How One Woman Quit Doing What Everyone Else Expected

http://gretchenchristy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/HowOneWoman.pngWhen I decided to learn more about working with horses to do life coaching, it had a lot to do with how I felt after experiencing the the impressive Equus coaching skills of Koelle Simpson.

There are not many instances in life when you commit to something that really changes you for the better in such a surprisingly pleasant way. The feeling that “EVERYTHING is different now and that’s okay.  I CANNOT believe it happened so quickly like that” is one that stays with you.

So, I recommend that you give yourself ten minutes to experience a taste of that for yourself by reading this article from Oprah Magazine.

The story shows how one busy professional with a husband, two teenagers and her own demanding, full time job goes from being so easily angered that she was almost fired for an argument about which font to use (ack!) to the kind of woman whose teenagers start confiding in her (impressive!).

If you ever feel over-committed, stressed out by your financial situation or trapped by what you’re doing in life (or why you’re doing it), it’s a read that you’ll fully appreciate. And, you’ll probably pick up a few tips along the way.

After you read the article, leave a note in the comments or on the Facebook page to let me know how it moved you? What resonated for you?

I’d love to know if reading this article allowed you to see new paths that you might take and apply to your own life. Personally, I think it’s the next best thing to being in the round pen with a horse and life coach yourself.

With much gratitude,

Gretchen

Private Complimentary Equus Coaching Session – You’re officially invited to try it!

Equus Coaching Horse PenYou know I’ve been working on my Equus coaching certification for over a year now. My goal is to share all of the amazing skills I’ve learned over the years to help people like you. If you’ve been a little curious about experiencing Equus Coaching, I’ve got an important question for you.

Would you be interested in meeting me at my barn to experience an Equus coaching session? I’m currently seeking a limited number of volunteers to fulfill my internship hours.

This session would be completely complimentary! I’m not sure what the fee will look like in the future but for now, I’m doing limited number of sessions at no cost.

Why?
You coming to visit would be a HUGE help for me to experiment with and refine my coaching abilities, and to reach my 25 certification-required hours. I’m flying to Arizona in February to finalize the certification and I’m working to get my practice hours in before then.

The Details…
It’ll take about one and a half hours and I promise it’ll be an experience you’ll never forget (hello hot cocoa, country, fun and beautifully smart, four-legged creatures)! Not to mention a great way to connect and meet in person if we haven’t done so before.

Most people walk away with a “light bulb moment” or an “aha moment”. And, most times it’ll help you to find clarity around a topic you’ve been thinking about or an issue that’s been concerning to you. Horses are magical at bringing things out like that!

You’ll have some brief pre-work to complete ahead of time so I’ll have a little bit of background information for us to start with. It all begins from there.

How it works:

  1. You send me a note through my contact form (or leave a comment below) letting me know if you’re interested. I’ll then share with you the dates and times that are currently still available.

  2. You show up here in Ohio dressed warm and for the outdoors—jeans, coat, tennis shoes or boots (close toed shoes are a must), etc.

  3. I show you around, give you a tour of the under-construction-office Shane’s building me (so excited about this!), and then the magic begins in the round pen.

  4. Some things to  know:

    1. All of the exercises will take place on the ground so there will be no riding on the horses.

    2. No horse experience is necessary.

    3. Everything we talk about is confidential and will not go outside of the barn.

    4. There’s no charge for this session. —You’re helping me work out my process so I won’t be charging you for that. 🙂

This is probably a new kind of coaching to you so if you’re feeling hesitant or have any questions about what we’d do or how it works, leave a comment below and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

See how it works…
This video does a great job of  describing what happens for people who give Equus coaching a try. Equus Coaches are being interviewed, talking about the results this kind of coaching brings to people. It’s worth the time to watch it.

As a side note, you can see me a few times in this video! Check out the 1:23 minute mark that shows ME! being coached with a horse during my Equus training in California!

With much gratitude,

Gretchen

P.S. Got questions? Leave them comments section below.

When Expectations Don’t Align

This is one of the Equus workshop horses who was a little distracted by the left over hay just outside of the pen but still within reach. Hey, who doesn't like to snack? :)

This is one of the Equus workshop horses who was a little distracted by the left over hay just outside of the pen but still within reach. Hey, who doesn’t like to snack? 🙂

From the moment I was asked, I knew that it would be amazing for me to volunteer to help another, more experienced coach, with her Equus workshop in Asheville, NC. I was honored to be asked. Even though I paid my own expenses and had to make arrangements to be away from caring for my family and my own horses, I could feel it in my gut that I had to say yes. So I did.

I’ve participated in a few workshops like this over the past year as part of my Equus Coach training so I went there feeling like I knew how the event would go. I was curious and excited to see firsthand how another coach would run this kind of team building workshop.

When I got to the ranch, after a drive up some seriously winding mountain roads (that made me a little car sick!), things started to look very different from what I envisioned. The horses were trained in a specific manner so that when you go into the pen, they come to you. This surprised me because most horses, being flighty animals, have a natural tendency to walk away.

I wondered how this would work with the Equus coaching process, and how we’d be able to create the experience for the group that I was familiar with. Usually a horse is sniffing, curious and will often come up to you while you’re talking with the coach because it’s a moment where you’re being your true self, where your actions are in alignment with your intentions. In this case, I worried it would be hard to get that experience because the horses were already in your space.

