302: Lacey Long on Building Buck Wild Country, Raising 3 Kids & Backing Herself

At just 19, Lacey Long launched her first online clothing store—long before online shopping became the norm. A proud indigenous woman with an entrepreneurial spirit, Lacey later founded Buck Wild Country after struggling to find the kind of country clothing her husband wanted to wear. What began as an idea has grown into one of Australia’s best-known western fashion brands, with a deeply personal mental health story behind the name. In this episode, Lacey shares the story behind the business, balancing entrepreneurship with raising three children, navigating FIFO life and regional moves, and why building a life that works for her family has always come before chasing growth. This is her story. 

For crisis mental health support, please call Lifeline: 13 11 14

Pop Family Speech Pathologists is Australia’s largest online speech pathology practice, supporting families nationwide with expert care and no waitlist. Founded by outback Queensland local Heidi Trusler, Pop was built to make support more accessible for rural and regional families. Learn more or book online at: popfamily.au

Vitality by Verus Coaching is a new wellbeing initiative supporting women through menopause and midlife, with a focus on regional and rural communities. Founder Clare Lawley is inviting women to help shape the program through a short survey or focus group. Learn more at veruscoaching.com.au

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

For many rural and regional families, accessing the right support for your child isn't always simple. That's why Pop Family Speech Pathologist was created. Founded by Heidi Trussler, who grew up in Outback Queensland and experienced firsthand the challenges of accessing speech support, Pop has been telehealth first from day one. Today, they're Australia's largest online speech pathology practice, with more than 85 speech pathologists supporting families nationwide and no wait list. Every session is delivered online via Zoom at a time that suits your family, making expert support more accessible for parents no matter where they live. For more information, head to the link in today's show notes. And Motherland is proud to partner with Vitality by Veris Coaching, a specialist women's well-being initiative being developed by regional New South Wales-based coach Claire Lawley. Vitality is being created for women navigating the physical, emotional, and identity shifts of menopause and midlife with a particular focus on regional and rural women. It will bring together trusted guidance, practical tools, expert voices, and honest conversation. Right now, Claire is listening deeply and inviting women to share what they need through a short survey or focus group. To help shape vitality, visit veriscoaching.com.au. The details are in today's show notes. Hi, I'm Stephanie Trithewey, the founder of Motherland, a national charity that supports rural mums across Australia. Welcome to the Motherland Podcast, where each week I share with you real and raw stories of motherhood told by women on the land.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

I certainly didn't expect to be widowed twice by age 51. I was so scared when he was born. I felt so alone.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

And I remember sobbing to her as I just said, what have I done? It's a wild roller coaster we're all on. So no matter where you live or what you do, remember we're in this together and you're not alone. So what's it like to raise kids on the land? This is Motherland. When Lacey Long was just 19 years old, she launched her first online clothing store. Back then, buying clothes online was still a novelty. Websites were a bit clunky, social media was in its infancy, and most people were still a little skeptical about entering their credit card details online. But Lacey, a proud indigenous woman, saw something a lot of people didn't. So she persisted. A self-described worker, Lacey left school early and built a career in government. But she always had an entrepreneurial streak running alongside it. So when she couldn't find the kind of men's country clothing her husband Brody wanted to wear, she decided to create her own. That business would eventually become Buckwild Country, one of Australia's best-known Western fashion brands. Alongside building a business, Lacey and Brody have also raised three children, navigating FIFO life, moved their family across regional Queensland, managed a high-risk pregnancy, opened multiple stores, and somehow found a way to make it all work together.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

I feel like I've never separated motherhood and business. We're all part of the journey. The kids have been with me since the very beginning, and they love it just as much as I do.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

On this episode of Motherland, Lacey shares the personal story behind Buckwild Country, the lessons she's learned from building a business while raising a family, and why creating a life that works for her children has always mattered more than chasing growth at all costs. This is Lacey's story. Thank you for having me. Thank you for doing this. I know that it's been hard to get together. I'm really excited to get to know you. Umtroduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about you, where you're based, your life, what you do, who's in your beautiful family.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Yeah, so my name is Lacey. Um I'm located in regional North Queensland in Ingham. And I'm a mother to three beautiful children. Uh their ages uh six, eight, and ten. I own Buckwell Country, which is a Western fashion brand in Australia. And in Ingham, we have a little boutique called Buckwell Country Store. So yeah, that's me in a nutshell, but there's been a lot more.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

And your um your husband, what does he do?

