The Confident Rider Podcast
Jane Pike, a horsewoman and coach from New Zealand, hosts a podcast dedicated to improving the relationship between humans and horses. Her approach centers on nervous system awareness, exploring how physical and emotional patterns affect mindset and movement both in and out of the saddle. She aims to help riders become more adaptable and responsive through foundational brain and nervous system work. Jane also offers her JoyRide membership program and writes for international equestrian magazines.
Episodes
In Conversation With Lee McLean
A little while back, I got to chatting with Lee McLean. At the time, I'd just released a conversation about the things I turn to when the world feels hard or tense, and we were discussing how the lessons we learn with horses often translate into everyday life. I found the conversation so engaging that I asked her to come on the podcast so we could share our thoughts with all of you. For those who
(Some) things I think about when the world is hard or tense
A few days back, I wrote a list of things that I had mused on, read, or noted down to consider when the world feels hard or tense. I shared it first on Facebook, and then when the time came for our live Q&A in my membership program, JoyRide, I decided to share it there as well. Today's episode is a repeat of that conversation. It's neither conclusive nor definitive, but I think gives us some idea
5 Things I've Learned As A Movement & Nervous System Coach
Oh, there are so many things that I have learned from being in coach with a focus on the nervous system. In this episode, I pick five things that spring to mind as 'standouts'; things you may not have considered or fully understood previously when it comes to being in the world, working with horses and your nervous system health. We talk about: 1. Why there is nothing wrong with being in fi
{6} Christmas Conversation with Tania Kindersley, Kathy Price & Stevie Delahunt
Lovely friend, this is the final session in our Christmas Conversations series. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has joined us for the live sessions, and to my incredible guests who given so much love and energy to our time together. I am so grateful to you all. Today, I am joined by an incredible group of women: Tania Kindersley, Kathy Price and Stevie Delahunt. I'm sure you will enjoy this
{5} Christmas Conversation with Kimberly Carter, Brigid Piccaro & Terry Kuebler
Fabulous souls, we are back with our second to last Christmas Conversation and it's another (christmas) cracker (I couldn't help adding that in there). I'm so blessed to be joined by the wonderful trio that is Kimberly Carter, Brigid Piccaro & Terry Kuebler. In all truth, I don't know how to reduce the vast expanse of ground we covered over the course of our time together, so I will leave you to l
{4} Christmas Conversation with Kate Sandel, Elsa Sinclair and Chantel Prat
Fabulous souls, welcome back to the fourth session in our Christmas Conversations series. I have been having so much fun with these, I don't want them to end! Today I am joined by Kate Sandel, Elsa Sinclair & Chantel Prat for what was a wonderful conversation- I would love to hear your thoughts also! Happy Listening! xx Jane You can find... Kate Sandel here at Soft & Sound Elsa Sinclair here at Ta
{3} Christmas Conversation with Christine Dickson, Joell Dunlap & Robyn Schiller
Welcome back to the third conversation in our Christmas Conversations series. Today, I am joined by the wonderful Christine Dickson, Joell Dunlap & Robyn Schiller. We are answering the questions: What have you held close this year? What has anchored you? What are you being called towards? What would you like to share? I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, happy listening! xx Jane You can find... C
{2} Christmas Conversation with Denise Elizabeth Bryon, Gareth Mare & Talya Mari
Welcome to the second episode of our Christmas Conversations series- I'm so glad that you are here! Today I'm joined by the incredible Denise Elizabeth Byron, Gareth Mare and Tayla Mari, once again exploring the questions of... What have you held close this year? What has anchored you? What are you being called towards? What would you like to share? I so appreciated everything that was shared and
(1) Christmas Conversation with Karen Rohlf, Kathleen Beckham & Barbra Schulte
For the month of December, I've gathered together some of my favourite people for a Christmas Conversations Series including my three incredible friends who joined me today- Karen Rohlf, Kathleen Beckham and Barbra Schulte. Together, we answered the following questions: What have you held close this year? What has anchored you? What are you being called towards? What would you like to share? Hand
The Misty Cliffs: Navigating Overwhelm
When I was considering what overwhelm feels like as an experience in the body, the image that came to mind was one of foggy, misty cliffs; a landscape where we are aware of what lies in front of us but where the weather patterns at play are preventing us from getting a clear sense of the path that we should follow and the direction we should head. In other words, the experience of overwhelm is imm
Begin, begin & begin again
What does it mean to begin? What gets in the way of us beginning again? How can we approach beginning with tenderness? This episode is a contemplation, meditation on beginnings; on the challenges we face, the stories we tell ourselves, beginning as an art in and of itself. I hope you find it useful in some way, xx Jane In this episode, I mention an online gathering called Circle. If you are intere
On Being Enough with Barbra Schulte
