This conversation with Helen Rebanks was recorded live and on stage at the 2025 Old Salt Festival, held on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, Montana. If you were there, you know how special the moment was. If you weren’t—well, I’m glad you’re here now. Even though we were on a stage, in front of a crowd, the conversation had the quiet, reflective feel of two friends talking over a kitchen table—fitting, given how much of Helen’s story centers around that most sacred of domestic spaces.

Helen is the author of "The Farmer’s Wife: My Life in Days," a beautiful and deeply grounded book about food, family, work, and the often invisible labor that holds it all together. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the joys and struggles of farm life, raising kids, writing honestly without self-pity, and why the kitchen table might just be the most important place in the world. Helen shares stories from her own life and reads a few powerful passages from the book—including one that could double as the Old Salt manifesto.

A huge thank you to Cole Mannix, the Mannix family, and the Old Salt crew for making this event—and this conversation—possible. It’s not every day that a bestselling British author makes the trek to a working ranch in western Montana, but Helen did just that, along with her husband James and two of their four children, Molly and Tom. I’m so happy they made the journey, and I came away deeply grateful for the time we shared and the conversations we had.

Whether you’re a rancher, parent, reader, cook, or just someone trying to live a life of purpose and connection, Helen’s story has something for you. So give it a listen—and if you haven’t already, pick up a copy of "The Farmer’s Wife." You’ll be glad you did.

Check out the episode notes for links to everything and thanks so much for listening.

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• The Farmer’s Wife: My Life in Days
• Old Salt Festival
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/helen-rebanks/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:00 - Introducing Helen
• 4:04 - Helen reads from The Farmer’s Wife
• 6:49 - Structuring the book
• 9:46 - Real work
• 12:26 - Helen reads again, connecting to Old Salt
• 17:00 - Shiny individuals and self-autonomy
• 18:55 - Empathy and compassion
• 25:23 - Parenting advice from Helen
• 27:35 - Helen’s take on Montana
• 31:03 - Staying positive within the chaos
• 33:14 - Mums can change the world
• 36:23 - Beginning of audience Q&A
• 37:24 - Q: Did Helen ever regret her choices?
• 40:26 - Q: How do we get young people into this lifestyle?
• 44:10 - Helen and Wendell Berry
• 45:00 - Book recs (just read memoirs!)
• 46:39 - What would Helen tell her young self?
• 48:32 - Helen’s favorite recipes from the book
• 50:54 - Parting words

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Brendan Leonard is back for his third appearance on the podcast—this time recorded in person at his house in Missoula. Brendan’s the creative mind behind Semi-Rad, and over the years, he’s become a good friend and one of my most trusted advisors when it comes to creativity and building a life around the things you care about. He’s a writer, illustrator, filmmaker, ultrarunner, teacher, and all-around creative machine—someone who’s carved out a career by doing things his own way, with a healthy dose of humor and generosity.

This episode is pretty much two friends sitting at a kitchen table having a laid-back chat about our long list of shared interests. We talk about everything from teaching writing and designing online courses, to the pros and cons of Substack, to how to market your work without feeling like a sellout. We dig into the practical side of creativity—how to make things, share them, and make a living—without losing the joy and weirdness that made you want to create in the first place.

We also get into self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, why Brendan makes funny books like 15-Second Recipes, and why he believes that generosity, self-deprecation, and consistency matter more than flash or perfection. There’s a lot here for anyone trying to make meaningful things in the margins of a busy life… or build a creative life from the ground up.

If you’re new to Brendan’s work, be sure to check out his website, newsletter, and his earlier podcast episodes. I’d also specifically encourage you to check out his most recent book "Ultra-Something," his recent film "The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood," and the podcast he co-hosts, which is called "The Trailhead." There are links to everything in the episode notes.

Brendan is one of the most thoughtful, practical, and humble voices out there when it comes to creative work, and I’m always better off after talking to him. Hope you enjoy.