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Yeah, so my husband Brody, he works in the mines um from Moran Bar. So he's on a seven and seven roster.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

Okay, we're gonna talk more about that roster later. I know that's a whole different type of rural lifestyle with the mines and FIFO. But in the meantime, tell me a bit about where you grew up. Like where's home for you, your family, your childhood.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

Yeah, so my family is from St. George in Queensland. And I was born in Toomba and spent a lot of my younger years in St. George. And then my dad is also in the mine, so we traveled a lot. We went all around Australia, Grood Island, Perth. Uh, we spent five years in Jabbaroo in North Queensland, uh Northern Territory. And yeah, that was a good chunk of my childhood and have lots of good memories there. And then we ended up in Townshall, which is where um I did high school and primary school and met my husband. Are you high school sweethearts? We are. We started dating in year 10. So it's been a long time. I think we were talking the other day, and it's nearly been 20 years, so over half of our life.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Wow. And so how did you meet? Like, tell me, did you were you at school together? Like, tell me about the day you met or the day that you thought this guy's all right as a 15-year-old.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

We um started high school together and met in high school. And yeah, I don't actually know the exact time, but um, just through friendships and that. And yeah, eventually we met each other and started a relationship. And our parents were very supportive because they were high school sweethearts too. So yeah. And we also finished school early together. He finished first to do an apprenticeship with um Carpentry, and after he left and got a taste of money, and I seen that I was I was not far behind.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

And what a unique um experience like finishing high school and and already meeting your person when I imagine a lot of your friends were, you know, perhaps still single or dating, partying, you know, what was that like for you finishing school as a young woman and kind of already having locked down the fella?

SPEAKER_01 7:23

We were both workers. So I worked for Education Queensland at the time, and that's what what I left school for, and he was doing carpentry. So I think we were both so busy working, and I don't know, we thought we were a lot older than what we were, and we were only young, but that's um just being surrounded by like older people, I suppose, and yeah, loving work. So we were both very committed to that and both had goals and things we wanted to do. We wanted to travel. So yeah, we did all of that and it just worked. We're best friends, so never felt hard really.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

And for you, you mentioned, you know, you got a taste of work and um you're both workers. What was the plan? Like after school, what did you do for work? You mentioned some travel, but like what what did you want to be when you grew up?

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Wanted to work, I wanted to make money, and I was always um in a position. I worked for Education Queensland, Department of Employment, Stanalink at one point, and finished with Horizon, which is where I spent 10 years um working. And I always had that entrepreneurial like need. I um started a clothing business online in 2010. Um, and I was cl selling men and women's clothes um different brands at that time, which was a really interesting time to be in that world online because it was all so very new. I remember being a bit skeptical of buying online myself at that time because it was all so new. So yeah, I started my own business then in 2010 doing online work, which, yeah, like I said, a really interesting time. There was only a handful of brands that I know are still around now that were doing it back then. And it's just, yeah, it's been a interesting watching the change in the online world from back then. And it's pretty amazing, really.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

For you back then, like you must have been real like 2010, what, like 19 or 20? Or how old were you when you started that business?

SPEAKER_01 9:34

19, yeah. I um I didn't even know where to start then. I um spent a lot of money, too much money on a website, and it was really hard to use. It's they weren't um like they are now. They were very technical and you had to have all the um background knowledge. So yeah, it was a really um interesting time to be in the online, online world. And it was hard. It was hard to get um clothing brands to even sell because at that time it wasn't as big as what it is now. So yeah, and I really wanted to sell men's clothes and that didn't exist online at that time. It was um there was not very men's clothes online at all.

