The Thriving Equine Professional | Career Connections, Equine Industry Resources, Career Advice. · JodiSpeaksLIFE: Speaker, Career Success Coach, Podcaster

60 | From College Grad to CEO: Caogi Long's Path to Owning Equine Affaire

·40 min·2 clips

The Law of the Rubber Band: Your growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be.

Pat Trowbridge makes the introduction. The host says Kogi Long has been on her wish list for a while, partly because Equine Affair already means something to many listeners. Kogi arrives as president and owner, but the title does not flatten the story. The episode spends its time on the work that got her there: programming, production, leadership, and the business details that keep an event running. Fantasia gets room to breathe. Kogi talks about the fun and pressure of building a production from brainstorming, industry outreach, and professionals who can give only three nights. It is not a month-long contract, and that makes the format feel oddly special. The host does not turn it into a grand metaphor. She stays with the practical part: entertainment, education, and professional networks all meeting around one event. Kogi's old work stays in the room, too. Even after she moved into vice president responsibilities, she kept working on educational programs and Fantasia while taking on more executive oversight. That shift widened the view. She started seeing how management, collaboration, and event planning fit beyond the program director role she already knew. The host keeps listening for what younger people can use. Kogi's path comes across less like a shiny success story and more like a working example of career growth: say yes when the work makes sense, learn the pieces around your own role, and build real relationships. Near the close, mentorship comes back again. Networking, mentoring, and championing younger people sound less like slogans here and more like ongoing work in the industry.

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