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

78 | What it Takes to be a True Trailblazer in the Equine Industry with Desiree Heath-Mills

·37 min·2 clips

Desiree says people pleasing led her to “burning myself out” and needing clearer limits.

1. The Thriving Equine Professional episode features Desiree Heath-Mills and Jodi Lynch-Findley discussing careers in the equine industry. 2. Jodi Lynch-Findley is the founder of Jodi Speaks Life, and Desiree Heath-Mills is a Cowgirl 30 Under 30 honoree from Arlington, Texas. 3. The episode asks how a horse-crazy Texan built a career at APHA while staying true to her own version of a cowgirl. 4. Desiree says she was “horse crazy” her whole life and begged for a horse in her backyard. 5. She says her interest widened from horses in media to trail rides, stuffed animals, and “all equids,” including zebras. 6. She explains that Texas A&M was a family choice because her older sister studied veterinary science there. 7. Desiree says she originally planned to follow the path of veterinary medicine because horse work seemed limited to veterinarian or trainer. 8. She says A&M showed her “way more in the industry” than those two jobs. 9. She describes taking every horse course, joining the Horseman’s Association, and attaching herself to research projects. 10. She says an internship at the American Paint Horse Association became a full-time role after APHA kept her on. 11. Desiree says internships show you what you like and what you do not like. 12. She says good interns get remembered “in a positive way” because “word travels quickly.” 13. She explains that APHA was founded in 1962 by Rebecca Tyler Lockhart and other paint horse enthusiasts. 14. She says paint horses were not allowed to be registered with the American Quarter Horse Association at the time. 15. She says APHA has since registered “over a million horses” and moved from phenotype alone to genetics. 16. Desiree says her role bridges performance, business development, and marketing by handling communication and sponsor information. 17. She says Chrome is APHA’s Western lifestyle publication and that it opened “a new sphere” for the organization. 18. She says Cowgirl 30 Under 30 affirmed her after she questioned whether she fit the cowgirl mold. 19. Listeners who like equine careers, branding, and women in agriculture will get the most from this conversation. 20. Listeners looking for a highly technical horse-breeding deep dive may want a different episode.

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