Episode 061 - Hunting, Rodeo, and Real Estate: How Kylee Whiting Does It All

Taylor McAdams: Hey everybody, and thanks for listening to another episode of Kick Your Boots Up. If this is your first episode, feel free to like this. Subscribe and share this with your friends. Tell everyone about it. This episode is probably one of my favorites in the history of Kick Your Boots Up episodes. I love this girl so much, and I followed her from afar, and what I think is probably what sets her apart. But even like makes her cooler. In my book, she's a fellow sash sister. So everyone, please meet Kylie Whiting,

Kylee Whiting: I'm so excited

Taylor McAdams:  So excited to have you on the podcast because we were just talking after about all the things that we could talk about. And you are so relatable. And probably a lot of people can't relate to the queening side of it, but it like resonates to life so much so Okay, before we get into that, though, I've got to tell everyone who you are and why you're so cool and what makes them you so Kylie grew up in Idaho. She is the she's in marketing at Kryptek. Kryptek Outdoor group. Her and her father have a cool story, and we might just have to get him on too at some point to tell a story. But I hope you here get to know a little bit more about Kryptek, and stay tuned for that, because that's cool. But for us ladies, we want to talk about all things rodeo queen, all things life. And what's cool about Kylie is she's currently going to, I want to make sure Boise State University and she's on the rodeo team there. That's huge. I never did the whole college rodeo thing, so I have so many questions to ask Kylie about that. And then also, she's a hunter, you guys. She does it all. She's cowgirl, Breakaway rope, I

Kylee Whiting: think I didn't rope barrel racing, and then I show reining cow horse. So that's my niche.

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, very, lots to talk about. Okay, so, yeah, so she's a cowgirl, she's a hunter. She does it all. She took the time to be on the podcast here at WESA. And if you're listening and you're not sure what WESA is, it's the Western and English sales Association show where vendors get to come and meet, sell, trade, buy, still, no, I'm just but it happens for about a week, twice a year, at the Dallas Market Center. So we're here. We're set up in a new location. I'm sure you noticed, if you've seen before. Without further ado, we're gonna jump into this episode with Kylie. And to start things off, Kylie, I've got to know. How did you get to where you are today? Tell us about your background, how you were raised, all of it.  

Kylee Whiting: Okay, well, gosh, that's a lot to unwind, but I basically was raised as a military brat for the first portion of my early childhood. My father was military. He was an Apache attack helicopter pilot, and we the first four years of my life, I lived in six different places, so we moved around quite a bit, but that was an age that I didn't really remember. I remember a few parts, but as soon as my dad got out of the military, we moved up to Alaska for a business opportunity up there. So my early childhood, ages four to around nine years old, about six years, six and a half years, was in Alaska, actually. So that's where my love for the outdoors really stemmed from, and that's where I grew up, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, doing all the things that really correlate with our brand, Kryptek Outdoor Group, which is an outdoor apparel clothing company, also camouflage company that my dad started, actually in Alaska, and as a hobby, really, he loved the outdoors and And he really just wanted to make his hobbies his job, right? And so he started as a hobby, and it blew up and took off. And so eventually he was, he got to a point where he was moving or traveling, I should say, Yeah, down to the lower 48 a lot, a couple times a year, maybe once a month. And he was like, You know what, it's time to move my family back home. So Idaho has always been home for us. I'm a sixth generation Idahoan on both sides of my family, and I take pride in that, because a lot of people are moving to Idaho, and I'm like, Yeah, I'm from this is my my roots. So what's the campaign? 

