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

76 | The Power of Saying Yes & Navigating Career Opportunities in Ag Communications with Hannah Crandall

·44 min·2 clips

Hannah says she did not even call herself a cowgirl because she had not rodeoed herself.

1. The Thriving Equine Professional centers this episode on Hannah Crandall's path into ag communications and rodeo marketing. 2. Jodi Lynch-Findley hosts Hannah Crandall, a 2021 Texas A&M graduate and marketing and media manager for the North Texas Fair and Rodeo, because Hannah shows how a Gen Z equine professional builds a career outside riding or training. 3. The episode asks how saying yes to school, networking, and new roles can turn a creative interest into a career in the equine industry. 4. Hannah says her high school interests were yearbook, journalism, and photography, while her family rodeoed and she wanted to write for Team Roping Journal and Western Horseman. 5. She chose Texas A&M partly because it was eight hours from home, not because she wanted to stay close to Clovis, New Mexico. 6. An ag economics advisor was not the right fit, and an ag communications advisor helped her land in the department that matched her goals. 7. Jodi emphasizes that visiting campuses changes decisions, because students often shift their top schools after they see the campus and feel the environment. 8. Hannah identifies as a self-proclaimed introvert who used to let other people do the talking. 9. She says podcasting, on-camera work, and interviews became necessary because writing stories about people in the industry requires direct conversations. 10. Cowgirls and Cocktails in Fort Worth helped her practice networking with women who had more experience than she did. 11. Hannah describes imposter syndrome through the detail that she once did not consider herself a cowgirl because she had not rodeoed herself. 12. She says she avoided wearing a cowgirl hat because she associated cowgirls with being handy, and she did not see herself that way. 13. Time in rooms with supportive women helped her accept that her work still helps preserve and promote the lifestyle. 14. Her Cowgirl 30 Under 30 recognition in the 2024 class mattered because she had looked up to earlier classes while still in college. 15. She says she waited for the announcement with friends like Lexi Hoagland, Tyler Schuster, and other Fort Worth connections. 16. The gala and the ongoing Zoom calls turned the award into a network, not just a title. 17. Hannah's current job at the North Texas Fair and Rodeo includes marketing, media, and sometimes IT and event production. 18. She says the event runs 10 days in Denton and includes a rodeo every night, a concert every night, and fair admission that also covers those attractions. 19. The interview style is conversational and mentoring-focused, with Jodi frequently pausing to reflect back Hannah's points and connect them to listener advice. 20. The episode will suit students and young professionals in ag communications, rodeo, or fair marketing, and it will be less useful for listeners looking for animal care or technical horse training detail.

As heard by us

A career pivot story about fit, timing, and the people who spot your next move.

Hannah Crandall's story is a straightforward career-pivot profile, built around finding a better fit through communication work, networking, and timing.

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Why you'd press play

You want a career pivot that starts with friends who actually pay attention.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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