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• Brendan Leonard
• Semi-Rad
• Ultra-Something
• The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood
• The Trailhead podcast
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/brendan-leonard-3/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:11 - Brendan blowing out the speakers
• 3:47 - How Brendan got into teaching and early days at Freeflow
• 8:06 - Brendan’s teachers
• 11:09 - The Feynman technique
• 14:10 - Substack versus a website
• 17:54 - The necessity of marketing yourself
• 20:53 - Keeping the voice
• 25:00 - Moving Brendan’s writing course online
• 27:23 - Keeping it low-key
• 29:40 - Abundance vs. scarcity mentality
• 33:56 - Publisher vs. self-publishing
• 38:39 - Nickels and dimes of self-publishing
• 42:31 - Talking The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood
• 50:23 - Digging into the niches
• 51:55 - Curing the male loneliness epidemic
• 55:44 - Helping people with humor
• 58:43 - Treating others with respect
• 1:00:07 - Book recs

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Sean Claffey is the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Conservation Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, a role that places him at the center of one of the West’s most overlooked but critically important ecosystems: the sagebrush steppe. Based in Dillon, Montana, Sean works across public and private lands to protect and restore this sprawling, foundational landscape that serves as habitat for countless species, supports rural economies, and connects the region’s valleys and mountain ranges. Through his leadership in the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership—a collaborative effort uniting agencies, landowners, and nonprofits—Sean helps ensure that the health of this “land in between” doesn’t fall through the cracks.

In this conversation, Sean and I dig into the complex threats facing sagebrush country, from invasive grasses and wildfire to conifer encroachment and land conversion. We talk about how fire suppression and ecological shifts have allowed evergreens like Douglas fir and juniper to overtake sagebrush, and how Sean’s team is using a mix of prescribed burns, manual thinning, and innovative partnerships with local mills to restore balance to the landscape. He also shares how they’re engaging young people in hands-on restoration work, creating pathways for rural youth to connect with the land and gain meaningful employment.

Sean brings a unique blend of scientific insight, community-mindedness, and boots-on-the-ground experience to this work, and he’s quick to credit the collaborative culture of southwest Montana for making so much progress possible. From low-tech wet meadow restoration to building a more resilient restoration economy, this is a hopeful, grounded conversation about how conservation can succeed when it centers people, place, and purpose.

If you’re a new listeners and want to go deeper on this subject, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to my earlier episode with Matt Cahill who gives an excellent crash course on the Sagebrush Sea and the epsiode with Austin Rempel and Nancy Smith, who dig deep into riparian restoration in Montana.  

But for this episode, be sure the check out the webpage and episode notes for some excellent videos about Sean’s work and links to everything we discuss.  Thanks for listening. 

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• Sean Claffey
• Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership
• Matt Cahill M&P episode
• Nancy Smith and Austin Rempel M&P episode
• Full episode notes, video, and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sean-claffey/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:26 - Intro and Ed’s love of Dillon
• 4:14 - The Sagebrush Sea
• 7:19 - Pressures on the sea
• 9:42 - Conifer expansion, the main reason for grassland reduction
• 12:00 - Ecological, environmental, economical
• 17:52 - Working with the timber industry
• 21:59 - Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, not just another NGO
• 26:41 - Sean’s first priorities with SW MT Sagebrush
• 30:11 - The way the water should flow
• 34:47 - Youth programming
• 40:53 - Cheatgrass, an actual cheater
• 43:47 - Containing cheatgrass
• 45:01 - Cheatgrass and fire
• 47:02 - Working with private landowners
• 52:58 - Connecting with the community
• 58:21 - A little more about Sean
• 1:01:10 - Career advice for people who want to make the world a better place
• 1:03:54 - Book recs and life recs

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Adam Cramer is the CEO of the Outdoor Alliance, a coalition that brings together human-powered outdoor recreation groups to protect public lands and waters. With a deep understanding of both policy and recreation, Adam has helped position the Outdoor Alliance as a powerful voice in the national conservation movement—bridging the gap between grassroots outdoor communities and high-level decision-making in Washington, DC.

Before launching into public lands advocacy, Adam spent years working as an attorney in DC. But outside the office, his life was centered on outdoor adventure—he started as a skateboarder, then became a climber, and eventually a whitewater kayaker. A chance encounter in a river parking area led to his first pro bono conservation case, and that spark ultimately evolved into his full-time vocation. Adam’s story is a testament to the idea that if you care deeply about a place, there’s a way to use your unique skills to help protect it.