Since the Western States Horse Expo, Barb and I have spent a lot of time chatting on zoom about life, horses, and the universe. Inevitably, there are many crossovers in our work; patterns and experiences we come across that inform how we approach things, beliefs and understandings that we witness either support people moving forward, or conversely, get in the way. Our conversations on confidence l
Of Mind, Body & Spirit: On Conversations Outside of the Expected in the Horse Expo & Training World
Over the course of 3 days at the Western States Horse Expo, I presented a series of one-hour presentations that spanned everything from returning from injury, to processing big emotions, to looking at the way the nervous system affects our biomechanics. My designated area was the Mind, Body, Spirit tent, one of 3 presentation and seminar tents that sat next to the main arena. The overall expo line
Expo Reflections: On Teaching & Learning with Barbra Schulte
Lovely people, it felt a little strange to just roll into the next episode of the podcast without mentioning what I'd been up to the last little while. I considered sitting on my lonesome and giving you a debrief (**yawn**) and then had the most excellent idea to contact some of my people and see if they wanted to join me too. With that in mind, with me today is Cutting Horse Royalty, Human Who Ep
A Horsing Practice Is Different To A Routine & Different Again To A Schedule
Based on a blog that I wrote this morning, that I share out loud with you now. xx Jane www.confidentrider.online ---- Click below to learn all about my JoyRide membership, to help you think, feel, move & ride differently: https://confidentrider.online/joyride/ For other resources: Website: https://confidentrider.online/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheConfidentRider/ Instagram: https
Allowing Yourself To Be Moved: On Creative Practices as Portals for Transformation & Wellbeing
Modern understandings of anatomy and physiology have allowed us to know our body and mind in ways that have not understood previously. Whilst this is a blessing that sees both horses and humans able to function in a way that maximizes health and wellness, we have to take care that the same information that seeks to liberate does not become reductive. Where we are reduced to a body mobilized by a n
Question: What are the ways to feel safe within vulnerability?
I found out recently that the phrase "heart on your sleeve" is, in part, from Shakespeare's play Othello-- we have just conveniently lopped off the other half of the sentence which goes on to say "…for the daws to peck at". These words are uttered by one of the most villainous characters in the play, who, in the process of confessing to treacherous acts, remarks that by wearing his heart upon his
On Time, Space & Bigger Questions: A Conversation with Tania Kindersley & Kathy Price
Lovely people, I'm back-- Both on the airways with the Confident Rider Podcast more generally speaking, and with two of my favourites, the incredible Tania Kindersley and Kathy Price. If you are familiar with our catch ups from the past you will know that the usual format runs to something like the following: What do you think we should talk about? I'm not sure, what do you think? I'm not sure ei
I Dissent: A Letting Go Of Old Patterns
"When the old patterns arise, I will dissent. When life convinces me, it is something to be endured rather than enjoyed, I will dissent. And I will show up here, and I will write about it, as a reminder to those wanting to hold hands and do the same." ❤️ Jane www.confidentrider.online --- Click below to learn all about my JoyRide membership, to help you think, feel, move & ride differently: https
When Things Don't Go To Plan: A Reminder To Let Yourself Be New
A gentle reminder to let yourself be new. ❤️ Jane https://confidentrider.online/ --- Click below to learn all about my JoyRide membership, to help you think, feel, move & ride differently: https://confidentrider.online/joyride/ For other resources: Website: https://confidentrider.online/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheConfidentRider/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confident_rider
Birds Coast When They Can
There's a beautiful phrase that I hold gently in my hands, that I've adopted as one of my mottos for living. "Birds coast when they can". Every time I say it out loud to myself, I'm met with the glorious vision of a bird in flight, that proves these words to be true. Birds coast where they can is a reminder to let yourself be supported. A reminder to look for opportunities for ease, and where y
Chattering with Kathy Price: Evolution, Intention & The Planless Plan
Peeps, I'm back with one of my favourite humans, the most loveliest Kathy Price! Kathy and I are teaching a workshop together this weekend, and in our pre-workshop prep decided we could scoop the cream off the top of our conversation and sit down and chatter with you on the podcast. Over the course of our meandering conversation, we talk about: The evolution of our work and business The principl
Discussing Movement Patterns & Pathways (and why they should interest you)
The possibilities for your horse to move functionally and in a way that promotes health and wellness exist only within the range that he is balanced; our job as riders, then, is not only to facilitate balance in them in order that they can carry us without compromising themselves, and to ensure that our balance point matches theirs. The area of study that I've involved myself in is really interest
What I Understand To Be True
The interwoven thoughts of a New Year. Happy New Year, ❤️ Jane --- Click below to learn all about my JoyRide membership, to help you think, feel, move & ride differently: https://confidentrider.online/joyride/ For other resources: Website: https://confidentrider.online/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheConfidentRider/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confident_rider/
The Omen Days (and back for Season 3!)