Kylee Whiting: I've seen? Idaho? Idaho? Yeah, Idaho. Kind people twist like Idaho with all kinds of stuff. I saw a bachelorette weekend a few weeks ago, and it was like, bride a hoe. They made like their whole bachelorette weekend. Bride a hoe. Anyways, yeah, so people like, toss the name. It's funny, but yeah. So we moved back home to Idaho and and really, my love for the Western industry and outdoor industry collided when we moved back home to Idaho, because I grew up, my mom actually grew up showing in 4h and she actually showed dressage, but also on the western side of things, she she did 4h and then western pleasure and horsemanship. So all of those things kind of hit full circle moment when we moved home. Because when we would come home for vacation to Idaho, when we lived in Alaska, I would get to see my my mom's horses, my grandparents still had them. So that's where the roots started and the seeds were planted. Was when we'd come visit Idaho and visit my family. We had horses and stuff they did. So when we moved back home to Idaho, they promised me a horse, and so I got into 4h from there, and oh my goodness, I I grew up also going to the Caldwell night rodeo, which is a really big outdoor PRCA rodeo. It's amazing it's actually going on right now, and I'm sad that I'm missing it. But anyway, so that's where the seeds were planted for rodeo queening. I saw the colder night rodeo Queen there when I was younger, and we were in town visiting and and from there on, I just always knew, like, I want to be a rodeo queen. So we finally moved back. Back to Idaho. I got my first horse started 4h and then I entered my first rodeo Queen pageant At age 11. And boy, did that go. And that was not it was interesting. It's funny to see the growth of where I started to where it ended in terms of my rodeo,

Taylor McAdams: Which I forgot to say. I feel like that's I've said it so much to everyone else on the podcast. You guys have to know she was the 2021, 2022 national high school rodeo queen. Huge. That's huge. 

Kylee Whiting: There was 48 girls, no 43 okay, yeah, but it's the world's largest rodeo Queen pageant. And I don't know how I won, but the Lord had a hand on that, I believe so 100% and you were the national high school rodeo queen? Is it trauma bonding? No, all positive things from from that I loved my experience with the NHSRA. They are amazing. And I still am in contact with a lot of the the executives and directors from Heck, yeah, from that rodeo organization. Sounds like a cool thing. 

Taylor McAdams: I have so many questions. We can talk about this in a second, but I want to continue this. It's so cool. How much the adults that are involved in the nhsra are so they're invested in the kids. Absolutely, they follow them. James Higginbotham at events, he still knows who I am. That is so cool for you. No, it's his whole heart. And Ronnie Hazel,

Kylee Whiting: Oh yeah, yeah, Miss Gay. Oh, she just passed away. I know, gosh, and she was my, she was our, like, Director for the officers, and so I spent a lot of time with Miss Gay, and she is amazing, and she dedicated her her life, and ended it well on a great note with the fact that she had dedicated so much time to those kids. And really, that's what the nhsra, to me, is about. It's about the kids, the the youth and the future of rodeo. 90% of NFR qualifiers are nhsr nhsra alumni, which I take so much pride. And I'm like, go, go high school rodeo, because it's really a great stepping stone for those athletes that want to get into the professional rodeo.

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, no, it is really, really cool. So okay, so we gotta back up just a second. Because, yeah, Alaska, hello. I never knew that. I guess I missed that, and all the things I heard about you, seen about you, even on the other podcast I listened to. So, okay, Alaska, you obviously didn't have a horse, but, and there is rodeo in Alaska. Did you ever go to rodeos?

Kylee Whiting: No, I never did up there. I had a friend that had horses, but it's, we were up in Fairbanks, which is up north. And is that icy? It's, it's much colder than down by Anchorage. So we it was just hard to have horses up there, and we didn't really have the the means to be able to have that and and so it was more a thing like, hey, when we move back home, we'll get you a horse sort of thing. And my mom, that's her heritage as well. So she wanted that, of course, for our family. 

Taylor McAdams: So I'm so glad that they were able to bring that to fruition because now that you're adult, you understand, like, wow. Understand, like, wow, they sacrificed

Kylee Whiting: A lot. No, I'm so grateful for my parents support through all my dreams. And I would not be where I am today without that, that leap of faith of like, okay, let's get into horses, you know, and let's get our 4h and  FFA.

