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The First Lady of Rodeo, Miss Rodeo America
187 Plays2 years ago
In this episode of the Kick Your Boots Up podcast, we welcome Miss Rodeo America 2023, Kennadee Riggs, as our special guest. She shares her journey of becoming a rodeo queen and the challenges she faced along the way. She shares her passion for the sport of rodeo and how she uses her platform, Kicking Up Kindness, to spread kindness. She shares a sneak peek look into the 2024 Miss Rodeo America Pageant. Join us as we kick our boots up and chat with Miss Rodeo America. For a full episode transcript, visit our website at www.justinboots.com/kick-your-boots-up.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:02
Speaker
You're listening to the Kick Your Boots Up podcast, where we swap stories of the West. Whether you're just waking up or getting in for the day, come on in and kick your boots up.
00:00:12
Speaker
Joining us today on the kick your boots up podcast is the queen herself. She resides in Queen Creek, Arizona. She was the former miss rodeo Arizona. And this year everyone gets to call her miss rodeo America, 2023 Kennedy rigs. Kennedy. It's so awesome to have you on the podcast. I could talk for hours and hours and hours about how
Kennedy's Mission and Kindness Platform
00:00:30
Speaker
cool you are. You served an 18 month mission.
00:00:32
Speaker
for your church in Brazil and Oklahoma, Arizona. I can't wait to talk to you about that. But most importantly, your platform is kicking up kindness and that goes a long ways. But anyways, Kennedy, thank you for being here. Oh, thank you so much for having me. This is such a special opportunity for me to talk about things that are special to me, including my Justin boots. So very cool meeting behind this podcast. I'm happy to be here.
Family Heritage and Rodeo Legacy
00:00:55
Speaker
Without a doubt, and I can't help but jump right into it because your story is so unique across the rodeo queen world and I think rodeo in general general you're a fourth generation cowgirl so let's talk about your background there and your upbringing, having so much history and rodeo cleaning alone.
00:01:10
Speaker
Absolutely. So yeah, like you said, I'm a fourth generation rodeo queen. So my great grandmother was the Reno rodeo queen in 1950 way back when rodeo queens were just getting started. And that's where a lot of my rodeo roots began was in the Reno rodeo with my family up there in Nevada near our family ranch. But my actual cowgirl bloodlines date back to before the West was even one on both sides of my family. I have rich roots in the horse world.
00:01:33
Speaker
And so I'm very lucky. I would say I know what it means to be rich. That is like my biggest blessing. I would say is my family heritage. And I try to live that and show it in everything that I do. And speaking of that week, you can't help, but talk about the amount of support that you feel on your shoulders, having the love of not only your mom and your three aunts, but also the angel wings that you have kind of riding with
Influence of Kennedy's Nana
00:01:55
Speaker
you every single day. So let's talk about your, your famous in my mind, Grandma Julie. What do you call her?
00:02:01
Speaker
Nana, I call her Nana. Yes. Talk about her a little bit. She's so inspirational. Oh, one of my very favorite topics to talk about and truly the root of why I'm here as Miss Rodeo America right now. Ever since I was little, my cute Nana was very close to me. I'm the oldest granddaughter. And she knew from the time I was little, she wanted to bring me up in this wonderful, rich world of good morals, the Western industry. And so she did. She was almost like a second mother more than a Nana. And she and my mom did a really good job along with my dad.
00:02:31
Speaker
of raising me up in the rodeo queen world and so I was always around it but my first pageant actually was running for Miss Rodeo Arizona so when I look back at my childhood my Nana had always been preparing me we would look at clothes and kind of dream up little designs in our heads of things that we would do throughout our year as I was Miss Rodeo Arizona but when the time finally came my Nana had recently passed away unexpectedly and so
00:02:54
Speaker
I didn't think that I was going to go through with it. I thought I might back out because, you know, being in this world where she was so heavily involved in my life, it's hard sometimes. And I didn't know if I would want to do that without her. But I felt almost as if she was nudging me through the veil as an angel to still do it.
