It’s a somewhat surprising confession from someone who delivered a standout presentation to a packed room on leadership and communication at the NCBA’s annual event, CattleCon. But as a first-generation rancher, Johnston’s path into ranching has never really followed a predictable script. She didn’t grow up in agriculture. She didn’t show cattle. She didn’t even know what FFA was. She actually grew up in a Denver suburb—closer to Starbucks than stockyards. And now she splits her time between large-scale ranch production and consulting on communication and strategy within the industry. Her story begins, improbably enough, with an environmental studies degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.