Coaching with the Help of Horses
Embodiment
What is that mythical thing called "executive presence" and how do we get more of it? The heart of leadership, whether we are talking about positional or self leadership, is moving with presence and aligned intention.
Working with Horses you can develop your executive presence by developing your:
- Expression of Intention
- Boundaries
- Awareness of Others
- Ability to Move with Alert Stillness
- Embodiment of Core Values
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat. We will take a moment to connect and figure out a time to get you out to meet the horses. One-to-one sessions are generally mid-day and the logistics are easiest to negotiate in a call.
Lack of Presence Does Not Serve You
Lost Core
When we are not present, we often don't even know what we feel.
Our brains are so busy wondering what another person thinks, making up scenarios with little basis in fact, jumping ahead in our day . . . that we lose track of our own experience.
Eventually, we lose track of who we are and what we value.
Difficulty Self Advocating
The world is out of balance. So many things that are not and should not be normal have been normalized that it's hard to remember who we are.
Most of us have been socialized to just go along with things that if we stopped and thought about it we would not do.
When we are not embodying our own values it's difficult to advocate for them.
Lack of Influence
Not present means not seen, not heard. Core values go unexpressed.
There's nobody there, so how can you have influence?
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat. We will take a moment to connect and figure out a time to get you out to meet the horses. One-to-one sessions are generally mid-day and the logistics are easiest to negotiate in a call.
From the Horse's Mouth
Presence + Aligned Intention
= Embodied Leadership
As prey animals, horses are hard wired to be extremely sensitive to the energies and possible incongruities around them. It’s a survival thing. They become like a 1,000 pound mirror, especially of anything we are trying to hide.
If we are not present they will give us instantaneous feedback without any agenda or judgement. They are not impressed by our standing or status, they simply reflect back our excellence or our incongruence.
The slightest shift in our actions is acknowledged by the horse and cues us to move our bodies from ineffective leadership styles to highly effective and sustainable leadership practices and strategies. This makes horses the ideal practice partners when we are working to shift our energetic life stance.
Horses are very frank. They remind us of who we really are. And we can take this reference experience back into out daily lives and it will have tentacles.
Because it is a re-imprint of the subtle energy body, we stay transformed.
Testimonials
Michelle Timesch
Co-Founder of Crowdfund Mainstreet
Prior to experiencing an equine assisted coaching session with Janet, I was feeling like I wasn't making much progress on my personal goals.
I did not know what to expect from the session but Janet was masterful at creating a safe space for me to be vulnerable. The session itself was really interesting. Horses reflect back what they sense from you and it shows up in how comfortable they are being near you and taking direction from you.
It did not go well at first but after some more coaching from Janet, I was able to get Shannon ( the horse) to start working with me.
Over a year later, I am still feeling confident about commanding my own space. Thank you, Janet.
Dr Mike Pelfini
Vistage Chair
I'm a big fan of Janet's work as a Horse Assisted Educator, helping executives to become more effective and aware of how they "show up" as leaders.
Janet's knowledge of how human beings structure the experience of themselves and of the world is rooted in evidence-based practices and models.
I've observed her work with others and have experienced it first-hand: she's really smart, authentically kind, and helps others in a straightforward and caring way.
Wenche Lier
Operations Manager & Board Liaison at Stupski Foundation
I just would like to extend my thank you for a really good day. I have been feeling awful for the last few weeks and the horses and being around them made me feel better than I have for a long time.
(My colleague) absolutely loved it! I have a feeling this is going to be a good team effort for us.
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat. We will take a moment to connect and figure out a time to get you out to meet the horses. One-to-one sessions are generally mid-day and the logistics are easiest to negotiate in a call.
About Horse-Assisted Coaching
A horse's first language is energy. They are constantly aware of the energies in the space.
There is much we can learn from them.
We humans sometimes forget that we are communicating all the time with our bodies and with the energy of how we move.
When we engage with horses and allow them to teach us, we can develop:
- Mutual Respect
- Confidence
- TrustPerspective
- Presence
One-to-One Sessions
Individual sessions are approximately 90-minutes and are currently delivered at Medicine Horse Ranch in Tomales.
Each session begins with a discussion of what your intention is for the session, what is it you are working to transform in your life? I will then set up an activity with the horse(s) which we will participate in, and I will help you to interpret the feedback your equine partner(s) is/are giving.
There is no horseback riding. All activities are done with your two feet on the ground. No prior equine experience is necessary.
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat. We will take a moment to connect and figure out a time to get you out to meet the horses. One-to-one sessions are generally mid-day and the logistics are easiest to negotiate in a call.