Continuing Nana's Kindness Legacy
00:03:11
Speaker
And I felt it very strongly. So I knew that she would whoop me through the veil if I didn't do it. So I went through with it. I ran for Miss Ruddy, Arizona.
00:03:18
Speaker
And I won and I was surprised that I had won because I felt like I wasn't as prepared as I could have been. And I still did my best and I won. I served my whole year with this platform of kicking up kindness. And that's the most special part about it, I think is.
00:03:32
Speaker
there's so much purpose behind the crown and when you think about my nana she was so influential in the rodeo world especially with cowgirls and women she's very well known to many for her kindness and back in the 90s she had come up with this little platform on her own called kicking out kindness she wanted to bring a little bit of light to the negative media news headlines so she wrote in her local newspaper a little column about kindies that she saw in her community and she recruited kindie detectives that would report back to her on
00:03:59
Speaker
good acts of service and she would write about them so now fast forward 30 years and here I am as her granddaughter with so many more forms of technology where I can share these same types of stories and that's exactly what I do so now I miss rodeo america I know she is just jumping for joy in heaven that I'm using her clothes as miss rodeo america my ultimate dream and hers too and carrying on her legacy of kicking up kindness it's just such a special opportunity
00:04:23
Speaker
It really is a special opportunity, but what's even more special is your mom and her three sisters also being rodeo queens. I know my first memory of a rodeo queen was Marjan Brady when she was Miss Rodeo USA. And she herself was the kindest human, let alone the kindest rodeo queen being so young. I don't, I can't even tell you my age five, six.
00:04:44
Speaker
And, um, she took the time. She was busy. You understand the schedule took the time to stop and ask me how I was doing. And I'll never, ever, ever forget that and the impact that she made. So I think it runs the bloodline of kindness runs really, really deep in your, in your blood, but also we've got to give a shout out to Nana for that one too. That that's so awesome. But along those same lines, were they able to help you prepare for miss rodeo America? You know, in terms of like, did they give you some insider advice? Did they help you with training? Talk about that.
00:05:13
Speaker
1000%. You know, in the rodeo queen world, pageants, especially the miss rodeo America pageant require a lot of preparation. So girls will go out and get
Preparation and Fashion for Miss Rodeo America
00:05:20
Speaker
coaches. They spend extensive time studying to prepare for those written tests and those interviews.
00:05:25
Speaker
And I didn't ever get a coach, but I didn't because I didn't need one since I had my family right there with me. I had the best sources right there. And so yes, each of my aunts and my mother had all rodeo queen. Like you said, Marshawn was Ms. Rodeo USA, my aunt Taryn was Ms. Rodeo Arizona, and my mom and my other aunt had rodeo queen as well.
00:05:44
Speaker
And so all four of them would band together and they are moms. They have busy schedules, but they would carve time out just to help me prepare and make sure that I felt the best that I could going into this pattern. So some things that we would do is we have this app called Marco Polo where we would video chat each other and they would ask me questions on there and just share little tidbits of advice.
00:06:03
Speaker
and we had little mock pageant nights where I would put my full outfits on, they would interview me, and I'd give my speeches in front of them, and they would be hard on me, but they were kind too, and that totally helped me feel prepared as I went in and ran for Miss Rodeo America.
00:06:16
Speaker
Oh yes, you had the, the home advantage. I'm going to say the home field home court advantage, but truly they were, they were able to help you at home. And that goes far beyond the rodeo arena as well, but kind of along those same lines, did they get to help? I know that you mentioned wearing clothing from your grandma, but did they get to help you design any of your newer pieces? And if so, tell us some meaning behind those. Yes. I'm glad you asked that because.
00:06:38
Speaker
Leading up to this year as Miss Rodeo Arizona you know rodeo cleaning is expensive when it comes to wardrobe because you have to not only look sharp but you need to have functional clothing for when you're at a rodeo. So it can be quite pricey but I was so lucky to be able to have a closet that had been collected cumulatively throughout the years of my family. So I used my aunt's clothes, my mom's clothes, my grandma's clothes, my great grandma's clothes,
00:07:02
Speaker
Some outfits that my great great grandmother had designed and I still get to wear those today, but also as miss rodeo America have wonderful designers and sponsors that are providing me new opportunities. To add to that closet, so I am designing a couple special pieces, one of them is the kicking up kindness outfit and those. ants of mine and my mother are all helping me design that but i'm really excited i'll keep that under the wraps a little bit, but you can know that there's kicking up kindness outfit coming soon.
