From the farmland of Louisiana comes Mike Roberts or more formally known on social media as The Converse Cowboy. There’s no one more authentic than The Converse Cowboy who not only hosts his podshow dedicated to talking to successful people who are living the Western Lifestyle but also has a passion for horses and music.

We sat down with Mike to get his take on life, gratitude and the inside scoop on his podshow.

BC: Did you grow up within the Western Lifestyle?

TCC: “I didn’t grow up living the western lifestyle. My grandparents did have a farm but I grew up as an athlete on the baseball field all the way through college. I always wanted to be around horses - I always thought that was so cool and it would be fun to do. I got into later in life, I got that chance.” Mike tells us, “But It wasn’t probably until I was thirty that I really got into the horse stuff. It started with team roping and it was my gateway into this addiction of the western lifestyle and horses.”

BC: How did The Converse Cowboy come about?

TCC: “That’s a great question! I’m curious by nature, I’m just hyper curious and I ask a lot of questions almost to a fault. I went through this really dark time - a divorce and I was on this soul searching journey. It was one of those things where I had a lot of resistance because it was uncomfortable. It was one of those things where I put myself out there but I knew it was something that I needed to do. I got advice from listening to Tim Ferriss - he’s like, ‘man go and scratch your own itch,’ and he’s not telling me this personally, just from a podcast I was listening to,” Mike laughs. “That’s sage advice though because I think whatever it is that people do get into it for the wrong reasons. For me, it was to scratch my own itch, so it started out in the Western Lifestyle. I had people I wanted to sit down with and ask questions that I genuinely had and so I used to the Converse Cowboy as a platform to do just that. It has led into so much more. It’s probably been a year and a half now. I’ve been able to sit down with musicians that I would never be able to just call up on the phone. I’ve sat down with horse trainers, entrepreneurs, authors of books and selfishly it’s been so cool.”

BC: Do you think the podshow has changed for you as far as motives from when you started versus now?

TCC: “Yeah, I think that’s the ‘why’ behind anything that we do, any human behind doing anything. You have to know why you’re doing it and I’ve been questioning that lately. It’s like, ‘Oh that’s why,” because I genuinely want to provide value to as many people as possible. It is hard - Interviewing people, doing a podcast, performing, at anything you do. It’s challenging and it does take work and it cost money. That’s one thing that has changed since the start up. It started with just me and a buddy who kinda knew how to operate a camera. I’m not tech savvy, I didn’t know how to do any of this shit.” Mike laughs, “It was like, ‘okay what is the next step?’ Buy equipment. What is the next step? line up the guests. I took what was so overwhelming and broke it down into these little steps and next thing I knew I was sitting in front of the camera and we were doing the deal - just through consistency. Covid hit and then I started doing the Zoom thing and getting more reps in and through consistency I was able to upgrade to a new camera crew - these guys are really good at what they do, they clean me up a lot. They make me look way better than I should.” Mike laughs, “which is a full time job,” he jokes. “Getting the people from the industry recognizing what we’re doing and they’re very supportive. It’s really cool, the messages we get from people who are getting something from what we’re doing, that means a lot.”

BC: When you first started the podshow was there ever a time where you didn’t think it would take off or were you just really persistent is this taking off?

TCC: “Yeah, I mean early on before it even started there was just a lot of resistance with the unknown. I didn’t know what to do. Another thing is I thought I was different because I love the horses and I love the western world. So very progressive in my thinking. I’m into psychedelics, micro-dosing, I’m into a number of things that I never thought would line up into that world - but come to find out there are quite a few folks that have come out and said, ‘thank you for that, we believe the same thing,’ so yeah that was something - opening up, expressing myself, and saying what’s in my brain on camera. Overcoming that it’s been really cool because what I’ve learned is everybody has shit they’re struggling with, everybody’s got challenges. I mentioned I was going through a dark period at one time. I felt like I was on an island going through all this alone. Come to find out everybody is going through something. By opening up and sharing what I’m going through, it seems that it’s helping some other people in some way. Honestly, it helps me too, by just venting - I journal a lot, I journal everyday. Writing has been my outlet, the podcast is just another outlet to do the same thing.”

BC: What do you hope that people take from the podshow?

