Horse Girl Chat: Fighting Obesity, Grief, and Life’s Challenges with Michelle Serna (@brokeasshorsegirl)
01:26:57 Share

This is the Pursuit of Wellness podcast, and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn. Michelle, welcome to the Pursuit of Wellness. Hello. This is crazy. This is so crazy. Hi, everyone. Guys, I mean, just for context, like, you guys probably know Michelle as Broke Ass Horse Girl. Or not at all. Or not at all! So this is my friend Michelle. She is...

very important to me because I feel like we just have a lot in common. Yeah. In general, you're like my go-to horse girl. Like you are, if I have a single question, it's going to you. I'm the horse encyclopedia. EG every like five minutes. I'm texting you like, why is his hoof like this? What's who do I call? I'm like, what kind of hay is this? And you're like, babe, you've got to figure this out. Like you can Google it.

But guys, Michelle has like a really big TikTok following. She posts all about horses, life, CrossFit. I mean, you post about everything, really. Yeah, me. Just you. Yeah. And what I love about Michelle is that she's very candid. This is me giving you a speech. This is so funny. This is like, I'm getting emotional. It's the medication.

No, I really have been crying a lot. Like every time someone says something to me, I'm like, what did you say? Michelle's very candid, very real. And I really like that and appreciate that. I think especially in content, people want to see that. And I feel like you do not beat around the bush. No, I'm not one for... It feels like lying. Yeah, like to airbrush everything? Yeah, it's like...

And for what? I also, okay, for context, guys, my horse, Red, stayed with Michelle for a week when I first tried him out. And I got to go stay with Michelle and really see, like, your life top to bottom. And you're, like, a very capable person.

Thank you. It does not feel like that always. She keeps her horses at her house. She like has a massive trailer that she hooks up to her truck. Basically, you're living my dream life. Yeah. So I would like wake up and be like, okay, what do we do now? She has like five dogs. It's like a whole thing. It's like chaos. It's chaos, but in the best way. Yeah, it is. I have a really good life. Yeah. Like it's a lot. Like I think most people –

the early emergence into my life would send them into a spiral. Like they'd be like, I don't know what to do here. But it just flows because I'm like, whatever. Tell people how you like got into horses to begin with. Yeah. And like where did you learn everything that you know? So I'm one of the lucky ones. I was born into the industry. I,

Literally, I had ponies waiting for me when I was born. My dad had always wanted a daughter. And my dad, he started working in the livestock supply and feed store business when he was 15 years old. My dad was one of 15 kids.

didn't come from two pennies to rub together. And he just loved horses, like loved horses. My grandfather loved horses. And I was just really fortunate that I was born into it. And my parents were in the industry professionally by way of owning a feed store. And a boarding facility was connected to our property and,

I just always had a horse. Like I always had a horse and I was really lucky that my dad kind of let me discover it. Yeah. And I just always had access. Like it wasn't fancy access, but I had access to education and to knowledge. And I was really fortunate that I had a situation where –

my parents pushed me towards it. It never was drawing me back, which I think is a thing that a lot of kids experience is like wanting to do it. And their parents are like, no, whether it's for financial reasonings or just not wanting to get into it because it's a lifestyle. But I just, I got into horses and I say, I never, I never got over it. Yeah. Like it never got old. It really is an addiction. Yeah, it is. It's just, it like, there is no me that exists

Without horses. Like I've always been Michelle that rides horses. And for me there's no realm of reality where I don't do this. And it's so simple. To me it's like that's just what I do. That's just what I do. And I guess I'm coming at it from a different angle because I didn't grow up in it. And now I'm so obsessed with it. And I almost feel this like –

I don't know. I have a little bit of an obstacle to overcome because when you're not born into it, number one, it's like hard. It's hard. Yeah. Like you don't really know where to begin. Well, and there's just like, there's so, you know, there is so much information and it's really overwhelming. And the hard thing about horse people is that everyone is really set in their way. It's like, this is the way I do it. And you're like, but I learned it differently over the,

there. And it's like, well, that's wrong. And it gets really overwhelming because you're like, oh my God, I'm doing it wrong and I'm going to do something. And I learned a long time ago, and I learned that from my dad, because I had such access to professionals and people, just horse people. My whole life has been horse people. And he'd be like, no, you can learn something from everyone. You don't have to necessarily take it with you, but there's a million ways to get... I tell you all the time, you're like, is this right? And I'm like,

Sure. Sure. Like try it. You know what I mean? What's the worst that's going to happen? Like it's simply a lifestyle of trial and error. Dude, it's the same thing with wellness. Yes, it is. It's life. There is a million ways to do everything. Period. And you just kind of have to get confidence in doing it and also having confidence in doing it wrong.

Period. And just trying it. It's better to go and do it. And like, I mean, remember the first time I went to ride red by myself and you weren't there and I was like tacking up the Western saddle alone, watching your fricking video. You made me like five times calling you like, Oh my God, this, the cinches to whatever, whatever.

But like if you make a mistake, it's fine. And honestly, it's probably better because you're going to learn never to do it again. Literally just fix it. And dude, and that is such a thing. That was such a thing for me as a kid would be like I would do something. It would lead to ultimate failure. And my dad would like look at me and I'd be like, what the heck, dude? Like why didn't you tell me? And he'd be like, I had to figure it out. Yeah. Like.

That is truly the only way you learn. If your saddle falls off sideways, you're never doing it again. Exactly. And I have experiences like that all the time. I did something like two weeks ago with my horse that I was like, okay, check. Never doing that one again. I think I almost just died. Wait, when the boat flipped over backwards? Yeah. What do you mean? When you were at the Bower Race? Yeah, I was at the Bower Race and it was just like chaos. It was like pure chaos. Yeah. And I was in tears. Oh, yeah.

And that lady was mean to you? Yeah. I get taken back sometimes. And I was like, all right. That's the other thing that people don't realize is how crazy horse people are. And that's the reason I feel like you and I click because you're the first person, honestly, in the horse world that I'm like, oh, this girl's relatively normal. Yeah. No. And I spend a lot of time doing that too. Like, I feel like I'm deeply, deeply rooted in reality. And I spend a lot of time being like,

What's going on here? What is happening here? And I honestly think it's because I stepped away. I never stepped away from horses. But I went from like growing up rural, life was all about rodeo to I'm going to move to San Francisco and work in tech now. And like it just flipped a switch on me and like life is not that serious. Wait, talk about that because, guys, Michelle was working at a tech company once.

if you don't mind me saying, like making like a really high salary, living a city life. Yeah. And then completely packed up and moved to Decatur, Texas. Like what? Talk about that.

Yeah, so I, okay, so I grew up like really rural and honestly, I always wanted to live in a city. Like I would say that I was like, I want to live in a city. And at the end of high school, I was burnt on like rodeo. I wasn't burnt on the animal, never been burnt on horses, but I was really burnt on the competitive nature of things. And I had had some really cool experiences in high school with like dogs.

speaking at TEDx events and TED events and like normal side quests for me but like really cool experience and I kind of just decided that I wanted to work in the tech industry because I was like there's a lot of money to be made there like full transparency I was like that sounds like an avenue to buying a nice horse like I'm gonna go off and do that and so I did that after I like moved to San Francisco and I worked in the tech industry in med tech actually um

And had like kind of this entire career. And I think ultimately it won. It solidified that the lifestyle that I enjoy is one – is the one that I live now of just being with animals and being far away from town and having nothing but an All Supps available to me in a Walmart 30 minutes away. But it was almost like I just needed to do it. To try it. To try it. Because what is life if you just live the same day over and over again? And that's kind of what –

what rodeoing in college would have been for me is like, and not to speak down on anybody that did it, but like, it was like, I never would have met any new people. I never would have gotten like a better grip on reality and on what's important. And I think I would be just as insane as other horse people. Yeah. Because your whole life is about that. It's just the whole thing is like, and don't get me wrong, my whole life is horses, but also like,

They'll always be there. It's never going to go away if I take a week off to go gallivant somewhere. You know what I mean? And I also feel like you have a different mindset with everything I noticed because you have this like business mentality. You almost, with your content and your horse life, I feel like you have this like discipline and drive. Yeah. That I don't see with other people. Yeah. And I honestly like that for me, I think one, I've always been kind of like,

high achiever-esque, not saying that I've achieved high, but, you know, I've always kind of wanted to do something different. And I think, you know, with the horse industry, I don't, you know, there's certain individuals like Fallon Taylor, right, who have made this a business. She's a businesswoman. Wait, tell everyone who that is because they're not going to know.

