Howdy y'all! We have made it to another Friday! If you are reading this be sure to Thank God that he woke you up this morning to read this awesome blog feature on Kaci Myers. I have not met Kaci in person, but I tell you what, I can't wait to! This lady is so amazing. She not only works for a big company, but owns her own as well. Let's read some more about how Kaci juggles being a rodeo wife, rodeo mom, and business owner!
Kaci is from Kaufman, Texas and she met her husband when she was 14 at the Texas High School Rodeo Finals in Abilene, TX. She said 'We weren’t really able to “date” back then, but we married when we were both 37. He has three kids from a previous marriage; Strait, Westi, Ketch. We have Marli together and I am expecting twins very soon.' Now, Kaci got her answers to us just in time! The very next day she and Cash welcomed their beautiful twins into this world, Quincy and Quade Meyers! We are so happy for y'all and those babies are just the cutest things ever!
Kaci started with Hatco in 2005, 17 years ago. "I turned down a marketing position and they offered me a position in product development; an assistant to Bob Posey, the Resistol designer. I helped him with Resistol and I played with Charlie 1 Horse in my spare time. At the time, it was a ladies fashion brand that did not sell well at all with Stetson and Resistol. Our salesmen called on western stores. I tried to create something that would sell well with our iconic western brands." I'd say Kaci has done an amazing job designing Charlie 1 Horse hats.
I asked Kaci what inspired her to choose the career path that she did and she had this to say about it. "I have a degree in Mass Communication from Sam Houston State University. I got that degree because I wanted something very broad; I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I spent my first two years in corporate sales and sports marketing. I even worked for myself for a bit, but I really wanted security and a career. All through college, I made things and sold them to pay my rent and cover my college expenses. I NEVER realized I was an artist. I finally realized I could use my creativity and artistic abilities and apply them to hats! After being Director of Product Development for 10 years, I was able to renegotiate my position. I work from home now and only design Charlie 1 Horse and help a bit with marketing of that brand. It was a big step back."
On top of designing hats for Charlie 1 Horse. Kaci also has her own business, Outlaw Spirit. She started Outlaw Spirit about 8 years ago. "Cash encouraged me to do it. I had always helped my friends have belt buckles and leather goods made. I never considered building a brand and making it a business. After our second date (as adults), Cash saw a leather portfolio on my coffee table and asked why I didn’t do that for a living. I assured him, “I HAVE a job.” He said something like, “Wow, Riggs… It’s hard to believe no one has snatched you up to marry you! Do you ever think it’s your PERSONALITY???” I still laugh about that… He literally held the key to my success. I got to work. I built a brand. I built a business with time flexibility that allows me to raise a family instead of spending 40 hours a week in a corporate office with a 2 hour per day commute. I’m so thankful for that," Kaci said.
I asked her what is one thing she loves about what she does. She said, "It’s fun to make cool shit. I love seeing people’s reaction when you make something they love; something that speaks to them. I love bringing joy to others. Sometimes we do that through the things we make." As a fellow maker, I agree 1000% with that statement. It is so amazing to see people wear your stuff. Not only that but it's even more cool when it's a custom piece. To see how much they love YOUR pieces is truly the coolest thing on earth.
Alright, so we know she designs hats and owns a business, but did you know she is also a rodeo mom and rodeo wife? I got some information on being both and how she does it. Kaci says, "On being a rodeo wife and mom: I can’t imagine any other life. I never imagined being a mom. Once I spent time with Cash after all these years, I realized I could totally raise kids with him. He’s SO GOOD at raising them. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to have one of my own. Cash and I got married so late… It took a long time to get Cash back to rodeoing. He had three kids very involved in sports and rodeo and never took time for himself. I encouraged him to get back to doing what he loved. Now, everyone thrives at what they love – we just sometimes have to divide and conquer when schedules overlap. They never got to see him bulldog or calf rope at the NFR. We took them to the National Finals Steer Roping in November. They loved it. They love seeing their Daddy compete. Marli loves being part of the youth rodeo with kids and tagging along with her Daddy. We have a perfect place to live now. We ride and rope almost every day. We keep things fun and give the horses a rest when we can."
For any of you rodeo moms looking for tips. She has a few for you! "Rodeo moms are amazing. They’ve all taught me a lot. I guess you have to be willing to adjust your expectations. Some years are a grind. Some years are super successful. My advice is to contribute as much as you can financially. Build a brand or a business that you can work from the road, if you want to go with him. Many of us have gained better health and success from Xyngular. Go to the ones you can; stay home when you can. It all works out. It’s not about the finals… It’s about the entire journey throughout the year and how you show up. You have to be understanding and meet adversity with kindness – not resistance. Know that the outcome is written; it’s our job to walk it out. We hope and want success for our guys, but it’s all in God’s time. There’s a grander plan." Now, those are some wise words there and that's something we can put into our every day life.
Some things the Meyers family loves to do together is to ride, rope, and swim. "We constantly have some sort of game or competition going on. Kids are great about helping us cook and prepare for meals. They clean up and learn a lot of responsibilities at our house. We love watching the latest episodes of Ultimate Cowboy Showdown to see Cash. Other than that, we don’t watch TV, with the exception of an occasional movie. We love checking and feeding cows and practice cattle together. No one really gets much alone time. Haha! There’s a lot of us!" I feel ya on that one though. Family of 6 here and no one ever leaves anyone alone. So, if you have a tight nit big family you can understand haha.
She and Cash have some nice and simple date nights. "We are working on more of that. Since the beginning of our relationship, we cook dinner together and spend time at home together. I guess we both travel so much and attend so many events, those end up being our date nights. It’s funny to me that I guess we both went out a lot and had lots of fun before we met and when we were dating, we don’t have many date nights. Umm, Marli likes to join us on our date nights. She is very mature… LOL."
Now, we asked Kaci if she had any recipes she'd like to share for cooking or baking. Now I think she pretty much hit this one spot on because this dinner is pretty much our go to every other night haha! Kaci says, "I cook. I don’t bake because I don’t want to eat sugar or things that will add pounds! We stick with Lean meat and leafy greens. We have almost always eaten very healthy. It makes me feel better and it’s better for us. Now, kids get mac and cheese and mashed potatoes all the time! Our favorite meal is a ribeye or filet steak on the grill with a fresh side like asparagus, salad or broccoli. Seems so boring… I wish I had a recipe to share."
To wrap up our feature today we have asked Kaci if she has any additional advice for us and she has left us with some very wise words. “Be careful of the toes you step on today because they could be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow.” Just be kind. We are all trying to get by. The bible tells us that we reap what we sew tenfold. That is real. Guard your heart because everything flows from it. Just be kind and help others. Don’t let competitiveness stand in your way and don’t judge people. If you don’t like someone or the way they do things, just remove yourself from the situation and continue onward and upward. Toxic environments will bring you down. Also, don’t worry about what others think of you. Do your thing. I’ve always said it’s MIND OVER MATTER. “The ones who mind, don’t matter. The ones who matter, don’t mind.” Release the things that don’t serve you. Once I had a family, I came to the realization that when I’m telling people yes, I’m telling my family no. I release the things in my life that no longer serve me in a purposeful way. A good gauge is: If it doesn’t make you happy or make you money, let it go. We carry too much stuff around and it gets heavy." Those are some very wise words from an AMAZING woman!
If you'd like to learn more about Kaci just head on over to her Instagram @kaci1horse
You can find her Outlaw Spirit page linked there as well! Thanks for joining us today and if you have any questions for Kaci just drop them below and we will get back to them as soon as we can. Have a blessed day!