Heather Gastelum

Heather brings decades of experience and passion to her role as a shooting instructor at Cowgirl Capable. Her journey with firearms began in her 20s, later introducing her daughter to shooting at age six and helping her prepare to compete in trap and light rifle in high school rodeo.

A Cowboy Mounted Shooting champion, Heather earned numerous local, state, regional, and national titles, including the Ladies 2 World Championship. She also hosted dozens of clinics, successfully helping riders and horses gain confidence with gunfire—a process that revealed just how many women were truly afraid of firearms. This realization fueled her belief that every woman should know how to safely handle shotguns, rifles, and pistols, whether they choose to own one or not.

Heather has trained with elite all-female shooting programs like Babes with Bullets and She Never Quit, as well as 52 hours of advanced instruction at Gunsite Academy along with othe private and group training over the years. She is also an NRA Range Safety Officer and certified instructor for the NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim program.

Beyond firearms, Heather spent 30 years breaking barriers in male-dominated industries, leading telecommunications and construction programs with expertise in operations, tower portfolio management, and workforce safety. She has served on national safety boards and committees, led high-performing teams, and developed industry-leading safety programs.

Her professional certifications include: • Executive Women in Leadership – Cornell University • Building and Leading Effective Teams – Columbia Business School • OSHA 500/502 Authorized Trainer – University of Washington

Today, Heather’s focus on her passion project empowering women through Cowgirl Capable. Her teaching style blends serious training with a healthy dose of fun, helping women push past fear to build confidence and skill. She believes that while firearms are a serious tool, training should also be a flat-out BLAST—whether punching holes in paper, shattering clays, or shooting balloons off a horse at full speed.

A lifelong equestrian, mentor, and advocate, Heather believes in having fun, making an impact, and proving you can be pretty and still be gritty. She and her husband of 30 years split their time between Washington, Montana, and Arizona, embracing the cowgirl lifestyle wherever they go.

For more about Heather and Cowgirl Capable, visit CowgirlCapable.com.