Fallon Taylor, she's a professional barrel racer. That's her occupation. But she's also the founder and CEO of Tactical and Ranch Dressin, which are two companies. One is an apparel company and one's a tack company in the Western world. And honestly, she was kind of the first horse influencer. Like she really did walk so that the rest of us could run. And she had to walk through like –

fire nails and broken glass um and she made it a business and that is what a lot of people don't

They never break that point of it's not just about horses. Everything about it is so monetizable, especially in today's day and age. Everybody loves cowboys. Guys, the jeans that you are always asking me what brand they are, they're ranch dressing. Yep. Right? That's how you say it. Ranch dressing. They're like the low rise denim I always ride in them. Super comfortable. Really flattering. Don't rip. Obsessed. Yeah. And I order all my stuff from Tacos.

And accessible. This is a plug. Is this sponsored? And accessible. No, Fallon's been an incredible friend to me. She's a lot of help to me with my horses, and she's also, like, extremely supportive of me and the path which I'm going down, which is kind of hard for a lot of people to wrap their heads around, I think. ♪♪

You guys know Todd Anderson, the sleep expert, has been on my show a couple of times and I'm such a big fan of his brand Dream Recovery. They have science-backed solutions to help you feel your best every single morning. I love using tools to help optimize my sleep, whether it's cooling down the room, using mattresses that are more comfortable, sheets that are more comfortable, and really just setting a vibe in the bedroom that helps you get the best sleep possible, which in turn will help you with your energy, your mood, your health in general. And I love using

Dream Recovery has a new mouth tape called the new Dream Tape Plus. It combines all the benefits of mouth tape with a skincare routine. I know a lot of women who are nervous about mouth tape kind of damaging the skin around the mouth. And this is why they used clinically backed anti-aging ingredients that are infused into the tape, such as collagen, biotin, vitamin D and vitamin B.

Sleep is the foundation of health and there is nothing better than waking up feeling refreshed and ready to attack the day. So use code POW for 20% off your order at dreamrecovery.io. Geometry offers a variety of kitchen, bath, beach, and active towels and recently launched their first ever blanket, which I received in the mail and I absolutely love. All of the products are made from post-consumer recycled materials, which I think is such a fantastic mission.

They have thoughtful design and a collaboration process and is committed to supporting artists and creatives worldwide while delivering the highest level of household performance. I have been using the towels nonstop by our pool, with the dogs, with us.

The geometry products are perfect for gifting with prints for every season, style and occasion. Plus the new butter blanket is the stuff cuddle dreams are made of light and compact, but oh so soft and silky. It's the perfect thing to throw around the house or put in your travel bag. Geometry just kicked off their 20% off site wide sale for Black Friday on November 20th.

Visit www.geometry.house to shop their Black Friday sale that just started yesterday, November 20th, and use code POW, P-O-W, at checkout for an additional 15% off your order. That is G-E-O-M-E-T-R-Y dot H-O-U-S-E, and use code POW for an additional 15% off your order. And also, I think there's not a lot of money in horses, which people don't realize. Right.

Yeah, like it's insane. I think like there's a lot of money circulating. There's not a lot of money profiting. It's not very liquid. There's not a lot of liquidity happening in these parts of the world.

Me, myself, and I. Liquidity, low. Broke ass horse girl. Yeah, it's literally in the name, people. But, you know, there's just like, with anything, horses right now actually reminds me of like what surfing is.

looked like 15 years ago. What BMX and skateboarding and even tennis. Tennis has seen the same revolution, which ultimately is just the corporatization of the sport, which I think a lot of people are struggling with. But unfortunately, if anybody ever wants to make a dollar, we have to begin to go far past the animal. And at the end of the day, it's an entertainment sport.

Do you think the amount of interest in horses is going down? Yes. Like in Western and English or just in general? It is literally research has shown that yes, while media interest is... Like the aesthetic of it. Skyrocketed. Yeah. Um...

the actual performance data of horse showing and all those things is down. And that's one from an accessibility standpoint because who can afford, right? Who can afford it? Who can afford, who can do the longevity of this game? And that is where I come back with, but from a media standpoint, from a cultural standpoint,

Yeah. Massive uptick. I also feel like how you were saying horse people can be really stuck in their ways. I feel that way about the marketing of it. Yes. Because even me trying to find a bond to board Red Hat was impossible. Everything is a handshake. Everything is very family. I mean, even from a corporate standpoint, you know, I have a big following, right? I've got a big following. I've got really solid analytics.

I can name 20 companies that would say they won't touch me with a 10-foot pole because of my username. Bloom works with you, babe. Dude, and...

And that's how we know we're going in the right direction. Period. But it's, you know what I mean? That's the problem, right? Is companies like you are going to be able to come into our world and like have an impact. But it's been tricky. It's hard. Yeah. They don't make it easy. No. Nothing about this world is easy. You got to know somebody's cousin all the time. Yeah. And so it just, it flounders. Mm-hmm.

Literally it flounders and it happens all the time. These projects pop up and it's going to be the next big thing and somebody's father puts in $20 million for their son to start a company and they print a bunch of t-shirts and baseball caps and pass them out at rodeos and then three years later, what happened? Nothing.

This is like so funny to me because now that I'm so obsessed with it, I just am like, I want more. Why aren't people doing more? Let's provide. And it's very interesting to me that an area inundated with such wealth provided by people that have done great things is simultaneously inundated with a bunch of mediocrity. And that's harsh for some people. But like facts don't lie. Yeah.

This is what I meant. I'm so excited about this episode. You're going to make people upset. Reality says. The horse people are going to listen and be like, oh my God. Oh no. Wait, okay. So back to people listening who maybe want to like get into riding. Where do they even begin? Okay. So I have opinions on this. Okay. I truly believe, and this is coming from a barrel racer, that the best foundation you can gather is,

in a swift introduction to horses, but please don't stick around, is that English lesson, Barnes?

I really do feel that way. That's what I did. I think that lesson barns truly are like the backbone of equestrian sport because, sorry, some poor woman out there needs to get all these children interested in it and needs to get them off on a good foot. A lot of adults, I think they're scared to like, oh, I'm going to like go learn with a bunch of kids. Dude, everybody has to learn at some point. Like it's just got to happen. Yeah.

And so I really do urge people to like take like, dude, my dad was a lessons guy. Like a lot of my philosophy on learning how to ride comes from my father because I was really lucky that my father wanted everyone to ride. Like he was the kind of guy that was buying lessons for my friends to go get on a lesson horse because he knew that.

Riding horses isn't about riding horses. That's not like – that's not what this is. It's not about that. It's about everything else that encompasses it and what it teaches you and what it can provide you. So I urge people. I'm like, go take lessons for two years. Like figure out if this is something that you like. And, you know, it's hard to get educated. But I always tell people the moment you feel like you're being taken advantage of, run. Keep going.

Like, you know, just because you don't know anything about horses doesn't mean you don't know anything about not getting taken advantage of. You know what it feels like to have your money stolen. Everybody does. You're like, wait a minute, am I being robbed? And I think also people are really afraid to establish relationships with people

people that have experience. I mean, that was kind of the foundation of our relationship was like, you just kind of asked me some questions and I'm like, yeah, I'll answer your questions. Like, I don't have a chip on my shoulder here. Like at one point I didn't know anything. Yeah. Like we're always learning. Um, so I tell people go, go find a lesson barn. Don't dump a bunch of money into it. Don't go buy a young horse. Don't, don't go do crazy things. Take it simmer, make your mistakes. We're all going to do it. I've bought horses. I shouldn't have bought.

And, you know, and then like you hit your two-year mark where I'm like, all right, you're Western now. Do Western. But time to do it by yourself. Totally. Yeah. And...

I was so reliant on other people. That's the thing. So like for context, guys, I started writing two to three years ago now and I kind of went off the deep end. I wasn't even at a lesson barn. I was at like a private showing facility. Yeah, you went hardcore. I went hardcore, but like, I'm kind of glad I did that honestly because I was writing so much. Yes. I leased a horse named Cosette. She hated me. I hated her, but she taught me a lot. Yeah. We did not vibe. She was kind of a bitch.

She was a mare. Mares. Mares. Anyway, so I was learning on Cosette and I would go down there like, I mean, it was an hour away from me plus and I would drive down there three, four times a week. I was obsessed. So within a couple of months I was like, I'm buying a horse. Yeah. And my mistake, obsessed with what color it was. Yeah, dude. Big beginner mistake. Big beginner. Dude, beginners, the other thing too is like beginners are like, I want something, uh,

you know, cute and like pretty and like young. Cause like, I don't want it to get old. No. Okay. Here's what you need to do when you're a beginner. Go find the oldest been there, done that slowest. Like I didn't have, honestly, I didn't have a fancy horse until I was an adult.

I think that's reasonable. I never had a fancy horse. Most of my horses, you know, were older, had been there, done that. Like the best, the greatest horse I probably have ever owned in what they taught me was that Maricoco. Yeah.

$1,200 pony. I mean, literally bought off the side of the road type of deal. And was not fancy. She's a Welsh quarter horse pony. But she allowed me to gain education on my own time. And, I mean, I did have a lot of success on her, but...