In this conversation, we talked about the origins of the Outdoor Alliance, Adam’s evolution from attorney to coalition-builder, and why generosity—not dominance—is his guiding principle for leadership. We discussed why civic engagement matters more than ever, how outdoor recreation can build bipartisan bridges, and why showing up—even when it feels small—can make a real difference. 

It’s worth noting that we recorded this conversation in early June 2025, just as a wave of new legislation and political turbulence was rolling across the public lands landscape. Since then, things have continued to change rapidly. If you care about the future of outdoor recreation and conservation in this country, I highly recommend signing up for the Outdoor Alliance’s newsletter or following them on social media to stay informed and involved. 

Again, a big thanks to the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation for introducing me to Adam, and another big thanks to Patagonia Denver for generously letting us use their community room to record this conversation. Enjoy!

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• Adam Cramer
• Outdoor Alliance
• Outdoor Alliance - TAKE ACTION
• The latest from the Outdoor Alliance (as of 6.16.25)
• Outdoor Alliance on Instagram
• Sign up for Action Alerts
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/adam-cramer/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation.

To whom much is given, much is expected. This value guides the philosophy behind the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation today.

Committed to its cause and infused with an entrepreneurial spirit, Mighty Arrow aims to invest in solutions that take action on climate change to build a more vibrant future, repair relationships from farm to market to table, heal our connection to the lands and waters we call home, and demand a more just and equitable society.

To learn more about Mighty Arrow’s forward-thinking, optimistic, and visionary work here in the American West and beyond, please visit www.mightyarrow.org.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:05 – Intro (with a jiu jitsu connection)
• 6:45 – Law school, then what?
• 8:01 – The individuality of skateboarding
• 10:38 – Billdering
• 11:45 – Beginning of kayaking and the end of a relationship
• 13:40 – A type of code switching
• 16:26 – Giving back to the places
• 23:03 – How Outdoor Alliance came together
• 27:51 – Sticking points
• 30:46 – Attorney mindset to strategy point-person
• 33:13 – Leadership inspiration
• 37:24 – A generous mindset
• 42:49 – Who’s pro selling off public lands?
• 45:21 – Guidepost goals
• 49:04 – The reason Adam got on the plane to Colorado, where he’s talking with Ed
• 48:14 - Why you should engage with your elected officials
• 58:30 - Evidence the world doesn’t totally suck
• 59:43 - Optimistic?
• 1:03:40 - How to get involved
• 1:05:06 - Book recs

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Tony Bynum is a conservation photographer, scientist, and advocate who’s spent decades working at the intersection of public lands, Indigenous rights, and environmental storytelling. Based in Montana, his images have helped shape national conversations around energy development, landscape protection, and the cultural importance of the Northern Rockies. His work has been published widely and used by countless conservation organizations to make the case for protecting wild places.

Before photography became his profession, Tony spent many years working for the Yakama Nation as a senior scientist, eventually landing in Washington, D.C., where he helped shape tribal environmental policy at the highest levels of government. But his path was never linear. A born-and-bred Westerner, he’s been a cowboy, a fly fishing guide, a federal program manager, and a backcountry wanderer. His guiding principle—“Don’t just love something, do something for it”—has carried him through an unconventional but deeply impactful career.

In this episode, Tony tells us about his winding path and the values that have guided him along the way. We dig into his time in D.C., his decision to walk away from a conventional career, and the beginnings of his conservation photography—especially his long-running effort to document proposed energy development near Glacier National Park. As you’ll hear, I stepped back a little bit in the conversation and let Tony tell his story in his own words, and the result is a thoughtful and unfiltered look at what it means to live a life rooted in land and responsibility.

You can check out more of Tony’s work by following the link in the episode notes. Thanks so much for listening, hope you enjoy!

