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Embracing Jagged Career Changes with Marji Guyler-Alaniz
1 Playsin 3 hours
Big careers are rarely built in straight lines. They are built through risks, pivots and the willingness to figure things out along the way.
Marji Guyler-Alaniz, Chief Operating Officer at AgriSompo North America, joins The Cultivating Leaders Podcast for a candid conversation about career pivots, identity shifts and leading through change. Marji shares how her Iowa roots and passion for storytelling led her to build FarmHer and the identity shift as she navigated back to a corporate position.
Marji gets real about:
- Just one thing: The power of taking the first step when a big dream feels overwhelming
- Navigating the identity shift: Knowing when to walk away and honoring the career changes
- Building confidence: Why networks, curiosity and courage matter more than having every answer
If you are facing a big transition or wondering whether you are ready for the next opportunity, Marji’s story is a reminder that you do not have to know everything before you begin. You just have to be willing to take the next step in front of you.
Want to hear more from Marji? Check out her blog here!
Connect with Marji
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Follow AgriSompo on LinkedIn
- Follow AgriSompo Instagram
- Follow AgriSompo on Facebook
- Visit their website
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- Follow us on LinkedIn
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About The Cultivating Leaders Series
The Cultivating Leaders Series is the go-to resource for anyone ready to take their leadership to the next level, delivering powerful insights from top voices in food, agriculture and beyond. The podcast offers immediate, actionable advice from the top leaders in food and ag, with guests who break down the skills that set them apart in the real world. Join the live webinars to bring leadership to life, with candid conversations, live Q&A and behind-the-scenes stories from C-suite executives. Together, these virtual experiences are designed to meet you where you are and help you lead with purpose, confidence and clarity.
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Transcript
The Role of Personal Motivation and Change
00:00:01
Speaker
To be honest, I didn't even know there was a problem that I was trying to solve. a whole lot of hard work. I would say a whole lot of pushing a boulder uphill.
00:00:12
Speaker
When you care about something so very much, other people will care about it too. You don't have to win the world and you're never going to win the world overnight, but just do one thing. I don't believe anything will change for me at this company unless I go change something for myself.
00:00:28
Speaker
you're never going to know enough and you're never going to be quite ready. And I found myself in that spot so many times. Everything takes time. And it probably took me a couple of years, if I'm being honest, to like settle into a whole different way of thinking.
00:00:42
Speaker
in agriculture, especially, we don't get the opportunity to not deal with change. Everything's changing at a rapid pace.
Introduction of Guest and Background
00:00:50
Speaker
Welcome to the Cultivating Leaders podcast. I'm your host and Curiosity Captain, Nicole Urcig.
00:00:55
Speaker
If you are ready to lead better, think bigger, and grow faster, you're in the right place. We bring you real conversations with top leaders across food and agriculture, focused on the practical skills and mindsets you need to lead in today's environment.
00:01:09
Speaker
Today's guest is a visionary leader in agriculture who has built a career at the intersection of storytelling, innovation, and global impact. Margie Geiler-Alanese, COO at Agrisampo North America, navigated a bold transition into corporate leadership while staying rooted in purpose. Previously, as the founder of FarmHer, she has reshaped how the industry sees and values women in agriculture. Through transitioning back into corporate agriculture, she's navigated challenges, pursued change, and stayed true to the agriculture industry. If you are scared to make a change in your career or are questioning your career path, Margie has the experience and wisdom to navigate this time with purpose.
FarmHer: From Passion Project to Brand
00:01:47
Speaker
Margie, thank you so much for joining us today and welcome to the pod.
00:01:52
Speaker
Absolutely. I'm so excited to talk about this windy career journey. Yeah, why don't we actually start there? Tell me a little bit more on, we like I gave a little bit of a preview of your career, but where do your roots in agriculture really start?
00:02:05
Speaker
Oh, yeah. So I'm from Iowa. I will always be from Iowa. I don't live in that state anymore. But my grandparents were farmers. I grew up on a farm, but my parents didn't actually farm. They didn't work on the farm. So it was always around us. Like I always say, I could throw something and hit a field almost all of my life um up until recently, honestly. But I didn't even know that people worked in agriculture. Like I it never like it was just like what my family did. it kind of my extended family. So and I was in 4-H when I was growing up. But like a career in agriculture and never, never jumped off the page to me. It was not what I was aiming for. But here I am.
00:02:46
Speaker
Well, amazing. The most intriguing part, at least as we did our research, was ah you building FarmHer. So I've definitely heard of it. But for those who haven't, can you tell them what FarmHer is? And then I'm curious, what was the problem you saw and like how it became like, hey, we need to solve this and FarmHer is the solution?