All of the best horses I ever owned were kind of like older. Been there, done that. Not fancy to look at, but they taught me so much. So much. And now that I'm in a position where I finally, for the first time in my life, I have nice horses. And I kind of wish, I mean, Bo was incredible and I was obsessed with him and we did a lot together. Like I won ribbons on him, which was like my childhood dream. And he was awesome. But like in retrospect, I mean, I learned to jump on him. I think I learned a lot of the basics. Yeah.

He was probably too nice to begin with. Yeah. And then also very injured, which I didn't know. Happens. We all get a lemon. But I think you're right. I think lesson bond, just like look for local lessons near you, get the basics down. And I would also say like I reached a point where I got, and maybe we're going too far off the deep end with horses here, but-

For anyone who's still here, they're probably a horse person. So I probably went a little too, like when I was doing English, like close to the end where I was calling you, like crying, leaving you gone. I was so obsessed with like being good and like,

I need to get better. I need to, like, I was just so obsessed with that, that it sucked the joy out of it for me. And I was like, wait, I'm doing this for fun and I hate it. Yeah. You know? And then it got sketchy because he was bucking and whatever. But like, besides the point, I was like, they, they make it feel like you have to show to even be riding. And it's like, no, literally not the case. I say all the time, if, if I reached a crossroads where somebody was like, Hey, listen, um, you may never show a horse again.

I'd be like, okay. Yeah. I'll ride in my horse. And I say that all the time with people and horses. And again, that was another thing that my dad deeply ingrained in me. He was like, you're not having fun. What are we doing here? Like, scrap it. You have a really good attitude around it, I feel like. It has to be fun. Yeah. And what is the point? You know, and I always like, and I tell you the same thing. And I tell myself the same thing. Sometimes I'll get a little bit like, you know, and it's like, dude,

There are a million girls who literally would do anything to take one lesson a week. No, that makes me cry. Like walking around on an old broke down horse. Yeah. And I've got to spend my entire life with the creature. Mm-hmm. I have nothing to complain about ever. Yeah. Like I could hit all three cans and you're probably going to see me laugh about it because –

That's a barrel racing joke, guys. Oh, yeah. Sometimes when we're running around them, I have a... You're supposed to go around them, but I like to go through them oftentimes. You know what? I... Okay. Not that I'm... The one time I freaking barrel raced at that... Whatever we were at. I hit my leg on one of them and I had a bruise for literally a month. Yeah, no, it's hurt. I literally have scars because I'm good at going through them, but... But it's like...

For what? Yeah. Life's too short. Guys, the horse I have now, I literally just go. He's great. And I go around the ring a few times and then I go on a trail ride and I am ecstatic. He was a great purchase. And he is the personification of the tried and true horse that every...

like nervous ammy needs like and you didn't need to go spend three million thousand dollars on him he was like he was accessible and you know yeah maybe you're not gonna go like win the 1d on him but it's not about that it's about graduating to the next to the next level like you can't get there until you're ready to get there and he's just nice he's just a nice guy like nice dude i was gonna keep him if you didn't want him i was gonna be like he's mine now okay but question like when i'm super pregnant

Should I send him to your house? Back at my house. Okay. Because I don't know what I'm going to do. He can take a gander with me. Yeah. You've seen how mine live. Yeah. He loved it up there. They got potions. Oh my God. He's going to see Bam Bam and be like. My girl? My girl. Long lost love. That was sad when she left. That was actually sad. It was kind of traumatizing. I was like. She has that impact on horses. I know. She's so stunning. They're obsessed with her. She's a narcissist. Yeah. She's blonde. She's depressed. Yeah. Yeah. She's all of us.

You guys know I'm so particular with my skincare. I pretty much only use Clear Stem at this point. It is the first skincare line that combines all three categories, anti-acne, anti-aging, clean, and free of hormone disruptors and pore clogging fillers. I am very close with the founders, Danielle and Kaylee, and I truly believe in their mission. They have both struggled with acne themselves, so they get it and they know the ingredients that should and should not be in these products.

Plus, I love the fact that they consider the inner issues that could be happening too with their acne lab test. They help thousands of people get to the root cause of their acne through comprehensive lab testing and lifestyle-based recommendations. This is such an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to acne. So I highly recommend you guys check that out. Some of my favorite products from ClearStem are the Gentle Cleanser. I love the serums. I love the hair care, the body lotion, the lip balm. You really can't go wrong.

Visit clearstemskincare.com and use code POW at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Again, that's code POW for 20% off your first purchase at clearstemskincare.com.

You guys know I love my supplements and I'm so excited to share with you a groundbreaking supplement companion app designed to help you take control of your supplement routine with data-powered tools and expert insights. This is a tool I wish I had had years ago to help me analyze and manage my supplement routine. With all the supplements I take, it's so easy for me to forget the right dose at the right time. With Supco's smart schedule, you just load in your supplement routine and the app reminds you when and how to take your next dose.

I feel like with the order I take my supplements, I have certain ones that I need to take morning, lunch and night. And this really helps me remember everything and take it at the right time. I feel like we're all taking different things for different reasons. And SUPCO can be the perfect tool to help you sort through what you really should be taking, what you shouldn't and the order you should be taking it. And I also feel like consistency is so key with this kind of thing. So it's really important to stay on top of it. You can also find the best possible products in any nutrient category worldwide.

with a filter trust score, price, serving, and pill type. It's like a kayak for supplements, which I think is so incredible. They will even send you reminders to take your supplements so you can stay on track and never miss a dose. Supco is currently in beta and users can get 100% free access by going to sup.co slash pow, sup.co slash pow. Podcast listeners will also get early access to Supco's founding membership when it launches in early 2025. ♪♪

Okay, question also. People ask me all the time, like, how to get over, a lot of horse people ask how to get over a bad fall. Miles. Just get back on. Get back on. I, unfortunately, I got nothing else for people. People be like, I'm scared. I'm like, do it more. No, literally do it more. Literally, like, I even had that. Like, when I bought Bird, my maturity horse, who is a lot of, she's a lot of animal. She's a very, very nice animal. I'm very fortunate to have her.

She scares the hell out of me. She scares me. She scares everybody. She scares a lot of people. I would never get on good. She's misunderstood. I could never get on good. She's misunderstood. She has a good heart and she has a solid mind. And luckily, she's really good when you run her. But everywhere else, you better...

Like, dude, I pucker. Like, I'm scared when I'm on that horse. And genuinely, it comes down to every week when I'm like, I'm getting nauseous on a Sunday thinking about the barrel races I'm going to. I'm like, I just got to go. Good mentality. I mean, even with Red, who literally is never going to do anything wrong, I get a little anxious. If I take a week off,

I feel differently about riding. If I go every day, I'm sort of unfazed by it. No, and like that's one thing that Fallon has told me a lot about that mare. Like I'll send her a video and, you know, it'll be good. Like it's coming together and she's like, good, go again. Yeah. Good, go again. And my dad had the same mentality. Like he'd be like, oh, you're scared of that?

guess we should go do it 17 times. Dude, that's life though, isn't it? It is. It's like you literally like, and like this is so silly, but it was something that my dad used to always say. And it's not like he was saying anything, you know, divine. But he would always like, he would go, he would just be like rock and roll. Like any, with anything in life, I would be scared or whatever. And he'd be like rock and roll. And like it was like,

Do it anyway. Do it anyway. That was my whole fitness journey every single day. Yeah, do it anyway. Literally do it anyway. I'm tired. Do it anyway. Scared. Keep showing up. Yeah. That's all you can do. So you do CrossFit. Yeah. Tell us about the CrossFit journey. So I was adamantly against CrossFit. I only got into CrossFit because I have a thing where I will not go to corporate gyms.

I like to go to family-owned establishments. I got a weird thing about it. I don't know why. I get that. I got a weird thing. Like the gym in my basement. Yes, exactly. Family-owned. Family-owned. Okay, so essentially how this all happened was like three years ago, I had, one, I've been heavy my entire life. Like jeans are not a jean and my entire family has issues with their weight.

And I always had a good manage on it. You know, I was pretty athletic. And then I got into my 20s and I kind of just kept getting heavier and heavier and heavier. And then in 2020, I... We're not going to get into the story, but I broke both my legs at the same time. Not... Yeah, it was not my best work. I was not riding a horse. It was crazy. Michelle, you never told me that. Oh, I didn't? No. No, that's like... Yeah, no, dude, I broke both my legs in 2020 rock climbing. Like...

Side quest. Yeah, side quest. Major side quest. Side quest. I like didn't walk for like eight months. And okay, end of the story. I got up to like 250 pounds. Like... That was my weight. Red dick. You're way taller than me. I'm 5'10". Yeah, okay. I'm down seven inches below. Like we got different breezes. I would love to see a side-by-side photo of the difference. What's sad is sometimes I'm like...

