Defining Cadence

Starting at Ambrook, I quickly realized I was stepping into completely unfamiliar territory: tech, AI, and accounting all at once. On my first day, I had to ask how to connect a second monitor to my Mac. I’d never even used a Mac before; my previous computer was several years old. Complex AI tools and accounting concepts felt completely out of reach, a foreign language I didn’t understand.

The learning curve was steep, but I was determined to figure it out. Honestly, part of that determination came from having no other option: I knew I had to make this work. Ambrook took a chance on hiring me and gave me something I didn’t think existed — competitive pay and the flexibility to work from home with my kids. I wanted to prove that they were right to bet on me learning software.

Growing up in North Dakota, I was immersed in ranch life from a young age. The heritage of ranching runs through my family, guiding my upbringing and inspiring the values I intend to share with my children. My great-great-grandfather began that legacy working as foreman livestock superintendent for the Marquis de Morés historic Badlands Ranch in Medora, North Dakota.

I moved to Montana during a college internship and easily decided that was where I belonged. The feeling that you get when you wake up to see snow on the peaks or trot your horse into sagebrush in the morning cannot be easily replicated. Today, my family and I split our time seasonally: From June to November we work on a cow camp, caring for cow-calf pairs and yearlings. The rest of the year, we’re on my husband’s family ranch, where I don’t just care for the animals, but actively participate in raising calves. I love being on horseback — especially when I get to swing a rope.

Shortly after my youngest daughter was born, I reached an inflection point in my life. I was miserable with my day job in the insurance industry, something I wasn’t passionate about. I was determined to get back into agriculture, where my passion has always been, even while facing the challenge of working remotely. While flipping through Working Ranch magazine, I spotted an ad describing Ambrook as “QuickBooks for Cowboys.” I hadn’t heard of the company before, so I went to their website and watched a video by the CEO, Mackenzie, explaining the mission. It resonated immediately.

Here was a company working to support family-run agricultural businesses — the same goal I had — but from a different perspective. For me, it was about building something for my daughters, while Mackenzie’s work and family history with the USDA shaped her perspective on supporting agriculture families.

Here I am today, and the journey has been truly profound. I now help customers put together their balance sheets, use tools like Claude to make sense of tricky documents, and really embrace the tech side of things … mostly. I even teamed up with a coworker to create a tech dictionary so I can instantly tell whether ‘AI’ means artificial insemination or artificial intelligence, or whether ‘cadence’ is about the tempo of a horse’s footsteps or a schedule.

Life on a ranch doesn’t always come with a perfect office setup. I’ve done Zoom meetings from the camper to avoid interruptions from my kids, presented from my car when I was on the road, and learned to make even the most modest spaces work. In fact, prior to Starlink, my current work would have been unattainable simply because of my remote location. Those experiences taught me how to stay adaptable and keep moving forward, with our Ambrook team supporting me along the journey.

This growth has taught me that no matter how steep the learning curve, dedication and curiosity make it possible to master most things. It’s also reinforced that blending my agricultural knowledge with modern technology can create meaningful solutions for family-run businesses across the country. The empathy I’ve gained through that experience allows me to bring valuable insight back to our team. It aids shaping what we build and how we communicate with the people who make up rural America.

Joining Ambrook isn’t just about loving accounting, numbers, or tech. It’s about something much bigger: leaving agriculture better for the next generation. Without knowing our numbers, we can’t make the decisions to run profitable operations. And without clarity, resilience isn’t possible.

I get to bring my ranching experience to a team building tools specifically for America’s family-run businesses. Working alongside people who understand these challenges and are committed to helping family operations thrive is incredibly rewarding. The decisions we make today will literally affect our grandkids, so yes — balance sheets are pretty exciting.

Every day reminds me that stewardship is more than a word, it’s an action. Whether I’m managing livestock or working with a company building tools that empower agricultural families financially, I feel proud to contribute to both legacies. Ranching is in my blood, and supporting those within the agriculture community is my calling.