00:03:06
Speaker
Absolutely. Well, FarmHer is a brand for and about women in agriculture. it kind of flips the story from what you might have traditionally seen of how we tell the stories of farmers in agriculture, and it tells it from the female perspective, which is there on almost every farm and every ranch. It's just a different way of looking at things. And to be honest, um I didn't even know there was a problem that I was trying to solve for a very long time. So I worked in corporate agriculture. I worked in crop insurance for a company in Iowa for 12 years.
00:03:41
Speaker
And ah throughout that journey, like it never really struck me of who we were showing as the farmer or who we perceived as as the person who who was the farmer.
Highlighting Women in Agriculture
00:03:53
Speaker
And um it took kind of like something bold being in front of my face. And that was right after i had decided to leave that career, which is a whole and nother story. um The commercial was on during the Super Bowl and it was a Ram truck commercial set to a speech by Paul Harvey called God Made a Farmer. Everybody nods. Everybody's seen it. It's like one of the most popular commercials ever in the United States. If you look at the views on YouTube, it's absolutely crazy. Absolutely beautiful commercial, right? It was just simple words set to still photos. And there were photos of the people who I could see in my life.
00:04:29
Speaker
And, you know, they look like your grandpa or they look like your your cousin or or whatever. And um I watched that commercial literally the weekend after I had left my job for for other reasons. And nothing hit me when I was watching that commercial. But a few days later, I read an article in the newspaper, which was the Des Moines Register, where I lived. And it pointed out that at that time, um women made up a significant portion of farmers, but you never saw women as the face of farming. And I was like, well, I just quit my job. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I have a background in
00:05:07
Speaker
Not business, but graphic design, journalism and photography is where I started with my college degree. I was like, I can dust these things off and I can show people um what women look like in agriculture. I can show people what they do. Because at that point, I was like, when when I read the article, I was like, man, have I ever even seen a picture of a woman in agriculture that's not like...
00:05:29
Speaker
just holding a chicken, which isn't like reality every day, right? ah Have I ever seen a picture of a woman working cattle or driving a tractor or running a grain car or who knows what, changing a tire, like all the things. And it was like, I haven't, but I can change that. And so it started as a passion project. It started as a I'm going to take a few pictures and and put them out there and see what happens.
00:05:55
Speaker
And it grew. Yeah. How did it grow exactly? How did it get from like you're taking pictures to like a television series and now it's a whole brand? Yeah. ah A whole lot of hard work. I would say a whole lot of pushing pushing um a boulder uphill and being the biggest advocate I could for what I felt like was was a very worthy cause.
00:06:21
Speaker
um Learning, navigating, running, jumping, blood, sweat, tears, you name it. like it It took a whole lot of effort and energy, but I will tell you that I was extremely passionate about it
FarmHer's Impact and Recognition
00:06:31
Speaker
from day one. I still remember it was actually...
00:06:35
Speaker
It was actually in the month of April. So right around now in 2013, when I went to the first farm and, um I will never forget it. It was, i was so excited just to be there, to be watching, to be learning, to listen to her. And i just followed her around and I literally had no idea what I was doing. I mean, I, I had a photography undergraduate degree but I'd never like gone to a farm and followed somebody through their day and tried to piece together what that looked like and so I i but always remember that passion and excitement like driving home I could not wait to see what was on my camera and the pictures looked exactly like what I hoped they look like and um that like ignited something in me because I was like
00:07:20
Speaker
you know i can I can show what these women do to a much broader audience. And it was exciting to me even because most of the time when I would call somebody, they would they would say, you know i would say hey I'm from Farmher. I want to come photograph what you do as as it went on. and um they would be like, oh, I just do this or I just just do that. And I was like, oh, i know, like you do, you run the world and I want to come and show people that, right? And so I got very passionate about it. And that's what I would say drove it to to push that boulder uphill over over the years that i that I was starting and building and and scaling it. But it it it was a whiny journey. I mean, I never thought there would be a TV show. i never... None of those things were in my original business plan.
00:08:07
Speaker
But um when you care about something so very much, other people will care about it too. And it was a pretty awesome thing to tell the story of. And it hadn't really been done in that way before. And so I think it made people listen. I think it was a right time in society. It was just a whole lot of things that came together that made it somewhat magical. A good name, too, Farm Her. I mean, that was just like a boom. Let's call it this. But that made it like memorable, right? So there's so many things that came together to to build it to the brand that it is today.
Practical Advice for Building a Business
00:08:39
Speaker
But I would say that looking back, you don't get to to get off of the it's just a whole lot of work to put something like that together. And you've got to keep going at it.
00:08:49
Speaker
What would you say to someone who maybe has an idea, like maybe they've had something sitting in the back of their brain like you had for FarmHer and they know it's going to take a lot of work or it may fail or I don't know if I should pursue this. I don't know if I can make money at this. ah What would you tell them about knowing whether to actually go for it or not?