Dang it, I look the same. But I know I don't. But you know what I mean. No, you don't. But anyway, so I got up to being way too heavy. And ultimately, it wasn't even like looking in the mirror that did me in. It was that I couldn't ride my horse worth of crap. Yeah. I couldn't ride. I mean, there's period point, Blake, I couldn't ride the same. And I was like, you got to do something. Like, this is not cool, dude. Like, you're not doing your animal any justice. You're not doing yourself any justice. Like, you're a talented rider. And simply put, you're not showing it.

So I got into powerlifting because like straight up I just found a gym on the street, walked in. And for the first time in my life, I enjoyed the environment. And also for the first time in my life, I was like, oh, I'm strong. Yeah. Like I didn't have to be fast. I didn't have to be super like agile. I didn't have to be super coordinated. I was just like I started picking stuff up and people were like, oh, yeah.

you're good at that. So I got into powerlifting and then I moved and I moved to this new town and I only had one powerlifting gym and it was like a non-drug tested gym and I was like, oh, like that. It was like, it was a lot of like,

Like they like were wearing shirts that said like cocaine hookers and you know what I mean? Like I was like I got really nervous. And so I look up like the next thing and I find a CrossFit gym and I'm like, oh, no. And the thing, lore, I'm from Aromas, California, which is where the first CrossFit gym was. So I was like adamantly against CrossFit. I was like I shall not. I shall not. I go to CrossFit. It's so embarrassing. I've been working out for a year. At this point I had lost like maybe 15 pounds that year. Not bad.

But I was still heavy. I mean, I was... I walked into CrossFit weighing like 235 pounds. First day, I got around 400 meters. Can't. They make you run in CrossFit? Yeah. Like you do a little sprint. It's like short term. You know? Yeah. It's short sprints. And I was like, ooh, I hate this place. Yeah.

I literally was like, this is horrendous. Like I remember we used to have to, we would have to drive, we would have to run to this garbage can and I, damn, I couldn't do it. And I still, don't get me wrong. I'm two, almost three years deep on CrossFit now and I still can't run for crap. But what I learned was I'm strong. Yeah. And I can move under a barbell. And it was like empowering because finally like being short and stocky in nature was like,

Nice. That's super cool. And I could scale everything and I could yap and make friends and I just got really into it. And then I just started like losing weight and losing weight and losing weight and losing weight without making literally many changes. The changes I made to lose weight, honestly, I stopped drinking soda. I stopped drinking lattes every day and I started going to CrossFit.

Sick advice. Three things. Three things. The lattes is tea. Three easy things. Stop drinking whole milk every day in your coffee. Stop drinking a Coca-Cola three days a week with dinner. Go run around for an hour with a bunch of... Big people. Jacked up people in little shorts. Yeah.

And I'm just now getting into the little shorts. I see you in the little shorts. Well, you know, I came to Texas and I only had leggings because I've been adamantly against shorts my entire life. I'm not a shorts girl. Like, denim shorts and me? Yeah, but I feel like you have great legs. Dude, like...

People say that and then I see and I'm like, I don't know how I feel about this. But it's too hot in Texas. I thought I was going to die and somebody said, you need to buy a pair of shorts. And I said, I will be – I will die before I buy shorts. And then I literally – I had to lay on the floor at the gym one day in the bathroom because I was like, oh my – like this is it. This is it for me. I will die in my leggings. I died at a CrossFit gym. Great. Local TikTok star dies at CrossFit gym. You know what I mean? Yeah.

And I bought shorts. And now I'm a short. I got like eight pairs of those black Lululemon bike shorts. That's progress. I freaking love that. And now I'm like, you know what? Who cares? Who cares? But you've lost like 50 plus pounds. I've lost 50 pounds. Like 55. And how do you feel? Like I can walk up a hill. Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, that was my thing too. That's the thing about it is like the weight loss isn't even about, you know. Aesthetics. Aesthetic. Like.

You know, I still struggle with, I'm like, I look in the mirror and I'm like, I look the same as I did three years ago. You know what I mean? Like, I realize that's not the reality, but I also, I think I struggle with online. I get called fat, like, at least seven times a day. Really? You know what I mean? Oh, my God. Dude, if they're not calling me fat because they don't like me, they're...

calling me fat in a like relatable way but it hurts my feelings you know what I mean like people would be like you give me so much like as a big girl you give me so much confidence to go outside and I'm like don't tell me that wait a minute should I be nervous um you know what I mean to leave my house yeah oh no that was like me with my acne like why do I need the confidence to exist that's crazy nobody even cares nobody even cares what I look like at the end of the day you know what I mean um but dude I like

I'll catch myself I don't even know I was in Yosemite recently and I was just like walking up a trail and I was like wait a minute

Here I am. Here I am. I'm enjoying the outside. I'm beating obesity and like- That's my favorite thing that you say. Guys, Michelle does these vlogs where she does timestamps of a step-by-step of her day and 9 a.m. fighting obesity is my favorite thing, but also it keeps coming back. Every day. 6 p.m. fighting obesity. Fighting obesity. At any point of the day, I am fighting obesity. I guess me too. Every day.

single day and everything that I do. Can I put that in my vlog? Yeah. I'm not trademarking that. Are people going to cancel me? People can have that. Fight obesity. People don't know that I would... You would get cancelled.

I have set my career up to where I can get away with saying things because people know I don't care. You could literally say anything. Like, and I tell that to people on social media all the time. They're like, I'm so afraid of getting canceled. I'm like, just make it known from the beginning that like, like Tana Mongeau. Yeah. Like, what are you like? What am I saying? That's that bad. No,

No, you're not saying anything. I believe in many things and all good things. I also believe in fighting obesity. And I'm sorry if that hurts somebody's feelings, but I'm in the civil war against obesity. This is the clip. And even if it's just me there. This is me on it. This is going to be the Instagram clip. You know what I mean? I'm wielding the sword against obesity. What?

Join me if you want. First of all, you've made so much progress and I like lived at your house and you eat really clean and it's like a big part of your life and you're also lifting shit and throwing hay and trailering and you're active all day long. So you've made so much progress. You look great. You're feeling great. But I also appreciate that you're down to talk about it because I think a lot of people like dance around the subject and don't want to be straight up about it and they don't want to be like...

People don't want to say stop drinking soda because it's going to trigger someone. Yeah. I like recently put some stuff on my Instagram story and I'll say, you know this, I have been passionate about fitness for the last few years. I got more passionate on a very personal level this year because my dad died.

And he was 59 years old. And I love him. But I'm extremely mad at him because at the end of the day, my dad died because he didn't eat well. He consumed too much alcohol. And he didn't consult medical professionals enough. And he died at 59 years old. And I'm sorry, but that's a crock. Like that's baloney. I'm sorry. I was robbed. He left me here all alone with all these people. And nobody to call. And he's not here. And I was like, okay.

You know, and here's the thing. I am all about body positivity. That was literally what started my career was talking about body positivity when I was 15 years old. And I love myself now. I appreciate who I was at 250 pounds. I'll appreciate who I am in another 30 pounds. It's not about that. It's about appreciating myself enough to know that I want to live a long time.

And that I don't want my 25-year-old daughter to wake up one day in January and get a call, hey, yeah, your dad died. Oh, cool. That just ruined my life a little bit. Thanks, Manuel. For things that are simple changes. And, you know, I made like this slide on my Instagram story recently because I get a lot of questions about weight loss because I post about it because it's part of my life, but I also don't try to like shove it down people's throats and I don't talk a lot about what I eat and this and that because honestly it's simple. Right?

I started eating less and shopping on the outside of the grocery store. I haven't gone down a cracker aisle in three years. You know what I mean? Like, and don't get me wrong. Nobody loves a bag of Takis more than me. Like, I appreciate the little things in life at times, and me and Red Dive 40 will get along, you know, once a month. But, um...

It's very simple what I did. And I made a story and I was just like, listen, I get a lot of questions about what I did. Here's what I did. I started moving more, consuming less calories, period. What did people say? Most of it was yes. That is science. That is science. You do that, you lose. And then there was a couple of people because you know me, I'm extremely...

Point blank period about stuff. Sorry, no ifs, ands, or buts. That's kind of how it's done. And trust me, it takes me a lot to lose a pound. I think if any of my friends worked out as much as I did, eat as well as I do, they would have lost a lot more weight than me by now. And I can gain a pound like that. I mean, I look at a Snickers and it's like, okay, seven pounds. But that just means I have to be more rigid. Right.