TCC: “I hope that I can deliver some type of value in some way. I hope it hits them wherever they are at in life. That’s another thing, I’ll reference Tim Farris again, I’m not going to hit everybody, I’m not going to reach every single person with every show. I’m okay with that. I’ll use Tim Ferriss’s number, if you can just hit 10% of your audience with every show then that’s a good goal.” Mike says. “We’re seeing that. We’re branching out and expanding the audience outside of the horse trainer world, outside of the western world. I’ve sat down with singers, authors, entrepreneurs that are somehow in that web. It’s closely related. Each (podshow) one is going to be different, it’s going to hit a different group of people. I’m constantly preaching gratitude. Yes, I do this to provide value to other people but selfishly it’s for me too. It’s for my own growth, I use it to get my mind still, and sit down with my thoughts and put a lot of thought into the stuff on instagram, the interviews and formatting questions. It’s not about getting the next big name on the show. Sure it’s cool and all but anyone I sit down with though it’s because I genuinely have an interest with that individual. I want to understand where they started, I want to understand the ups and downs, their challenges with other people. That’s the thing, we see the highlight reel on social media. We see the people that have made it and it’s almost like like it’s an illusion for the people that aren’t aware of the challenges that these people went through to get to where they’re at. Anybody that I’ve sat down with that has any level of success, that has any notoriety they’ve been through the shit, ups, downs. Those stories are really cool to hear. Hopefully we can shed some light on what it takes. This microwave society we live in isn’t real. It takes a lot of time, consistency, showing up every day. Doing what you love to do.”

BC: Your name The Converse Cowboy, what does that name mean to you

TCC: “People ask me that, ‘where does that name come from?’ It’s a play on words, Converse Cowboy, like I conversate with people and then I wear Chuck Taylors so The Converse Cowboy. Honestly, the way that name came about - I’m from a little redneck town in Northern Louisiana. I’ve been rocking Chucks and a Cowboy hat since I got into the horse world. One night I walk into this little party and there’s this drunk redneck there and he looks at me and goes, “Who the **** are you The Converse Cowboy?” and I was like, ‘that’s kind of got a nice ring to it.’ Little did he know or I know, three years later that would be the name of the podcast.” Mike tells us, “I was thinking the conscious cowboy, there were a few other names that got tossed around. That one just kind of stuck.”

BC: Has anything such as motivation, persistence or anything you have learned from the western lifestyle help you while creating The Converse Cowboy?

TCC: “I wouldn’t attribute it necessarily just to horsemanship or anything like that. I’m not a horse trainer or anything like that - I do know that any level of horse training takes an immense amount of consistency. Over and over and over. I like to compare a two year old colt that nobody has ever been on to the subconscious mind. With showing up everyday you’re comparing that to the horse right or wrong. You’re training it - by showing up every single day, it’s repetition. You’re training your subconscious mind through consciousness to operate in a way you want it to operate in. To answer your question though to just show up consistently even on the days you don’t want to. Just to show up with a good intent, good shit will happen.”

BC: With the podcast does it ever feel like a 9 to 5 job for you or do you want it to always feel like just something that you can enjoy while doing?

TCC: “It never feels like a 9 to 5. Sure, there are challenges that come up like logistics, like setting up shows, doing new things. We travel to Fort Worth so I pack up me and my camera crew and we go over there. We have been very fortunate though. We have built this community around the show and we have a lot support around us. We have Schaefer Outfitters, Kerry Kelley Bits and Spurs and Ghostwood Distilling Co. they got on board. We’re shifting gears a little bit now, we’re going to Nashville in August to interview some musicians. I’m hoping to expand the audience up there because that’s something that interests me. The songwriting, those guys that I’ve been able to sit down with and hear those stories and hang out with a little bit. That is such a hard road to go down, those guys that make it have a special place in my heart for them, for what they’ve done, grinding it out.”

BC: I’m a fan of your interview with Colter Wall

TTC: “Class act that guy. To be…. what is he? 25? 26? and to have the head on his shoulders he has. Class act all the way around and then you get to the talent he has and sure some of that is natural but he has put in the time and dedication to master his craft. Yeah, that was a fun one for me.”

BC: I love the poster quotes that you put on your social media, how do you know when you’ve found the right quote? How do you go about finding them?

