Windshield Time and Creativity

Episode Summary:
In this special AI-driven episode, Alex (our AI learner) joins Dr. Casey Bradley from the road—literally. While logging miles and managing multiple projects, Casey shares how windshield time has become her creative space, mobile office, and mental reset. From spiritual grounding to business strategy, she unpacks what fuels her professionally and personally while behind the wheel. You’ll also hear insights on podcasting, storytelling, and what younger generations crave in content and mentorship.

Whether you're a fellow road warrior, a podcast junkie, or a curious college student like Alex, this episode is full of relatable reflections and actionable advice.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Casey prefers the road over airports
• How she uses windshield time to recharge, learn, and innovate
• Her thoughts on what makes a great podcast
• The shift from technical content to entrepreneurial growth
• What Gen Z is really looking for in stories and media
• Tips for podcast hosts and guests
• What’s in Casey’s travel bag—and why it’s more than gear

Featured Voices:

• 🎙️ Dr. Casey Bradley – Founder, scientist, and mobile strategist
• 🤖 Alex – AI co-host and curious animal science student

Visit animistic.co to learn more.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:51 Why the Road Wins
• 1:25 What Fills the Miles
• 2:11 The Power of Intentionality
• 2:34 Not Your Average Nutrition Podcast
• 3:08 What Makes a Good Podcast
• 4:40 What Gen Z Wants
• 5:11 Advice for Hosts and Guests
• 6:41 Stories That Matter to Gen Z
• 7:29 Speed-Driven Creativity
• 8:28 What's in the Bag
• 10:04 Final Thoughts: Intentional Miles

Transcript

Windshield Time & Creativity

0:00:00
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 Welcome back to Coffee in the Barn. I'm Alex, your co-host, college student, and future animal scientist just trying to make sense of this wild, rewarding, and often unpredictable industry. Today's episode kicks off something a little different, and honestly, a little futuristic. You're hearing this conversation between me and Dr. Casey Bradley, who's on the road a lot.

0:00:28
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 So rather than making her sit in front of a microphone, we're doing something new. AI-driven podcasting. Casey uses her windshield time, those hours in the car, or Barack's van, to voice record her thoughts. And behind the scenes, we transform it into this episode. Magic? Maybe.

0:00:47
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 But really, it's just being intentional with your time.

0:00:51
 (Casey Bradley)
 Thanks, Alex. This style fits me right now. I'm juggling so many projects. And let's be honest, I spend a lot of time driving. Not because I love traffic, but because driving gives me freedom, flexibility, and most importantly, peace.

 Airports? No thanks. The noise, the rush, the unpredictability, my anxiety skyrockets. It's not a healthy space for me. But the road? It's where I can think, create, and connect.

0:01:22
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 So how do you pass the time on those long drives?

0:01:25
 (Casey Bradley)
 So some examples of how I pass the time driving is obviously I'll use that time to call loved ones or friends or colleagues I haven't talked to in a while and some customers. But really I listen to a lot of podcasts. I have quite a few in the background that I listen to on a regular basis and sometimes I'll search out new ones. Audible, that's for probably more entertainment.

0:01:50
 (Casey Bradley)
 I tried listening to professional development books, but I can't take notes. I can't highlight things and so it doesn't really work for me. But a lot of times it's just entertainment. And then Pandora. So today's Christian hits is really what I listen to to ground me spiritually, make me upbeat, and keep going.

0:02:11
 (Casey Bradley)
 But here's the kicker. It's not just about passing time. It's about intentionality. What you feed your body matters. Yes. But so does what you feed your mind.

0:02:22
 (Casey Bradley)
 That's why I don't just scroll aimlessly. I choose content that fuels me.

0:02:27
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 Okay, you've said before you don't actually listen to a lot of animal nutrition podcasts. That surprises people, right?

0:02:34
 (Casey Bradley)
 Yeah, all the time. People assume I'm binging swine nutrition episodes, but honestly I'm not. Five years ago, sure, but today I'm running a business, leading a team, solving cross-species problems. I go to the scientific meetings, I read the journals, I watch webinars, and that's how I stay up to date with scientific information. But I need content that teaches me how to be a better entrepreneur, better communicator, and better strategist.

0:03:04
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 That leads to the big rabbit hole. What makes a good podcast?

0:03:08
 (Casey Bradley)
 What makes a good podcast? Well, I think that depends on who you ask that question to. But length does matter. I go back to being a data analytical person. So I even analyzed the data from the role P3. It really showed me 20 to 25 minutes as a sweet spot for ag listeners.

0:03:29
 (Casey Bradley)
 And I think that's because we're driving to Barnes. But if you dive deeper into learning and education, that's probably a good attention span, right? The other thing is his solo versus interview. Well, because I don't have time to schedule guests, I'm obviously doing an interview style with an AI code learner. No offense, Alex, but these solo episodes really work best when they're focused and quick.

0:03:56
 (Casey Bradley)
 So Greg Martinelli does a great job, for example, on that. Interviews shine when the host guides the story and that could be be a 10 minute interview or a 2 hour one. And then of course that really is the host, right? That's everything. People like Mel Robbins and Adam Grant, I listen to them for over an hour. Why?