Beautiful people, it's been a hot minute since we were last on the podcast airwaves. I'm super excited to be back for Season 3, and to share with you all the thoughts, musings and conversations that are swirling round my brainspace. Before we get into that though... At this time of year, it can be really easy to fall into "achievement energy"; the feeling that we have to set our resolutions, refin
Necessary Messes, The Illusion Of Failure, & Letting Yourself Learn: A Conversation with Kate Sandel
Kate Sandel is back on the podcast! In less than a week's time, Kate and I are co-teaching at a three-day clinic called Camp of the South, in Devon, UK. Initially we had the idea to record a conversation together to send to participants of the camp as a "here's some helpful information" type spiel but it quickly became obvious that our chattering extended far beyond the limits of those three days
Energy, The Mystical & The Magical with Denise Elizabeth Byron & Kathy Price
It's a party people! A few weeks back, I had the hankering to have a pod conversation talking about energy, the mystical and the magical, and the two people who immediately sprang to mind were Denise Elizabeth Byron and Kathy Price. Denise I have known for a few years now, meeting her for the first time when I went to stay with Robyn Schiller and skipping along to an astrology session that blew my
Barbra Schulte: On Performance, Loss & Love
There are so many ways to introduce Barbra Schulte. You could start with the incredible work she does coaching riders, helping them develop mental strategies to get the best out of themselves and their horses. Or you could talk about her many outstanding accolades in the cutting horse arena, including her induction in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2012. But what I love most about Barbra is
I'll See You Up The Mountain: Notes On Grief
As many of you who follow along with my adventures will already know, at the start of this year I lost my beautiful Irish horse, Bear. Following on from that day, I shared my experiences and thoughts in series of Facebook live sessions that spanned the course of a couple of weeks, which led me to conversations, understandings, and a level of awareness that I would never have gained if I had chosen
A Dolly Lama Session with Tania Kindersley & Kathy Price
Are you ready for us?! I'm joined back on the pod this week with two of my besties who you no doubt are well familiar with already- the most amazing Kathy Price and the infinitely regal Tania Kindersley. Kathy, Tania and myself are regularly chattering about all things life, horses and the universe, and whenever one of us is stuck or needs an ear, the call goes out over the WhatsApp airwaves sayi
On Vitality & Saving Your Own Life
The subject of vitality is on my mind because in a couple of weeks' time, I'm teaching a workshop with Rupert Isaacson on that exact topic. It's a workshop that I'm really excited for because at the heart of my work lies the desire for the restoration of vitality. The pathway there might look different for everyone; the challenges each of us experience may hold their own unique flavor; but ultima
Training In Freedom: A Post Clinic Catch Up With Elsa Sinclair
Elsa Sinclair is a human that I have looked up to for a very long time. In the horse world, she is a rare light who explores a way of partnering together with horses that is seldom explored and practiced; one that is rooted entirely in freedom. When I consider my own life and horsing adventures, I know that I am traversing a time where our consciousness of our relationships with our horses is unde
A Conversation with Crissi McDonald & Mark Rashid
Fabulous humans, it's a party of awesomeness on the podcast! I am joined today by the incredible Crissi McDonald and Mark Rashid who are not only incredible horsepeople, but beyond that have a collective list of skills and accomplishments that make them a unique force of goodness in the horse world. Crissi has spent over thirty years working with many different horses and people from all over the
Post Summit Catch Up With Robyn Schiller, Kathy Price & Christine Dickson
If you listen to the podcast regularly, you'll know that I was recently in Texas as part of Warwick Schiller's Journey On Podcast Summit. The summit itself was a mindblowing experience in every way, and I'm yet to adequately find the words for my experience there. I definitely didn't come out of it the same person I was going in. I wanted to chat about my time there from the position of a present
Creatures Of Movement: A Confident Rider Live Q&A Session
Fabulous humans! Ready to riff with me on all things mind, movement, and the nervous system? This week's episode is a recording of a live Q&A I held yesterday to answer some questions and continue on discussing the topics I talked about in my presentation at the Journey On Podcast Summit. I've had a lot of emails come in post-summit that vary from general questions on movement and the nervous syst
How Does Movement Affect Your Mindset?
