As some of you know TJ Killoran and I are hosting our inaugural ‘Women in Transition’ equine facilitated and nature based coaching retreat October 1-4th at TJ’s Apache Springs ranch in Arizona.
In today’s post I am sharing with you the story of how this retreat came to be and have included a link to an article in Oprah’s magazine ‘O’ about what coaching with these magnificent animals can do for you.
AND…
…a Q & A session with certified Equus coach TJ so you can get to know her and understand her work a little better.
How TJ and I first connected
We first met when we were newly enrolled students in Martha Beck’s life coach training program. You may know Martha from Oprah’s magazine ‘O’ where she is a monthly contributor, and YES she is as good as they say when it comes to life coaching!
In fact she is down right remarkable but I digress…
Shortly after classes started I reached out to TJ online as I had seen from the class list that she was also from Western Canada and I was hoping to connect with others in the Pacific time zone. The majority of the other students in the program were from the States, some were even from as far away as Germany, Dubai and Malaysia.
Our on line conversation went like this;
Eliz: ‘I live about 40 minutes from Vancouver’.
TJ: ‘I’m from Surrey’.
Eliz: ‘Really? I’m from Surrey too, South Surrey’.
TJ: ‘I’m from South Surrey too…’
We whittled it down even further and discovered that we live in the same neighbourhood and that I could walk to her house in about 10 minutes!
While we were immersed in our coach training TJ was also working on her equus coaching certification with Koelle Simpson at Martha’s North Star ranch in Northern California, as well as renovating the horse ranch that she and her husband had recently bought, AND doing all that needs to be done when you are a Mom with 3 older kids, one of whom still lives at home.
This was one busy lady!
Q & A with Certified Equus Coach TJ Killoran
Eliz: So TJ what inspired you to sign up for equus coaching?
TJ: After attending an equine facilitated learning workshop with my sister, entitled ‘The Power of the Herd’, I was mesmerized. I had not been around horses for many years. My older sister invited me to a workshop in Arizona, and told me it involved “leadership and horses”. It sounded fun, and at that point in my life, I was looking for adventure, excitement, something new. I went and found everything I was looking for and more! I had not been as nervous, curious, elated, teary, connected and alive, as I was those four days.
At the end of the fifth day, I did an exercise that was called ‘Hearts Desire’ it is similar to a body compass exercise (Eliz-this is a Martha Beck tool that we use in coaching), except with horses. With my eyes closed, I was asked to scan my body for sensations- while I did this, I was also asked what visions or pictures I could see. I said the first thing that came to mind, which was;
“I see a herd of horses running from left to right in front of me with their manes blowing in the wind. I also see a Native American’s profile with long dark hair blowing in the same direction as the horses are running, so that the hair of the horses manes overlapped with the hair of the Native American”
This may not seem odd except that I was a Vancouver gal, with no real connection to Native American people, and never before this moment had ever had images of horses in my head. None of it made much sense until a few months later when I found myself the owner of a ranch in Arizona that had previously been Apache Indian land, and later an Arabian horse breeding ranch. This is just one example of the strange experiences I had while at this equus retreat.
Eight months later I saw an article in Oprah’s magazine describing an equine facilitated retreat with Koelle Simpson (Click here http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Koelle-Simpsons-Equine-Therapy to read the article that TJ refers to).
I went to the weekend retreat which was called ‘Listening for Truth’, and once again I was torn open. I did a lot more crying at this one, but they were break through tears. I fell in love again with the horses, with the facilitators, and what coaching with horses could do for people. I went home, signed up for life coaching with Martha Beck (which you had to have in order to be an Equus Coach) and Equus coaching with Koelle Simpson, and 18 months later and after many trips to California, I was both a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach and a Certified Equus coach.
Eliz: What makes equus coaching different than regular life coaching?
TJ: Horses are prey animals. In the wild their lives depend on the accurate readings of their environments. The minute you walk into a round pen (even before you walk in) you are in the horses environment and a conversation has begun. Without judgement a horse will reflect back to you how you show up in the world. Through the guidance of your coach and the gentle interaction with the horse you will receive a portal into self discovery that is not available elsewhere. With a clear sense of self you will learn what it means to direct your life from your essential self and thrive in the world with increased ease and purpose.
Eliz: What is one of the more memorable moments you have had with a client while doing the equus coaching?
