From Farm Kid to C-Suite: How An Unconventional Childhood Built a Business Leader

They say the best business education comes from MBA programs. I got mine from chopping thistles, switching schools twice a year, and watching my mom out-weld the men on a water tower construction crew.

Life on the Move

Picture this: while other kids were settling into their regular routines, I was living an adventure that would unknowingly prepare me for a future in business transformation. My parents worked for a water tower construction company—Dad as the foreman, Mom breaking barriers as the only female worker on site. This was revolutionary in the early 90s, when women in construction were typically confined to secretarial roles in the office, not climbing steel structures with a welding torch. She later went on to be a cop (more on that in another blog!).

The nature of water tower construction meant following the projects wherever they led us. As the towers went up in different communities, our family packed up and moved alongside them. This nomadic lifestyle had me switching schools multiple times a year from kindergarten through fourth grade.

Was it challenging? Absolutely. Was it the best preparation for future success? Without a doubt.

Learning the Hard Way (Usually the Best Way)

Let me tell you about the time I got paddled in elementary school in Alabama (yes, that was still a thing). After one too many chatty disruptions, the principal decided to teach me a lesson. My response? Pure sass. I confidently informed him that my dad would be coming to "give him the what for." Spoiler alert: Dad just smirked and said I probably deserved it.

That day taught me something valuable about accountability—a lesson that's served me well in business leadership. Sometimes the hard lessons are the ones that stick.

The Thistle Philosophy

Back on the farm, my dad had this brilliant (though I didn't think so at the time) idea of sending my sister and me out to chop thistles. Was I out there cursing his name under my breath? Absolutely. Did it teach me about doing the hard things that need to be done, even when you'd rather be anywhere else? You bet. Dad was always great at teaching us and showing us how things worked. 

Today, when I'm tackling complex business challenges or pushing through difficult transformations, I think about those thistles. Some tasks aren't fun, but they're necessary for growth.

The Built-In MBA

My childhood gave me some unique advantages:

1. Adaptability

• New schools multiple times a year
• Different communities and cultures
• Constant change as the norm

2. Communication Skills

• Learning to talk to anyone about anything
  
• Growing up around adults in a work environment
  
• Navigating diverse personalities and perspectives

3. Problem-Solving

• Parents who made us figure things out ourselves
• Learning independence through necessity
  
• Finding solutions without waiting for help

Adventures in Learning

While other kids were living routine lives, I was:

• Exploring the lower 48 as our playground, witnessing how different communities live, work, and celebrate
  
• Becoming "locals" in countless towns, joining unique traditions and daily routines that most only read about
  
• Sampling diverse regional cuisines and hometown specialties that expanded our palates and cultural understanding
  
• Riding 3-wheelers up sand dunes with my dad's crew during off-hours
  
• Swimming in oceans, lakes, and rivers between school changes
  
• Learning life lessons from our family on the road, my dads crew & their families, who treated us like their own
  
• Watching my mom break gender barriers with skill and determination, silently teaching us that limitations are often just perceptions
  
• Building an unbreakable sister bond that weathered every move, becoming each other's constant in a life of change

The Business Impact

These early experiences shaped my approach to business leadership:

From Moving Schools to Market Adaptation

• Quick assessment of new situations
  
• Rapid relationship building
  
• Comfort with constant change

From Country Living to Executive Leadership

• Understanding the value of necessary tasks
  
• Building genuine work ethic
  
• Recognizing that growth often requires discomfort

From Water Towers to Business Transformation

• Seeing projects through to completion
  
• Understanding the value of skilled execution
  
• Recognizing that the best solutions aren't always the most obvious

The Bottom Line

My "business education" started long before I knew what business was. It came from:

• Parents who taught independence instead of dependence
  
• Experiences that forced adaptability and resilience
  
• Early exposure to diverse perspectives and approaches
  
• Learning that most problems have solutions if you're willing to figure them out

Today, when people ask where I learned to handle complex business challenges, I think about those thistles, those constant moves, and those water towers. I think about a father who taught me that hard work builds character and a mother who showed me that barriers exist to be broken. These badass parents didn't just raise me – they forged me through experiences that most would consider challenging but that ultimately became my greatest advantages. My unconventional childhood wasn't just preparation for success – it was the foundation of everything I've become. Sometimes the most powerful education doesn't come with a degree, but with dirt under your fingernails and the courage to embrace change.

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Need a fresh perspective on your business challenges? Let's talk about how unconventional thinking leads to exceptional results.