00:07:25
Speaker
I can't wait. And I know everyone out there is just waiting patiently too, or maybe not so patiently for all of that, but we kind of got to move on just a little bit to talk about your life and your day to day as Ms. Rodeo America. What an honor it is to have 365 days of Ms.
Life as Miss Rodeo America
00:07:42
Speaker
Rodeo America. So kind of talk us through your day to day, even though every day is different.
00:07:46
Speaker
yeah absolutely every day is so different but i'd say some things that stay consistent are busy schedule and you're always on the road so that's one part about my famous radio america that's very fun but also grueling is you're on the road full time you're not home maybe even two or three weeks out of the year and i think we calculated that i'll have six weekends
00:08:05
Speaker
free this whole entire year. So the rest of those weekends are piled up with busy jobs and it's just so fun. So I'd say a day-to-day life of Miss Rodeo America looks different, but I get to go to school visits and teach about agriculture and rodeo and its ties to those kids, whether or not they realize that they have them. I'll do radio interviews, podcasts like this, television appearances and sponsor visits. But especially I get to go to rodeos and interact with those fans, whether new or old, and be able to hopefully instill in them more passion for the rodeo world itself.
00:08:35
Speaker
Oh yes, you definitely will. I can tell your passion or your passion and your passion runs through, but even today we got to kind of walk around the cowgirl museum in Fort Worth and we got to see you as a model. Talk to us about what it's like being able to be a model as well as a rodeo queen.
00:08:52
Speaker
Man, it is so fun being able to model. That's one very fun aspect of being Monsieur Dior America. But in that sense, I can find an analogy in it that I have to be able to prepare and present my best self as a model for these sponsors and brands that I care so much about because they're special people behind those names. But even more than that, not just modeling those clothes, but modeling the values that
00:09:11
Speaker
they hold just like Justin it's the standard of the west but what do we see is the standard of the west kindness hard work integrity and those are the very things that i need to live is miss rodeo america in order to represent that brand that goes for all of my sponsors as well it means more than people realize representing such big names that have so much history to them.
00:09:29
Speaker
Well said, I love your outlook on that that's absolutely right i'm sure a lot of people agree with you there too, but you mentioned a little bit earlier. you'll you'll have days like to like this whenever you're modeling and you're doing the fun stuff and then you'll also have times where you're. In the in the heat getting ready for a rodeo and all all the things do you have a routine that you stick with that kind of keeps it consistent for you, I know you mentioned you kind of still have a consistent schedule of traveling but talk to us a little bit a little bit about routines that you have.
00:09:56
Speaker
Absolutely.
Daily Routines and Travel Quirks
00:09:57
Speaker
Yeah. My schedule varies no matter where I'm booked out at. So having a consistent schedule is very important to me when I can control it. And that's one thing that I learned as a missionary that we can talk about a little bit later is my day would look different, just like a missionary. But what I could control is my AM and my PM. So having perfect mornings and perfect evenings changes everything. So I try and have something faith-based every morning, like reading a scripture or a passage or listening to a spiritual podcast.
00:10:23
Speaker
Same thing as at night, I try to start and end my day with a prayer for help to do whatever I do that day to best my ability. But I also bring vitamins with me that I take every day to stay healthy while I'm on the road. And of course, I like to listen to Western Sports Roundup to stay in tune and up to date on Western sports. You mentioned that you bring vitamins. Are there also some fun things that you get to bring with you along the rodeo road that maybe people don't realize? What are some fun things about you that you pack with you?
00:10:49
Speaker
Oh yeah well I am an advocate for crystallite energy maybe I shouldn't be but I'm not a big coffee drinker and crystallite energy keeps me going on those days it gives me an extra little kick so I have that everywhere I go and I was telling some people today I bring a luggage weight everywhere I go to because I'm always flying I don't get to drive very often and man I can't even tell you how hard it is to pack light as a rodeo queen especially when you want to bring all your favorite pairs of Justin boots so that luggage weight keeps me in check.