Taylor McAdams: You know, the thing, yeah, yeah. That is so cool. I'm so proud of them for doing that for you. That's a big Yeah, because everyone needs, like, a little bit of horse therapy in their life. Therapy in their life. Yeah, for sure. Okay, so my other thing that I was held up on was the time that you, after moving to Idaho, you saw the call the Caldwell night rodeo queen. Do you remember who that was? By the way, dusty Olson.

Kylee Whiting: She was Miss Rodeo Idaho, 2015, a legend.

Taylor McAdams: Yes. Yeah, that right. There is, like, why rodeo queens do what they do? Because here we are so many years later, Dusty was, oh my goodness, 2013

Kylee Whiting: Yeah, around somewhere. She was 2015 Miss Rodeo Idaho. Okay, so 2013 okay. 

Kylee Whiting: I believe maybe I'm wrong there. That's okay,

Taylor McAdams: Almost a decade ago, 

Kylee Whiting: Which is crazy, 

Taylor McAdams: And we'restill talking about it right here on this podcast. And I think that is worth mentioning as well, because she made such an impact in your life. Yeah, that made you change the trajectory of your life. Absolutely

Kylee Whiting: no, for sure. 

Taylor McAdams: So going back and doing your first pageant after that, you said you were 1111, when I had my first pageant, what advice would you give yourself? Oh, my 11, that you would do better or change better for the pageant? Anything,

Kylee Whiting: I will say one thing, and I actually did learn this throughout the process, but when I first went into my first pageant, I was trying to mold and change myself to fit the rodeo Queen persona, or, I guess, the stereotype, you know, of like being bubbly and you know, and I am already kind of an extroverted person, but I wish I would have told myself going into that first pageant to just be authentic, You know, and be genuine to who you are. And I think that's I accredit those characteristics to why I won the national title against 43 girls, was because I just was myself. And I was like, I'm not going to try to change. And you know, if I win, I like, Yay, that's a chair on top. But if I don't, at least I know I was myself. And so I would tell my my 11 year old self going into that pageant, like, just be yourself, be genuine to who you are, explain why you love rodeo. And really, at the end of the day, that's what rodeo Queening is about, is being an ambassador for the sport of rodeo. And we all like rodeo queens. Love rodeo. 

Taylor McAdams: So they do, yeah, number one, yes and I'm that's you nailed that on the head. That is such good advice, because so many times I think people get held up with rodeo queen. Being just like a lot of makeup and a lot of sparkles, and, you know, they don't really sit down to understand what rodeo queens do in the job. And really, we're a fan of rodeo first, so that's cool. And then, yeah, forget all the makeup hair, yeah, at 11 years old, yes, you got to be yourself. But that, that was a very good point. Yeah, that was the best advice I was given. I think whenever I went to go compete at Nationals as well, because even the small amount of time that you get with the judges, a lot of the girls would take the time to talk about I and me and how much I did, and I knew going into that like it wasn't about me. And you know this too, for sure, much bigger organization. It's a much bigger purpose. The Lord is driving you are not, you know, and so it's really cool to go through that experience. So since we probably haven't talked about our experiences on a podcast before, let's talk about our rodeo Queen competing on a national level experience, because it's a little bit different than just competing at a state or a low for sure, high school radio specifically, we don't have to talk about that necessarily, but just the moving the moving parts. There's so much going on, there's higher amount of contestants. Yes, everything is just suddenly more serious. Yeah. So what was your strategy going into the pageant. And then how talk about, like, a pitfall of a moment that you're like, This is not going so well, or, Oh, this is going really well. Just talk about your experience for sure.