After I saw the coaching in action, those worries melted away. For this thirty-something entrepreneur who brought his team with him, they had no expectations about how the horses would be trained, or act. They had little to no horse experience so all this difference in what I was used to with horses never hit even their radar.

It was great because it allowed them to be very present, in the moment, and open to getting the most out the coaching experience. They really were able to learn more about themselves while also finding ways where they could work together as a better and more efficient team to reach their business goals.

So much so that three of the six found themselves tearing up during their individual coaching. Not from being scared about being in the pen with the horses or from the coach pushing them in any way, but from their discussions and the awareness that the coaching brought up. They’d discovered internal ah-ha moments that came from the process.

It was AMAZING.

New understandings came up around how they work together as a cohesive group, too. One example is of a non-verbal herding exercise where the owner of the company was paired with one of his employees. They had 12 minutes to work together to try to get the horse to go through some obstacles—all without talking. The goal was to work together.

After the exercise, they  noticed the owner took charge and the team member followed. It showed they weren’t working together as well as they could have. The takeaway for them was that he needed to check in with her so they could be working towards the same goals at the same time to help their sales. Had they connected more with one another, they would have accomplished more. This showed how they can work better together back at the office.

I had a few takeaways from this experience, too. I left with a new awareness of my own expectations for this kind of event, since I’ll be hosting my own soon, and how to check those expectations. I always try my best to be  in the moment and know now that I can trust that if I follow my process, even if it’s different from other coaches, I’ll get my private clients and group participants the results and experience that they were looking for.

Hiccups and distractions, like horses who are a wee bit distracted by eating leftover hay in the pen, happen no matter where you’re located. If you’re the host or the participant, unexpected things happen. Trusting in the Equus coaching process works, even if it might look a little different from what you expected at first.

How do you deal with a situation when things don’t go as expected? Does it make your mind spin? Do you begin to doubt the process and question your thoughts?  Leave a comment to let me know how this has worked for you in the past and if it was positive experience or a bit tougher.

With much gratitude,

Gretchen

P.S. Do you know someone else who would enjoy reading this? Please forward this post to them. I’d be forever grateful.

Reaching Out

As you’ve heard me say before, I tend to put others before me. My kiddos, my husband, friends, family, clients; everyone. It truly matters that all have what they need and if I can be a part of making that happen, then I will and it feels good. I’m a natural humanitarian….and that can be both a good and bad thing.

One thing I’ve really noticed lately is that I need to honor my own feelings and desires as much as I do those of others. There have been some things going on in my personal life and it’s been affecting me in different ways. I’ve found by not dealing with these feelings, I’m letting my emotions of anger and hurt build up inside. Then what happens? I become the snappy wife and mom who ends up taking my emotions out on those who matter most. This feels horrible, after the fact, of course.

To end this, I’ve committed to myself going forward that I’m going surround myself with those I love most, who are a positive inspiration and make me smile. I have to remember that they don’t know I need their support unless I ask and share with them what’s going on.

Bottling my emotions up inside serves no one and brings me down and leaves me feeling raw. I’m tired of feeling this way, so I’m going to stick to my own word and reach out to my soulmates when necessary. I encourage you to take a look inside, and if you are holding on to unhealthy emotions, make a commitment to yourself to reach out to those who care about you. Let them help you help yourself.

It FEELS GOOD just writing this! Thank you as always for listening.

With love and gratitude,

gretchen-sig

Truth

SunflowerHave you ever heard the saying “The truth will set you free”?

I know firsthand that being in difficult situations can be tough; especially when there’s confrontation involved. But the number one thing I’ve learned, and a very important life lesson is that no matter the circumstance, stating the facts or the truth will always set you free.

At times, you don’t want to hurt others’ feelings and are willing to compromise yours; or maybe it’s true that you’ve hurt someone and the truth needs to be told. The bottom line is that once what needs to be said is said, a huge sigh of relief will come over you and you’ll know you did the right thing.

Don’t be afraid to speak the truth, regardless of fear. The truth will ALWAYS set you free.

With love and gratitude,

Gretchen

Self Care + Self Love = Better Wife, Momma, and Entrepreneur

I’m the first person to admit that I lack in the areas of self care + love. I always make sure my family, clients and animals have all that they need and are well supported, but I tend to put myself on the back burner. It’s not intentional; it’s just natural for me to put others first and it feels good to do for them.

After just returning from an amazing vacation with only my husband (it took him to encourage me to book this time away for us), I’m easily reminded how important it is to take care of me. I returned from this trip feeling rested, relaxed and rejuvenated.

Being able to unplug from my home duties as a wife + mom and unplug from my client work was much needed. Sitting by the ocean hearing the waves crash, listening to live music at our resort, seeing wild dolphins, parasailing with my love; all these amazing things happened because I made the commitment to love myself and do things I enjoy. This vacation will never be forgotten.

As I type this I hope not to be coming across as selfish. You see, this trip was very hard for me to commit to (my husband and I have not gone away by ourselves since our son was an infant, and now he’s a lot older!) We’ve now made a commitment together to make an annual trip to a destination we both love and can completely enjoy and unplug.

I’m very grateful for family, friends and clients who helped make this trip all that it was. Thank YOU!

I challenge you to answer the question, what can you plan to show yourself a little self-care in the near future?

With love and gratitude,

Gretchen