00:11:16
Speaker
Oh, yes. I so wish they had that. Or maybe they did have that when I was cleaning and I just didn't realize it, but that is so handy. That's a trick. Do you hear that out there, girls? If you're listening, rodeo queens out there or travelers alike, you guys need to invest in a suitcase. Where? Where? What's it called?
00:11:33
Speaker
Like it's way, I don't know, look it up on Amazon. They have billions of options. Mind blowing, game changing for sure. Kind of going along the same lines though. What's it like for you? I don't know if we can even get this into words, but try your best to explain what it's like to wake up as Miss Rodeo America. Like, are you still, I mean, it's June now. Are you still in shock?
Impactful Experiences and Role as Miss Rodeo America
00:11:57
Speaker
oh my heck it never gets old and i was telling someone today too i still sometimes look in the mirror and see this crowd on my head and it hits me and my body just feels like rushed with goosebumps and my eyes filled with tears i just still cannot believe it but even more than that it that feeling comes quite often when i meet people on the road because i meet people
00:12:15
Speaker
Of so many different types of backgrounds yesterday I was talking to a gal in the airport from Memphis who had never experienced a rodeo but loved my outfit. And I was like girl, you need to get yourself a pair of Justin boots because they let go with everything but. She also liked the meaning behind that that i'm carrying on the legacy of my family that I got to talk about so that's the coolest experience of all and it is surreal and that'll never be old.
00:12:35
Speaker
No, it won't. And you mentioned airports. So I've got to ask you, what's your favorite airport story? Because every rodeo queen out there, every state queen at least has a great airport story. Oh my heck. Well, do you want the good one or the bad one? Good, bad, ugly, everything in between. Let's hear it.
00:12:52
Speaker
Oh my gosh well as Miss Rodeo America of course a part of my uniform is I always have a hat and a crown on. I have a full face of makeup and an outfit that includes my sponsor so I'm always wearing Justin Doots Wrangler jeans and I always have my sash and my Montana silversmith buckle so
00:13:07
Speaker
quite the get up. It's a little bit heavy and kind of complicated to go through TSA pre-check, which I've had multiple encounters of, you know, like struggling to put my belt back on in a rush to get to my gate or people asking questions about why in the world I'm wearing all of this at 3 a.m catching a red-eye flight, you know, but I think some of the cooler experiences are I end up sitting next to someone that I need to sit next to seemingly every time I go on a plane and I am flying a lot. So that's saying something and just this week
00:13:37
Speaker
The last time I was on a plane, I was next to a really cute girl who's trying to get into the Western world, and I was able to give her some connections. And she filled my heart as she gave me some experience that she had just had with losing her mom, and I'm dealing with grief myself. So it's always something that I and the other person benefit from, and I'm just in awe of how often that happens. So it's really, it's stressful going through airports, but it's really worth it being able to meet people from all over.
00:14:03
Speaker
What a beautiful story too. I'm sure the amount of people at the airports and at rodeos all across the United States, Canada, Australia, everywhere. What is the most impactful situation that you've had? That's pretty impactful, but has there been a time with a young girl or something that really just touched your heart the most? You know, I'd say I've had too many, which is a blessing. I've had so many of these experiences. I can't really pinpoint one, but I know one that has benefited me
00:14:30
Speaker
is I met a really darling little rodeo queen that's very young at an event this year and she ended up telling me that she had recognized me because she had met my angel Nana a couple years ago the last time that she was at the NFR with our group the cowgirls historical foundation and that was the year that I was on my mission trip so I wasn't with her.
00:14:47
Speaker
And I've regretted not being with her almost every day since because I wished I had experienced that with her. But in return, it almost made up for that meeting this little girl because she said that she had met her and being able to give that little girl hug, it almost felt like I was hugging my net again. So I'm just, there's, I'm so full of gratitude for all these little stories. It almost feels like God makes every day just for me. And it's almost like I'm the only person in the world who makes me feel like that. So as Mr. Audio America, especially being on the road away from my family, I really appreciate those experiences.