Kylee Whiting: So when I went, first of all the national high school rodeo Queen pageant is the best of the best, right? So you have local district pageants, and then from there, you transition into your state pageants or province pattern pageants. And then, because it's a worldwide pageant, you're competing against Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and the United States, states, individually. That's why it's such a large pageant. But you have to go through several pageants before you get to Nationals. You have to win a few times beforehand. So it is girls that are refined and really, you know, it's the best of the best in the age category that you're in. So I think the biggest thing that I did in terms of preparing for nationals was studying myself and my personality and knowing like who I was genuinely deep down. Once I did that, that helped my confidence so much going into my pageant, at finals, the national finals, and through that, I think my throughout my week, having that confidence, because I knew myself wholeheartedly, and I knew I was being genuine, and I knew I did the best I could, and had gotten, you know, I'd studied as much as I could. Once you get to the pageant, it's like, okay, relax. Like, now it's time to just perform and do your best, right? And so once I got there, I I really was at peace. And I do think it was like the Lord having a hand on me with that, because I think it happened for a reason that I did win that pageant. Yeah, I'm a firm believer in that, and that's how faith is a huge part of my life. And yes, and so with that, I would say the biggest thing was just studying myself. And then when I got to, got to the pageant, I just did my best, and I felt the most confident I could be. And really, the girls, like, I made so many amazing friends, yes, and so that helped a ton, because it was really just fun, like, genuinely, so much fun competing. And the pageant at the high school finals is the first weekend. So then once it you get it over with, you can just relax and, like, have fun the rest of the week, which was really helpful, because after the pageant, I could just relax and take a deep breath and then go make friends and make memories, and those memories and I still have great friends that I talked to on a weekly basis from from high school rodeo.

Taylor McAdams: So yeah, I can't You and I both, we can't say enough good things, yeah, organization, everything that they've given us. But I thought what the most interesting part about it all was, for you specifically, this is going to be tooting your horn a little bit, and that's so good. You were a cowgirl first, and I for sure, appreciate that. Like me, I didn't ever compete professionally in rodeo. I did play days growing up, and then around high school, rodeo started competing, because that is not necessarily a requirement, but in like, in tune with an event, you know, something. And so I that was never like, I had fun and I added to the pot, and I loved cheering on the girls that were going really fast. But you took your competitor, a fierce competitor, inside the arena, and as a rodeo queen, and do you think that that helped you,

Kylee Whiting: For sure, and I think there's a stereotype amongst rodeo queens, at least in high school, that I saw with, like, other rodeo competitors that aren't rodeo queens, that kind of looked down on the queens, and I went on mission to say, no, like, I'm a girl that can ride a horse, and I'm passionate about my sport, and I'm here to, like, break that stereotype. And actually, when I was the national high school rodeo queen, I got to compete on a world level for reigning cow horse at the celebration of champions. And so got to post about that, and just really gaining respect for the rodeo Queen stereotype in itself, was one of my missions, because I'm sure you've related to people looking like people rodeo Queens can be looked down upon sometimes. And so I really wanted to gain respect for for just like, hey, no, I am a horse woman, and I know how to ride a horse and and like, those are very important things to me. So with that, and then high school rodeo, like you said, you do have to be in an event to compete in the rodeo Queen contest. So I really appreciate that, because most of the competitors and Queen contestants are really great writers, because they also are doing rodeo. They're also cameras,

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, at what point in the pageant? Did you think, Oh, this is going south, or oh, I've got this.

Kylee Whiting: I don't think I had. I think that's why I won the pageant, was because I was very consistent throughout, yes, I didn't have one moment where I was like, Oh my gosh, I just messed up. I I prepared super well for that pageant and did my best. And obviously it paid off, because at the end, I did end up walking away with that title and several, quite a few categories as well, that I won. And so there wasn't a moment that I feel like I had a lot of peace too from the Lord that he was like, hey, like, you've got this Kylie, even when we went into coronation, like I had so much peace, I wasn't even, like, worried going into it. Yeah. So I don't know how to describe it, but I would say that there wasn't one moment that I was like, Oh my goodness. And I honestly, that's one piece of advice that I give to girls is, is if you do have a oops moment, like, let it go and move on to the next thing. Because if you do have an oops moment, that can affect the rest of your your pageant in their other categories, because you're worried about the past and what just happened. So letting learning to just move on and let it go. And okay, I've worked hard. 