Last week, an email landed in my inbox that asked a very specific question. "I get much of what you talk about, this person told me, but I still can't make the connection between how the movement work you teach relates to mindset. Can you explain this to me please?" Now at this point there are two things you should know about me: I'm a self-professed movement and nervous system nerd. This questio
Kate Sandel: Connection, Balance & Riding In Release
I first became aware of Kate Sandel after reading one of her most excellent blogs that she shared on her Facebook page ,Soft and Sound, and from there launched into "quiet stalker mode" to find out more about her on her website. I was fortunate enough to become one of the early members of her online membership program, and from there, she has become not only one of my go-to people for help and adv
Self-Trust: What It Means To Be A "Good Student" When Exploring Our Boundaries & Patterns in Clinic & Lesson Situations
Finding the right environment and teacher to learn with can be really messy territory to step into. On the one hand, we want to open ourselves up to the learning experience and put ourselves out there for the betterment of both ourselves and our horses. On the other, the vulnerability that creates means we want to make sure that we are doing so with the right people and in the right situations. Fr
Come Riding With Me! Part 2 of Stepping Outside Of The Control Model
In the last episode, we launched into the topic of biomechanics and how understanding the role of the conscious and unconscious brain in movement can empower us to find a different way of moving and being in the saddle that sits outside of the traditional riding lesson model. One of the things I find challenging about these conversations is that the work I practice is highly experiential and so ex
Stepping Outside The Control Model: Rider Biomechanics From A Nervous System Perspective
Those of us interested in the art of horsemanship and riding find ourselves on a constant quest for harmony; a way of being and moving with our horses that allows both of us to find an ease of movement not only in our bodies, but also in our minds. My adventures into the nervous system have led me to some specific understandings of how the nervous system impacts our movement, and how we can use th
"My experience is my Truth": A Conversation With Kathy Price
It's one of my favouritist (yes, that is a word) humans ever joining me for the podcast this week. Kathy Price is in the house and we are talking about the… well, basically all. of. the. things. It's impossible when chattering to a person like Kathy to keep things at surface level, so we cover a lot of territory. Before we get into that however, let me introduce Kathy to you! Kathy comes from a sc
"I Don't Have Enough Time": The Liberation Of Facing Your Time Limitations
Hands in the air if you feel like you never have enough time? This "time conundrum" is something that I've wrestled with for a long time and has created a lot of stress and struggle along the way. I recognize now that my own relationship with time has been caught up in a somewhat toxic relationship with people pleasing patterns, the need to get things right, and that somehow my self-worth was inex
Soundbite: Beginning With Brilliance
How would things change if we looked at our horses and the first thing we thought was, you are brilliant? A Confident Rider Sound Bite on the place we begin from. www.confidentrider.online --- Click below to learn all about my JoyRide membership, to help you think, feel, move & ride differently: https://confidentrider.online/joyride/ For other resources: Website: https://confidentrider.online/
The Difference Between The Action Of Fear & The Emotion Of Fear
Do you know the difference between the action of fear and the emotion of fear? Because there is one. And being able to discern between them is vital when it comes to understanding not only how your nervous system works, but how your perception of different situations and experiences create sympathetic or fight flight responses. When the fight flight nervous system is working as it's designed to,
Movement & The Nervous System
Fabulous humans! I'm baaaaaack! The Confident Rider Podcast is back on the airwaves for Season 2, and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about it! It seemed only fitting to give you a rundown of where I'm at work and life wise, but beyond that, to discuss some of the changes that have happened in my work over the past 18 months and how that has informed my own practices and understandings. So, let'
"I Got Bucked Off- And Now I Have Trouble Riding Alone. Now What?" A Podcast Q&A
A couple of weeks back, I got tagged in a post on Facebook where the person in question had been bucked off and now found herself in the midst of two different riding experiences; when she is in company or with her instructor, she is fine to get on and ride. When she is alone, it's a completely different story. Given I had quite a lot to say on this subject (more than I could include in a Facebook
Staging A Comeback: Finding A Way Forward After An Extended Break Or Injury