Yeah. And I got responses that were like, you know, lots of people, you know, I tried this and it didn't work. Well, how long did you try it for? Because I'm three years deep. I'm probably got another three years. I'm moving real slow with this, but I'll tell you what, I've never gained a pound back. No, I think that's so fair to say. Do you know Dr. Tina Moore? Yeah. She came on my show. Yeah. She was talking about the genetic component of cancer.

weight and how there's trauma tied into it, genetics, hormones, like there's reasons that people, and I won't lie when I lost weight, I mean, I lost weight naturally. I didn't have, it was epic or whatever. And when it, when I first started hearing about it, I was super against it. And I also never understood like, how could someone not

Because I lose weight relatively easily. Yeah. Like if I decide I want to do it, it just kind of happens. And I don't have obesity in my family. Yeah. So for me, it was difficult to understand. But now I've had so many experts on the show. I get like there's people who physically like cannot. Yeah. Like fee. Yeah. I will say there was an aspect. And this is like the last 15 pounds that I've lost. I had to like literally cut some crap in my life. Like trauma shit. Yeah. Like, dude.

I won't talk about it online ever, but like the things I have experienced, I could write a book. I could get a lot of views. But I respect myself. I respect myself more than airing out all of my dirty laundry. But I cut out a lot of crap this year because I took a very deep dive look at my life, which is something I do every couple of years. I'm like, okay, hold on. We got to fix some stuff. I lost 15 pounds. And it simply was like, let me remove a few things from my life.

That are weighing me down. And so I do definitely think there's an aspect to that. And I think that's why like a wellness journey is all encompassing. Yeah. You can't just do one thing and expect everything. You can't eat amazing and exercise every day but have toxic relationships in your life and expect anything to happen. Yes. 100%. It's like...

You gotta... But that's like whatever. That's like the evolution of being an individual. Mm-hmm. Right? You just gotta like constantly, constantly be working, constantly be changing. Right? This is everything that everybody knows. But I like that you brought... I mean, with your dad, sounds like he was a super special guy from everything you said at the beginning. Fantastic person. And your wiener dog is...

Is named Manny. Yes, I named my wiener dog after my dead father. We love Manny. Yes. She's an icon. She, sorry. Did I call him he? No. Did I call her he? No. I tend to do that, though, because I think of her as like... My dad. Your dad. She is a personification of my father, yes. Yeah, we love her. She stayed at my house. She's amazing. Yeah. But I love that you bring up the like...

Your family history for anyone listening who maybe has had that in their family. Like my family has diabetes type one. There's everyone has stuff. Yes. That is such a good reason to take care of yourself. Yeah. Like such a great, I mean, not great, awful and a huge learning lesson. I know you've like put a lot of work into like grief and talking about it. Yeah. It's just like, what am I to do, but to get better?

You know what I mean? Like, I said this a lot. Like, I felt really fortunate that, you know, I had a really good dad. Like, like, dude, I did. Like, I think the world would be such a better place if, if more fathers loved their daughters the way that my dad loved me. But, you know, when he died, there was like never really a moment for me where I was like,

what am I going to do? You know what I mean? Like he died and I was like, okay, this is horrific and I hate him and I hate this and everything's horrible. But it never was a like, what am I going to do without my dad? It was kind of like, okay, we keep on keeping on. And you know, there was like a moment and a lot of people talk about this in grief where I was like, I'm never going to laugh again. I'm never going to this again. I'm never going to that again. And then I was like, dude, you haven't even scratched the surface. And like,

what an absolute disappointment it would be if you like gave up now. And I do think it's funny. Literally the day after my dad died, I was in the gym. No. Dude, I went to CrossFit. Everybody was looking at me like, what are you doing here? And I was like, I got to move. Were you crying? No. You know, I was pretty, you know. Shell shocked? Dude, my grief has been me crying in the car and in the shower. You know? And writing. And writing a lot. And writing things down and everything.

I mean, at the end of the day, I think I've really accepted it. Yeah. You know, I think the way in which my father lived was a grand lesson on people to live because I... My dad died at 59. Totally unfair. I don't feel like my dad missed much because he lived well. Yeah. You know, he...

He spent time with his family. He went on trips. He did the things he enjoyed. He was kind to others. I mean, my dad's funeral was huge. Couldn't even fit everybody in the building. And so that allowed me to grieve in a way where it's like, you know, yeah, I'm sad for what my father will miss, but he lived well and he had a divine impact on his community. I mean, he's not world renowned and he never made a million dollars, but...

I think he had more impact than a lot of people that we know. And so it was kind of like, okay, did that, check, had a great father, learned some lessons on health, and now I move forward. And I mean...

What am I going to do? And that's, you know, that's what I feel about life in general. Yeah. What am I going to do? It's great advice. And also like, I don't know personally, but I've had a few people on the show who have experienced similar things. And I know everyone grieves super differently and it comes in waves and things change and whatever. But as long as you're like,

bettering yourself and showing up every day. I mean, from what I see from what you do every day, you're like constantly just chipping away. Well, and I honestly think I've shown up more this year than I ever have because of losing my dad. Yeah. And I keep saying like there's a lot of gratitude to be found in grief because I'm extremely happy with the point where my life is right now. I've got a beautiful home.

I've got very nice horses. I have really good friends. Like, really, really good friends. Shout out, Gail. Shout out, Gail. Shout out to all my friends. Like, I have such a solid friend group because I think I'm pretty good at, like, with people. And I feel appreciated and I just –

Like I'm happy. Yeah. And none of it would have come to fruition if my dad hadn't died. Yeah. I think I would be still living in a very unhappy state.

revolving door. It almost like kick-started you doing everything you've always wanted to do. Exactly. I was like, I gotta go. I mean, you just got back from Vegas doing a photo shoot for NFR. Can you tell everyone what the NFR is, by the way? Oh, so the National Finals Rodeo is the best 10 days of the year in Las Vegas. It's the second largest event for the city of Las Vegas.

200,000 cowboys and cowgirls and fans alike show up to watch the top 15 in the world in each event compete for the world title. It's nuts. It's like, dude, it's like New York Fashion Week meets the Super Bowl. We're going. Meets cowboys. Dude, I live in Vegas for two weeks. Yeah, she's going to be there the whole time. I'm going December 14th.

through 16 yeah marathon not a sprint yeah but you're going with Double D Ranch and Resorts World and Bloom and Bloom

It's like, so we're going to go on, we're going on one of the finals, right? Yeah. We're going on the final night. And I got us pretty good seats. No, I'm excited. Yeah. We got pretty good seats. I'm freaking out about my outfits because, okay, I know you told me it's a big deal and I believed you like a little bit. And then you looked. Then I started posting my fricking rainbow fringe jacket on my story. All of my DMS were like, you need a stylist for the NFR.

What did I say when you bought the jacket? You said you didn't like it. I didn't say I didn't like it. I said I liked the other thing more and we can work with it, but... I got a bolo. I got turquoise. You're just... I got leather pants. You're running rogue, which is a thing that you do. I got leather pants. Yeah, we're going to figure it out. It's important. No, I know. I personally do believe though, and this is just me having a big head for...

15 seconds. It'll deflate again. I think I'm going to be like the best dressed. No. Yeah. And I'm going with you and I'm going to look like an idiot. No, because you're tall. When you're tall, you can get away with so much. That is not true, babe. No, it is. It is. As somebody that exists down here. But you keep sending me links for things that are like $5,000. And I'm like, what budget do you think I have here? Sell more cans. I don't know. I don't know. Sell more cans.

Because cans are selling well. Thank you. I just can't spend $5,000 on a shirt. I know, but...

Guys, it's wild. So stay tuned for our NFR outfits. No, it's going to go hard. It's going to go hard and we're going to make a lot of content. Yeah. But I need to buy things. Okay, so there's something called Cowboy Christmas. Yeah, dude. Dude, even normal people. I'm telling you, normal people need to go to the NFR. Like you do not have to like rodeo to go to the NFR. It's free concerts all over Vegas. Free country concerts. Every country artist you could ever think of, free concerts.

free they're roaming around there's cowboys which for many people exciting and for me no so excited it's not my thing i look at him and i go greg doesn't get jealous that in general dude it's not even about that it's just about knowing the inner you know cowboys are not the people we believe that they are but let us enjoy from afar no look at him

Look all day. Dude, ain't nothing standing between my eyes and a steer wrestler. You know what I mean? I love a big boy. You know, big, big. I want you to watch Greg's face when I'm there because they're big. I mean, it's crazy. Remember when I came to Weatherford and I met you there and that was the one time that Greg was like, so like who's going?

Like, are there cowboys there? Big men. And guys, this is a freaking joke. Like, I'm obviously not going to cheat on Greg with a cowboy. No, but like, they're fun to look at. I want Greg to dress like a cowboy. Yeah. We can figure it out. Like, you know, he couldn't even get off of red because his jeans were too tight. I had to, I had to lift him off. Well, he's also just too big.

