Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Radke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?

I firmly believe you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and outside of my wonderful husband and four children, I have the opportunity to work with some of the very best people who inspire me to be the best version of myself each and every day. As an example, one of my greatest mentors is Chris Earl, owner of CK6 Consulting, Reverse Rocking R Ranch, and Bid On Beef. His life’s work is centered around faith, standing up for the truth, and serving others, and that strength and conviction is contagious to be around. Him being a strong leader helps me to do the same, and I’m thankful for his guidance. Everyone needs someone (or multiple people) like that in their lives, and as you grow and mature, you can be that same person for others, as well.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a fifth-generation cattle rancher from South Dakota who has seen the consolidation and corporatization of agriculture in my lifetime, and I’ve grown increasingly worried and saddened by the loss of family farms and ranches and rural communities that continues to trend at greater numbers with each passing year.

As a result, I’ve been actively fighting for America’s farmers and ranchers my entire career, focusing on agricultural policy, education, promotion, leadership, and advocacy through my speaking engagements, children’s books, and various platforms, including a new auction website that was launched in 2024 called, Bid On Beef.

I started out speaking at 4-H and FFA events as a kid, and organically, it has expanded to 50+ speaking engagements annually across the country at agricultural conferences, cattle auctions, and classrooms. My business has really expanded through word-of-mouth, and I’m very focused on keeping producers on the land and meat, dairy, and eggs on the dinner table.

I do wear many hats in my career, but ultimately, my most important job is being a mother. My career allows me to bring my kids along to many events, and my oldest daughter, Scarlett, is a published author and illustrator who speaks alongside me at many conferences. It is a joy and blessing to be in a family business, where we aren’t just raising cattle, but we are raising kids, too, on this beautiful South Dakota prairie we call, “home.”

Have you ever had to pivot?

My retail business, www.amandaradke.com, started by accident. In 2020, I lost a year’s worth of work speaking due to the pandemic basically overnight, and so my pivot was to start selling my books, as well as clothing, toys, games, and western decor and accessories online. It grew rapidly fast, beyond what I could have ever envisioned, and I learned much during that time about being able to pivot and find pathways to success in business, even when nothing goes as planned. This helped me to create a “Bulletproof Your Business,” speech and workshop that helps entrepreneurs navigate through the ups and downs of their agricultural businesses.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I know this will “age” me, but when I was 18 and just headed to college, Facebook and blogging was brand new! I used both tools to build my brand and establish an area of “expertise” in my field as I went through college. Utilizing this platforms to share my voice then helped me to pitch my skills to magazines and newspapers that I wanted to work with and for. I always tell kids to use social media as an outlet to share their resume as they go through life. It worked 20 years ago and still is beneficial today.

Unfortunately today there is much shadow banning, and I’ve lost my Facebook pages on multiple occasions due to censorship. The nature of my work relating to politics and regulations that impact farmers and ranchers does attract many trolls, activists, and hate, but despite that, I continue to share my authentic stories, messaging, and the information I feel is relevant to America’s farmers and ranchers, and folks who want access to the food they produce. Although there are many tips and tricks to not being censored, I feel it is more important to be true to your word and your values, and not cater to algorithms and the messaging that gets you more views and clicks. This may cost me followers and likes, but it is good for my soul to stay true to who I am. I would encourage others to be mindful of this, as well, as they utilize social media for their businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amandaradke.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaradke/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeakerAmandaRadke/
• Twitter: https://x.com/RadkeAmanda
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@radkeamanda