TCC: “I’ve been writing those quotes down since college, however many years that was. I don’t wanna post the Live Laugh Love,” Mike laughs, “I don’t know, I’ll just kind thumb through my notebooks and it’s got tabs upon tabs of quotes. It’s whatever hits me at that time or whatever I’m journaling about or whatever may be on my mind.”

BC: Is there a life philosophy you go by?

TTC: “Ya know it’s so simple, I don’t know if I have a life philosophy but I was writing this morning or last night, ‘gratitude is one of the few things that does not have a diminishing right of return.’ Life, work there is a diminishing right of return. You can only workout for so long, you can only read for so long, you can only write for so long and then you get to the point where there was a diminishing right of return. It hit me when I was writing it. Know your intention, know why you’re doing what you’re doing and stay grateful. I write that on every post or if I do a vlog I end it with that. It’s a reminder for other people but it’s a reminder for me too. That’s the thing, I never wanna come off as a guru, a know it all or like I’m preaching because I’m not. I am a human figuring this game of life out or trying to. Just leaning into every experience because hopefully it’s gonna hit somebody in a positive way.” Mike says, “For a long time I thought that if I was grateful for something that meant I was content. I wish I could be like that, I wish my brain operated where I could get this complacency but it doesn’t. I once thought that you could get to this place of achievement, get to this place where you have a certain amount of money, marry the right person and you’re doing all these things that society says is right and what you should value. News flash there is no destination. That’s another thing I say all the time, ‘the journey is the destination,’ and I have to consciously remind myself of that. I’ll hit these certain goals and it’s like stay grateful for where you’re at, always know that you can do better, but be grateful for where you’re at and enjoy the journey. Always be grateful for what’s going on. There’s not a destination, it’s not gonna happen.”

BC: You have 2. 45K subscribes on Youtube, and 28.6K followers on Instagram, did you think that you would reach this level of success?

TTC: “I don’t know if I would even call that success, it’s just a number honestly. In my head it’s gonna be more than that, I already see it as more than that. You get into a whole other conversation with that, like the ego, because most everybody gets trapped in this game of likes and follows. I try my best not to get wrapped up in that. I don’t want to diminish the importance of that either though, I think Sturgill Simpson said it, ‘social media is both the best thing and the worst thing to happen to the human race,’ it’s like a loaded gun, it depends on how you use it. The follower thing is important, because the more people following, the more the message gets out. It’s not my intent, or focus.”

BC: You’re actually doing a songwriting challenge right now, is this a dream career for you or just a hobby?

TCC: “If you listen to any of my songs, you’ll find out real fast it’s not career goal.” Mike jokes, “I’m a real estate investor by day and that’s more than likely what I’ll always do. I do enjoy playing music, I’m an amateur at best if that but sitting down with these songwriters and musicians who are just bad ass in every way, it’s inspiring. It kind of pushes me to want to do it. I’m always seeking the next level of un- comfortability in some form or fashion. I don’t know why, like I don’t have enough shit on my plate.” Mike laughs, “I was sitting around on a Sunday, like what about a songwriting challenge? That’s advice from Steven Presco, He’s like, “if it feels like resistance, use that as a guide, that’s like your beacon. You need to that thing.” I was feeling the resistance and I made it public so I have some accountability. When we do these interviews, we’ll go to Forth Worth for a week. We did six interviews in four days and then I still had to write this song. My camera guy was like, “No you can get a pass this week,” and I’m like, “No you don’t understand,” and even though it may be a shitty song, I’m still writing it, coming up with some shitty melody and I write the song. It’s three chords and the truth. It’s been fun, it honestly has. I’ve gotten support from singer songwriters, professionals that are doing the thing.”

BC: Even though it’s not a career goal, where do you get the inspiration to write the songs?

TCC: “Ya know, I ask every musician a similar question. Colter Wall had a great answer for it, and I’m not going to try and quote him, I’ll butcher it. What I got from it was, ‘Listen to the others that came before you,’ study it, study the ones that you really like. Any horse trainer I sit down with says the same thing, ‘get with one guy you like and study what he’s doing for a long time.’ I don’t know if I can give any advice on inspiration. Something I’ve learned is that it’s a mystical thing that these songwriters- the John Prines, the Colter Walls, Steve Earles that they can put out these great songs and they have a talent but at the end of the day they are human. They just sit down and put the time in. I don’t know they can tell you they’ll be washing dishes and an idea comes to them.” Mike explains, “They are constantly crafting. I’m more or less giving you the answers that I’ve learned from them,” Mike laughs.

