IWD 406

IWD 406 IWD406 is Montana's storytelling, discovery, and promotional ecosystem.

Through podcasts, editorial media, events, and strategic partnerships, we connect women, businesses, communities, and consumers through stories that build trust, authority, & support.

08/27/2026

WHAT THE BODY HOLDS Healing, Awareness + the Power of Releasing What We Carry What if the place where you feel pain isn’t actually where the problem begins? And what if your body has been communicating with you long before you ever stopped to listen? In this episode of The IWD406 Podcast, we sit d...

DO YOU FEEL SUPPORTED BY WOMEN IN BUSINESS?Inside our Builder’s Table community, we are opening honest conversations abo...
08/26/2026

DO YOU FEEL SUPPORTED BY WOMEN IN BUSINESS?

Inside our Builder’s Table community, we are opening honest conversations about support, resources, services and business development for Montana women.

What I have learned is that women often do not ask for the help their businesses need—not because they lack ambition or commitment, but because asking can carry feelings of shame, embarrassment, guilt or sadness. Sometimes, we simply do not know how to say:

“I need help.”

“I need someone to listen.”

“I need a different perspective.”

“I need a mentor who can become a sounding board for my strategy, ideas and next steps.”

As a mentor through WIEC, I have witnessed the heart, soul and purposeful intention women pour into building. I have sat beside women developing the earliest concept of a business and women who have served Montana through their businesses for nearly 40 years.

No matter where a woman is in her journey, support, perspective and listening matter.

We are polling our communities because we want to better understand how women feel supported—and how we can create greater reciprocity across our platforms.

Yes, we all want people to show up and purchase from our businesses. But financial support is not always available. Support can also look like:

• Sharing a post
• Referring a potential client
• Making an introduction
• Offering encouragement or honest feedback
• Recommending a service
• Collaborating on an idea
• Listening without judgment
• Celebrating another woman’s progress publicly

That kind of promotional and relational energy also carries value.

We are also introducing a new form of storytelling through 406 Truths for the Builder’s Table—a place where Montana women can share the painful, vulnerable and often-unspoken truths behind building a business. Women are sharing where they are struggling, what they need and what would help them continue moving forward.

Our goal is not simply to help women survive Montana’s business culture. It is to help them thrive in ways they may not have known were possible.

We do that by talking, asking, listening and sharing.

Join our Builder’s Table community, where real Montana women discuss their brands, their journeys, their struggles and the support they need.

And tell us below:

How do you currently feel supported by other women in business—and what kind of support do you need more of?

Builder’s Table | IWD406

WHAT ARE WE BUILDING INSIDE THE BUILDER’S TABLE?We are creating free educational resources and weekly Builder’s Blueprin...
08/22/2026

WHAT ARE WE BUILDING INSIDE THE BUILDER’S TABLE?

We are creating free educational resources and weekly Builder’s Blueprint activities to help Montana women establish—or audit—the foundations of their businesses and brands.

Together, we are exploring:

• Brand identity and positioning
• Clear, concise messaging
• Brand awareness and authority
• Audience connection and trust
• Storytelling and differentiation
• Marketing and promotional consistency

If you are starting a business, we will help you begin with stronger foundations.

If you have been in business for years, this is an opportunity to return to those foundations and audit whether your messaging still reflects how your business has evolved.

Does your current marketing match who you are today? Does it clearly communicate your expertise? Are your time, energy and promotional efforts reinforcing what you want your business to be known for?

Consistent messaging helps people recognize your brand, understand your value and trust your expertise—whether you provide a service, sell a product, host events or create another type of offering.

We are also looking for Insight Contributors from all areas of business who want to share practical knowledge, resources, tips and wisdom to help other women thrive here in Montana.

Want to join the Builder’s Table Facebook Community?

COMMENT “JOIN” below, and we will help you find the community.

Let’s strengthen our foundations, share what we know and build greater business authority across Montana—together.

08/14/2026

EPISODE 68 | THE GATHERING TABLE Mothering in Montana with Angela Willey What happens when becoming a mother also means becoming an advocate before your baby is even born? In Episode 68 of the IWD406 Podcast, Julie Walz welcomes Montana mother and children’s book author Angela Willey to The Gather...

406 Truths is growing—and we’re opening the conversation even wider.We’ve received several anonymous 406 Truths submissi...
08/11/2026

406 Truths is growing—and we’re opening the conversation even wider.

We’ve received several anonymous 406 Truths submissions for The Gathering Table, and some incredibly personal conversations are coming up: grief, relationships, mental health, identity, separation, loneliness, and the experiences women often carry quietly.

Now, we’re opening 406 Truths to The Builders Table, too.

Because there are truths behind building a business and a brand that rarely make it into the polished social media version.

What does competition really feel like? What happens when “community over competition” doesn’t feel like your actual experience? Have you felt burdened by the expectation to constantly give back, collaborate, show up, donate, network or support everyone around you while trying to keep your own business healthy? Have you struggled with money, visibility, rejection, resentment, burnout, comparison—or wondered whether what you’re building is even working?

Those truths belong in the conversation, too.

Montana can be a difficult place to have open, honest conversations. Privacy runs deep. Stoicism is woven into much of our culture, and many people hesitate to share an experience or perspective that might challenge the way things are normally talked about—or not talked about at all.

406 Truths was created to make room for those experiences.

Not to shame people. Not to create gossip. But to let someone say, “This has been my experience,” and perhaps allow another woman reading it to realize she isn't the only one.

The upcoming Truths pictured here are being shared through The Gathering Table, and we are now accepting anonymous submissions for both The Gathering Table and The Builders Table.

Submit your 406 Truth. Forms are available inside our Facebook communities.

Want into the conversation? Comment JOIN.

