Exposing my Heart

“You can’t get to courage without rumbling with vulnerability. Embrace the suck.” – Dr. Brené Brown, Dare to Lead.

Last week, I officially launched my website and business, True Presence Horse Sense, offering coaching, equine facilitated learning, presentations and workshops. After an intensive apprenticeship with Linda Kohanov, I am now stepping into my role as an Eponaquest Instructor. It has been transformational, inspirational and an incredible feeling to step into these new sneakers and start running. It’s also been one heck of a ride on the vulnerability train.

The act of coaching, facilitating, and even speaking in public is not the issue. Of course, there are always humbling moments and opportunities to learn, but I have become increasingly comfortable with those roles. Where I have had to deeply “embrace the suck” as Brené so aptly puts it, is the public announcement that this is happening.

As a farrier, I’ve witnessed and have been part of many situations with horses that make me cringe. Most of my clients are amazing, treating their horses fairly, with respect and dignity, but there is also a darker side of the horse world that emerges more often than I would like. On several occasions, I have been encouraged by owners to beat their horses for what is perceived as bad behaviour. This is a complex and challenging topic – they are large animals and safety needs to be a number one priority for everyone involved. That being said, physical violence does not have to be the solution. I have become increasingly outspoken about it over my career, but launching this new venture seems to make my views way more obvious.

The gift of all of this “suck” is that I honestly believe I am becoming part of the solution. I am so excited to offer more peaceful and simultaneously empowered responses to challenges – not just with horses, but with people too. My own human relationships have been shifting, becoming more productive, fulfilling and connected as I continue to integrate this work into my life.

Another huge area of impact has very little to do with me. Grace, my wise, powerful and gentle horse, is a trauma survivor. She carries a heavy piece of armour over her horse heart when meeting new people. Each client who she works with in this mutually respectful, conscious horsemanship way, continues to build her trust in our species and the world in general. It is an absolute pleasure watching her interact with other people and really step into an empowered facilitator role herself.

Beginning something new, challenging our current beliefs and patterns in order to grow, and exposing our true selves will always have an element of “suck”, but this truly is the birth place of courage.

Grace and I are conquering our vulnerability together to embrace living life courageously and wholeheartedly. It is so worth it.

How have you leaned into vulnerability?

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This is part of a continuing story, click here to start from the beginning.

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