So here's the current state of play. Over the last little while, all three of my horses have had some time off. This definitely wasn't in the game plan- they have all for different reasons had some physical niggles from unrelated incidents that made me think a few weeks of paddock rest was a good idea- and now I am finding myself in the position where we are needing to begin again. This transition
Josh Nichol: On Leadership, Connection & Relational Horsemanship
A little while back, a friend of mine sent me a video of a trainer working with a horse who was suffering from significant anxiety. I watched them work together and loved not only the principles he followed but his thoughts about what was happening, and his intentions for creating trust and connection. Josh Nichol was the horseman in that video, and I had the great pleasure of sitting down togethe
The Importance Of Context: Understanding Free Floating Anxiety
In this episode, Anxiety has stepped forward as our volunteer to show us just how important context is! Case and point: Say I am a rider who has come to recognize anxiety as a fairly familiar part of my riding experience. In fact, I am so intimate with my particular brand of riding anxiety that I've started to view it as a part of my personality and identity. This presents a few different problems
The Connection Between Bodily Sensation & The Emotional Brain
It's a raw, uncut, unedited podcast for you this week! I had planned to release a different episode, but we made an executive decision to hold that off for a couple of weeks' time (super excited to bring that to you then!). In the meantime, I had two options: Leave the podcast for this week and have a two-week gap Roll with whatever came up even if I didn't have time to present it as a perfect pa
The Mystery & Magic Of The Body With Alexa Linton
A little while back I was interviewed for the Whole Horse Podcast and for the first time "properly" had a chance to talk to the host of the show, Alexa Linton. I found our conversation before and after the interview so fascinating and enlivening that I knew I had to turn the tables and invite Alexa to speak to you all on my own podcast! Aside from being one of life's inspiring and engaging people
Redefining What It Means To Be Brave
Over the past few years, I've noticed what I am learning from my horses is taking a much bigger and more expansive form. The same dreams remain; to create a harmonious and energetic relationship together. To learn what I can about behavior, biomechanics, and horsemanship so I can be the best partner possible. But beyond that, I've noticed that my work with horses has gifted me with an increased ca
End Of Year Ponderings with Kathy Price & Tania Kindersley
Sitting down to write the blurb for this podcast, I pinged Tania and Kathy a message: I have no idea how to condense our conversation down into a few sentences. That remains the truth some time after as I attempt to gather our "life, horses, and the universe" into a palatable description! So here is the truth of it! Kathy and Tania are two of my closest and most trusted friends and I couldn't thin
It's Not About Confidence, It's About Capacity
For someone who spends a lot of her day discussing various aspects of confidence (and what's more has it featured as a keyword in her business!), it may surprise you to hear that I think we have things a bit mixed up when it comes to understanding what confidence actually is… and what's more, what we *actually* mean when we say we want to feel more confident. Over time, I've come to understand the
On Taking The High Road: Maintaining Integrity In The Face of Upset & Unease
You know, confrontation of any kind can be a hard thing to handle. In JoyRide, we're talking all the time about the various communications (and miscommunications!) that happen within all the different types of relationships that we find ourselves in- both within our horsing life and outside of it. I know way back when I was in my early twenties (when I was also reading a lot of different spiritual
On Training Yourself With Kindness
You know, when things get tough, usually one of the first things to kick in is the commentary of the Itty Bitty Shitty Committee. The "You should have done this, or you didn't do this or why did you do that or what were you thinking-ness" in all its hues and colours and variations can pretty quickly throw a wet blanket over any feelings of hopefulness or possibility that we hold for ourselves or o
A Conversation with Dr Sarah Le Jeune: On The Pressures of Veterinary Practice & Developing Awareness within Client/ Vet Relationships
A couple of weeks back, a collection of members of JoyRide gathered together on a Zoom call. The purpose of the call was simply to get together and find out what was going on for everyone and get some help and support if needed. Sarah, a member of the group, spoke up about her concerns about her students and if there was a chance we could possibly create something that would help them develop some
Body Informing Mind: A Discussion on the Somatic & Interoceptive Nervous Systems & their role in repatterning responses
I'm always blown away by how simple changes to posture; how tangibly connecting with where feeling and sensation sits in the body in relation to a specific thought; how accessing experience through the body can allow us to not only shift our perception but integrate and metabolize experiences from the past that are showing up as challenges in the present. It's one thing to see this play out in rea
