If you’re a Mountain & Prairie Patreon supporter, then you probably already know that I recently began hosting another podcast for my friends at Ranchlands. It’s called the Ranchlands Podcast, and it features conversations with members of the Ranchlands community. As of today, we’re about ten episodes in, and we feel very grateful that the podcast has been well-received and shared widely.

For those of you who have not listened to it, I wanted to share one episode here on Mountain & Prairie. This one features my conversation with Kate Matheson, who is the ranch manager of the Zapata Ranch located in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Kate was born and raised in England and enjoyed a successful career in publishing and fashion before picking up and heading to the American West. It’s a cool story.

This was a fun, inspiring conversation that I know will resonate with Mountain & Prairie listeners. If you want to listen to more of the Ranchlands Podcast, you can subscribe to it using the link in the notes or wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you want to hang out with Kate and me at the Zapata Ranch this upcoming summer, I encourage you to check out my second annual Strenuous Life Retreat, which takes place in August of 2023. It's five full days of adventure, learning, conversation, and camaraderie, all in the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt’s commitment to living the Strenuous Life.

The 2022 retreat was a huge success: We hiked high into the Sangre de Cristo Range, rode horses in Great Sand Dunes National Park and alongside bison and elk on the Medano Ranch. We had discussions about conservation and regenerative agriculture with expert guests, we started each day with strenuous exercise and ended each day with top-notch dinners and a campfire.

The retreat is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to spend five days with a like-minded crew, immersed in one of the West’s most spectacular landscapes, pushing yourself hard both physically and intellectually.

But now, without further delay, here’s episode nine of the Ranchlands Podcast, featuring the one-and-only Kate Matheson.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

4:20 - Kate’s history with horses
10:00 - School and career post-high school
14:40 - Breaking into the magazine business
20:45 - Kate’s impression of the US before moving here
22:45 - Moving to Montana
28:00 - How did Montana change Kate?
32:40 - Quitting her job and moving back to Montana
36:00 - Meeting the Phillips family
41:54 - Beginning work at Ranchlands
44:15 - How Kate combines her passions with her career
50:00 - Life-changing experiences at Zapata
54:20 - Why should city dwellers care about the land
55:25 - Misconceptions about ranching
56:45 - Resources
57:40 - Sources of hope

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