BC: Do you sit down, set a time and write and write or what’s your songwriting process?

TCC: “For me, again, I’m not a song writer so I don’t know if this is right or wrong but I may see something on a billboard and I’ll put it in my phone, in my notes. Right now, I think I’m on week seven so I’ll be like, ‘week seven song’ and then write different ideas. It’s been different, throughout this little songwriting challenge. I would love to hear from the real songwriters if they have any advice. There’s been times where I’ll sit down for like thirty minuets and I’ll have this little shitty song and others I’ll start on Monday and work on it throughout the week. It just depends.”

BC: You have a lot of inspirational words on Instagram, I’ve chosen three topics from your Instagram and if you could give us a short or long answer expanding on them, that would be awesome!

TCC: “Okay, let’s give it a shot.”

BC: Everything In Life Happens For Us, Not To Us

TCC: “Man, that should have been my life philosophy. It at times ties in with gratitude and I’ll preface this again, I’m not a guru so I don’t know if this is the right answer, it just feels right to me. Let’s say you’re driving down the road and you get a flat tire, let’s say you get diagnosed with cancer - something a little more serious. In my opinion you have to view that as something that is happening for you, not to you. You get in a car wreck and you go to the hospital, you find out you have a broken leg - and you meet your wife. You never know what’s good or bad. You never know but time will tell. Who said it? Mark Twain? ‘Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’ Again, I’m human and I get caught up in it, the negative chatter but as soon as I remember it I refrain my thinking, ‘this is happening for me, I don’t know why and I’m not going to question it but I know it’s happening for me.”

BC: Prioritize Consistency Over Intensity

TCC: “Yeah, I mean prime example is how many New Years Resolutions do we see fade out before Januarys even over? Everybody goes gun hoe and they are done by the time February first hits. That’s why I think consistency in whatever we’re doing is way more important than intensity. Again, it’s a constant practice.”

BC: How do you think we go about finding gratitude in bad situations/bad days?

TCC: “I think it helps when you look for it. I think a lot of humans - I was guilty of this for a long time and still get caught up in it. By default, humans think negatively, for whatever reason. I’ll be driving on my tractor doing work out on my ranch. All these stories start coming up in my head, narratives that are like where the **** did this come from? I’m making up these stories about friends of mine and these things they haven’t even done. It’s like, ‘wait a minute , what are you doing?’ I think meditation is a really great practice, to really expand your awareness. For me, I have to consciously practice these things or I fall back into that default loop. This brain we have is antiquated, like the hardwire we have is built for survival. We’re worried about things. We’re worried, ‘are we going to die if we eat this berry?’ or ‘If I walk around this corner, will there be a lion there?’ That’s the hardware we have. It’s almost like a rewiring of that.”

BC: I want to talk about your journaling, where do you start?

TCC: “Well sometimes I just sit down and it’s a mental dump, whatever’s on my mind. There’s a book by Julia Cameron called, ‘An Artists Way,’ She’s got a thing in there about morning pages, just write three pages. Whatever comes out, don’t judge it because that’s our first instinct, or at least it was mine. You just write. Somedays it’s that, somedays it’s the poster quote, I’ll use that as a prompt to really explore my mind and thoughts on a specific topic. Other times friends of mine that journal or seeking their highest self I’ll say, ‘give me a journal prompt, just anything.’ Thats it. It’s been cool to see people that DM that have watched the show and tell me how much journaling has improved their ride. I don’t know, I think it’s one of the most simplest but powerful tools out there. To really understand who you are.”

BC: If there was something you could say to the whole word what would you say?

TCC: “You would think with that being the question I use, I would have an answer.” Mike says, “Stay Grateful. Ray Wylie Hubbard said, “The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations I have really good days.”

BC: What can we expect next from The Converse Cowboy?

TCC: “More interviews. We’re branching out, going into Nashville in the middle of August. I’m open to anything else that happens. Leaning into the unknown. Setting these intentions, goals and seeing what the universe delivers.”

You can follow The Converse Cowboy HERE.
You can watch The Converse Cowboy Podshow HERE.