00:15:17
Speaker
Wow, Kennedy, I just got chills. What a beautiful story. I'm so thankful that you shared and I want to say thank you for being vulnerable there too. That was a very, very, very neat situation, but let's kind of brighten it up a little bit. Let's put the tears away and kind of move on to the future of rodeo cleaning and more specifically the what's about to happen for you. I mean, you're about, you're in the thick of things about to happen, about to go to
Upcoming Brazil Trip and Language Skills
00:15:40
Speaker
cowboy Christmas. So talk about the busyness that you're about to experience over the next couple of weeks.
00:15:44
Speaker
There are so many cool experiences here to come soon this summer. I'm going to hit 13 states just on my summer run and a different country. I'm going to Brazil in August, which I'm very excited about to visit the people that I served on my mission and some of our family and friends there. I'm going to be able to make some connections for Justin, Wrangler, AQHA, all of the wonderful sponsors that I get to represent. Very excited about that. It's going to be tightly packed. I won't go home at all. But man, I feel right at home when I have all these people in my rodeo family around me too.
00:16:12
Speaker
And since you mentioned it, we've got to have you say some things in Portuguese. Will you say maybe introduce yourself and tell us about your day or really anything you want and then we'll have you translate it.
00:16:23
Speaker
Okay, sure thing, okay. So I guess in English that just meant, I introduced myself as Kennedy Riggs in Australia America,
00:16:49
Speaker
And so that I'm so thankful to stand in this position where I get to represent such a wonderful, rich history of the cowboy that I hope continues for years to come.
00:16:57
Speaker
Wow. I love to know the history of the amount of rodeo Americas that are also fluent in another language, but probably not very many. Wow. That will suit you so well, especially when you get to go to Brazil for rodeo there as well. So thanks for doing that little fun little translation for us. That's so awesome. And shout out to all of our Brazilian Cowboys out there, the ones that are making their way and paving their way in rodeo over here in America, even.
00:17:21
Speaker
That's so incredible. I noticed earlier that your phone is also in Portuguese. Is it hard for you to see your phone constantly in Portuguese and then look at things in English? Does it ever get confusing? Well, luckily enough, my time that I spent in Brazil gave me a foundation that I have built on and I had a little bit of a foundation since I was a little girl of Portuguese and Brazilian culture too. I'm fluent enough to where it's not my first language, but it's not hard to have my phone in Portuguese and it helps me stay in the fluency too so that when I run into those Brazilians, I'm not rusty.
00:17:50
Speaker
Wow, man, you're a jack of all trades for sure, right there. So pass the rodeo a little bit. Let's talk more about the future of Miss Rodeo America and Miss Rodeo America pageant. That's right around the corner. I know it's June, the month of July is probably going to be just a whirlwind, but soon you're going to start preparing for the pageant and the girls back home at their states are also going to start preparing.
Pageant Insights and Family Support
00:18:13
Speaker
So what are some juicy secrets or some tidbits that you could share with us about the pageant to look forward to?
00:18:19
Speaker
Well, I do know that horsemanship is going to look a little bit different this year. I'm really excited about what's to come, so keep your eyes peeled for that. It's going to be streamed on the Wrangler network, so you can catch it whether you're there in person or at home, but we're really excited to be back at the South Point once again for our Mystery of America pageant. It's a grueling time for those girls that are running, and I can say that from experience truly, but it is so much fun watching from the outside, so you have to go and buy your tickets online. It's June right now. It's the perfect time to go and
00:18:46
Speaker
secure your spot because they sell out quick. And I promise you, you do not want to miss the fashion show this year either. That's a little wink there. Fashion show. That's my favorite part personally. I'm sure there's going to be dancing. Who knows? There could even be singing. You just never know. Sometimes there's all kinds of things, but besides the fashion show, what is, do you think the most influential part of the pageant, maybe a moment for you last year that you realized, okay, I can really do this or, or maybe that you really couldn't, you know, what was a pivotal moment?