Taylor McAdams: Here we are, refresh, restart, on to the next one. Yeah, no, that's so such good advice. So let's talk about post rodeo queen. It obviously paid off all the skills that you got. I mean, it got me my job now, it got me to where you are today. Talk about Kylene in college, how that's translated to college applications, college resumes, job resumes. Now at Kryptek, all the things that you do in marketing and digital marketing for them, talk about that, how the benefits of it. 

Kylee Whiting: So rodeo cleaning, in itself, has set me up. The skill sets you gain from rodeo cleaning has set me up for success in my future. And I'm sure you can attest to that. As you just said, you go through an interview process. You learn to speak on stage publicly, you learn to model even, which I think is important to be able to be able to carry yourself in poise. Poisley, so all those things helped me get my job, and even where I'm at, I know I'm the founder, CEO daughter, but they would not have advanced me into my marketing positions if I was, you know, if I hadn't, probably if I hadn't gone through that rodeo queen, queening career because of the skills I've gained and the social skills that you gain are it's so important and relevant, and I accredit all of my skills to Rodeo queening in itself. So I would say all of it helped with that. I'm a student at Boise State and taken a few communications classes, even on public speaking and being able to get up on in class and speak in front of people and present even dashboards, business dashboards, and stuff like those. It's so easy for me because of the things I went through when I was little to, you know, win a rodeo Queen title. So all of that accredits to Rodeo queening, for sure,

Taylor McAdams: I could not agree more. It's so big and kind of like pageants and kind of like life that we've experienced so far. Everything is about timing, and it's just so crazy how our life works and the way that it does. So like, let's just talk. Let's just be open. So me not winning the story to America getting first runner up, I could have seen it as a devastating thing, and I did for a second, like, let's be honest, it was hard, rightfully so I get it, yeah. Then you you start thinking about all the different things that you aren't able to do now, and you wouldn't have been able to do if you had that title. And everything is just so crazy. So for you specifically, too, I'm like, so excited for your future, especially because you just got engaged. How many days ago did you just get engaged? 

Kylee Whiting: End of May. So it's been a few months, a little bit

Taylor McAdams:  I feel like it's new to me, because I'm like, Yeah, completely forgot. This is so awesome. And let me just tell you a word to the wise marriage life is like. I don't know what you've heard about how awesome it is, but it is way awesome. I'm

Kylee Whiting: So excited. Yeah, I'm so excited to take that next step of life. And I will say, and I was telling Taylor McAdams that it was hard for me at first to when my fiance and I were talking about, okay, do we want to take this next step? Do we want to get engaged? I had to make that decision of, do decision of, do I want to go on to run for Miss Rodeo Idaho, or do I want to get it, get engaged and start that next phase of my life? And I really had to lean into my faith for that. But God, like you said, timing is everything. God's timing was his and not my own right. And so we ended up, yeah, I decided to be content with what I had already accomplished in my rodeo Queen career and move on to the next phase of life. So, and

Taylor McAdams:I'm so proud of you for doing that is so awesome. And what you're about to experience is like, if you think it's good now it is. There's growing pains along the way, just like with everything you know. But yeah, I'm just so happy for you to have this is like, the million dollar question, do you have a wedding date? Yeah,

Kylee Whiting: Absolutely

Taylor McAdams:  Save the dates. 

Kylee Whiting:Yeah, I'll be announcing it soon, but I do, and I had that wedding date before we even so my fiance is in medical school, and he only has three weeks of break, so we have a very tight timeline. That's literally the three weeks we have. So our wedding date wasn't really a choice, but so I've reserved it right away as soon as we got engaged, and I had already picked the date out beforehand, because we didn't really have any wiggle room or any options. 

Taylor McAdams:  So that is so cool, just planning the life ahead and getting to see you grow into the woman that you are the young adulthood and landing your first big girl job out of college, you know, helping your dad with the marketing, yeah, helping your dad. It's much bigger than that. But. Um, talk to us about your day to day life, yeah, Crytek, and what you get to do. Because I've seen a lot of your videos, and you guys should right now go check them out too. You get to be a part of the hunting trips that are also Photo, photo, video shoot trips. So tell us about what you get  to do.

