:00 - The Value of Relationships & Professional Networks

20:48 - Faith, Purpose & Looking Ahead

22:20 - Final Thoughts

What does it take to build a business that lasts beyond one generation?

In this first episode of Fenceline Conversations, Brett Wright sits down with Carolyn Stimmel of Red Rock Ranch, a family-owned dude ranch near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Carolyn shares the story of how her parents purchased the ranch in 1974, the challenges of taking over after her father's passing, and the intentional succession planning now taking place for the next generation.

The conversation explores hospitality, leadership, family business, horsemanship, and the importance of preserving both land and legacy. Carolyn also shares lessons learned from managing seasonal staff, navigating COVID, creating memorable guest experiences, and knowing when it's time to hand over the reins.

Whether you're a rancher, business owner, parent, or simply someone thinking about the future of what you're building, this episode offers practical wisdom on stewardship, leadership, and staying with it.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction & Episode Takeaways

1:44 Meet Carolyn Stimmel & Red Rock Ranch

6:13 First Dude Ranch Experience & Her First Years of Ownership

13:08 Building a Culter of Trust and Empowered Staff

15:55 Past Transitions of Ownership & The Start of The Next Generation

18:45 Guest Experience & Hospitality

22:14 Horses, Horsemanship & Matching Guests to Horses 26:43 Behind the Scenes Ownership & Offseason 30:14 Hardess Lesson & Working With Staff 33:00 Early Years

35:52 Guest Feedback Shapes The Future 39:24 Succession Plan & Coming Years

46:44 Connecting with Red Rock Ranch 48:06 Recap

Mentions/links:

Red Rock Ranch - https://theredrockranch.com/

Ranching For Profit - https://ranchingforprofit.com/

Martin Black clinic at red rock ranch - https://theredrockranch.com/horse-clinics/