00:19:16
Speaker
I think for every girl, this is sort of the case the night before the last day of the pageant, when they are to announce the winner, it kind of hits everybody like a ton of bricks reality does. And you realize you're either going to walk away with that crown or you're going to walk away with a different dream in front of you. And that's hard to accept. It's a hard reality. And especially in a world where people are handed participation ribbons, we in the rodeo world still represent hierarchy. We really do love awarding winners, even if everybody there deserves it.
00:19:46
Speaker
So that last night I remember personally was a little bit scary for me because I remember thinking, man, this this piece of information tomorrow is going to change my life. And it's still going to be for good, no matter what, but I'm going to go in one direction or the other.
00:19:59
Speaker
And I remember praying for comfort because I was filled with a little bit of anxiety, just knowing what was in front of me. And I know all those girls experienced the same thing. But one really special little thing that I experienced at the pageant was a little kind deed that my family had done for one of my aunts, Marshawn, who was Miss Rodeo USA, wrote me a little card to open every morning of the pageant to give me a little bit of encouragement. But the special part about it was she wrote me a handwritten card for each morning. And she also included a copied strip of paper that had a little piece of something that my Nana had written in her own journal.
00:20:29
Speaker
So there were different quotes, experiences, scriptures, all these things that I ended up meeting those very things that very day. And that last morning, the morning of coronation, I opened my card and the quote that she had put in there from my Nana said, a smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight.
00:20:45
Speaker
And when the time came for me to answer my question in the top five, which is very pivotal moment for the judges to decide who the winner will be, that quote popped into my mind and it was perfectly relative to the question that I was asked. And I just felt like my Nana had answered the question for me. So just special little moments like that make all of the stress and pressure go away and swallow them up in gratitude and joy and
00:21:08
Speaker
That was my experience. And so I'm very excited for these girls up and coming to prepare and have their own experiences like that too in Las Vegas.
00:21:16
Speaker
You are such a graceful woman. And I remember Darla Fisher and I got to sit, um, kind of close to the front row for coronation and watch and no wonder that it was such an emotional experience for you. I know by that point, personally speaking from opinions, you're from, um, doing it, you're, you're so stressed out, you're tired, you're sleep deprived, all of it. So the emotions easily roll, but I feel like that was just an emotional day all the way around. And what a cool,
00:21:42
Speaker
thing to hold on to for the rest of your life, even after your years in this rodeo America, there's going to be so many things that you're going to look back on the pageant and think, wow, that was, that was really cool. So thank you for sharing that mine. Mine wasn't as emotional. Mine was definitely kind of a funny, oh crap moment. Um, the first night I was so excited for the miss rodeo America pageant to get started. And, um, I was taking vitamins, you know, how you do, you got to get with it. And I took vitamin B12.
00:22:11
Speaker
right before bed. And for those who don't know, it's energy. I maybe got a total of two hours of sleep the first night of the pageant. But yeah, it was fun. It made it all worth it. And you're exactly right. Memories still last a lifetime. So thank you for sharing your special memory too.
00:22:30
Speaker
Before we go, though, I want to kind of talk about fashion, a little bit I know we got to touch briefly on your fun surprise kicking up kindness outfit.
Fashion Trends and Pageant Advice
00:22:38
Speaker
But in terms of fashion in general, what are some of the things that you're looking forward to seeing at the pageant are you looking to see looking forward to seeing friends rhinestones talk about it. Well, one thing that i'm very excited about when we talk about our partners wrangler has some very exciting things to come.
00:22:53
Speaker
And if you were at market this year in Dallas, you were able to see that they're coming out with a Barbie line this year. They did a collaboration with Mattel who's releasing the Barbie live action movie this summer. And oh my heck, I can't even tell you how cute that line is. I'm so excited. I'm sure that some of that will be incorporated into the fashion show, but I know that for sure we'll be seeing some fun fringe. Of course, as always, that's a classic cowboy look, but there are a little bit more sparkle this year in color. So just keep your eyes peeled, stay tuned and make sure that you do not miss your chance to watch that fashion show.