00:09:09
Speaker
That's a great question, because after FarmHer got bigger, or you know, people would come to me and they'd be like, I want to do this. How did you do it? And I was like, well, I definitely didn't.
00:09:20
Speaker
have this in mind when I first started, but I am kind of my own worst enemy. So when I got this idea and my husband is like my bounce, you know, i bounce everything off of him. He's my sounding board. And i was like, I'm going to go do this. And then like shortly after, like within hours, I was like, there's no way I can do this. We don't, I quit my job. We don't have the money to do it. I i have two little kids. Like who's going to watch these kids? How am I going to go go do all this? And he was like, stop just do one thing.
00:09:49
Speaker
Like, just go photograph that farmer and see what happens. um And I will tell you that I had to remind myself many times, it doesn't, don't you don't have to win the world, and you're never going to win the world overnight, but just do one thing, right? and And for me, that was taking pictures. And then it turned into I have to figure out how to build a website with no money.
00:10:12
Speaker
So I guess I'll figure out how to build a website, which, you know, back in 2013 was very different than it is today. But there's there's tools. You can figure it out. You can figure out anything. We have the internet, right? And so then it turned into, i have to figure out how to start these social media pages. And then it turned into people are paying attention. I have to figure out how to trademark this and back my way into like starting an actual business that has a sustainable business model over time. So um That didn't all happen overnight. It happened consistently as it built, and I was able to kind of layer all those things on.
Transition and Personal Growth Post-FarmHer
00:10:47
Speaker
But if you if you think you're going to take over the world from day one, that's going to be really hard to do. Some people might do it, but that wasn't my method. And I still go back to what my husband said. He was like, just do one thing.
00:11:00
Speaker
Just go take the pictures. I think that's great advice because especially if you have big dreams or it feels overwhelming um or even if you don't know what's next, like just do the thing in front of you. um It's almost like that eat the elephant one bite at a time. Yeah. But I like to just do one thing. Yeah. Like what can you do right now?
00:11:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So ah you built up FarmHer and then you also decided to transition away from this amazing thing that you built that had grown probably beyond what you thought it could be. So tell me about that transition and and navigating that piece of your career as well.
00:11:35
Speaker
Absolutely. So like I said, I started it in 2013 and my my hopes and dreams absolutely got bigger when I saw who was paying attention and what opportunities there were there. And so I navigated, um like I said, starting the business, scaling the business, having employees, the TV show piece of it, all things that I'd never done before.
00:12:01
Speaker
um And, you know, it was all very exciting and it was all new and it was all a challenge for a very long time. And... um I loved that. I thrive on challenges.
00:12:12
Speaker
I love to have new things coming at me. It's just maybe it's a crazy piece of me, but it's it's how I'm built. And so and I really cared about, like I said, the subject matter. And so, you know, all of the pieces were there to to run after it for a very long time. And.
00:12:31
Speaker
probably in like year like seven or so maybe six years in one of my um people that worked with me and she she was really um insightful and she she kind of pushed me to go into this class called Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses and I was like I don't need that this business is running great we've got seven people in ah working here they're all running after their own things we're doing events all over the country. We've got, we touch, you know, millions of people every week between, you know, SiriusXM or the TV show or social or whatever it is.
00:13:07
Speaker
Like, I don't need that. um But I'm so glad she pushed me to do that because it kind of made me stop and go, okay, like you've been running at this, you built this. um What's next? And that class, it was like 12 weeks where you stepped out of your company to work on your company. And it was all types of small businesses. And i learned so much about, you know, we made a plan for how to scale our my company more. And then we also made a plan for like an exit strategy. And at that time, I was like, I will never sell this. This is like my third child, right? You don't sell your children, right?
00:13:40
Speaker
And, um, but I will say that the preparation of going through that kind of like laid a groundwork in my mind of what could happen if I was able to scale it more or if I stayed right where I was, which really wasn't
Career Reflections and New Opportunities
00:13:57
Speaker
an option. It was like you have to keep growing or you're going backwards, and especially in a small business. And so um at that time, like I said, it was kind of some groundwork that was laid, even though I didn't realize it. And then COVID hit. And for somebody who was filming 25 episodes a year, we were doing a weekly radio show podcast. We were doing nine, we had nine like ticketed events where thousands of people were coming to our farm her events all around the country. I was used to never sitting still. And then COVID happened and it was like screeching halt. you, you all you can do is sit still. And it was terrible. it was frightening as a small business owner.
00:14:38
Speaker
um but, When we came out of that, I was like, man, I don't know if I can ramp myself back up into that again. I don't like I did all of that. You know, i experienced all of it and all of the thrill and excitement and energy. And so coming out of COVID was when I first kind of was like, OK, I don't know that I'm going to be able to get that passion back up to where I had it before, because we'd already gone through so much that scaling process.
