09/01/2026
People love to say, āThis isnāt my first rodeo.ā
Wellā¦ in a sense, this really isnāt mine. š
Long before farming, I had already experienced the financial 'rodeo' version.
One morning, I was unlocking the door to my standalone lending office when SEVEN black SUVs pulled up.
People in suits with guns and badges started getting out. They asked, āAre you Christina?ā Yep. Then they handed me a search warrant. True story. āļø
I WAS allowed to walk into my own office, but I wasnāt allowed to touch any computer. The laptop and cell phone I was holding were also confiscated, and State financial investigators basically took up residence at every computer in my office looking for wrongdoing.
So naturallyā¦ I made them espresso. āš
Because what else was I going to do? And no, I didnāt poison them.
They spent about a week going through everything. This was during a time when there actually WERE brokers in the industry doing some very serious things. People I knew professionally from other firms eventually went away for hefty financial crimes.
But me? Nope. I never robbed Peter to pay Paul. I never needed to. When the week long investigation was over, the investigators apologized and concluded there was no wrongdoing by me, my business, or the 27 brokers I was responsible for.
That experience taught me something I have never forgotten:
If you know what you did, know what your records say, and know you conducted yourself honestly, an investigation doesnāt have to terrify you.
Sometimes seven black SUVs show up with a search warrantā¦ and you make espresso. šā
Then came farming. Farming taught me humility, perseverance, and that being covered in manure is not actually the worst thing that can happen before breakfast. š
It also taught me what it feels like to deal with regulators, badges, guns, State agencies, Federal agencies, and people who seemed to believe intimidation alone should be enough to make you fold.
It wasnāt. Food freedom taught me how to read regulations, challenge interpretations, ask uncomfortable questions, and understand that authority becomes a whole lot less intimidating once you know the rules they are supposed to follow too. For two can play this game.. š
So now here we areā¦ Alaska. Oh. Alaska.
And people love to say, āThis isnāt my first rodeo.ā Babyā¦
Iāve been kicked in the head by my favorite horse, chased by the bull I raised from birth, come face-to-face with a momma bear while her three cubs crossed my path, had a gun pointed at my head, and dealt with people carrying guns and badges who thought intimidation alone would make me fold. So. Take a seat. š
Iāve had seven black SUVs pull up with a search warrant, had my electronics confiscated, been regulated, investigated, underestimated, and covered in manureā¦
and STILL made espresso for the people looking for dirt. So yes. In a sense, this really isnāt my first rodeo. We're just getting warmed up.. š„
Watching people slowly realize intimidation isnāt going to work? That's the part I love.ā¤ļø