00:23:23
Speaker
I agree. That's one of my favorite parts. Um, but before we go, we're almost out of time. I've got to ask, what's your one piece of advice for the girls that are preparing for the pageant? What could you tell them to do better? And then also another thing, what could you, what would you tell the people that want to get involved in rodeo or just even want to become a rodeo queen that in, in a whole itself? Absolutely. Well, the first part of your question to any state girl who might be listening to this in the future running for miss rodeo America, it is a crazy experience and it's a whirlwind.
00:23:52
Speaker
But the best way you can prepare yourself is develop yourself as your personality, if that makes sense. And I think a lot of girls get caught up in the fact that, yes, you need to study, you need to practice riding different horses. You need to be prepared for those things temporarily. But I think that the best form of preparation that I had that really prepared me for the Mystery of America pageant was my spirituality. I made sure that I was in line, no matter what your belief is, make sure that you feel good about the way that you're living. You serve others. That is the best way to feel happy. And when you're happy, your nerves are swallowed up.
00:24:21
Speaker
and you will perform the best and another thing that really helps with that too is you know when you focus on when you talk about focusing on what matters think about what makes you feel most comfortable what makes you feel at home when you're on the road for me that's my faith and when you can connect with other people that's the best part of it so when you're at that pageant connect with those girls around you they're not just your competition they're your friends and that will so help all of you guys
00:24:45
Speaker
Just get rid of the nerves and perform your best. I would say that's my biggest piece of advice. Prepare the most you can, but that's the best form of preparation. And to anyone out there that wants to get involved in the Western industry, we welcome you with open arms.
Promoting Kindness and Social Media Presence
00:24:57
Speaker
I love the diversity of backgrounds in the Western industry. And, you know, you look at Wrangler and Justin and all these big names that represent Western fashion and culture. And we have people feeding in from all different sorts of backgrounds and upbringings to help us
00:25:10
Speaker
get into different industries and we're seeing exactly that. Please come and bring your talents and gifts and use them for good because that's exactly what we are as a Western industry. We represent good, wholesome values of the past that we want to bring to the future.
00:25:23
Speaker
And the future is bright for rodeo rodeo, Queening in general. Yes. Um, thank you, Kennedy, for taking the time to talk with us today. And before we go, let's allow you to have, give yourself a shout out. Where can people follow along on your journey websites? Talk about everything. We want to, we want to be able to have people follow you and support you after during miss ready America and after and beyond. So tell us your socials, all of it. Well, thank you so much. Yeah. You can follow the miss rodeo America, social media pages on Instagram, Facebook, and take talks.
00:25:50
Speaker
TikTok, excuse me. And of course we post YouTube videos here and there of tutorials, but along with that, we're also on the cowgirl channel. We're so excited about that this year. And I have now a weekly segment every Wednesday during the women's Western sports roundup where you can catch one of my interviews of kicking up kindness. Another place you can find kicking up kindness, not just this year, but beyond is my own personal social media. So Kennedy rigs, but especially the kicking up kindness podcast you can find on Spotify, Apple podcasts,
00:26:17
Speaker
And then of course we have social media for that too where we post a lot of our interviews and clips from that. So you can find the kindness journal or kicking up kindness on Instagram.
00:26:26
Speaker
Wow. You got a lot going for you. Your future is so bright. I'm so honored to have been able to spend a little bit of time with you. I wish you the very best in, in your endeavors during your years, miss radio America and beyond. And girl, I'm going to be praying for you. I know there's a lot of people out there that will. I'm just so, so excited for everything that you're doing, not only as a person, but in the industry as well. You're definitely kicking up kindness. So thank you for kicking up kindness on the kick your boots up podcast.
00:26:52
Speaker
Thank you, Taylor. And I have to say, I have to give a shout out to Taylor too, because she has been one of my inspirations of kindness. Even just seeing a glimpse of her on the rodeo queen series, which you can catch on the cowboy and cowgirl channel too. I remember thinking that girl is sweet. She's got a cute, kind personality, and you've totally been an inspiration to me too. So let's keep kicking up kindness all together. Of course, that's what Justin Woods is all about. I love that, Kennedy. Yes. Thank you so much. And good luck with the rest of your year.