When and Why did I start Life Coaching?

Honestly, it all started when I was a horse crazy girl growing up in New Mexico. My sister and I tackled our dream of having a horse by riding anything we could find within walking distance, eventually becoming professional working students as kids. We felt we could do anything with our horses, which we earned babysitting and dog walking.

Then I hit puberty. As my body changed, my mind and soul did also: I went from feeling like I could change the world to being a really depressed teenager who hated her body.

Therapy helped, but I still couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. Horses understood without talking and offered a non judgmental, active solution for me to escape my worries about how I appeared in the world, because I was able to focus on them — their needs, our work in moving through the world together — and this shift in focus became the root of my healing. The combination of seeking human aid, understanding the reality of how women’s bodies are portrayed in Western culture through research, and being around horses became my antidote.

As a result, I began to embrace life for what it is, and it is so much more than how we look — it is about how we feel about ourselves, and how those feelings translate in all our relationships; I learned to accept my body and “not weigh my self esteem.” When I became present to the horses, I became present to life itself, and my own authentic gifts in the body I was born with. This philosophy helped my friends, too, and I now see that I began coaching unofficially as a teenager.

How did you Transform your Body initially? 

After I sold my horse the summer before college, I felt like something was missing, and the old insecurities began to creep back. Only this time, I was ready to test myself and do the work to change my body, to see what I was capable of with a simple goal of growing stronger. Working out with a personal trainer (Kim Burly in Boulder, CO) absolutely changed my life. By default, my emotional eating improved, as did my nutritional choices, and I lost weight; I went on to become a river guide, wrangler, hiking club leader, ski patroller and all around “backcountry diva.” All this was because I’d learned to access my inner strength and confidence — to love myself and choose a life I loved — and I’d had the experience of successfully transforming not only my mind, but my body as well.

Of course, I still didn’t know what I wanted to “do with my life.” I recognized that body confidence and transformation is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of serving others, and that the shift that started it all came from a deeper source... only by understanding what that was would I be able to help others do the same.

What else did you do before professionally coaching?

In my mid twenties, and I underwent a total crisis of the spirit. I’d taught adolescents at a private Montessori school in the suburbs of Chicago for a few years, but wanted to have the experience of “being free” and less committed to a serious career path right out of college. So I moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and worked odd jobs at first. I used already existing skill sets guiding, tutoring, teaching, and picked up some new skills as a professional mountain photographer, paragliding pilot, caretaker, ski patroller, and many more, before I realized I was running from something. This was when I was called back to working with horses through a series of miraculous events and intuitive connections. I began teaching riding again, and leading dudes on trail rides, as well as seeking out private horse-camping adventures. Horses grounded me to my dreams of helping others; being with horses gave me courage. From there, opportunities opened up rather quickly and I became a certified fitness coach, registered dietician, and owner of one of the world’s largest fitness franchises for women. I coached hundreds of women to transform their bodies, minds and souls for life.

Who certified you as a Professional Life Coach?

In 2008, I signed up to become a Blueprint coach with Debbie Ford, who was on Deepak Chopra’s team during his formative years. She taught me to truly own all of myself, both the light and the dark, or “shadow.” I got to the root of what was really bothering me, including a hard look at my relationship with alcohol, work, and money. Stepping into my REAL truth, humbly and fully, enabled me to shed all that extra weight, mentally, physically and spiritually. It was after this transformation that I was available to pursue my true calling: helping other’s reach their lighter side and fulfill the dreams that light up their world! Now I am clear that the presence of horses carried my transformation, so my dream is to help others make their horse dreams come true, whatever they are. Just like the weight, it’s “not about the horse.” The dream of the horse is the thing we get to take a journey on and transform into something real.

What makes you different from other Life Coaches, Body Confidence Mentors, or Horse Trainers?

I’ve been there! The proof is in the pudding: I am what I am, and I’m very unique.

Not every trained life coach is also a highly skilled horsewoman who uses horses in their daily life and practice. Not every coach has had the actual experience of gaining or losing 50 plus pounds themselves. Not every coach is able to sustain a healthy weight — and mindset about it — long term. Not every coach has had the experience of having horses in and out of her life understand the difference. Not every coach has trained her own horses through 1000s of miles of riding in nature. Not every coach has traveled to the ocean, the desert and the mountains with their own horses. Not every horse trainer remains teachable. Not every coach has had children and used spiritual tools to carry, birth and raise them. Not every coach is ready to be honest about where their money comes from and how it impacts their inner psyche. Not every coach has manifested their dream partner, home and lifestyle. Not every coach knows how to ride and uses their horses to support you in your transformation. Not every coach has the ability to cut through the crap and see what it is that is really running you.

The things I have done are humbling. Sometimes I cannot believe it myself, but history and certification pale in terms of what is possible when I show up and serve someone in creating a more powerful future. I seriously love what I do and am passionate about helping others reach their next level of being. There will be periods of discomfort to work through, but if we aren’t having fun, we will shift to make sure we are both enjoying “the ride." At the end of the day, the horses are the mirror to help us access how we are really doing.

I’m also deeply authentic about where I am today, and have a humility about my time and resources that many professionals lack. As an intuitive, I can sense what is truly driving you away from your light, and keeping you playing small, in the darkness. I’ve had many guides and coaches, and often refer my clients to my personal helpers or their literature to support them in their transformation. I’m a life long learner and spiritual seeker — I may not have the answers for you, but I might be able to refer you to a practice or person who does. In this way, I remain humble - I may be unique, but I don’t know it all. We are all moving towards a brighter future by claiming our present.