The Builder’s Table is growing—and so are the conversations happening inside it.Each week, we move beyond surface-level ...
08/07/2026

The Builder’s Table is growing—and so are the conversations happening inside it.

Each week, we move beyond surface-level marketing advice and discuss what it actually takes to build awareness, authority, and a sustainable brand in Montana.

Through The Builder’s Blueprint, we are creating weekly conversations and prompts to help business owners think more intentionally about what they are building, who they are building it for, and how they plan to grow.

We are also inviting experts who have built brands, managed businesses, and learned through real experience to share their gifts and wisdom with our community.

Coming up, we will be sharing Sarah Gould of Elevated Advisory & Accounting upcoming episode that explores the different financial management personalities we carry into our businesses—and how those patterns influence operations, team building, decision-making, growth, and our ability to confidently sell our brands.

But first, we are returning to the foundation:

Who is your brand actually for?

Who are you trying to reach, serve, sell to, or collaborate with?

Why would that audience become emotionally invested in what you are building?

Do they have the financial capacity and desire to purchase what you offer?

And does your current messaging make it clear that your product, service, or organization was created for them?

Before we build a bigger social media presence, we need to understand who we are asking to pay attention.

Inside the Builder’s Table, we are breaking this down through community discussion and practical prompts designed to help you build with greater clarity and intention.

Want a seat at the table?

Comment JOIN below, and we’ll send you the link to our growing Facebook community.

Finding Home, Still Searching for BelongingSometimes the hardest part of starting over isn't packing the boxes or drivin...
08/06/2026

Finding Home, Still Searching for Belonging

Sometimes the hardest part of starting over isn't packing the boxes or driving to a new place.

It's realizing that building a new life doesn't automatically mean finding your people.

This week's 406 Truth shares the anonymous story of a woman who left California after her divorce, hoping Montana would offer a fresh beginning. Instead, she found herself navigating loneliness, searching for friendship, and wondering if belonging would ever come.

If you've ever started over...
If you've ever felt isolated in a room full of people...
If you've ever wondered if anyone else was quietly carrying the same feelings...

This story is for you.

📖 Read the full anonymous story by joining The Gathering Table | IWD406 Facebook Community, where women come together to share the realities of life's transitions, struggles, victories, and everything in between.

Have a truth you'd like to share?

Our 406 Truths submissions are completely anonymous. There is no email collection, no login, and no tracking—just a safe place to tell your story in your own words.

Your story may be exactly what someone else needs to know they're not alone.

Submit your anonymous 406 Truth here:
https://airtable.com/app8uXFjQSLwr7lUB/pagY11wsn3oAiBN7M/form

🎙️ NOW LIVE | IWD406 Podcast | Episode 67Resilience isn't just about surviving—it's about rebuilding with purpose.This w...
07/31/2026

🎙️ NOW LIVE | IWD406 Podcast | Episode 67

Resilience isn't just about surviving—it's about rebuilding with purpose.

This week on the IWD406 Podcast, we're honored to welcome Bekah O'Shea, co-founder of Ride Free Montana, Coup de Rouge Montana, and HOWL (House of the West).

In this powerful conversation, Bekah shares:
✨ Surviving the Colorado wildfire that destroyed her family's home.
✨ Navigating her daughter's Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis.
✨ Facing her own breast cancer journey.
✨ Building The House of the West—where fashion, culture, community, and the modern West come together.

Her story is one of courage, reinvention, and choosing purpose through every season of life.

🎧 Listen now:
https://iwd406.podbean.com/e/eps-67-bekahoshea/

We'd love to hear what resonated most with you. Share your favorite takeaway in the comments and help us amplify Bekah's incredible story.

07/31/2026

What happens when life repeatedly reminds you that time is never guaranteed? In Episode 67 of the IWD406 Podcast, Julie Walz welcomes fifth-generation Montanan Bekah O’Shea—designer, entrepreneur, founder of Ride Free Montana, co-founder of House of Cowbella, and one of the creative forces behin...

WE’RE LOOKING FOR OUR NEXT IN-STUDIO GUESTS TO TALK ABOUT DATING IN MONTANA.We are currently seeking dynamic men and wom...
07/31/2026

WE’RE LOOKING FOR OUR NEXT IN-STUDIO GUESTS TO TALK ABOUT DATING IN MONTANA.

We are currently seeking dynamic men and women who are willing to share honest, real, and thoughtful perspectives on the challenges of dating in Montana.

This will not be a surface-level conversation.

The IWD406 Podcast is produced in our full-production studio in Whitefish, Montana, and every conversation is intentional. We will narrow the discussion into specific subtopics that allow our guests to explore their experiences, perspectives, frustrations, and hopes surrounding modern dating in our state.

Potential topics may include:

• Where and how people are meeting
• The realities of dating in smaller communities
• Expectations, communication, and emotional availability
• Dating after divorce or later in life
• Rural distance and limited dating pools
• What Montana men and women misunderstand about one another
• What could make dating here feel more genuine and connected

GUEST REQUIREMENTS

• You must be available to record in person at our Whitefish studio.
• You must be comfortable participating in an honest, respectful conversation.
• Potential guests will complete our show forms and guest agreement.
• Selected applicants will be invited to a pre-chat before recording.

We are carefully vetting potential guests to ensure the right personalities, perspectives, and conversational chemistry. Submitting your information or completing a pre-chat does not guarantee a place on the show.

Our goal is to produce quality content that brings curiosity, humor, and meaningful insight to this topic—and that can be shared through the IWD406 Podcast, our communities, and our upcoming online magazine.

Interested in joining the conversation?

Comment DATING, and we’ll send you the show forms and guest agreement.

Know someone who would be a fantastic guest? Tag them below.

Address

PO Box 4718
Whitefish, MT
59937

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