He's too big. He's solid. I told you he loved red so much that he wants that to be his. He's going to get a horse. I have a vision. Yeah. You know, I see you riding off in the sunset. I found a Palomino that's a good age and I'll have to show you. I sent them a DM, but I forgot to check. Okay. You also need to help me register my horse. Yeah, I know. I don't know how to do it. It's so confusing. This is what I do. I have my little card and I need to fill out the paperwork. Okay, fine. It's fine. They don't make anything easy. Nothing's digital these days.

Anyway, the NFR is crazy, dude. Yeah. And also just like even people, the staff of Las Vegas, like I talk to them and they're like, NFR is our favorite time of year because Cowboys don't care. Yeah. Like these people live in middle America for most of the year. They show up to Las Vegas. What's $5,000? $5,000.

Absolutely nothing. I don't know why. I don't know what they do. They're throwing things down on the table. They're spending money. There's fringe. There's sequins. There's blonde women. It's crazy. Wait, do I need sequins? No, I don't see you as a sequin person. I'm not a sequin. Sequins are out. I'm saying it. Cheugy. Like if they're sprinkled in, you know, lightly. Okay, I can't get my sequin. But when it's like pink and it's just too much, you know what I mean? But also I'm not, I'm not cowgirl Barbie.

Yeah, you have your own style. I'm like, I'm going for Bella Hadid. You know that. And I know. Well, that's the one pod that I don't have. I do. I don't have that. She's iconic, though. Oh, iconic. Iconic. Do you think she's doing a lot for the Western world or no? Yeah, I do. Yeah. People don't want to admit it, but yeah.

Like no one knew what cutting was before. Oh, publicity is good publicity. I agree. And that's some big publicity. Yeah, big publicity. Big, big, big, big. But I mean, you know, it's Taylor Sheridan effect, Yellowstone. Where's the freaking first episode? I can't find it. Of what? The new season. Oh, I've never seen Yellowstone. That's crazy. Yeah. I've seen like clips on TikTok. But like it's my life every day. I don't need to watch it. I don't really watch TV. Hot take. Do you watch, you watch TikTok?

I watch TikToks. People would be shocked by the content that I consume. Really? Yeah, it's not horses. I just consume horses all day. I'm obsessed with women in New York. What? Why? With the clothes and... I feel like it's because it's... The cocktails. A completely different... I see. I have no interest in that. None. I always thought I would live in New York for a year. You could still do that. I think I'm in deep on the lifestyle that I've chosen, but...

You could live in Connecticut. I also just get like obscure things. You know, I'm kind of like pretty weird. Oh, yeah. I would agree. We send each other some funny shit. I'm a little hard for people to digest. Oh, really? Yeah. Okay. Like the thing with me is people either get me. Yeah. Or they're like, what's wrong with her? Oh, I feel like I get you. Yeah. Like I think you see me. I think...

People sometimes struggle to see me. And I think I can be a bit abrasive for people. But it's not even necessarily abrasive. I just like – I struggle to what I perceive as lying. Yeah, you have a hard time with that. And don't get me wrong. I'm never going to use my honesty to be hurtful. But also like I just kind of – I say things that I then realize –

To others, that's inappropriate. I'm crying. And it's not even necessarily like saying the F word or the C word. Everybody knows I love the C word. Yeah, we don't drop that here on the house. I know, I know. We don't say cow here. I know, but I do love it. Cow, did I just say cow? I was trying to say like the C word. I came up with a new acronym. Can you not talk?

Can you not talk? That's good. That's good. But anyway, I think it's a great word. That's hard for people. Some people, they write me out. And I try not – I don't drop it in TikToks, but I do drop it in my stories a lot and in daily life. You know, and it's only offensive if you make it offensive. But I also just say other things that I think are –

This whole footage is just going to be me cracking up for an hour straight. Well, I'm like, when I'll like talk about like the dead dad, you know what I mean? Like people are like, oh, and I'm like, you're good. They get uncomfortable because it's an uncomfortable topic, but I actually think it's really great that you talk about it. Yeah. And then, you know, I think like sometimes conservative women struggle with me and that's okay. I'm not for everyone. I also feel like you don't like a lot of people. Yeah.

It's not necessarily a not like for me. It's I'm... Like remember the event we went to in Weatherford? Yeah. We can edit this out. We should probably edit it out. Probably. But no, I honestly leave it. Leave it. No, I'm just me. Period. You want to do a Q&A? Yeah. Pull out your phone. Yours are probably better than mine. Do you want me to just run it? Or do you want to go back and forth? Read yours. Okay.

How do you have the confidence to go outside? That is such an unhinged question. Did she get dumped at the airport one time? Who asked that? That did happen. Oh, Cara, I didn't even read it. You're like, how did you know? Yes, I did. Great. Who by who?

Like dumped as if someone left you? Yeah, he broke up with me as we were getting on the plane. He was an iOS engineer at Apple. Wait, were you sitting together on the plane? Yeah, we were like walking onto the plane and he was like, I actually don't want to go to Hawaii. And I was like, okay, you want to go somewhere else? He was like, no, I'm breaking up with you. And then he left and I never spoke to him ever again. He didn't get on the plane? Neither of us got on the plane. Oh, that's a really crazy story. Yeah, it was kind of cool though. Favorite horse supplements?

Right now, I'm on an equine elixir's kick. Same. Hard. Does she still have her rodeo queen crown? No, you don't get to keep it. You have to give it back. When were you a rodeo queen? Oh, gosh. 2012. How many kids has she let fall out of a horse trailer? One. What happened? She was like two years old. This is the thing with children. I didn't understand that they will just...

I imagine you treating kids how you treat your dogs. Yeah. Well, she treats her dogs amazing. Like, let's hold on before anyone's like... No, but I let him experience real life, and I'm looking at Calgary, and this kid is looking at me, I'm looking at him, he's two years old, and all of a sudden he just falls out of this horse trailer. And she said, why'd you let him fall? I said, why did he jump? I'm never leaving my kid with you. Why do my knees hurt whenever I ride horses? Oh, that's simple, just athletics.

Period. Like you just got to do it more. Honestly, it's a, it's a, it's just a muscle and strength thing. It's, you don't use this. That is a normal action. It's also like a weird position. Yeah. It's just a weird, it's a weird position. Like I don't think people realize how many like muscles that we don't use that you have to use for riding horses. Like our doctors or whatever. Unfortunately, you just have to ride through it. Yeah. And it kind of messes your body up a little bit. Yeah. A little bit. What's your stance on horse racing?

Okay, I have a complicated stance on horse racing. And it's actually not that complicated because this is my stance on most things in life. There are bad people and there are good people. I think that those who are following the rules, who take pride and care in their animals, similar to rodeo livestock, when you can see the behind the scenes, those animals are bred to do it.

They're athletes. And as long as you can treat that animal with the respect that it deserves, I wouldn't say I'm not going to sit here and I'm going to the Kentucky Derby. Not your vibe. I might wear a hat. I heard it's expensive. You know, but there's lots of things that I do with horses, barrel racing, that people go, that's abuse. It's not their bread to do it. They enjoy it.

They do enjoy it, actually. Yeah, I mean, these animals are bred for it. Yeah. Every time I bring the barrels out, red is like hype. I can tell. Yeah, it's like when people get a Malinois and then don't let it do Malinois things. And then they're like, well, why is this dog crazy? It's bred for sport. Yeah, it's not doing the job it wants to do. If she wasn't a broke-ass horse girl, what else would she be? Broke-ass blank girl. Oh, if I was not a horse girl, I would...

If I was not a horse girl. Oh, gosh. I don't know. Tech girl? No, because I'd probably have more money. Rich girl? At that point. Oh, right, right. No, I mean, honestly, gosh, what would I do if I wasn't riding horses? Honestly, I have to be completely honest. If I didn't have horses, I would not have the motivation that I do in life, and I probably would not be a high achiever. Oh, okay.

I'm serious. They push me. They push me to be the best person that I can be. They've taught me everything that I know about living and working hard. I think honestly I probably would have just grown up and owned a feed store or something like that. I mean really. I don't think I would be much of anything. Not in a depressing way. I mean we love that. Horses teach us a lot. A lot.

I'm like sad I can't live with Red. Remember I told you I was like... We're getting there. I know. I want you to run my ranch. I found one. Okay. Well... It's in Round Top. We'll discuss. It's in Round Top. Yeah, I know. But I have a house in North Texas. Right. You'll come on down. Negotiation. What are some things horses do to show affection towards humans? This is a really funny question because every time I bring someone that's not a horse person to hang out with Red, they're like, why does he hate me? And I'm like, do you want him to lick you? No.