Kylee Whiting: Yeah. So running marketing for Kryptek is so much fun, especially with it being my family's brand, because I've watched my dad grow it from the ground up and me really pouring my heart and soul into a company that is my families, and we've worked so hard to get where we are today is, yes, it's easier to, you know, work hard, and it helps my work ethic every day and drives me to keep going. But I would just say, like an everyday, everyday in Kylie's life would be, I run our Legion, so it's about 120 influencers or professional hunters, people that may have influence to a consumer in the industry. So we have professional hunters, professional athletes, Tiktok influencers, and everyone in between, just someone that may have influenced guides and Outfitters. So I help manage those relationships and apply those relationships to our marketing campaigns. With that, I also brainstorm with marketing campaigns. So if we have a new product launch or if we have a sale coming up, I help brainstorm that keep everyone organized in the office, making sure things are due outs are being maintained, and everything like that. I'm also like, my dad's little assistant, he gets mad at me. Sometimes it's like, Kylie scheduled another meeting. I'm like, Yeah, this is important. So I have access to his calendar, and I schedule stuff for him, because he has a lot on his plate. Obviously, being the president founder, he's a busy schedule. He's a busy guy, but I help keep him organized with that. I also am currently running our social media. I hope that that kind of we're looking for someone right now to hire on to help lift that off of my plate, because it is, it's becoming a lot, and social media is, yeah, it's not my favorite thing. I just it's a lot, a lot. It's 24/7 job, and I have had to find work balance with my life and, you know, everyday life and school and all that, and rodeo. So having to, 

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, it's a lot for you, literally and figuratively, you're wearing so many different hats. But then, hats, but then mom and dad at the end of the day are still Mom and Dad, and you don't want to sit at the dinner table and have business discussions.

Kylee Whiting: Oh goodness, yeah, we definitely have to balance work, especially my dad and I, but it's great. I wouldn't trade it for the world working with my family, and my mom's actually in office a lot as well, helping out. It's a very family. We're very family oriented, especially with our relationships, like the Legion, like I was discussing, like, I have everyone's personal cell and, I mean, they text me 24/7 you know? Like, it's very personable, yeah. And with that, I wouldn't trade it for the world, 

Taylor McAdams: Oh, I bet not, literally living it up. And I can't help but ask, like, what is your best piece of advice? There's a lot of listeners out there that are in our stage of life in between us, probably, I would say, and so what's your best piece of advice for balancing it all, since you do wear so many different hats and do different things, yeah, keeping your horses legged up, and being a fiance and planning a wedding and all the things, what's your best piece of advice for that?  

Kylee Whiting:  I am a huge planner. I plan ahead. I have my Google Calendar, so scheduling it out. And even scheduling like, time in my day to, like, have some alone time and, you know, like, recoup myself. I love to journal. I love to read. So getting in the like, I love to read my Bible, getting in the word, setting myself up for success for the day was just some alone time. And like, Okay, what am I going to do today? What am I going to accomplish? What's my heart posture like today? Am I going to have a good day? You know? And setting that up, taking time that way, I know if I start my day that way, I know I'm gonna have, like, a productive, good day, especially just with how you're saying. I'm so busy, it's important to, like, take time for yourself, to organize yourself, so you don't get stressed. And then from there, I have a schedule. I schedule my day out every day, so using a calendar, I would say, is my piece of advice.

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, that's smart, especially for college deadlines, where it all makes sense, yeah,   

Kylee Whiting: And prioritizing things that are more important and not wasting time. I am a big believer in like, time is obviously, you're short, you're like, you're short, yeah, it's so valuable, so not wasting it on it, like, random stuff, 

Taylor McAdams: You have to have it for your job right now, if you want a job, we're hiring her. Okay, so on top of that, then what do you do for fun? And how do you have time to do the fun stuff?