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Why why were you focused on men's clothes? Because I think that's hearing that in your story is quite interesting because usually most women, you know, not all women, but most women focus on women's clothing or both. But why was doing the men's line particularly important to you?

SPEAKER_01 10:33

I think because I've seen the gap there for men's clothing and there wasn't um maybe it was shopping for Brodie. I don't know. He doesn't have the best fashion either, but um it was really um it just it wasn't around and I wanted to create that online, but yeah, I found it really hard because um getting even brands in that in the men's area was really hard because there wasn't there wasn't a lot at that time.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

At what point did you guys make a move? Was this pre-kids, after kids?

SPEAKER_01 11:10

This was after kids. So um during my time with my first business, I was working for Horizon and had that on the side. It was definitely a hobby. And then I had my first daughter in 2015. And then we had Clay, who at six months I was nearly due to go back from maternity leave and already got offered the opportunity to move to Middlemt, and we just kind of jumped on it. We were at the stage where I was really dreading going back to work and had the opportunity to be together after doing FIFO for so long. So yeah, we jumped on it and it was the best decision we made for our family. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

And tell me about before um that next chapter, motherhood, what was it like becoming a mum for the first time? Like take us through what that experience was like.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Yeah, I was only young when we had Sadie, and I feel like I was so inexperienced. I wasn't even ready when my waters broke. We hadn't set up anything. I think I'd finished work the day that my waters broke. So I was completely unorganized and had no idea what we were in for. And she was a really hard baby. She had influx and she was, she didn't sleep. She was really, really hard. And then I think at eight months when she had one good night, we were like, let's let's have another one. I don't know what we were doing. We're crazy. One good night. That's all it took. One good night. It was like, let's let's go again. Um, but no, I loved being a mum. I loved being a stay-at-home mum. And when I was due to go back and send Sadie to daycare, that broke my heart. So I think um Middlemt was really a blessing for us because it gave me the opportunity to have the kids home and to be a stay-at-home mum. And yeah, it was a really beautiful time in our lives. I think um, yeah. We love Middlemat.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

And tell me about that chapter. So um, this obviously job opportunity came up for your husband, and that was fly in, fly out. It was he seven on seven off then as well.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yeah, from Townshell, he was seven on seven off. And then when we moved to Middlemet, um, he was home every night. So um only 15 minutes away from us.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Wow, that must have been a huge change because yeah, having having a husband work those hours. I mean, a lot of the farming families I speak to, that's hard in itself. But fly in, fly out where they physically are away, like off the property, that's that's next level. So, what was it like for you, you know, going to Middleman, having him home every night? It yeah, tell me about that chapter and having the two kids, the two young kids as well in your second.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Yeah, moving back together was an adjustment as well because we hadn't lived together full-time for so long. So it was an adjustment, but uh the best thing that we ever did. We um yeah, we'll always cherish that time and the time with the kids and him as well. He got to be with the kids every night, and I think that was so special. I think, yeah, every family deserves that time together. So yeah, it was an adjustment, but yeah, I wouldn't um change it for the world, and we loved it. We loved being together and being in Middlemt, we traveled a lot more on weekends and did a lot of things and grew buckwild from Middlemont as well. So yeah, it was a really special time, and the kids love Middlemont. They still asked to move back to Middlemet. It was, yeah, it was a good time in our life.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

So tell me about growing Buckwild Country. You mentioned that you loved being a stay-at-home mum and were thriving in that. Obviously, you've got this business entrepreneurial side to you. So tell me what the thinking was, what the inspiration was behind Buckwild Country.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah, so I still had my online business at that time, and me and Bertie had spoken that we needed to make a change, and I had told him how I couldn't find men's clothes. So he was like, why don't we just make our own brand? And um, Buckwild Country is us. Like we love camping and fishing and traveling and all the all the things. So we sat down and came up with Buckwild, and we wanted to focus on men's clothing at the time. So we did our original logo and launched that, and it went way better than we ever imagined it to go. So it wasn't long before women were purchasing our men's clothes, and I couldn't have that. So I started designing for women as well, and then kids, so it just grew from there.

