Meet Randi Samuelson-brown

 

We were lucky to catch up with Randi Samuelson-brown recently and have shared our conversation below.

Randi, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from a long line of women who, honestly, had no choice but to be resilient. I also think it is part of every person’s survival instinct. Human beings are remarkably adaptable creatures – it all just depends upon how they want to go about it.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I write western-focused and themed books mainly based in Colorado, but the latest book THE WESTERN HORSE: A Popular History of the Wild and Working Animal encompasses all of the western United States. These days, although I have a “day job”, my focus is very much on preserving history and culture using the written word. The reason why I feel this is so important is that as time progresses we stand the risk of disconnecting with our collective pasts. I like to focus on the “common people” and their struggles and accomplishments. This latest book is about the history of horses…who literally carried us to where we stand today.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Believe in yourself (even when it is not easy), don’t be afraid to take a risk, and also don’t be afraid to admit that you made a mistake if you have. I feel like there are an awful lot of voices telling people what they can’t do. Why listen to them? My father (who was a marvelously encouraging man) once told me, “That won’t work. It’s been tried before.” I about fell off of my chair! True, his intentions were good in that he didn’t want me to waste my time…but if people consistently take that approach, how would improvements ever occur? I didn’t give up writing, and now I have many books traditionally published. True, we were talking about my first book, and true, it hasn’t been published. Yet. But his approach, I feel to this day, was wrong. Try things again! Just don’t keep waking into a brick wall. Make slight changes and variations to see if that provides the needed spark.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I think the adults who listened to me and really cared about my hopes and dreams when I was growing up. Admittedly, I was somewhat of a strange child- a bit solitary – but I think that all plays a large part in the development of personalities into who they eventually become. So thank you to all the older ladies and men who took my dreams and confidences seriously, and who were there to pick me up and brush me off when I fell.

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