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• Tony Bynum
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/tony-bynum/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:02 – Intro, where Tony grew up
• 6:21 – Photography in the early days
• 9:15 – Just doing interesting things
• 13:13 – Indigenous and Western takes on science
• 18:35 – Family dynamics
• 21:24 – Where the work ethic came from
• 23:14 – Where Tony didn’t tread
• 25:48 – Bureaucracy
• 31:07 – Lessons from the copy room
• 36:17 – Tony’s purpose in DC
• 39:01 – And why he had to leave
• 40:41 – Restarting in Montana
• 42:46 – Full-time photography
• 47:07 – A diverse portfolio
• 50:16 – Film to digital and internet access
• 56:05 – Finding conservation
• 58:18 – Energy development near Glacier and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
• 1:02:52 – The importance of having a visual context
• 1:04:04 – Describing the oil and gas map
• 1:09:51 – Book recs
• 1:18:04 – Final words

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Jackie Miller is the Executive Director of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), and Carlos Fernández is the Colorado State Director for The Nature Conservancy. Both are highly respected leaders in Colorado’s conservation community, and they’ve played pivotal roles in shaping the state’s approach to protecting land, water, wildlife, and outdoor access. While Carlos has joined me on the podcast several times before, this is Jackie’s first appearance, and I was honored to have them both on to discuss one of the most significant conservation developments in recent memory.

Just a few weeks ago, the State of Colorado announced the launch of its Outdoors Strategy—a comprehensive, collaborative roadmap designed to align the state’s conservation, outdoor recreation, and climate resilience efforts for decades to come. Developed through years of planning, dialogue, and consensus-building across hundreds of organizations and communities, the Strategy addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing Colorado’s landscapes and communities. It’s not just a plan—it’s a shared vision backed by actionable goals, clear metrics, and powerful tools for implementation at the local and statewide levels.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the origin of Colorado's Outdoors Strategy, the urgency behind its creation, and the unique collaborative process that brought it to life. Jackie shares how GOCO’s long-standing community partnerships and flexible funding model positioned the organization to lead at a statewide scale, while Carlos explains how the Strategy dovetails with The Nature Conservancy’s science-based goals and priorities. We also explore the Strategy’s three “North Star” goals, the innovative Resource Hub that supports on-the-ground action, and the importance of regional implementation and tribal engagement. It’s a timely, inspiring look at how Colorado is setting a national standard for coordinated, community-driven conservation.

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• Jackie Miller
• Great Outdoors Colorado
• Carlos Fernandez
• The Nature Conservancy in Colorado
• Colorado’s Outdoor Strategy
• Episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/jackie-carlos/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:03 – Intros, Carlos then Jackie
• 5:09 – Explaining Great Outdoors Colorado
• 8:51 – How Jackie got to GOCO
• 11:37 – Carlos on GOCO
• 15:29 – Challenges that led to Colorado's Outdoors Strategy
• 19:04 – Opportunities that the Strategy will address
• 21:33 – Jackie’s executive summary
• 27:01 – How the Strategy aligns with TNC’s other goals
• 29:59 – North stars and measuring success
• 33:22 – The TNC tools Carlos is excited about
• 36:34 – Creating urgency to execute a plan
• 40:14 – Face-to-face
• 42:51 – Carlos’s thoughts on execution
• 45:49 – How the plan affects the layperson
• 47:25 – What did we miss? First Jackie
• 51:29 – Then Carlos
• 53:31 – Book recs
• 57:42 – Wrap up words of wisdom

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Sonnie Trotter is a world-renowned rock climber, father, husband, writer, and the author of the new book "Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life." For the past three decades, Sonnie has built a career as one of the most accomplished climbers of his generation— pushing standards, putting up first ascents, and bringing a sense of creativity, humility, and grit to every project he tackles. His new book is part memoir, part meditation on movement and meaning, and it’s one of the most thoughtful and grounded climbing books I’ve read in a long time.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Sonnie and I talk about the unexpected ways writing has shaped his life, how his approach to climbing has evolved over the years, and what it’s been like to move from living out of a van to raising a family in the mountains of Canada. We also discuss how he’s stayed grounded throughout his career, his relationship with sponsors like Patagonia, and why gratitude— not rage or ego— has been the driving force behind his decades of commitment to climbing.