00:15:04
Speaker
And so some other things started to happen where it made me realize, you know, this this might be the path that is is best. And it's so hard. I still tell people all the time. it's like, um but well, i said it before, it's like my third child. You know, it's it's like...
00:15:22
Speaker
connected to who I am. And that is an extremely hard thing to to start to realize, like how you would look without that. So, you know, I started to like kind of just mentally play with that started and and then i got a job offer, you guys. And and that that's part of like,
00:15:39
Speaker
what started me thinking about, okay, maybe there is a different path here and maybe maybe there is something, another way to look at this. And it was a great job offer, honestly. it was It was, if if I would have had this before, I probably would have never left corporate America, but I also would have never left, or I would have never walked back in into the type of role that I'm in had I not built Farmher. So it's like a chicken and egg thing. um But yeah, it it was um a difficult decision. But I tell people all the time, i i had a baby and it went off to college because I gave it everything that I could for a very long time. And I'm so incredibly proud of it. But now it's it's out in the world, growing with other resources and other people and other great minds thinking about it.
00:16:26
Speaker
Yeah. What I'm curious of Margie is there is, it it feels like as you tell your story, it's like, okay, this thing just happened and I chased it. And I like chased what was in front of you. Do you think you could go back and like design your career path the way that it has turned out?
00:16:42
Speaker
110% no. i could have never guessed that. like i am I am a type A person. i have a plan. I want that plan to go the way that I that i foresee it.
00:16:53
Speaker
I worked in crop insurance for 12 years, but that wasn't my plan. I didn't even know crop insurance existed, but I stumbled my way in the door and I never left. I had i was like you know moving through that that corporate ladder. you know i had five positions in in those 12 years. And I learned, I grow, I i move on, i I add pieces to the puzzle.
00:17:13
Speaker
I never saw myself stepping away from it, first of all. But it again, I'm so glad I did because I i don't think I would have given found found a way to give what I could to the world, to agriculture. right um But no, it has been a very windy path.
00:17:34
Speaker
But I don't think any of it would have happened without the piece that came before it. Yeah, that completely makes sense. What advice would you give to, i would say, people like maybe mid-career or even a little bit younger who are like, i have aspirations for the type of career I want to have or even the type of life and career I want to have. I want to be able to plan or map some of this. But I think we talk to, especially on this podcast, we talk to leaders all the time that are like, well, I met this person and this happened. And it feels like there is a Like how much is planning and how much is, i would say, maybe habit building our character? And like if you had to mix it and like those three things of like, hey, I have a plan. i have maybe built my character and my habits of learning and growing and then just serendipity. Yeah.
00:18:24
Speaker
Yeah. I'm having trouble in my mind giving like great like percentages to break that down, right? But yes, you need a plan, but that's like less than half of the the puzzle. you know A huge piece of the puzzle is build your networks, connect with other people, don't burn bridges, you don't know where those things will lead you. And
Networking and Career Development
00:18:44
Speaker
that's part of your plan, right? like Whether you realize it or not, those things will come back into play. And they absolutely have for me throughout my career. And people tell you that. And when you're young and you you see something that you want to go after, because I was the same way.
00:18:56
Speaker
You know, i I had those five different positions in 12 years. And I was like, climb, climb, climb. I'm getting there. I'm going where I want. And then it hit a spot where i I realized. I was like, I will... be sitting in this same spot 20 years from now. I don't believe anything will change for me at this company unless I go change something for myself.
00:19:15
Speaker
And so don't be afraid to walk away from something when it's not right anymore is what I would say. And that's very scary and that's very difficult. And I will say I had support. My husband is a beautiful soul who like gave me the space to to go do that. And That's not always easy, right? Like that's not always an answer that people can have, but.
00:19:38
Speaker
you know, who you are and how you go about your world and, and you know, the the culture that you build around yourself, the networks that you have. That is probably the biggest piece of the puzzle, I would say. For me, it has been over time.
00:19:52
Speaker
And then there's a little bit of serendipity. I don't, sometimes people are like, you're so lucky this happened. And I'm like, there was an element of luck and timing, absolutely. But there's all those other pieces that you have to have And um i time and time again have leaned back on those networks. I've picked up the phone and made phone calls when I i don't know something or I need a little bit of advice. And sometimes just, you know, having coffee with somebody can swing back around and present something.
00:20:21
Speaker
um and And then here's the other thing that I would say if you're mid-career, don't be too scared of something big right in front of you, right? i'm I'm sure many people listening um have had maybe something that they're like, this is something I could swing for the fences for and I could go do it. But I probably don't know enough or I'm probably not quite ready.