Yeah. Okay. So, okay. This is the interesting thing. I think horses show their appreciation for us in many different ways. Like I really don't think like it's a, it's a horse to horse basis. Cause like you've met my horses. I've got three mayors. They're all completely different personalities who show me a lot of care and affection in different ways. Like,

Bam Bam is more of my kind of close. She likes to be like near me. And she likes to kind of be like in my space. And she's very gentle and soft. Whereas like Bird, I notice a lot of her appreciation for me through actions. Yeah. Like when I'm running Bird, this is –

so horse girl, but bird gives me a lot of confidence. And I know that's like gift from her because she doesn't have to be as kind to me as she is. And like, she'll do these little things. Like sometimes, you know, she'll step off the backside of the barrel and I'll get a little off kilter. And I tell you what, I can feel that horse move right back underneath me. Like she just wants to be good. And she's very in my space.

She tries hard for you. Dude, she tries so hard for me. And for me, that's what I notice with horses is like, I know when my horses are trying and when they're not. And that's kind of what I gather. But a lot of it is just with horses, it's hard to explain, but it becomes a very quiet connection. Yeah. I could sit in silence with my horses for a very, very long time. Nothing is said, but also everything is said. And they give me a comfort that...

I don't think I could ever get from anything or anyone else. I think that's a great answer. And it's all quiet. Yeah, yeah. It's not like what you would experience from a dog. It's a very different feeling. Yeah, and it's crazy. Like, I know there's a lot of cheesy stuff and signs about, like, horses giving us wings and all that stuff, but there's a lot of truth to the...

the freedom that they provide. It's crazy. It has changed my life. There's just nothing else. There's nothing. And I know that it's not that for everyone. You know what I mean? But I think for those that get it, there is nothing else. You can't put it in words. Yeah. And like all of a sudden, like other things in life just become not very important. Yeah. It's a wild feeling. You know, like some people are like, ah, I want to, I don't even know. Like some people are,

Get a lot of enjoyment from like traveling and doing these things. I just like kind of being at home. Do you know what I noticed when I started riding? I stopped like shopping. Yeah. I like, I don't care about stuff as much anymore. No, literally it's like whatever. Nothing will match up to the feeling of being around my horse ever. Yeah. No. And also they kind of, what I like about horses is they kind of like love without judgment, but are also like,

If you want to know if your character, if you're a bad character, honestly, ride a horse. They're great judges of character. Yeah. They're extremely honest animals. If I want to know something about someone, let's take a gander over to Bird's stall and she'll give somebody a look and I'm like, meh. Does she like me? Yeah, she likes you. I'm still a little scared of her though. Dude, I just respect her, you know?

She's just misunderstood. She did not like Red. She, no, I don't know what that was, but- She hated Red. Bird just needed somebody to love her. Honestly, I unfortunately see a lot of myself in Bird. I was going to say you guys are the same person. Yeah, we're kind of kindred spirits. You know what I feel about Red? It's almost like the Brad situation. I don't want to call out Brad directly, but-

Brad, who bucked me off. Like they know that accident I had. Why are you laughing? It's just, dude, it was crazy. Dude, we all get, we all get yeeted every once in a while. Yeah, but as you told me, it was like a dirty fall. Yeah, no, he was pretty, yeah, it was pretty, he was pretty, he was kind of dirty to you. He wanted me off of him and it was like, it almost ruined. He let you know. Yeah, it almost ruined my. I wasn't going to let that happen though. Relationship with horse. Remember, I was really messed up. I was going to give you like two weeks off.

I didn't even tell you to get over it. I didn't take two. No, I know. I went right back to it. But I was like, going to be like, okay, get over it. Yeah. Which is a good advice, but has red not been like the healing? Yeah, no, he's extremely caring. That dude takes care of you. I know. I love a horse that can take a joke though. What do you mean? Like bird can't take a joke. You think red can?

Yeah, dude. You could get on Red backwards. You could, you know what I mean? Like, you can be, quote unquote, a Gunzel on Red, and he's going to roll with it. I mean, Greg got on him. Exactly. Taylor got on him. Bird is the type of animal that's like, yeah, that's actually not going to work with me. And I'm going to let you know right now in a million different ways that are going to scare you. She's not a beginner horse. No.

I still got to get better at the gate. I'm like... Yeah, I know. I was good at the beginning and now I'm losing it. It takes time. Yeah. Can you help me with that? Do you know how to do that? Open a gate on a horse? Yeah. It's one of the first things they teach you. Well, I'm good at opening it and then I run through it. Well, that's... Yeah. Also, my jeans got caught on it last time. So that was kind of a disaster. Oh, okay. Horse expenses per month, roughly. Mine? I mean, just in general. Like, what should people anticipate? Okay. Okay.

I'm going to give you, I'm going to level with the people on this right now. And I'm going to count my whole lifestyle here. Okay. Because you have to remember, I've got the truck. I've got the trailer. I've got the house. We actually have very different setups. So I can explain mine too. Yeah. I've got the horses. I'm like, I'm off the deep end here. I'm going to be completely honest with people. It is not unusual for me to have an eight to $10,000 a month. That being said,

That is diabolical behavior. That is insane and I'm fully aware of that. That's like by choice kind of. That's by choice because honestly, dude, I don't care about anything else. You know, I live in a thousand square foot barn-do. Yeah. Don't care. Your whole life is your horses. My whole life is my horses. You came over, I didn't even have furniture. I didn't even have salt.

No, you guys, this girl, like she's showing me her full rundown of the horse's routine. The horses are getting a sprinkle of their hoof stuff, their gut stuff, their whatever. And there's all this stuff. She's explaining each thing to me and she's like, it's really expensive and I make sure I do this. Then we go in her house and she's like, what do you want? I don't really have anything. I was like, oh, so you don't eat. I had like yogurt and pickles in my fridge. No seasonings, no chairs, nothing.

I got a couch. Now you're stepping it up. Yeah. And I sent her salt in the mail. Yeah, no. So I'm fully aware that I'm a diabolical individual. It does not have to be that way. No. That's crazy. But I know people wonder. So if people have wondered, that's what I'm spending. I'm not spending that. No, nobody should. Yeah. And I have a different lifestyle where I'm not with my horse every day. I can't be right now. He stays at a facility. So I think I spend...

$1,000 to $2,000 on his stall, feed. Yeah. Inject. Like. Inject. I actually vet. Yeah. That's like a quarterly thing. But yeah, I mean. Yeah. My horse has got crazy stuff going on. We've got shoes and training and horse bars. But I also have one horse and you have four. Four? Three. Three. What about Vienna? Well, I had four, but one died. Oh, right. Coco. May she rest in peace. 26 years.

She was 36. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, put some respect on her name. Sorry. Sorry, Coco. 36 years old. 36 is wild. May she rest in peace. This is why I will take Michelle's advice with literally anything horse related. Yeah, dude, I got that horse at 36. She was healthy and sound until the day she died. Want to hear more about Red? Pedigree Bloodline Height Training. Pedigree? What's pedigree? It's breathing.

Oh, so I actually can answer this. His dad is called Repeat Offender. He is a lovely stallion out of High Point Performance Horses. That's right. And his mom was something bull. Bull, something bull. I don't know his mother. But that's why his full name is Red Bull. He's an American Quarter Horse. He's Chestnut. Sorrel. Sorrel. He's Sorrel.

And he's big. Yeah, he's big. He's... 16? 16, 16-1 maybe. Which is great for me because I'm tall. You're a lanky girl. Lanky girl. He was raised in a family, the Karkula family out of California. They're a rodeo slash ranch family. Also hilarious that I...

I grew up with the youngest sister. Yeah. Crazy. And the dad of the family is the one who broke red and literally trained him. He was trained on a ranch around cows. He did barrels. He was just a little too slow for the big,

Yeah. And he taught the kids how to ride. So he was perfect for me. He's a great horse. I think he's a fantastic addition. I really do. I think he'll be great for your children. I think he'll be great for you and your husband. And yeah, I think he'll be awesome for your kids. I know I'm obsessed with him. Yeah. I feel like guilty that I'm not doing barrels on him though. Please. He's a horse. What does he know? I know. He likes the barrels though. He's got food in front of him every day. Yeah. Bluebonnet.

And he gets a pet. So he does get a pet. That's it. I have a thing about that. I got a comment the other day that, you know, Bird is a very nice horse. And Jimmy got on her and absolutely laid a rundown. And we posted about it because she was third fastest time at a jackpot. And then I got a comment about, oh, it's so horrible that that horse is not going to reach its full potential with you.

Sorry. Last time I checked, she is a happy animal. Animals don't know. They don't care. They don't care. Oh my gosh. She has food. She gets carrots and acupuncture. She needs nothing more in this lifetime. Oh, so this was like meant to be her paw, Athena. Yeah, dude. Like people are dumb online. I don't take people's, I don't take opinions from strangers about my horses. I'll pay a professional for that. Period.

