Lindsay Linton Buk, author, photographer, and founder of Linton Productions, joins us to share the decade-long story behind “Women Shaping the West,” a documentary portrait and interview project that grew into a museum exhibition, a podcast, and a book released in March 2026. Lindsay reflects on what she learned about surrender, identity, and creativity across 25 stories of Wyoming women, and why the same philosophy that carried the project now shapes how she thinks about wealth, motherhood, and what comes next.
We explore how Lindsay is navigating a business pivot in her 40s, what it means to build products that outlast a service-based model, and how Wyoming's history of women stepping forward, simply because space existed for them to do so, still carries a quiet lesson today.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 Introduction.
01:47 Why Wyoming's official motto, Equal Rights, shaped Lindsay's storytelling lens.
04:25 How returning from New York and feeling disconnected from the state sparked the idea for “Women Shaping the West”.
09:48 Why she chose medium format film and what that decision cost — financially and creatively.
12:09 How reaching 34 weeks pregnant at the exhibit opening forced a reckoning with pace and identity.
14:48 Why surrender isn't resignation, and what it actually looks like to consciously do less.
16:30 How dreaming can be an active space, even during the years when production isn't possible.
18:22 Why the book took until 2026 to publish, and how letting go made it possible.
20:15 How becoming a mom revealed the ceiling of a service-based business model.
20:42 What entering her 40s clarified about the kind of wealth and creative work Lindsay wants to build.
Thanks for joining us for the latest episode of “Day in a Canoe.” If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any of our insightful conversations.
If you’d like us to help you define what true wealth means to you, go to www.planningalt.com and take our assessment.
Planning Alternatives is an investment advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any opinions expressed may not reflect those of Planning Alternatives.
“You have to be honest with what’s going on in your life and be willing to surrender to that moment, and that might require you to release identities that no longer serve you.”- Lindsay Linton Buk
Resources Mentioned:
#WomenInCreative #TrueWealth #PurposefulLiving
Connect with the guests:
LinkedIn: Lindsay Linton Buk
Website: Linton Productions
Connect with Nathan Mersereau:
Phone: 248-645-1520
Email: nathan.mersereau@planningalt.com
LinkedIn: Nathan Mersereau
Address: 255 S Old Woodward, Suite 310
Birmingham, MI 48009