00:20:44
Speaker
um you're never going to know enough and you're never going to be quite ready. And I found myself in that spot so many times. And, you know, building farm her gave me confidence in in that I can jump into something and not know it and I will figure it out and I will lean on my network. But you, yeah, it's, you have to, you have to have that um to be able to go after it.
00:21:06
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I am curious, ah from your perspective, you said it takes a lot of courage to walk away, especially walking away from something good when it's not the right fit anymore.
00:21:18
Speaker
For you, how did you know when it wasn't right anymore? ah It was a mix of things. The company I was working for had been sold. So a lot of things had shifted and changed in the last few years that I was there.
00:21:31
Speaker
So that made it a little bit easier because the culture had changed a little bit. and And my plan had been like disrupted in that. What I thought was going to happen wasn't happening. um I had two young kids and to be completely honest, our trusted daycare that we had for them, she she decided to do something different with her life, which she's brilliant and I'm glad she did, but that left us in a lurch and then we had daycare issues and that was really, really hard as a working mom. like
00:22:07
Speaker
I love to say you can do it all, but man, your kids have to be taken care of and you have to know that they're safe and that they're in a good spot. Right. And so that was a piece of the puzzle that was kind of gnawing at me. And, um, I wasn't loving what I was doing anymore. I found myself disengaged. I wasn't like, I wasn't giving it my all. and I'm not sure what I was giving it. I was just going through some motions. And so like all these things kind of hit me. And, and like I said,
00:22:33
Speaker
i I want to see change. I want to see growth. I want to see, i know what I can give to an organization or an effort or a project. And it wasn't, I wasn't going to have the opportunity to give it there. So that's, that's what kind of all came together for me to make that decision. And and then I told myself, you only get six months. Like, you know, this isn't, this isn't a forever, like you're going to take a, take a step back and jump off this train that you've been on. And so I gave myself like a timeline because that helped me mentally like think, okay, like.
00:23:06
Speaker
you can leave, but get to something. So, yeah. Yeah. I love that. It gives it a like, Hey, there's a deadline. Yeah. um I'm curious too. I think you had mentioned this as you started to tell some of, some of your story of like being able to walk away from things, um whether that is a corporate career or selling a business or just making a life transition.
00:23:27
Speaker
What advice do you have for dealing with the identity piece of that? Because you do, like whether you walk away from a job or like you you sent your baby off to college, like there is a piece of when you put so much into work. And I think the way a lot of really good leaders do and people in agriculture do, right, because we're very passionate about what we do. How do you deal with the identity shift and change?
00:23:48
Speaker
That is hard. i can't say that I've completely figured that out. I have changed ah drastically course, you know, over time. And every time it requires a whole lot of like self-reflection and kind of going, where are you? I like to write. I, um when that shift is happening for me of like,
00:24:13
Speaker
who I am and how I'm perceived in the world and and a major change in some way. um It usually isn't everything in your life that's changing. So um you can, you know, lean on some of those pieces that are consistent and, and over time, everything becomes consistent.
00:24:31
Speaker
the way it is, right? So it just takes time. But I like to write. um Writing was a piece of Farm Her with a blog, and I'd write the stories about the women. And it's a good way for me to get my thoughts out. And it helps kind of sort everything out. So i I'll go to that sometimes.
00:24:46
Speaker
But Time is the great fixer of all things. And so whenever something is new and and dramatic and shifts like that, you just have to kind of put one foot in front the other and and know it'll change. But with FarmHurt, it was a massive identity shift. I mean, I would go places...
00:25:05
Speaker
And people who watch the TV show would be like, you're Farm Her. Like, they don't know my name. They'd just be like, you're Farm Her. And ah they still do. Like, people within my organization today, I'll go an adjuster school. We've got adjusters all over the country. They live and work in rural America. And I think just, like, a month ago, somebody was like, hey, I saw you on Farm Her. And I'm like, yeah.
00:25:26
Speaker
And I'm Margie. Nice to meet you. So, yeah. it is It is difficult. it is, especially especially in the world of personal brands like we have online, right? like it's And i was I try to be very mindful with Farmher brand of, you know, it wasn't about me. It was about the women who were the story of Farmher.
00:25:47
Speaker
um But it was just part of who I was. And it it's taken time. i sold Farmher to RMG Media, which is RFD TV, about three years ago and I still ah have it as a piece of my identity parked in the back of my mind at times. So it it doesn't have to go completely away, but it it will become the new norm.