SPEAKER_02 16:11

And was there a or is there a story behind the name?

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Yeah, so um it's a tribute to a good friend of ours. His nickname was Bucky. Um, him and Brodie were best friends, and they were very wild together. They loved camping and fishing and pig hunting and drinking and all the things, country music, and we sadly lost him to suicide. So, yeah, there's a lot more meaning to our brand than than what a lot of people know. We have spoken about it before, but it definitely means a lot to us, um, our little brand, and it means a lot to our kids. We um talk about him all the time, and the kids know the meaning behind Buck Wilde as well.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

So, yeah, it's that must have been such a tough time for your family losing a mate like that, which we know in in rural Australia, particularly for men, is such a huge issue. How did you guys work through that time and and also thinking about your husband who sounds like he was very close with him? Yeah, what was that time like?

SPEAKER_01 17:15

Yeah, it was a really, really tough time for us. It was a tough time for Brodie, and I don't know the right answer to anyone to navigate through something like that in life. It's really hard, it's hard to understand. Um But I think it's just important to talk to you mates, especially for men, um, to know that you don't need to be okay and to reach out to anyone because I don't think you realise how much people love you. Um even if you have just had like a slight interaction with someone. Um you affect so many people in your life and yeah, you're very loved. And I think it's just so important to talk to anyone, and there's always someone that will listen and have a yarn and make the time. So if you I just think that that's like the biggest thing to come out of it. And I know um Brody's really taken that on in his life, um, as a supervisor and as a dad, especially for our boys. Um I just think it's okay to Yeah, not be okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Yeah. And and I'm not sure if if Buck was part of the the mining, I guess, community or not, but culturally has Brody talked to you about any cultural shifts over the last, you know, decade in terms of that workplace environment, similar to farming, which I imagine can be quite stoic and you know, tough, so to speak, and and not necessarily talking about feelings. Is that changing, do you think, from what Brody's told you since this experience?

SPEAKER_01 18:54

I think men are really good at putting up a front. So is Brody. Like I have to really tell him, like, just tell me how you're feeling, like it's okay, like if Yeah. So I think men are really, really good at doing that. And yeah, I don't know what the what the answer is, but I think yeah, just having conversations is so important. And I know that's something that Brody does every week with his guys, and yeah, I think I don't know what the answer is, and I don't know if it's changing, but I do think that there's a lot more awareness out there now, and that's all we can do is keep bringing awareness. And there are some really good campaigns now that are available that weren't available not that long ago, so it's really good to see, and there's so much community and backing behind mental health. So I think that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Yeah, and you've done such a beautiful job through your business and and that beautiful tribute to him and and raising awareness in your own way through conversations like this. So thank you. And you did mention, you know, you were growing this business while growing your family. You've got three kids now. Take us through, did you always want three? And if you look at having those three, was it all smooth sailing or what was it like for you raising the three, running a business and doing everything that that you were doing at the time?

