Today’s guest is NRCHA Hall of Fame horsewoman Dema Paul.

With nearly $700,000 in NRCHA earnings, multiple Futurity Championships, and a lifetime spent competing at the highest levels of the cow horse industry, Dema has earned her place among the most accomplished women in the sport.

Raised in California by parents who knew little about horses, Dema taught herself by watching trainers from the grandstands, studying what worked, and then going home to try it herself. Long before online videos, clinics, and social media, she learned through observation, persistence, and an unwavering desire to improve.

In this conversation, Dema shares stories from her early days showing horses, buying and selling horses as a young girl, finding success as a self-taught competitor, navigating marriage and business in the horse industry, and the lessons she learned over a lifetime spent doing what she loves.

We also talk about retirement, knowing when it was time to step away from competition, financial realities in the horse business, and why letting go of yesterday's arguments may be one of the most important lessons of all.

Please enjoy my conversation with NRCHA Hall of Fame horsewoman, Dema Paul.

Show Notes:

Dema Paul Clinics

Shortys Caboy Hattery

Finding Center Retreats

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

On this episode of The Trainer’s Wife, I’m sitting down with Kim Lyon. Professionally, Kim is a commercial real estate executive specializing in office and industrial properties, where she has built a successful career rooted in relationships, business development, and strategic leadership.

In the western industry, Kim is married to AQHA, NRHA & NSBA professional horseman Bud Lyon, whose program has become one of the most recognizable names in ranch riding. Bud has earned more than $500,000 in NSBA earnings while setting records and earning Horse of the Year honors along the way.

But as you'll hear in this conversation, Kim’s story extends far beyond being married to a successful trainer.

We talk about growing up outside the traditional horse world, walking on to the Texas A&M Equestrian Team with little idea how much that single decision would change the course of her life, building confidence through challenge, learning business and sales from the ground up, and creating a life with intention along the way.

This conversation is thoughtful, honest, funny in all the best ways, and full of insight about relationships, ambition, mentorship, and the people who shape us throughout our lives.

Please welcome Kim Lyon.

SHOW NOTES:

Bud Lyon Performance Horses

Newmark - Kim Lyon

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Today’s conversation is one I will treasure for a very long time.

This week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Marilyn Peters — horsewoman, trainer’s wife, NRCHA and AQHA judge, mother, horse trainer, and truly one of my personal heroes.

At 76 years young, Marilyn is still riding horses, breeding mares, and continuing the life she and her husband Pete built together over decades in the horse industry here in Oklahoma.

But this conversation became so much more than horse training.

We talked about the early days of AQHA and cow horse culture… how west coast influence eventually met Oklahoma and Texas… life on a historic Oklahoma homestead now being surrounded by a rapidly growing city… and the kinds of relationships that become much bigger than business and go on to shape generations within our western horse industry, both here and abroad.

We also spent time talking about their friendship with legendary western artist Orren Mixer — a friendship that quite literally left its mark on their home and on their lives.

As I sat surrounded by original Mixer artwork and stories from a generation that helped shape this industry, I kept thinking: this is why these conversations matter. To preserve the history, the people, and the heritage of the western equine industry before those stories are gone.

Marilyn carries the kind of wisdom that only comes from a lifetime of showing up, working hard, loving horses, loving family, and staying rooted through changing times.

It is my honor to share her story.

SHOW NOTES:

BAR JP Quarter Horses

Episode Sponsors:

Shorty's Caboy Hattery

Finding Center Retreats

Finding Center Brochure PDF

The Jennifer Journals

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

This week’s episode is a little different — and really special to me.

Over the last 35 years, today’s guest has helped shape the western equine industry - both literally & figuratively - one hat at a time through craftsmanship, consistency, relationships, and showing up for people.

I’m incredibly thankful for partners like Shorty's Caboy Hattery, who believe in what I'm building through The Trainer’s Wife and Finding Center Retreats, and who continue to support women in the western industry.

So today, I wanted to turn the microphone toward her story.

Please welcome Shorty Koger to the show 🤍

SHOW NOTES:

Shorty's Caboy Hattery

Finding Center Retreats

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

One of the things I hear over and over from women in this industry is this:

“We love this life… but it’s a lot.”

It’s a lot to support it.
To build around it.
To raise kids in it.
And to figure out who you are inside of it.

Today’s conversation with Kailey Gay is one I think a lot of you are going to recognize yourselves in.

Kailey and her husband, Jason, have built their life in the Western equine world—balancing his career in the show pen with everything that comes with raising kids, managing a household, and the day-to-day behind the scenes.

We talk about family, career, moving away from where you started, and what it looks like to grow into this role—not just as a trainer’s wife, but as a woman building a life alongside it.

If you’ve ever felt the weight and the beauty of this lifestyle at the same time…
this one will feel familiar.

SHOW NOTES:

Jason Gay Training

AniCell Biotech

Show Sponsor - Shorty's Caboy Hattery

Finding Center Retreats

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

This episode is a collection of real moments from conversations with women across the western equine industry.

Different lives… same themes:
– carrying the behind-the-scenes weight
– navigating pressure and expectations
– learning to support, adapt, and keep going

And somewhere in the middle of it all…
finding connection, perspective, and a way to keep your cup full.

This is what this life really looks like.

SHOW NOTES:

JEN & TAYLOR GILLESPIE

TAMMY & LANCE JOHNSTON

TRICIA & TRACER GILSON

SOPHIE & BRANDON BUTTARS

THE JENNIFER JOURNALS

THE TRAINER'S WIFE & FINDING CENTER RETREATS

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

There are seasons in life where everything changes at once.