0:04:19
 (Casey Bradley)
 Because they're thoughtful, present, and great listeners. Yes, I said listeners. That's because they're actively listening to drive that conversation, to pull out that story, to get that feedback, that just that little nugget the audience wants to hear.

0:04:37
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 So what do young people like me want in a podcast?

0:04:40
 (Casey Bradley)
 So Alex, you're asking me what young people want in a podcast. Well, if it's from Arthur, it's quick, it's fast, it's a real style, right? Not even a minute. But I'll let you answer that. But I suspect it's just not information, it's relevance.

0:04:59
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 Totally. We want to hear from people who've done the thing, not people pitching a product. We like short-form reels for discovery, but if someone's voice or story connects with us, we'll binge an hour-long interview.

0:05:11
 (Casey Bradley)
 Which brings me to the advice for hosts and guests. Because you make this a good point. Podcasts are about building trust, not selling products. It's your tribe that you're talking to. Hosts, get to the real message. Drop the script if needed. I love Jim Smith's sewing. Yeah, I had 10 questions thanks to JetGPT and we're off script one question in. And that's truly

0:05:43
 (Casey Bradley)
 what makes a great host is really getting at the right story. What do people want to hear? And guests, I've had some really great ones and some really awful ones and sometimes they hog the mic and the way I try to do this if I'm really good and how I started out the Real P3 when I would say I probably produced some of my better podcasts, it's because I did a pre-interview. So I let them tell me their story and I really got to know

0:06:17
 (Casey Bradley)
 what drove them and then they'd be shocked that we just didn't go over the same content because I wanted to drive it a different way. I think they had more to hear. But a lot of times I hear some of my colleagues, it's just a sales pitch and they have to go through media training

0:06:35
 (Casey Bradley)
 and marketing tells them what to say and what not. But really it's why does it matter?

0:06:41
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 So what stories do you think we, my generation, want? I think the stories

0:06:46
 (Casey Bradley)
 you want to be told aren't being taught in school. They're actually in the minds of senior managers like me. But what's also really happening in the barns, the feed mills, in the boardrooms, yes we can go on virtual tours of barns, we can go on virtual tours of barns. We can go on virtual tours of feed mills. But it's really all those stories of what goes wrong, how did I fix that? It's those little nuggets of information, right? That's just locked inside from experiences we had.

0:07:20
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 And we need to do a better job of unlocking that and making it accessible. Speaking of unlocking creativity, you've said your best ideas come at 70 miles per hour.

0:07:29
 (Casey Bradley)
 Yes, my team loves it when I drive. They actually hate it. I was joking there. I called Morrow with 10 ideas or tasks, right? New directions, things to tweak. He says, wait, before you start. I

0:07:45
 (Casey Bradley)
 need to hit record, Casey, because he needs to keep up. But here's the truth. I can't do everything from the driver's seat and that's where teamwork matters. So we've built a mobile office. We bring a lap desk. I have an inverter to plug in the computer. I even have a portable monitor and a wireless mouse. We can hold team meetings from the passenger seat. That's how we collaborate on the road together. And yes, it's always better to travel with somebody when you can. I've been really enjoying

0:08:18
 (Casey Bradley)
 the trips with Noel and Chantel and we do get a done, even if it's just some therapy that I need talking to Noel.

0:08:28
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 All right, let's land this episode with what's in your bag.

0:08:31
 (Casey Bradley)
 You want the real list of what's in my bag? Some days I don't know. Sometimes I have things in there from Arthur I forgot to take out. And it makes me smile. And it makes me like, Oh, why do I have this rock in here? Oh, that's right, Arthur wanted the rock for some type of thing he's working on. But really, it's not something in my bag, but it's a Bible app. It helps me keep grounded. It doesn't matter if I'm in a flyover town or on I-35 North. It's something that I put into my schedule every day. I also carry that professional development book because if you noticed, I told you I didn't have an ability to listen to professional help books very well and get much out of them

0:09:13
 (Casey Bradley)
 from Audible. This is where I can highlight them, take notes, and it really calms my mind and helps me get a restful sleep. Like I said, the laptop, the second monitor, the wireless mouse, is because I need to be efficient when I'm in the hotel. I also try to pack healthy snacks and a lunch if I can while I manage, right? So fuel. We talked about mentally what fuels

0:09:37
 (Casey Bradley)
 me during these long drives, but I do need to make better choices as well of what I eat and drink. So I always have water. You'll see me with the big mug with ice water. It comes with me everywhere. Thanks to Chantel, I'd probably forget it 10 times, but she makes sure that it comes

0:09:54
 (Casey Bradley)
 because that is probably one of the most important things

0:09:57
 (Speaker 3)
 in my bag.

0:09:59
 (Casey Bradley)
 And that's my kit, my mobile office, my intentional toolkit.

0:10:04
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 Intentional miles, intentional fuel, mental, spiritual, and physical.

0:10:10
 (Casey Bradley)
 Exactly, windshield time isn't dead time. It's my growth time. Use it to feed what matters so you can be present for what matters more.

0:10:19
 (Alex - Our AI Learner)
 Thanks for riding along with us. I'm Alex.

0:10:22
 (Casey Bradley)
 And I'm Casey. And I'm Casey. See you next time in the Ba