SPEAKER_01 20:24

I think it wasn't smooth sailing, but I suppose Brody and I are a really good team, and I feel like I've never separated motherhood and business. We're all part of the journey. The kids have been with me since the very beginning, and they love it just as much as I do. And vice versa, like I work my business around them as well. I close at three so I can pick them up from school or go home and go to sports. Like I really um don't separate the two and I just make business work around them. And some days, like they've been with me on school holidays, and some days they're like, I just want to go home. I'm like, okay, let's go. Like I think that's important if um you're running a business. I know it's hard to navigate a balance, but I just try and make it all part of our lifestyle. And sometimes the business loses out, sometimes the kids le lose out spending time here on holidays, but um, we just try and balance it as best we can. And yeah, sometimes I feel like I drop the ball, and other days I feel like everything's so on top and life's feeling organized.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Yeah. And for you, at what point did that move to Ingham come come into the equation? So you're in Middlemt for a while. Like, yeah, take us through that move and and why and and how that's been as a family.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Yeah, so we opened a shop in Middlememount um when feel like there's so much part of our journey. We we um we had Clay and Sadie in Middlemet and then I fell pregnant with Weston and he was a high risk pregnancy so I had to make the move back to Townsville for a little bit to have him and just as I had him the week having him COVID hit. So I think it was the day after I'd had him it was locked down. So um that was a crazy time. It was a crazy time being a mum. I have COVID mums that we all had babies around that time and I remember the anxiety around that and the uncertainty. So yeah we were in Townsville I had Weston and moved back to Middlemt um because that's where we were living. How how long before you gave birth did you have to move to Townsville and how far away was that I think I was three months in when we moved to Townsville to um have my pregnancy in Townsville just to be close to the hospital.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

Yeah so if you don't mind me asking what what was high risk because throat like three months Placenta. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Yeah and potential placenta creta as well so yeah it was just to be close to hospitals and I was quite anxious so it just felt like it made sense for me to be close to home and my sister was in towns all so yeah being back in townsil at that time just seemed like the right decision.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

But yeah it was a crazy time because we had Buckwild and I had a shop in Middlemat and yeah I brought the kids back with me and Brody drove on weekends when he could but yeah it was a really really tough time but I guess we had so much to keep us busy as well we had our two toddlers and they were growing so much and we had the business as well which was my creative outlet and yeah we had our online the online was so busy and things it was just a busy time so we were fine. But um yeah then I had Weston and we moved back to Middlemt not long after and um we opened our shop in Middlemet which was in the shopping mall. So that was a really exciting time. We called it Friends of the Wild because I didn't think that anyone else in Middlemt could buy any more Buckwild because we'd sold it to everyone. I was like there's no point opening a Buckwild shop they've got nothing else to sell. So you have to rebrand something else I opened Friends of the Wild and I stopped other brands from around Australia as well. Yeah. And that was a really exciting town for us and for our community and yeah that was the start of my boutique journey and we stayed in Middlemet. We were meant to stay there for two years but we stayed there for five so yeah that was a a bit of a more I think everyone does that when they move to Middlem. They always have a two year plan and then hang around for a bit longer.

SPEAKER_02 25:12

And so it sounds like you've only been in Ingham for what a year or so because your youngest is six or something is that right? Yeah nearly two years now so why the move?

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Well I in the middle of all the list I literally wrote a timeline down because I'm like this is actually crazy but in the middle of um opening Middlemat we also opened a boutique in Ingham so um we have family here and we knew eventually we'd want to come back to North Queensland so we were kind of planting seeds and we opened our boutique here in I have a list 2021 because I was looking through our timeline and I was like oh my gosh I better remember to say that um so yeah we opened our boutique here in 2021 Middlemat we opened in 2020 and that was kind of like planting the seeds to get back to North Queensland where our family is so yeah and tell me about family and the importance of village to you as a mum given your background your heritage and and you know I guess what you want for your family life yeah we um we have such a good village we have beautiful friends and beautiful family so I definitely couldn't get through anything without without that village. My friends are on like Voice Note we and I'm surrounded by um women that are also successful business women and mothers so I think it's important to surround yourself with people who just get it and um yeah I'm so lucky to have that village behind me. My mum she has a shop a couple of doors down from me so how many shops does his family have we are a business family. So yeah I think um it's important to surround yourself with like minded people but just people that get it as well and I am so lucky to have that and I've had that since the kids were babies and we've all gone through the journey together. So yeah very very lucky.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

And you guys went through the floods last year but the shop um managed to escape any major damage but what was that like for the community last year?

