Story by RAEGAN NEUFELD Video by NICK McCOY
Tiger Media Network
Some women may not own a pair of boots or a hat, but they can still tap into their inner cowgirl.
That was the message from speaker Courtenay DeHoff at the Women’s Month Celebration on Wednesday. DeHoff is a network television host and keynote speaker and spoke to attendees about the cowgirl state of mind and her ‘Cowgirl Code,’ which consists of six principles: courage, originality, worthiness, grit, integrity and resiliency. According to DeHoff, those six principles can help women “live legendary” and live a fulfilling life.
Fort Hays’ Panhellenic Council sponsored the event and Vice President Lupe Urbina-Montes organized it.
“Courtenay is a great advocate,” Urbina-Montes said. “She takes a message and she can spread it to women who come from all different walks of life. As women today in society, we need to keep advocating for ourselves.”
DeHoff discussed two of her code principles, courage and resiliency, and how to utilize those qualities to keep showing up and be authentic.
“What would happen if you just continue to show up?” she said. “Try new things, show up in rooms like this, put yourself out there and have new experiences. You just might show up one day and realize you’re living your legendary life.”
DeHoff has been courageous and resilient plenty of times, but she said she didn’t begin living legendary until 2020. She had struggled with balancing her two public images, a big city television host and a cowgirl who tells agriculture stories, because people told her she couldn’t be both. She stopped following that narrative with an Instagram post in May 2020, using the hashtag Fancy Lady Cowgirl.
“Sometimes, ladies, you’re going to have to have enough courage to sit at the table alone until other people are willing to join you,” she said. “When I finally just said, this is who I am, that is when my legendary life began, and the same will happen for you.”
For DeHoff, being authentic is one of the biggest parts of living legendary.
“Your legendary life is going to look a little different than mine,” she said. “The way you show up for your big, fulfilled life, and the way you chase your dreams is going to look a little different than mine. But I think the one thing all legendary women have in common is that they show up authentically as themselves. They show up exactly as the person they were created to be.”
According to Urbina-Montes, the Panhellenic Council is planning to do more events in the future to advocate for different groups and spread awareness about different issues.
“Hays is already a small community, so it’s important to find your home within this small community so everyone can feel welcomed,” she said.
Future Panhellenic events can be found on the group’s TigerLink page.
More information about DeHoff and her work can be found on her website.