Kylee Whiting: I thank goodness. What do I do for fun? Gosh, well, riding my horses are always a fun thing, and keeping my horses legged up, I'm a very big people person, so spending time with family and friends is huge for me. So anytime I do have free time, it is putting pouring that time and energy into my relationships and my family and stuff like that. So I would say my free time, it's like with people, as much as I can be. A lot of my day is spent on meetings, talking with people, but that's that can be draining, but when I'm with my family and friends, it's like a refill. 

Taylor McAdams: Okay, so you are a true extrovert? Yeah, I think sure my husband I were just talking about this, I think I might be an introvert with extrovert tendencies, because I do love being with people, but I think at the. End of the day, I do need to breathe for a second. Yeah, that's so cool. Okay, so we've spent a lot of time talking about you, and this has been so good you guys. If you have any questions for Kylie, feel free to slide into her DMs. Yeah, your Instagram is, let me get this right, Kylie white. Okay, underscore, Kylie white, yeah, that's so perfect. Okay, so to change gears just a little bit, some business talk Yes, Boss Babes around here, tell us about Kryptek and what you guys do, and even tell me about, like, I think this could have been a hunting trip that you went on. I don't know if it was like a true hunting trip or if it was for content for Kryptek, but tell us about all of that. Okay, everything.

Kylee Whiting: Yeah, so Kryptek is a outdoor apparel clothing company. We our main piece behind the brand is our camouflage. So yeah, so that's actually some interesting things, like we were able to put our camo on all kinds of things, whether it be cowboy boots or sports cars or pieces of, you know, other clothing and gear, you know, whatever you can put camo on anything. So that's a big part of our brand, is our licensing products. But the biggest thing behind Kryptek, in terms of who we are, is our motto. It's battlefield to back country. My dad was an Apache attack helicopter pilot and served several, several tours overseas for our nation's battles. And you know, just we have a big love for freedom and America, and all those things play into our brand and who we are today. So taking that motto of Battlefield to back country and being our love for the outdoors, just kind of blending them together, is a big part of our brand. And from there, there are a lot of pros to having a brand like this, like getting to go on fun hunts and stuff. I there was a video recently released on my Instagram, and some of the clips were actually in New Zealand. We were red stag hunting and, and I'm a big proponent of conservation, so I can get into that as well, of why we hunt. But yeah, the biggest thing behind that was, yes, we were there to have fun. I mean, people in the hunting industry would say, oh, that's like a dream hunt, you know? And I was so blessed to get to be able to get to go on that hunt, and we have some amazing friends that blessed us with that opportunity. But as a young girl, like being able to grow up going on hunts and stuff like my dad instilled those values into me, and with that, it's one thing, it's our lifestyle, but then throwing a camera in there to market ourselves and get content is kind of just an extra thing that we do. Like we'd be still doing, we'd be doing stuff like that anyways, but for the brand's sake, of course, yeah, we're gonna film stuff just so we can post it, you know, for marketing, because why not? Right? And that's business, absolutely. But I mean, I could get into why we hunt and they think the biggest thing, and especially being in the western industry as well, with love for agriculture is just knowing conservation in itself, but knowing where my meat comes from is huge. And so harvesting, having the ability to work hard on a mountain, to hiking 60 miles and being able to harvest an elk, and then, you know, farm to take, not farm to table, Field to Table, Field to Table, you know, make that back strapped steak for dinner, knowing, like, wow, this, this piece of meat was worked hard for and, you know, and then that, but also the conservation aspect of we need conservation in in wildlife, to keep things maintained.

Taylor McAdams: So you're a great advocate for that. Yeah, I'm very passionate about it, just because that's what we do. Okay, two questions for you. One is kind of a silly question, so I'll start with that one. Okay, okay, so with that one. Okay, okay, so there's a show, and I forget what network it's on, but it's basically like they drop these people off in an undisclosed location. What's it called? Either way, whatever it's called alone. Is it alone? Yes. And I love that show. I eat that show up because these people are given, I think, 10 items, and they can survive, and they do it, and then it like whoever lasts the longest wins. Do you think I could do that?