Story Time Episode: On my clinic experience, finding what works, and not throwing yourself in the deep end
A storytime episode for you today! These last 12 months have been a period of big transformation for me (and if I'm honest the 12 months prior to that also). I talked in a previous podcast about a personal experience that was really the catalyst for changing lots of things up- for moving from a more mind-based approach to a body-based one, to diving deeper into nervous system understandings than I
Surge Capacity: A Conversation On Resilience, Awareness, and Managing Your Energy In The Hard Times
What is Surge Capacity? Surge Capacity is the amount of energy and fortitude we bring to a situation that is challenging. You know when something happens that really requires you to step up and you gather yourself to rise to the occasion? That's what we are talking about here; the surge of power that allows you to be able to do something difficult and make the most of it, even if it feels really h
The Problem With Goals (And Why They May Not Work For You)
It's interesting how, when we're fed something over a period of time, we don't stop to question that there might be another way of going about things. That's certainly been the case for me in the past when it's come to goal setting. Despite recognizing that it's a system that doesn't work for me; despite not having used the traditional model that we are taught for a couple of years now, I never re
Making Room For The Past: The Processes & Practices Of Integrating Traumatic Stress
A week or so back, a message pinged into my inbox from a rider in the recovery period of an accident that was really affecting her riding. She used a really common phrase that I often hear alongside descriptions of traumatic stress which is: I feel like I'm living in the past. I know so many of us can relate. It can be upsetting, frustrating, and frightening to find your mind and body looping arou
A Mash Up Session: On Comfort Not Being The Goal, The Joy Of Movement & Grounding In The Midst Of Social Pressure
So as it goes, I had a very specific idea in mind for what I was going to talk about in this week's episode, but as soon as I hit record, something very different came out! When it came time to give it an actual title, the only thing I could think of was, well, it's kind of a mash-up of a few different things so I've decided to roll with exactly that- a combination episode of a few different thing
Developing Responsiveness: The Importance of Seeking Out Novelty & Embracing The Unusual
Ok team! Let's think about what it means to be responsive and to have cultivated a way of being that allows us to respond appropriately to the moment and doesn't see us stuck in any one spot in our nervous system for longer than we need to be. What does it mean to respond appropriately? It means that whatever comes into our experience, we are still able to mobilize our body- to stand our ground, t
"I'm afraid to canter": Increasing Our Capacity for Bigger Energies & Experiences
Let's talk about nervous system capacity and how it relates to the experience of being afraid to canter. Before we get into it, I just want to put this out there- some of you will explicitly relate to this example and for others, it's not going to register on your radar. If you fall into the latter group, take out "being afraid to canter" and drop in there any challenge of choice that you fill lik
Riding The Growth Edge: What To Do When You Reach A Stuck Point
Stuck points! We all experience them, we all understand them as part of the learning process but what we also know is there's a big difference between reaching a blip point and feeling like you're continually running up against the same brick wall day in and day out. And what's more, if we do find ourselves stuck in a pattern of behavior without the context of understanding how our nervous system
Understanding Positivity & Catastrophising From The Level Of The Nervous System
Ever thought to yourself, I wish I could think more positively! Or what's more, found yourself catastrophizing about every situation that comes your way until you're mentally drowning in worst-case scenarios? It's a vicious loop to get caught up in and one that can feel almost impossible to step out of. Most conversations around this topic approach it at the level of the mind, which at first glanc
Tuning In & Tuning Out: A Broader Conversation On What It Means To Look After Yourself
The belief of not being good enough. The endless quest to be "better" than we are now. The constant busyness…. What we understand about all of these things is that they are not specific to only a handful of people but have come to be a predictable part of our shared psyche and habits. Consequently, when it comes to looking at new ways of going about things, we need to go beyond individual assessme
Connecting To Your Backbone: A Conversation on Power & Empowerment
What's your relationship to mindful anger, aggression, and power? When you read or say those words to yourself, how do they sit in your body? We all have a somatic, or body-based relationship to language, and it's a big part of why the words that we choose matter and how describing something from a slightly different angle can open up a new perspective for us. In the first instance, when I think o