SPEAKER_01 27:37

Yeah it was really tough. I I'd never seen anything like that before. A lot of shops on the Main Street were really affected and it was really really hard to see and I think it's affected the community still even now. So yeah it was a big um big thing to happen and yeah you really saw the community come together and it was really beautiful but very tough to see and everyone's there's a lot of people still rebuilding. So it was really rough. We were really lucky we um weren't affected by the floods so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:13

How this seems like a I guess a a s a silly question in some ways because I hate when people ask you how do you juggle it all but I imagine running a retail business and particularly you did it during COVID as well must be you know have a lot of challenges as well and then having three little ones how do you make it work and find any time for you do you find time for you I guess what do you lean on to get yeah get through it all and get it to work because you know what I love about your story is you're you're very entrepreneurial but I love that you mentioned how much being a mum and being a stay at home mum years ago was important to you. You've now got this hybrid um you know being a working mum working outside the home as well as inside the home how does it all work for you logistically yeah I feel like my business is my creative outlet and it's what I love doing.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

So even though it's work it feels it doesn't feel like work to me. I'm still I still treat it like my hobby um and like I said I definitely run the business around the kids and I know how important these years are and that they're not forever and I've never let the business um I guess I'm so lucky that I'm allowed to close at three o'clock and be there to pick them up. So yeah it's never really been a juggle there's definitely weeks where I'm like oh my gosh what am I doing? But um yeah I know how important this business is to the kids as well and I just think that we're they they come along for the journey. We do a lot of events and they're there as well and I just I think this is my happy place. So as long as you love what you're doing it doesn't really feel like you need to make time for yourself. I always manage some weeks not but I I'm happy being here. So I think that's important that you love what you do and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:16

And what's next? Like what's the rest of the year look like for you guys as a family yeah with the three kids how are they doing you know yeah what's the rest of the year look like for you well they're getting a lot older.

SPEAKER_01 30:29

My daughter is turning 11 and I'm it's just so cool to see like life now. I was just saying the other day we went I took them fishing by myself and it was just like such a good day and so easy and I'm like oh my gosh our life is like changing and it's so cool that we just get to hang out with them and do like all the fun things like fishing and going motorbike riding without having like a panic attack because I'm an anxious mama. So yeah life's fun at the moment I love this age and I know that these are like the best the best years these ages and yeah so for the kids it's just hanging out and doing what we do and having fun and for the business we are just building the shop and we've got a lot of events this year. We brought a horse float this last year. So we're traveling and doing that and doing the things we love. Hopefully they get a few collections out so that would be good. But yeah the my shop is my connection to community so I love being in this shop.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

It's clear it brings you so much joy and I've loved hearing about you. I've followed the brand for a couple of years and it's been so nice to get to know the story behind it and follow your beautiful family online as well. So I just wanted to say such a huge thank you Lacey for for sharing your story with us and I wish you all the best with your beautiful family and your business in the years to come. Thank you Steph thanks for having me. Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed today's show Motherland is produced and hosted by me, Steph Trithewey and edited by the wonderful Eliza Ratcliffe. Now don't forget Pop Family Speech Pathologists is Australia's largest online speech pathology practice supporting families nationwide with expert care and no wait list. Founded by Outback Queensland local Heidi Trussler POP was built to make support more accessible for rural and regional families. Learn more or book online at Pop Family Speech Pathologists. The details are in today's show notes. And Vitality by Varus Coaching is a specialist women's wellbeing initiative being developed by regional New South Wales based coach Claire Lawley. Vitality is focused on women navigating the physical emotional and identity shifts of menopause and midlife with a particular focus on rural and regional Australia. Right now Claire is listening deeply and inviting women to share what they need through a short survey. To help shape vitality head to verascoaching.com.au details are in today's show notes. That's it from me everyone thank you as always for tuning in. I'll catch you next week