Recorded on-site at the 2025 Women in Mining National Conference in San Antonio, this episode brings authentic, unfiltered stories from two rising voices in the mining world—Margaret Hinton and Paige Courtney. With backgrounds as diverse as cotton farming and competitive athletics to engineering and financial investigations, Margaret and Paige dive into how they found purpose and passion in the mining industry.

Together, they share how mining became more than a career—it's a community. From their first experiences in tunnels and copper pits to working on a new Women in Mining chapter in the Midwest, they highlight the importance of visibility, storytelling, and educating the next generation. Whether it’s correcting outdated perceptions about the industry or advocating for reclamation and sustainability, their mission is clear: mining has a human face, and it's changing fast.

This episode is packed with humor, heart, and hard truths—plus, a few ghost stories, underground adventures, and a growing obsession with mining history (and a certain Leadville legend, Baby Doe Tabor).

And if you’re wondering what these women are up to after-hours? Head north to Area 31, a unique UTV park in Minocqua, Wisconsin, where the off-road spirit runs just as deep as their passion for mining.

Mining Minds Conference Sponsors:

Arnold Machinery

Gold west Fire

Episode Sponsors:

GBC-NORCAT MST

Liebherr Mining

Gold West Fire

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:42 Meet Margaret Hinton

06:28 Choosing a Geotech Firm over Selling Tacos

12:00 Meet Paige Courtney

18:17 Miners Figure it out

23:46 Meeting at the Association of Abandon Mine Land Programs

29:55 Ambitions of a Women in Mining Midwest Chapter

34:40 Uniquely positioned to tell Mining’s story

42:29 What the future miner looks like

48:36 Mining Book Club

Mining Minds is recording again from San Antionio for the Annual Women in Mining Conference—and in this powerful episode, we sit down with Jennie (Rice) Davis, a trailblazer whose mining journey redefines perseverance, grit, and growth.

Starting as a janitor at just 18, Jennie carved her way through the industry—hauling rock in 777s, navigating early-career adversity, and ultimately rising to become a respected Business Manager and Vice President of the Idaho Chapter of Women in Mining. Her story is proof that showing up, staying persistent, and saying “yes” to opportunity can transform not just a career, but a life.

Whether you're operating equipment or running numbers, Jennie’s story reminds us that the mining world is built on more than minerals—it’s built on people who never stop driving forward. Join Mining Minds as we Welcome Jennie Davis to the Face!

Sponsors:

Norcat-GBC MST

Liebherr Mining

Gold West Fire & Safety Services

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Jennie Davis

06:39 The Beginning of Persistency

13:15 Saying yes when the moment finds you

23:54 Keep showing up & Being Authentic

30:10 Building the next generation miner

37:22 Empowering mining with finical insight

41:23 Proud career moments and event highlights

45:50 This isn’t your grandpa’s mining company anymore

In this heartfelt and humor-filled episode, Mining Minds sits down with the unforgettable Patti Haye — mother, grandmother, storyteller, and true pioneer of family life. At 87 years young, Patti takes us on a powerful journey through her life growing up post World War II, navigating early motherhood, and supporting a family through decades of cross-country moves, strikes, and the Alaskan wilderness.

With stories that span barefoot days in the Yakima Valley to raising children in harsh winters and small mining towns, Patti reminds us of what resilience looks like. She talks about building homes from scratch (literally and metaphorically), the challenges of living frugally, and the joys of doing it all with love.

From all of us at Mining Minds — Happy Mother’s Day!

To the women holding it down in work boots, office chairs, at home, or in the classrooms — this episode is for you. Thank you for the strength, love, and lessons you pass on every day.

Pour a cup of coffee (or scotch) and tune in for one of our most touching conversations yet.

Sponsors:

Heavy Metal Equipment & Rentals

GBC-NORCAT

Liebherr Mining

Chapters:

12:10 Young Love

21:29 Courtship, wedding bells, and a $5 dress

34:33 Haul Trucks and Maintaining

48:32 North to Alaska

1:05:32 Earthquakes and Endurance

1:17:11 Lower 48

1:26:39 Metaphysics

1:34:21 Early Childhood Development

1:39:11 Telling stories in the middle of it