Emotional Aspects of Career Transitions
00:26:10
Speaker
Yeah. I appreciate you talking about that too, because I think often people like don't realize that that's normal ah of like the identity shift when you walk away from something that was really good, but just not either not a fit for a season of life anymore or a season of career. And I can exact i can absolutely relate to what you're saying, Margie, of like, i have i as I have shifted correct pieces of my career of like, you get known as something and then people are like, well, now I don't, whether it's people like being like, now what do you do? Or now do I still know you? Or how do I show up in the world? Am I really different? Is that part of what like, you're so much more than your career, but it's also a piece of us and understanding that there is a
00:26:52
Speaker
um sometimes even emotional grieving in the shift, even when it's sometimes a good shift in a career path. Absolutely. You know, the interesting thing that just popped into my mind too is there's when you shift into something new. So when I shifted out of Farmher and back into ah the company I'm in today, people knew one version of me, but then I have a whole different version that I i brought to Agra Sampo that people didn't see. Like they saw the the TV version, right? But they didn't see what I could do to to start a business, scale a business, sell a business, right? Like they didn't see all of those pieces of it. So it's an interesting shift of like moving into something different when people perceive you as one thing too. But I still like in my head battle a lot. Like I said, people will say you're from her. And I'm like, yes, but I'm Margie who's the chief operating officer of this company too.
00:27:45
Speaker
ah you get to add like ands to it. Like it's not that that piece has gone away. It's just shifted. Do you think as you have gone through these different phases, um you know, you've had to shed some things to add things.
00:27:58
Speaker
Is this the best version of Margie today? i that is a great question. um i don't know what's yet to come, but I feel like this version of Margie is a pretty great one.
00:28:11
Speaker
you, I go back to looking at myself when I was in my early 20s and through my 20s and into my 30s and wanting wanting so badly to build my career not really knowing how to keep doing that.
00:28:25
Speaker
I look back and and it takes a whole lot of small movements that are uncomfortable. It takes a lot of getting having the courage to get outside of your comfort zone on a very consistent basis.
00:28:40
Speaker
And that builds a whole lot of confidence over time. And you don't even know what's happening until you're you're there. And when that confidence is built. then it's like you're almost unstoppable. You're like, I can do that. Let's go do that. We can figure that out. All we need is great people, great ideas, some space to strategize, ah some money, right? Like we can figure that out. And you start to see that like these things are not insurmountable and and it kind of scales your thinking in a really exciting way or it has for me. So um it's a pretty great version of Margie today, i would say, if I'm talking about myself and the person.
00:29:18
Speaker
Yeah. I love that you even said you don't know you don't know because you don't know what's yet to come. And that, like, even that mindset, I think, is is so exciting and shows not only, like, why you've been where you've been, but that there's always opportunity for growth and what's next. And having that mindset can lead you on really exciting paths that maybe you didn't know existed. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
00:29:41
Speaker
The other question I have for you, you talked earlier about networking, and I feel like we hear about this so often. and i always love to try and give people tangible advice. And so I'm curious, as you talk about building your network and building something that you didn't know how to build before, who did you call or what did you do when you didn't have someone in your network that like, hey, I know they're great at this, or I don't know how to do this, and I don't know that I know someone who's done this before?
00:30:07
Speaker
um It depends. What's the issue right of of who to call? um like I think a lot about, i had no idea how to financially, like,
00:30:18
Speaker
put even like a business, I've gone to, I hadn't masters in business, but I didn't know how to like bring all of that together. How do you not, I'm not saying just hire a person. How do you pay a person? How do you take out social security? How do you do all these things? Right.
00:30:31
Speaker
And I did find that over you really need a good lawyer on your side, somebody that you can ask questions to, and and you don't feel dumb about whatever questions you ask. You need a really good accountant, And those are two essential things. And um I got both of those from my dad, honestly, if you if you like when I look back at FarmHair.
00:30:52
Speaker
um There were times when I didn't know how to navigate. Even when I stepped into Agrisampo, I was like, this is this is a whole different world. And I called a friend of mine who i had been connected to through my years at FarmHer.
00:31:09
Speaker
She's just amazing and and smart. And she is a strong, strong female in agriculture. She's been in the D.C. space for a long time. Her name is Krista Harden. And she gave me some really great advice. Oh, we've had Krista Harden on this podcast. She was a wonderful Krista's brilliant. Yeah, she's brilliant.
00:31:28
Speaker
I called her for something very specific that I was like, i don't know what to do. Like, you know, what do I do here? And she gave me some very specific advice that like... got me down the road. um i think the biggest thing is don't be afraid to ask whoever it is. You're going to ask different people for different different things depending on what the issue is in front of you. But if I was afraid to ask, I would have i would never be sitting here today. And um most people won't won't think less of you for asking.
