17. Finding Your Lane: Specializing, Saying No, and Standing Out with Cade Childers

In this week’s episode, Whitney sits down with photographer and creative, Cade Childers of C3, to talk about carving out a career in the livestock marketing world—without growing up in ag or holding an ag comm degree. Cade shares how he went from a sports family and a biochemistry/microbiology path aimed at medical school to running C3, a creative business based in Edmond, Oklahoma, that travels the country photographing show pigs and building marketing pieces for ag operations. They dive into the realities behind the backdrop shots: the pressure of picturing high-dollar pigs, learning Adobe as a self-taught creative, setting boundaries in a 24/7 industry, and why networking and consistency may matter more than the initials behind your name. HIGHLIGHTS: How Cade went from “sports kid” to first-generation showman and eventually a full-time creative in the pig world Why he walked away from a planned career in medicine after earning degrees in biochemistry and microbiology The pros and cons of being completely self-taught in design and photography (and his honest take on ag comm degrees) What makes a strong baby pig or backdrop photo, and how tiny details in feet, angles, and heads change everything The balance between free work, paid work, and knowing when it’s time to start valuing your time differently Burnout, boundaries, and why your phone doesn’t need to be on 24/7—even in the livestock industry How mentors and networking (from Dusty Oldenburg to Jackie Lackey) helped shape C3 Cade’s advice for young creatives trying to find their lane and build a name in a crowded space CONNECT: Follow C3 / Cade Childers Follow Club Cultivate on Instagram