The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth14 Mai 2024

163: Telling the Stories of Gutsy, Rural Women with Jan + Erin of Trailblazher Co

Much like Chik-Fil-A, this week's episode was a pleasure! Sincerely. Today on the podcast, we welcome not one, but two guests: Jan + Erin Johnson of Trailblazher Co. They're a mother daughter duo of multi-passionate women who have developed the grit, resilience, and gutsiness that comes from the ups and downs of being entrepreneurs over the past 24 years in business - together! As you'll hear them share in today's episode, Jan + Erin's skillsets complement one another so well, and together they love to create and bring new ideas to life. While they love working alongside one another, their true joy comes from sharing stories of rural women across North America. Through their work at Trailblazher Co, they not only publish a gorgeous quarterly magazine, host a weekly podcast and connect rural women, but they're inspiring women along the way. As you'll hear in today's episode, we cover a lot of ground, but the common thread is all about telling our stories as women. And how the peaks, the pits and everything in between can help the next generation of women who want to live rural and who want to grow rural businesses. This conversation is incredible, and I think you, like me will laugh, tear up, and feel so much joy and gratitude from the lessons Jan + Erin teach us in today's episode of The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth. Key Takeaways

"We are storytellers"
"We use the word trailblazher because [the women we feature] have that grit and resilience and risk taking and bravery, and we're astounded, honestly, every week with the women that we talked to and what they're creating in their life and all the things that they have going on. And despite all of that, they're so determined to bring their biggest dreams to life."
"It hasn't been a linear path. It's been messy at times. It's been on our knees like, Oh my gosh, what are we going to do next? But that thread that connects us is this purpose. and drive to make an impact in women's lives. And where does that come from? I'm not really sure. Maybe it is to grow ourselves into the biggest and best version of who we are."
"No path is linear. No, it just, it just isn't. And that's what makes for great stories, right?"
"You have to go through some personal growth, some, sometimes some dark valleys, sometimes you're at the height of the mountaintop, but it's in that, that you find yourself, you get even more grounded into your purpose. And then you've got these great stories to share with others."
"How many other women have wares or goods like fresh produce that they want to sell and they need help with getting it out there? And so we actually started with, it was called at the time, The Rural Collective, and it was a directory to help rural women list their businesses so that we could find each other and have women in the cities find them rurally."
"Stretch out. Reach out to people who are ahead of you, who could mentor you, help you, advise you, consult with you."
"Every story of every person who you know, they have these same stories of times they tried things. They were gutsy, and they took a chance and they made it took a risk…maybe didn't work, but it gave them the knowledge to try something else or to pivot just slightly into the thing that made it work."
"Inspiration is at the root of creativity, inspiration, joy."

More about Jan & Erin Jan is the connector on the Trailblazher Co team. Her jam is content writing and ideas. Whether writing feature stories for Trailblazher magazine, web content or upcoming course materials, Jan is gifted with a pen! She is naturally skilled at connecting ideas in ways that influence the direction of the company. Jan is also a gifted people person and insightful communicator striving always to acknowledge and draw out the unique and highlight what makes people special (shaped by her 30 years as a lifeskills coach). Jan is fueled by exploring what is possible and bridging ideas into tangible, relevant offerings that set the business apart in this ever-changing economy. Erin is the innovator on the team. Her passion lies in digital and print design and marketing. And showing the behind-the-scenes on social. She can be found spending most of her time at the keyboard creating a new company website, designing the next issue of Trailblazher magazine or brand graphics for Trailblazher Co. Erin brings the synergy to the team with her team spirit and ambitious goal markers for the next growth stage of the company. Apart from her role in the company, she juggles being a work-from-home mom, and caring for 80+ chickens and ducks, some days she manages better than others. Erin thrives on possibility, on pushing the envelope and creating something that's never been done before. Together, with their tools and programs at Trailblazher Co, they want to help women explore the parts of themselves that are gutsy and resilient… the parts of that have been shaped by life experiences... the parts of that help women to live their life on purpose. If you want to take their quiz to find out what kind of Trailblazher you are, take their quiz here. Resource

The Website: https://trailblazherco.com/
Rural Directory and Content Submission Form:

https://trailblazherco.com/rural-women

The Trailblazher Podcast

The Trailblazher Co Magazine: https://shop.trailblazherco.com/

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(276)

229: Things Are Just Better When They're Fun: A Thanksgiving Giggle Fest with My Mom & Sister

This week on The Found Podcast, we're trading strategy for stories and KPIs for giggle fits. To celebrate Thanksgiving and our November theme of family for the ambitious woman, I invited two of the bi...

26 Nov 20251h 3min

228: Wildly Intentional Living with Mandy Webber: Motherhood, Homesteading & Choosing a Life That's Yours

Today's episode feels extra special — because I finally got to sit down in person with someone I've admired online for months: Mandy Webber of the Wildly Intentional Podcast. She drove from West Branc...

19 Nov 202548min

227: Motherhood & the Ambitious Woman: Holding Both Without Losing Yourself

This week on The Found Podcast, we're continuing our November series on family — and we're going right into the tender middle: motherhood. Because motherhood changes everything. Your time. Your nervo...

12 Nov 202543min

226: This is Not a "How-To Marriage" Podcast

Hey listener, welcome back to The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth. November's theme is family — not just the cute-holiday-card kind, but the real, evolving, sometimes-stretchy relationships that ambiti...

5 Nov 202556min

225: Better Together: A Kitchen-Table Conversation on 20+ Years of Friendship

This week on The Found Podcast, we're doing something a little different…and a lot more personal. I finally brought my real-life best friends to the mic — right here around my kitchen table — snacks, ...

29 Okt 20251h 1min

224: Tradition Keepers & Memory Makers: The Power of Friendship Rituals for Ambitious Women

This week on The Found Podcast, we're diving into the heart of friendship — the kind that's rooted in laughter, ritual, and showing up for each other year after year. As ambitious women, it's easy to ...

22 Okt 202536min

223: Good Movement Starts with Us: Lessons on Self-Awareness, Relationships, and Resilience with Terryn Drieling

What if the way we move through the world—our energy, awareness, and communication—has the power to shape how others move, too? This week on The Found Podcast, I'm sitting down with Terryn Drieling of...

15 Okt 202552min

222: Never Wait to Be Invited: Lessons on Friendship for Ambitious Women with Nina Badzin

Friendship as an adult can be complicated — especially when you're an ambitious woman balancing work, motherhood, and a full life. That's why this week's guest, Nina Badzin, has spent over a decade st...

8 Okt 202551min