Embracing Opportunities and Leadership
00:31:58
Speaker
they Most people want to help, right? um
00:32:01
Speaker
And you know that's that's when it comes to like advice about a career thing or about a business thing or something that you just don't know But when it comes to building your networks, I also have learned over time that it sounds like a scary thing. It's, um, it, it can be difficult to walk into a space and to be like, oh, is this person going to respond to me? Are they going to want to come meet me for coffee when I just reached of nowhere to them? Um, most people are looking for that connection too, you know, and, um, show up with your authentic self and, and, um,
00:32:33
Speaker
you know, i think cool things can happen when you put yourself out there and and reach out to people just from a networking perspective. Yeah, absolutely. We talked about the piece of luck in this. I saw something recently that ah someone said like luck hits a big target.
00:32:48
Speaker
And so make yourself a target of like ask the question or reach out or say yes to the opportunity or like just making like putting yourself out there enough so that that right timing or right the serendipitous moment or whatever it is, meeting the right person at the right time can actually happen.
00:33:05
Speaker
Absolutely and completely. i think back to early days of FarmHare when I was like, what am I even doing? You know, it's this thing, it's kind of growing, but I promised myself when people would want to do an interview or they want to publish pictures or I would i would give them pictures, I would talk to them as long as it was going to paint the women that were a part of FarmHare in a positive light and not be something negative or or bad.
00:33:28
Speaker
um But that opened up so many opportunities and I'd I worked in insurance before. I'd never never done interviews. I'd never like sat in those spaces before. I did not know what I was doing. But I look back and those opened up so many opportunities for me because it put a big target out there.
00:33:49
Speaker
It absolutely did. Love that. Okay, so let's transition. We've kind of skirted around it, but your role that you're in today and the company that
Current Role and Leadership Skills
00:33:57
Speaker
you work for. So you sent the baby off to college with FarmHer and then joined corporate agriculture again. Tell me about what what is it that you do today and and what company that you work for?
00:34:08
Speaker
Yeah, I am absolutely still work in crop insurance, which is the same industry I worked in before. I never thought I would go back, but I ah found my way back in the door and I absolutely love what I get to do today. So AgriSampo is we're part of a global company called Sampo, primarily commercial and some property insurance all around the world. and um ah based in Japan, but I'm part of the international arm of the company and we write crop insurance. So we insure farmers all around the US, farmers and ranchers. We're one of the top four companies that provide crop insurance. So crops growing in the field. And um here's what I love about it. We we have a pretty significant impact on the day in and day out capability of people to continue doing what they do.
00:35:02
Speaker
to grow crops year after year when catastrophe happens, which it does. it This is weather, right? Drought hits, floods, you name it. And so we we get to be a part of helping manage that risk for farmers and ranchers all over the country. So my my role is I work, we have six kind of business producing regions and I lead those six regions today. um and so they're responsible for all the functions of crop insurance in their geographic area. And i work with the leaders of those regions to make sure that at the end of the day that ah we provide the right coverage, that we ah you know
00:35:44
Speaker
ah take in the premiums when they want to pay, that we pay out claims when it's time for claims to be paid. All of the functions that run through those business units really fall under me. Um, it's, it's wild. No one day is the same. I will tell you that. And and it can be a challenge. And I love that.
00:36:04
Speaker
Awesome. Tell me about the, ah biggest mindset shift and going from leading farm her to agrisompo and what, if anything felt very much the same.
00:36:16
Speaker
That was a major mindset shift. And probably the biggest thing is, is working for yourself and setting your own whole universe. You know, how the company um is, how it's growing, who we partner with, all of those things were like completely up to me at FarmHeart. And so if I saw something over here, I could say, we're going to pivot, we're going to go this way, and we're going to start doing this.
00:36:41
Speaker
In a corporate structure, in any corporate structure, it's it's never that easy. there's There's lots of layers to it. It is a big boat and it doesn't turn fast. um Though there's a lot of things that I'm really proud of that that our boat turns pretty quick and we have less bureaucracy, I think, and in some ways um than some corporate corporations do. But um it was...
00:37:05
Speaker
it was a major shift, I will tell you, just to like go from working for yourself to working as part of a team of almost 900 people spread all around the country. It's just everything's different, right? And so it just took time too. Back to the the whole like, how how do you get your career where you want to be?
00:37:27
Speaker
Everything takes time. And it probably took me a couple of years, if I'm being honest, to like settle into like a whole different way of thinking, like fully settling.
00:37:40
Speaker
ah What pieces of leadership translated from being a founder and an entrepreneur to leading at an executive level at a corporate organization? um There's a lot of things that that do translate.
00:37:54
Speaker
You have to have a plan. You have to have a strategy. You have to be surrounded by great people who care about what they do. um that There's no organization, there's no farm that runs, you know, with one person. And and any business of any size is is exactly the same.
00:38:12
Speaker
And so um those things all translate across. It's just the scale might be different or where you're doing it might be different. But Those things are essential. They matter so much.