Sonnie also opens up about how parenting has shifted his perspective on adventure, freedom, and ambition—and how he and his wife are raising their kids in a way that emphasizes curiosity, effort, and joy. Whether you’re a climber, a writer, a parent, or just someone trying to live a meaningful life, there’s a ton of wisdom in this one.

Sonnie’s new book "Uplifted" is out now, and I highly recommend picking up a copy—you’ll find a link in the episode notes, along with links to everything else we discussed. Hope you enjoy both this conversation and the book.  Thanks for listening. 

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• Sonnie Trotter
• Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sonnie-trotter/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 1:55 - Intro, how Sonnie got into writing
• 4:58 - Influences
• 8:30 - Why write this book now
• 12:40 - Stumbling into the climbing world
• 17:45 - Into the unknown
• 20:27 - Origins of drive
• 25:07 - Climbing’s darkness
• 27:11 - The road to Patagonia
• 32:23 - Parent perspectives
• 36:54 - Becoming a parent
• 42:35 - Getting kids active (a jiu jitsu segway)
• 48:13 - Training, nutrition and getting older
• 52:47 - Race to 9A
• 56:31 - Book recs
• 59:29 - Final words of wisdom — get back to work

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Cassidy Randall is a journalist and author whose work explores the intersections of adventure, history, and the natural world. Her new book, “Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali,” tells the gripping true story of six women who, in 1970, became the first all-female team to summit North America’s tallest mountain. It's a meticulously researched, beautifully written account that brings long-overlooked voices to the forefront of mountaineering history.

As someone with a deep personal interest in Denali, I was especially excited to read this book and speak with Cassidy. In our conversation, we talk not only about the origins of “Thirty Below” and the individual women at the heart of the story, but also about Cassidy’s career as a journalist— how she got started, the path she’s carved through the world of longform storytelling, and how she approaches writing with such clarity, depth, and purpose. She also shares insights into her research process, the challenge of shaping complex narratives, and the broader importance of telling stories that have too often been overlooked or dismissed.

Whether or not you’ve ever set foot on a glacier, Thirty Below offers a deep dive into universal themes— resilience, purpose, and the human desire to explore. It’s a story about ambition and endurance, but also about complexity, contradiction, and the ways women have long carved space for themselves in places that often excluded them. Cassidy brings these histories to life with nuance and empathy, honoring the individuality of each woman while raising timeless questions about legacy, belonging, and what drives us to push beyond our limits. 

Thanks to Cassidy for writing the book and for taking the time to chat. I hope you enjoy.

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• Cassidy Randall
• "Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali"
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/cassidy-randall/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:06 – Intro, how did Cassidy get into Denali?
• 8:28 – Getting to know Grace
• 13:08 – Landscape of women in climbing
• 18:16 – Margaret and her journey with multiple sclerosis
• 22:39 – Why do people climb mountains?
• 25:38 – Grace at 88, any discontent?
• 28:08 – Ed on his experience climbing Denali
• 31:02 – The process of climbing
• 37:39 – Adventure for the sake of adventure
• 42:23 – Writing advice on structure
• 45:41 – Source change
• 47:07 – Book writing compared with magazine work
• 50:36 – Early creativity threads
• 53:28 – Shifts in the writing industry
• 55:24 – What is journalism’s role anymore?
• 1:00:17 – It’s alive! (The content we’re consuming.)
• 1:01:19 – Denali or McKinley?
• 1:04:37 – Writer recs
• 1:08:03 – Pro tips on being a writer
• 1:10:17 – Wrapping it up

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Sara Domek is Wyoming’s Migration Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. Sara grew up in the small town of Kemmerer and later moved to Pinedale, giving her a rare, firsthand perspective on Wyoming’s working landscapes—both from a natural resources and a conservation standpoint. Her upbringing, paired with years of experience working in nonprofits, agencies, and boots-on-the-ground conservation, makes her uniquely suited to lead TNC’s efforts to protect Wyoming’s world-renowned wildlife migrations.