TJ: I was working with a professional woman who is employed in the financial sector. Being young and female she is in the minority in this industry. She had no prior horse experience, but was curious to see if working with a horse in a round pen could improve her leadership skills at the office.
The horse she worked with was a spirited Arabian female named Gypsy. When she entered the ring, the horse quickly moved to the other side of the arena. She tried to interact with Gypsy, but the horse was not interested. I asked her to see if she could get the horse to do something that she asked it, like to move to the other side of the arena or move in a certain direction. This young woman tiptoed around, a little nervous, and it was clear that the whole experience was taking her out of her comfort zone. After several minutes of trying different things and not being able to get Gypsy to respond I asked her to take a break and just breathe.
I explained to her that in a herd of horses, the leader is determined by the other horses, as the horse that has the most calm, clear energy will be the leader of the group. Horses are prey animals, and their main goal is to stay alive. The horse that can keep the herd out of danger is the leader. The herd will entrain (connect) to the calm energy of the leader, and the rest will willingly follow.
I asked the client ‘Who in this situation is the leader, you or Gypsy?’ She thought about this while she continued the breathing exercise, and in the process became very still and focused. Gypsy calmed down and turned towards her. The horse had immediately responded to the change in the young woman’s heart rate, sensing the calm that the client was now experiencing. When I asked her to try again to engage with Gypsy she did so with ease. The horse was more than willing to do what was being asked of her, which was simply to walk in a slow pace around the outside of the round pen.
The client explained to me that once she got clear that this big, strong animal was actually looking for a leader, she overcame her fear, and was able to step up and lead. I asked her how this feeling of calmness might help her out in the workplace? Now that she had a visceral feeling of what it meant to be a leader, she could take this home with her and call upon the memory whenever she felt the need to step into the leadership role.
Eliz: Why did you and your husband decide to purchase a ranch in Arizona?
TJ: My husband was selling his company and was about to retire at age 55. I only had one child left at home, and was beginning to wonder “what comes next?” During the final dinner at the equine facilitated retreat I attended with my sister someone mentioned Apache Springs Ranch, and how it had been sitting empty for the past four years. Out of the blue, I found myself asking if the ranch was for sale. It was. I promptly went home and told my husband we should buy that ranch. My husband and kids thought I had lost my mind. I went to bed, and unbeknownst to me, my husband had stayed up long after me to research the ranch on the internet. By morning he was asking me if I was committed, because he now thought this was the best idea in the world.
One month after going to the horse workshop with my sister, my husband and I flew down to see Apache Springs. It was February 14th, 2013. We were awestruck. By the end of May 2013 we had signed the contract and were the proud owners of the ranch. Prior to the workshop with my sister 5 months earlier, I had never ever considered living in the desert OR owning a ranch – this was the result of one weekend of coaching with horses- Beware !
Eliz: What makes Apache Springs so special?
TJ: There is something about the land there, the history, the beauty, the animals, the ruggedness, the remote solitude that makes being there magical. I can’t really explain why or what it is exactly, but it truly is an oasis in the desert!
End of Q & A
So now you know a little more about TJ and about equine facilitated coaching!
As our retreat date draws closer (October 1st!!!!!) I am getting more excited about meeting the participants, interacting with the horses and taking in the beautiful high desert on which the Apache Springs ranch sits.
We do have two spots left too, so if you want to come along click the links below.
Retreat info:
http://www.fullflightlifecoaching.com/events/
Haven’t checked out the Apache Springs ranch yet? Click here http://www.apachespringsranch.com
And for those of you who can’t make it to the retreat but still are looking to make some EPIC shifts in your life then keep reading…
…As mentioned in my last post my Overwhelmed to Optimal 3 month program is on special offer until Sept. 30th, 2015 but ONLY for my newsletter subscribers.
This includes 9, 1 hour coaching sessions for $999 + 1 free Dream Analysis session, so 10 coaching sessions for $999.
Regular price is $1200 so this is a good deal!
Interested? Check out the below link
http://www.fullflightlifecoaching.com/overwhelmed-to-optimal/
If you are reading this on the web or elsewhere and aren’t a subscriber click the link below to sign up for the Full Flight Newsletter and I will send you my free e-book 6 Secrets to Managing Overwhelm
http://www.fullflightlifecoaching.com/newsletter-signup/
Here’s to harnessing that crisp autumn energy and hope this back to school week has been a good one!
xo
Eliz