Kylee Whiting: I No, my dad, granted my dad. It's so funny. Because what's hilarious is my question at the National High School rodeo contest. My impromptu question was, if you were stranded on an island, what three things would you take with you? And the three things I said was Flint and steal to make a fire. And from that, like, I've grown up with survival tactics, but I don't think I could last alone. I'm such a people person. I'm extroverted. I cannot just for this, like, mentally, I don't think I could do it. Yes, I could physically. I could go out and harvest an animal, but I don't know if I had a bow or a rifle, I could. Maybe I'd make a bow, I don't know, or make a fishing pole or something. I feel like I do have those skill sets to be able, and then to be able to build a fire and make, you know, survival skill sets I've been raised with that just in case, like an emergency happens, but in terms of mentally and emotionally, you know, I think that's the biggest thing that gets those people off those islands and they lose is because they lose their mind being alone. The name of the show is alone is because people tap out, because they're they go crazy, if not. We're designed as humans to be with people and community in relationships, and I think that's something I know I need. So I don't think I'd be able to last on the show because of that. 

Taylor McAdams: It is the hardest part, for sure. Okay, my final question. Whole podcast. I think. Anyway, you're a female as a hunter. What's it feel like for you to then go on these hunts with all these guys and carry your own way, you know, like you're killing just as many ducks you're getting the deer. What is, what is that like? That's gonna be so cool, yeah. I mean, at first. 

Kylee Whiting: I mean, sometimes it can be intimidating as a woman in the hunting industry, but there are so many inspirational women out there that have already led the pack, for example, Jana Waller, who is skull bound TV. She's one of our Legion influencers. Influence. She's not an, I hate using the word influencer. She's a role model, influence. Yeah, she's a role model in the industry, and she's really set the standard for women hunting. And I have a lot of people, everyone has respect for her because of that. So as a woman going out in the hunting world and being able to hunt, especially with the skills my dad's instilled into me, yeah, I think it's great, especially because there aren't as many women, and so advocating for that and spreading it, I think, is huge. And any woman can go out and hunt, and so I just hope they are intimidated too. So because it's amazing, it's an amazing experience. 

Taylor McAdams: It is. And who knows, maybe that experience that you had as a rodeo queen with Dusty is that same experience for a little girl with you as a hunter too. You know, like, that's so cool. I never really got into the hunting thing, but I am so obsessed with it now my my husband's a deer hunter, duck hunter. He does a lot, but yeah, anyways, we love it, and I have to compliment you before we go, because your outfit is so big you Where's passion influence from?

Kylee Whiting: Oh, goodness. I'm a big Pinterest girl. I go on Pinterest and, you know, find inspo. But one of the things that I was packing for this trip, and my roommates were in my room helping me, and they're like, how do you like? Put your outfits together. And I told them, actually I was I said, I take an outfit that you could like where it would be considered, like, street fashion. La fashion, okay? And I make it Western. I'll add a I'll throw on a cowgirl hat, belts, boots, you know, make it Western. So take modern day trends that you're seeing in vogue and then turning it Western is my kind of my techniques with how I style myself. 

Taylor McAdams: So well, you're killing it, girlfriend. Thank you. All areas of life, the past, present, future. I'm so excited to see where you end up. What all is going on for you. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us on the podcast. Yeah, it's been great. It has to come back, bring my dad back. Yes, for sure. And if you guys want to follow Kylie, or if you want to learn more about the brand Kryptek, go to their Instagram website, whatever you want to do. But Instagram is at Kryptek. That's K, R, y, p, T, E, K, just to clarify. And then Kylie, of course, is at underscore. Kylie Whiting, I'm just so serious when I say this, like she's a gem, and everything that you follow or that you see when you follow her is going to be real and authentic, and she's never going to lead you astray. So thank you, yeah, of course, of course. And we're so excited that you took the time to sit down with us and listen, so we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up. Thanks for joining us on Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host, Taylor McAdams, and we can't wait to share the next story of the West. Until then, feel free to like, subscribe and leave us a review. Follow us on social media at Justin Boots to keep up with our next episode, and we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up.