Resetting The Smoke Alarm: Uncoupling Emotional Experiences From Personality & Identity
Let's consider for a moment that our nervous system exists on more than just an individual level; it exists on a collective level as well. Not only are we working within the context of our own, personal experience but we are also living within the dynamics of the social and cultural nervous system also, creating a broader ecosystem of feeling, response, and reaction that we are all in constant rel
On Increasing Your Capacity & Why Mindfulness Isn't Always The Answer
Capacity is a word that's entered into my work in a big way. But what does it mean to increase your capacity? And why is this an important consideration when it comes to being effective, compassionate, and creative horsepeople? Capacity, the way I teach it, relates to the amount of activation we can hold in our body before we go into a place of flight, fight, or freeze. It's a dynamic conversation
The Power And The Presence Of Mindful Anger
Of all the emotions we think of when it comes to horses and riding, anger would be up there with the seemingly most inappropriate. I totally get it. After all, most of our associations with anger link us directly to outbursts that cause harm and upset to someone or something else. Our limited understanding of anger, however, causes us to shut ourselves off from a very important and powerful experi
Holding Your Centre In The Midst Of Hard Things
Like many of us, I've found the last few weeks to be a continual wave of constant and intense experiences. The general atmosphere we are operating in is charged, and as a consequence, we are approaching everything in front of us from a place of heightened activation also. Everywhere we go, there are hard conversations. Everywhere we look, there are polarising opinions and calls to ask us to take a
Olivia Towers: On Mindset, Dressage & Being Enough
Olivia Towers is in the house! Olivia is so many things (all good I might add), but amongst her many talents, she is a Grand Prix Dressage Rider, entrepreneur, Vlogger, and blogger with a passion for mindset and really getting the best out of yourself. I've talked to Olivia before on her podcast a little while back, so it was super fun to get to switch seats and be the one asking the questions! As
When Calming Down Isn't The Answer: Dealing With Nervous System Activation In Horses & Humans
Is it ever NOT appropriate to calm down? We talked about this in a post a week or so back and I'm exploring more in today's podcast! Let's break it down… Whenever we move into a sympathetic response that brings a lot of energy to the surface (anger, fear, and anxiety are all examples of this) we are often taught that we need to calm down; that the goal is to move from a place of reaction and activ
Instinct And Inner Awareness: 3 Ways To Develop Your Intuition
Intuition and instinct: how often do you allow yourself to follow yours? And what's more, do you feel like you are connected to that internal sense of self enough that you are able to hear when it expresses a desire or impulse to you? Many of us don't. But that doesn't mean we can't cast off the layers of social and cultural conditioning that tell us it's not ok to trust ourselves or to follow our
The Masterson Method: Relaxation, Relationship & Relieving Tension With Your Horse With Jim Masterson
Team, I am so thrilled to be able to share this conversation with you today. I'm talking with Jim Masterson about the Masterson Method and how it is we can work with our horse to release underlying patterns of tension and promote optimal health, relaxation, and connection. Many of you will have heard me talk about this integrated bodywork practice before and it's something I'm utilizing on a near-
Meeting The Energy Where It's At: Working With Flight, Fight & Freeze
Beating yourself up for not maintaining a solid baseline of calm with everything that is going on? You're not the only one! But the thing is, we aren't designed (nor is it preferable) for us to be calm all of the time. In an environment where there are lots of triggers ringing our nervous system alarm bells- from the sounds of actual alarms in our physical environment if you're in the city, to a f
5 Things To Practice Outside Of The Saddle To Transform Your Time In It
Aye kaboosh! What're the feels out there currently? From where I sit, it's certainly a mixed bag. One thing I do know is that we need to be even more intentional than usual in looking after our own sanity and wellness so we can ride out the waves as easefully as possible. The other thing? Whether or not you are able to hang with your horse currently or not, many of us have a niggling voice in the
Freedom With Structure: Healthy Habits For Sanity & Wellness
Routine! It used to be a word that I turned my nose up at, but these days, routine and I are pretty much BFFs. With so many of us finding ourselves well outside of our normal routines currently, it's important that we seek out and create some form of structure in our day so we don't find ourselves floating around in free-form, crazy-making territory! What it comes down to is this: When you have a