Workshops
These Horse Assisted Education workshops are available locally with me (see below for more details):
- Horse Sense: The Energy of Healthy Boundaries
- Creating Core Alignment with the Help of Horses (6-month Program)
- Custom Group Workshops
Teambuilding for Organizations
These unique experiences work with the leadership energies of diverse groups. Every day is custom designed for the needs of the group.
Oftentimes, when organizations plan teambuilding outings, someone feels left out. Or if it's a party, the organization doesn't get any development value for their money and relationship enhancement is spotty.
We guarantee your people will learn and grow their leadership bodies. They will ALL come away with something valuable and the experience will be talked about and bonded over for months or even years to come.
Our diversity and inclusion sensitive clients are happy to find that we can accommodate the needs of all athletic abilities. We are able to modify exercises and programs to include people with vastly differing physical capabilities. This is about energy, not agility or coordination. And we are very accustomed to working with the fears some people have around these magical but very large beings.
No prior equine experience is necessary. The horses don't care what racial or ethnic background you come from, or whether you are the janitor or the CEO. They just reflect whatever energy you are carrying.
Want a mini-course in the comfort of your your computer? Check out the recording of our June 3rd webinar
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat and let me know of your interest. We will decide together what are the next steps.
To work with a team you need a team. Here's me with mine: Alyssa Aubrey, Gaby Fabian and one of our equine colleagues, Ian
Horse Sense: The Energy of Healthy Boundaries
To be empowered, to consistently act empowered, that is the goal. To create healthy boundaries and live happily ever after.
And then there are people, and relationships . . . and things get messy quickly.
When setting boundaries, conscious understanding of what to do and what to say to maintain boundaries is important. But so is HOW we do or say those things.
That means we need a safe space to get non-judgemental feedback on how we are currently holding ourselves, and a chance to practice something new.
Horses in a herd are constantly setting and maintaining boundaries. They never stop. It's part of their nature. There's a lot to be learned from simply watching them interact.
When humans do not master the energy of empowered boundaries they experience: feeling like a doormat, lack of accountability (including their own), passive aggressive behavior.
In this one-day workshop, you will learn and practice the art of setting healthy boundaries with your energy.
You will gain a body sense of when and how firm to be when setting a boundary, and when to open and invite intimacy.
- Lower stress
- Feel more confident
- Improve your relationships (at home and at work
Lead Facilitator: Janet Schieferdecker
Date: December 4, 2021; 10am-3:30pm
Location: Tomales, CA
Fee: $395
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat and let me know of your interest. We will decide together what are the next steps.
Creating Core Alignment with the Help of Horses
The Antidote to Zoom Fatigue and the COVID Existential Crises
The past year and a half has been traumatic for most of the world. It has been difficult to maintain a sense of purpose in our work and not feel overwhelmed.
Many have come to realize that our societal emphasis on work rather than connection and relationship is not healthy, hence “the great resign” a.k.a "the great awakening". Others have struggled just to survive day-to-day. And still others have found themselves spread thinner than ever before trying to meet all the needs that are presented to them daily.
It’s time to get clear on who you really are, and what you would like to express, who you want to BE, day to day.
This group, limited to 6 participants, will meet monthly to work with horses and gain clarity and presence. We will engage with material that invites real life discernment and work with the horses to enhance and embolden our energetic bodies.
Lead Facilitator: Janet Schieferdecker
Dates: TBD...starts February 2022
Location: TBD
Fee: $1,950 if paid in full, or 6 monthly subscription payments of $350 each
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat and let me know of your interest. We will decide together what are the next steps.
Custom Events
One of the most challenging things for organizers of group events is to create an opportunity for all team members to participate in an equitable way.
No prior equine training is needed (in fact the secret is that it kind of gets in the way) to participate in these events.
- - Got a group/client that needs to bond?
- - Got a group/client that needs to get out of its familiar rut?
- - Want to bring something unique to group/client?
Give us a shout. We will work with you to create a customized event that will make you into a hero.
Interested? Please schedule a 15-minute chat with Janet and we will determine next steps together.
Sounds Nice, But Why Bother?
"Life is what happens to you, while your busy making other plans." --John Lennon
If you live your life that way, you miss everything. Who wants to get to the end of their life and feel like they missed it? Not me.
Research on people who were on their deathbeds asked what they regretted. And the answers were almost never things they did but things they didn't say or didn't do.
Live your life with presence and intention
Time to take the lead in your own life.
Time to cultivate moving with intention and alert stillness.
Time to be present with who you really are.
- Increase Self Awareness
- Increase Emotional Intelligence
- Increase Connection
To Get Started: please schedule a 15-minute chat. We will take a moment to connect and figure out a time to get you out to meet the horses. One-to-one sessions are generally mid-day and the logistics are easiest to negotiate in a call.
Not ready to talk? Please download my free resource, and get started on your transformation journey. We will keep in touch through my weekly newsletter.