Wyoming Destination Wedding Ranch Diamond Cross Is Nothing Like Yellowstone (Exclusive)

What happens when two brothers walk away from high-powered, big-city corporate careers to return to their family ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyo. — and try to help keep it alive?

The new eight-episode docuseries Diamond Cross Ranch, named after the legacy family business and premiering Dec. 14 on Cowboy Channel+, gives viewers an intimate look at the realities of running a multigenerational ranch, and how the demands of the land can both strain and strengthen a family.

“My wife Lauren and I were doing the nine-to-five in Washington, D.C., suit and tie, and we kept looking back at the family business,” Peter Long, 41, tells PEOPLE of the decision to move back home and help run the ranch. “We just said, ‘Why don’t we go for it?’ It was a leap of faith, but we wanted to move back and help continue to grow the business.”

Peter’s older brother, Luke, 44, had a similar moment of clarity. “I was in New York, locked in an office on the 50th floor, 78 hours a week,” he says. “You work with amazing people on Wall Street, and there are financial rewards, but I looked at people 10, 20, 30 years ahead of me and thought, ‘Are you really happier with two garages instead of one, or five cars instead of one?’ Money can buy a lot, but there’s real reward in spending time doing what you love, and my wife Kirby and I really love the ranch.”

When the brothers returned to the ranch, their mom, Jane Golliher, and stepdad, Grant Golliher, were overseeing operations. The series follows a pivotal summer in Jackson Hole as the family evaluates the future of the ranch — which now includes lodging cabins, a meat business, weddings and events, merchandising and horses, among other things — while navigating tensions around growth, investors, authenticity and the desire to remain family owned.

“There was this notion that we all had different visions and were fighting over the path forward, but through those hard conversations, I gained a greater appreciation for what each of us brings,” Luke, who runs the business of the ranch and cabins alongside Kirby, 27, who handles merchandising and social media, says. “We were finding our lanes and finding ways to work together. We grew a lot as a family. The people we were and the people we are today have changed so much.”

Peter, who previously managed the cabins and now spearheads the meat business, while Lauren, 39, runs events, agrees: “Family’s tough, right? Layer a family business on top of that, and it can be even harder. But that’s also what makes us really strong as a family and a business. We’re all in it together, and we have each other’s backs.”

Both brothers say the most important part of the work is creating something lasting for the next generation. Peter and Lauren share son Walker, 7, while Luke and Kirby are parents to Stetson, 2½, and River, 8 months. “Seeing our little guy experience the things I grew up with — riding horses, working with livestock, being outdoors — is so fulfilling,” Peter says. “We’re really just stewards of the land. It’s not mine; it’s just my turn. We’re shepherding this for the next generation. It’s hard to even imagine what that will look like, just because I’m sure they’ll have ideas that we haven’t and never could dream of.”

Luke adds, “There are a ton of small family businesses that are trying to figure out how to get to the next generation. At the end of the day, the fact that we’re here — my kids are fifth generation, and along the way, there were these challenges and tough times, and our family overcame them. To me, that’s a really hopeful story.”

He hopes viewers feel the same. “Shows like Yellowstone have increased interest, but they romanticize cowboy life,” Luke says. “It’s a lot of work. I hope people who aren’t from this world have a new appreciation for how much goes into it. We’re fighting to keep this ranch going.”

Peter agrees. “We really feel this valley is a remarkable place. To be able to share that in a small way for us is a rewarding thing.”

Diamond Cross Ranch premieres Dec. 14 on Cowboy Channel+.