00:38:25
Speaker
And, you know, those those are the core to to any business. And I think I learned those inherently at FarmHare while on a very different scale than than what we manage now. But the basics are the same.
00:38:37
Speaker
You know, you have to have more money coming in than goes out. That's that's pretty standard, right, in any business. um And so, you know, and building building those networks and thinking not just about today, but down the road and what's going to come next. And in agriculture, anywhere in the world, but in agriculture especially, we don't get the opportunity to not deal with change. Everything's changing at a rapid pace.
00:39:05
Speaker
And if you're not a part of it, then you're like left in the dust. So I think now we're going to move into our rapid fire segment. And so Margie, going to ask you some questions. And as best as you can, ah you try to answer in like one sentence or less. And as best as I can, i will try not to ask follow-up questions.
00:39:25
Speaker
um What is the one word you would use to describe your career journey so far? Jagged. Love that. ah Do you have a go-to gut check question when you're facing a big decision?
00:39:38
Speaker
My go-to gut check question is why? Why do you want to do this? Is it ego? is it is it because you can bring something great to it? What is it? What is a green flag that tells you an opportunity is probably right for you?
00:39:54
Speaker
I'm going to go with gut on that one. Your gut will tell you a lot. And if it feels right and it looks right and it smells right, it probably is. Mm-hmm. What is a daily habit that keeps you grounded during times of change?
00:40:06
Speaker
I do Pilates as many days a week as I can. Yes. I believe that physical movement is is a leadership skill. Like it's a piece of leadership. Absolutely. um What is one belief about careers or leadership that you have changed your mind on?
00:40:21
Speaker
That it has to be traditional. It's not going to look the same way for everybody. And I think we can get caught up in, well, my path didn't look like that, but it's, it doesn't have to be traditional. What is a farm her location or story that you wish you could go back and visit again?
00:40:39
Speaker
Oh, that's really tough. I don't know if I can rapid fire that one. The the last one that I was at, always, that's that's my answer. Wherever I most recently was, was the coolest, neatest, most interesting thing.
00:40:52
Speaker
But I'm going to give you ah one answer. Oysters. That now has me. I love that answer, Margie, because now that has me. I'm going to have to Google that story after this. Yes, absolutely. Bar Harbor Oysters.
00:41:05
Speaker
Amazing. What is one piece of advice you would go back and tell younger Margie, knowing what you know now? One piece of advice I would tell younger Margie is be patient, keep at it. And that has been the path, but it just takes patience and time.
00:41:20
Speaker
Okay. So at AFA, we love hot takes. So unconventional or bold opinions, either about agriculture or leadership. Do you have a hot take Margie on leadership or the agriculture industry?
00:41:35
Speaker
I said part of it before, but change is inevitable. It's happening at a faster and faster pace. Farms are getting bigger. ah there There will be less and less actual farmers over time. Climate is changing.
00:41:48
Speaker
Data will drive everything. And these are kind of core tenants, but that it's going to change faster than any of us can anticipate when you bring AI into this realm too. So I don't know if people love it when I would say, you know, the traditional thought of what we think of as farming is going to be no longer. It maybe already is right? Over time. And um that's something that we all have to adapt to. I'm not saying that farmers of every size won't exist, but what we thought of as farming will shift dramatically in the next decade.
00:42:24
Speaker
i really enjoy that hot take because I think they're like we can all see that that is coming and it's going to require leaders who are willing and able to shift and change as our world and as our industry changes at a very rapid pace.
00:42:39
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Okay, Margie. So at AFA, we are all about building bridges and connecting people, ideas, and opportunities across the agriculture industry. So before we let you go, where can people connect with you and learn more about you?
00:42:52
Speaker
The best way that I would say to connect with me is on LinkedIn. Go search up my name, connect with me. i love LinkedIn. It's probably a space I spend most of my time on these days. And from a professional standpoint, it's a great place to connect. Everyone should be there.
00:43:07
Speaker
Well, thank you, Margie. I appreciate you so much for joining us on the Cultivating Leaders podcast. This has been such a fun conversation. and thank you for telling us about your winding career journey and the lessons you've learned along the way. i think I know you've inspired me and I'm sure our listeners to be okay with the unexpected and maybe choose some adventure instead of, you know, have a plan for your career, but be prepared to to do things that may be unexpected. So thank you so much for being with us today, Margie. I really appreciate it.
00:43:36
Speaker
Thanks for listening to the Cultivating Leaders podcast, where leaders grow. If this episode challenged your thinking, be sure to share it with someone else who is on a similar leadership journey. You can stay connected with the Cultivating Leaders podcast by following AgFutureAmerica on social media or drop a comment in the episode description. We'll see you again on the next episode.