For Jodie Scheffel, it wasn’t just one shift—it was all of it.

From Clovis, California…
to Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
From independence…
to marriage, motherhood, and building a life alongside a horse trainer.

A new place.
A new role.
A completely new rhythm.

And as she’ll be the first to tell you—
she had to grow into it.

In the middle of long winters, a young family, and the early days of a business that demanded everything they had…
Jodie learned, in real time, how to step into the life in front of her.

How to become a partner.
A mother.
A steady presence in something bigger than herself.

And alongside her, Lance Scheffel—
with over $312,000 in NRCHA earnings today,
they have built more than a training program.

Together, they’ve helped grow the cow horse community in the North Central Region BY 
showing up, bringing customers, and continuing to invest in a part of the country
where this way of life doesn’t come easy.

Because the western way of life isn’t just rooted in the places you expect—
it’s built by the people willing to live it, wherever they are.

This is a story about growth, partnership, and building something that lasts.

🎙️ Jodie Scheffel on The Trainer’s Wife

SHOW NOTES:

LRS Performance Horses, LLC.

Jodie on FB

The Jennifer Journals

Finding Center Retreats - email

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

✨This week on The Trainer’s Wife… something new ✨
For the first time, we’re hearing from the other side of the story —
a Trainer’s Husband.

Meet Tucker Robinson.
NRCHA Million Dollar Rider.
Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion.
Raised in a legacy — but built in his own way.

And married to someone you already know.

Tina Robinson —
a cow horse trainer in her own right, with over $247,000 in NRCHA earnings…

If you listened to Tina’s episode, you heard her side of the story… this week, you’ll hear his.

Together, they’ve built a life — and a business — side by side.

But what stood out most in this conversation wasn’t the accolades.

It’s how he shows up…

As a husband.
As a dad.
As a steady presence behind the scenes of a thriving business.

Tina runs the books, the clients, the moving pieces.
Tucker handles the cattle, the upkeep, and the day-to-day work that keeps the operation running.

And somewhere in that divide… they’ve built something that works.

Not perfectly.
Not without challenge.
But with steadiness, respect, and a quiet kind of support that doesn’t always get talked about.

Their story isn’t centered on struggle.
It’s grounded in gratitude —
in remembering the people who helped them along the way,
and continuing to build something meaningful together.

This episode is a different perspective…
…and one I think a lot of you are going to recognize. ✨

SHOW NOTES:

⁠Robinson Performance Horses⁠

⁠Finding Center Retreats⁠

⁠The Jennifer Journals⁠

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

This week on The Trainer’s Wife… Episode 31 

Some people grow up in this industry.

And some… grow into themselves because of it.

This week, I sat down with Tina Robinson — NRCHA professional, horsewoman, wife, and mom.

With over $247,000 in NRCHA earnings and a career built over years in the show pen, Tina is someone this industry knows and respects. 

But what stands out to me isn’t just what she’s accomplished.

It’s who she’s become.

I knew Tina early on — when she was just getting started.
And like a lot of us at that age… she was figuring things out in real time.

There were moments of frustration.
Moments where things didn’t go as planned.
And moments where she had to step back and take a hard look at herself.

At one point, she was told to go home and do the work —
to figure out what was underneath the anger and learn how to move forward differently. 

And she did.

She didn’t quit.
She didn’t deflect it.
She went to work on herself — and came back better for it.

What followed were years of consistency…
including nearly eight years in one program — a turning point that reflected just how much she had grown. 

Today, Tina is someone who helps lead a program alongside her husband,
guides clients, raises her daughter,
and shows up as a woman others look to.

Not because she’s perfect.

But because she did the work to become steady, capable, and trusted.

And for me—this one is personal.

I remember her at the beginning.
And now I get to share who she is today.

SHOW NOTES:

Robinson Performance Horses

Finding Center Retreats

The Jennifer Journals

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Nine months pregnant. No job. No health insurance. A mortgage and a baby on the way.

When Brooke Johnson found herself suddenly facing one of the most uncertain moments of her life, she did what many horsewomen know how to do best — she figured it out and kept moving forward.

In this episode of The Trainer’s Wife, Jennifer Bishop sits down with Brooke in Weatherford, Texas to talk about resilience, rebuilding life after unexpected turns, and finding your way back to the horse industry.

Brooke grew up around horses, built a successful corporate career, and eventually returned to the western equine world in a new season of life. Today she and her husband, colt starter Jace Johnson, are blending families, raising kids, and building a program that helps shape young horses across multiple western disciplines.

In this conversation, Brooke shares the winding road that brought her here — from starting a hay business with a newborn baby, to building a life centered around horses once again.

Topics we talk about in this episode:
• Life behind a colt starter’s program
• Blending families in the horse industry
• Resilience during major life transitions
• Building a business in the western equine community
• Advice for women navigating life in the horse world

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to follow The Trainer’s Wife so you don’t miss future conversations with the women behind the western performance horse industry.

SHOW NOTES:

Johnson Horse Co.

Remade Insurance Group - Brooke Johnson

The Jennifer Journals

Hey everyone, and welcome to Season Two of The Trainer’s Wife.

If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for walking this journey with me — and if you’re new, I’m so glad you found us.

This is where I sit down with the wives of professional horse trainers in the Western equine industry to share their stories — not just in the arena, but in life.

We talk about how they show up for their families, their careers, their communities, and for other women.

This podcast is a place to celebrate strong, brave, beautiful women whose roots run deep — and whose impact reaches far beyond the show pen.

I’m so glad you’re here.