Okay, one more question. Biggest pros and cons you've both noticed about being a part of the equestrian community? Biggest pro has been this year in losing my dad. Here's the thing about cons in the equestrian community, and this is an opinion that I have. The horse world is as bad of an experience as you let it be. I am extremely conscious of the people that I let in my circle, and I have to be honest.

really have bad experiences. I'll run into some people here and there that I'm like, Jesus, you were rude. And then I never see them again. If I see them at a barrel race, I walk the other way. But honestly, I had this great moment the other day. I just moved to North Texas, right? I mean, granted, I know some people already. And granted, I've got a following on social media, but

I went to this jackpot in North Texas, small Wednesday jackpot. I had like six people offered to record my run. And in the background of my run is just a bunch of people being extremely supportive. And I have people that are very helpful and very kind. And I think it's for two reasons. One is I'm very conscious of those that I let in my circle. And that's just life. Don't allow crappy people around you. That is like,

All the time I hear people, this person's taking advantage of me. Stop talking to them. That's not your friend. Sorry. I don't care. I don't want to make any waves or problems. Trust me, they don't care about you that much. That's why they're mean to you. So just cut them out. They're not going to care that much. But two, I'm nice. I'm nice to others. And in this year losing my dad, more people have helped me. Because I've said this year I really dove headfirst into barrel racing and I keep telling people like,

This is not about barrel racing. Everything that I'm doing this year, this is not about barrel racing. This is about pursuing something that will light my fire after facing the worst thing that I ever have. And so there's been so many pros in that. I've put a lot of good out there. I'm the first girl that's going to walk somebody in the arena or help them or...

I'll pull my horse trailer over on the side of the road if I see another trailer broke down. And therefore people return. Yeah. And when I hear people constantly complaining about the horse world, it's so negative, so negative, so negative. You're negative.

And you're allowing negative people in your circle. And that's why your life sucks. And at the end of the day, we're spending way too much time and money on this, doing something that a million other people would like to do. So be more conscious of who you hang out with because there are bad people in this sport. There's bad people in life. And so I think a pro of the horse world is I've got a million people that have my back. I do. I mean, really, I have a million people that have my back. And I think that's something that is really special to the horse world. I think that normal people aren't like that.

Yeah, I have experienced both. And I think with the English world, I cut it off right when I needed to. And getting into Western, I have to say, I did feel way more welcomed. I found you. I mean, Michelle literally kept my horse at her house for a week, trailered him down for me, stayed with me, showed me how to do everything, like really took me under her wing and like,

That was crazy. I think sometimes it can be difficult to recognize, like, is this person trying to help me? Not you before, like in the English world. Is this person trying to help me or are they taking advantage? I think the biggest lesson from...

Michelle that I learned is that independence is so valuable. Yeah. And I think I spent a couple of years learning how to ride and getting the basics down, but really being too reliant on other people. I didn't even know what my horse was being fed. I didn't know what they were giving him supplement wise. I didn't know what was happening at the bed appointments. Like I just felt really out of, yeah, out of it. And now I feel very involved and I could take care of my horse probably top to bottom without help. Yeah. Well, knowledge is power and, um,

I think in general, you're just nice and trusting of people, which is honestly a great character trait to have. But I keep getting screwed over. Yeah, it can hurt you, you know? And that's why I tell you, I'm like, stop doing stuff. This has been my year of, like, realizing that. But it's a good thing to have. You're trusting. Like, you know what I mean? Not anymore. Knowledge is power. I mean, I would say that the only con that I have from the horse world is, like, dude, I got, like,

Every time I think I'm going to have more money, it's just like, dude, it's just spent. Yeah, it's a black hole. You know what I mean? Like I could make $10 million a year and I'm telling you right now I could spend it all. And I would be out of money by third quarter. It's a black hole. Yeah, it's a black hole. So I'd say that's the only con is like I'm just out of control. Yeah.

That's personal. You know what I mean? Some people can reel it in. I can't. Yeah. I can't. I'm like, I need that for, you know, I need more. I need another horse. You know, why? What are your last question? What are your goals with riding? Do you have any? I do. You know, I want to, I want to get more comfortable riding higher level horses. Um,

You know, Bird is a very nice horse. She's a very quality animal, you know, top dollar animal. And right now I'm probably not doing her a lot of justice, though we get better every time. And so on that level, on the riding level, you know, I just want to get better. But I want to have fun doing it. I'm not going to do it if it's not fun. That's such a waste of time for me. But honestly, I think I'm more on this journey with horses now of like,

How can I make the world around me better through horses? And like, that's why I like sharing horse content and I want to do more, you know, I'd love to like start my own brand in the space. And I want to, you know, I would love to like, my ultimate goal honestly is I'd love to start a brand in the horse space. And I don't know what it's going to be yet, but I, I want it to be a company that like gives back. I, you know, I would love to be able to pick, you know,

five kids a year throughout the nation that, hey, we'll pay all your horse bills. You know, and I think I'm progressing to that of like, what's the impact that I can have through horses? Because horses have changed my life. They've made my life. Honestly, I would be nothing really, truly. I wouldn't be anything that I am without the relationship that I have with these animals.

And I think that they can have a great impact on the world. And that's kind of the journey that I'm on. And if it means that I'm going to less barrel races because I'm spending more time going to events and educating people on horses and getting people involved in horses and getting more people to take lessons and do things, I think that's where I'm headed. You know, channeling something positive through what has ultimately like kind of been the greatest privilege of my life.

I feel like even doing a show like this and talking about it will do that too. Yeah. Like I think there's so much to learn through horses and there's so many different avenues and there's so many different people in the industry. And I think there's so much positivity and, you know, I think there's a lot. And I think horses are really healing for a lot of people. And that's kind of why I'm happy that there's such a trend right now. Yeah.

Yeah, aesthetically they're a trend. They're aesthetically a trend, but I think there's a couple people going and riding horses and taking lessons and it's changing their lives. I get a lot of questions about it. It's changing their lives. And, you know, 10 minutes with a horse is a life-changing experience. I've honestly really rarely met very many people that don't like horses. And when I find out they don't like horses, there's usually a reason why. And it's usually because horses told them something about themselves. So I love that horses are a trend. I want more people to take lessons and go find trail rides and

Go pet a horse. Yeah. I think it's really healing. So that's kind of the direction that I'm going in. Even if you can't ride just to be around them. Yeah, dude. Just looking at them. Michelle, where can everyone find you on the internet and watch your content? Brokeasshorsegirl. TikTok and Instagram. Don't find me on Facebook. That's my personal page. Don't go there. It's personal. Don't go there. It's personal. No, that's just where I find like barrel races. Do you have any like products you want to promote? No. Yeah, nothing.

I want Michelle to make a guide about horses and supplements. I'm scared. A PDF workout guide. PDF. PDF guide. Horse guide. PDF horse guide. Yeah. You know, look out in the new year. I think 2025 big year for Michelle. I agree. Um, what's the name of the fly company?

Spalding Labs. Spalding Labs sent me some lovely natural fly products and you guys know how I feel about toxins. Yep. So thank you to Spalding Labs. Fly predators are actually really cool. Guys, it's sick. It's really cool. Okay, so it's... Give a quick look. Do you have a code? It's a bug. Yeah, I do actually. It's Michelle10. Oh, use Michelle10. So basically it's this bug that...

And you release them and they eat the fly larva before it hatches. And the life cycle of that bug is not very long. So that's why you have to get a new batch, you know, every month and stuff like that. But I'm being dead honest. I don't have flies. We have horrible flies in my home. Like I don't endorse products without knowing that they like work. And I was suspicious. I was. I was like, I'll try it. I don't have flies.

Guys, for anyone listening who's in the horse world, like flies are kind of a big deal. I hate them. And they can be really, really annoying. They ruin my life. Also, fly spray has so much crap in it.

They also have a product, though. It's called Bye Bye Odor. It's honestly just good for people that have, like, animals. Oh, he sent me that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's an odor eliminator. It activates the molecule. You activate the molecules with water, and, like, you can, like, spray it on, like, your clothes and, like, stuff like that. Like, it's literally non-horse people use it, and it, like, it's just an odor eliminator, but it's, like, an actual good one. It has a really good smell, and, um...

Spalding Labs was started by a family. It was originally family owned. It's owned by Equine Network now. It's actually kind of a cool story. It was started by a woman. Use code Michelle10. Thanks Michelle. Thanks Maureen.

Thanks for joining us on the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. To support this show, please rate and review and share with your loved ones. If you want to be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast or video player. You can sign up for my newsletter to receive my favorites at marielowelland.com. It will be linked in the show notes.

This is a Wellness Loud production produced by Drake Peterson, Fiona Attucks, and Kelly Kyle. This show is edited by Mike Fry and our video is recorded by Luis Vargas. You can also watch the full video of each episode on our YouTube channel at Mari Fitness. Love you, Power Girls and Power Boys. See you next time.

The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor or health team.