If you’ve spent any time driving through Wyoming, you’ve probably cruised past some of the most important migration corridors in North America—maybe without even realizing it. Sara and her team are working to keep those landscapes permeable, helping mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and other species continue the seasonal journeys they’ve been making for thousands of years. We talk about the science behind migration, how seemingly small barriers like fences can create big challenges for wildlife, and how collaborative conservation—between landowners, agencies, and nonprofits—can create real, lasting wins.

Sara also shares some fascinating details about Wyoming’s longest mule deer migration, the importance of building trust with local communities, why cheatgrass is a bigger villain than it looks, and how carefully designed wildlife crossings can benefit both animals and people. We also get into her favorite books, why she’s hopeful about the future, and, once again, the simple but powerful idea that success in conservation often comes down to strong relationships.

This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with someone who truly embodies the spirit of collaborative, community-driven conservation. I hope you enjoy!

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• The Right to Roam: Sustaining Wyoming’s Migratory Herds
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sara-domek

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:50 – Intro, growing up in Wyoming and valuing natural resources
• 6:09 – Pinedale and the Wind Rivers
• 7:15 – Plan after high school
• 10:37 – Finding TNC
• 14:16 – Sara describes her job
• 17:21 – Mule deer and pronghorn migration corridors
• 21:57 – Fencing and migration
• 26:25 – Getting the word out about fencing
• 29:27 – Migration primer: distance, predators and collisions
• 35:54 – Valley of the warm winds
• 42:37 – RCPP programs
• 45:27 – Cheatgrass 101
• 48:54 – Important partners
• 51:08 – Prioritizing projects
• 54:40 – What Sara’s looking forward to
• 57:57 – Where to learn more
• 1:00:22 – Book recs
• 1:03:04 – Parting words

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Cody Wellema is a master hatmaker and the founder of Wellema Hat Co., a highly regarded, California-based custom hat business. For over a decade, Cody built a reputation as one of the country’s premier craftspeople in the art of traditional hatmaking, creating heirloom-quality hats by hand, using vintage tools and techniques that harken back to a slower, more intentional era. His work has been worn by artists, ranchers, musicians, and everyday folks alike, and his shop became not only a destination for finely made hats, but a gathering place rooted in community and craft.

On January 8th of this year, Cody and his family lost their Altadena storefront and workspace in the Eaton Canyon Fire, one of the many devastating fires that destroyed a large part of the greater Los Angeles area in early 2025. In the aftermath, he has navigated an overwhelming combination of grief, logistics, and uncertainty—yet throughout it all, he has maintained a sense of gratitude, humility, and forward-looking optimism that is as rare as it is inspiring. As he puts it, the fire forced a kind of reset—one that, while painful, has given him a blank page and the opportunity to reimagine the next chapter of his creative life.

In this conversation, we talk about Cody’s early entrepreneurial spirit, his deep appreciation for vintage craftsmanship, and how he taught himself the trade by deconstructing old hats and learning from the past. We also explore the role of presence in parenting, the importance of community, and the creative possibilities that can emerge when the old path is unexpectedly cleared. Cody’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and deep care– for people, for his craft, and for doing things the right way.

I was so inspired by Cody’s optimism and gratitude, and I know you will be too. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything we discussed, including a GoFundMe page that was set up to support Cody and his family during this unexpected time of chaos.

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy!

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• Wellema Hat Co.
• Cody on Instagram
• GoFundMe page for the Wellemas
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/cody-wellema/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:30 – Intro, how’s Cody doing?
• 7:04 – His default wiring is optimism
• 8:49 – Setting an example for the kids
• 10:52 – Roots
• 12:41 – Cody’s evolution
• 17:33 – Heading out on his own
• 19:31 – Getting to hats
• 25:50 – Taking apart old hats
• 28:33 – Monetization
• 30:59 – Hindsight and going all in
• 34:41 – The fear of diving in
• 38:33 – Time to define
• 41:14 – More than just hats
• 46:29 – Blessing in the bad
• 51:59 – Moving on
• 56:00 – Cody’s first time voicing his new idea
• 1:04:59 – Taking the compliments
• 1:08:56 – Figuring out a blank slate
• 1:13:00 – Inspiration recs
• 1:18:16 – Final words of wisdom

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