Inspire Me Equine

A Collaboration of Equine Leadership and Inspire Me Forward

Our first episode of Inspire Me Equine (Season 6 of Inspire Me Forward) Is rich and full of wisdom from our guest as well as the horses. Thank you, Judy Brightman of Mindful Horse, Mindful Leader in Tamsworth, NSW, Australia, for joining me in this sacred space. We spoke of so much and I will let you, dear listener, find the wisdom that was meant for you.

Judy is an alumni author with Equine Leadership. The following are links to stories she has shared with us over the years. 

Calmness, Connection, and Compassion

One Breath at a Time

https://www.equineleadership.ca/7theditionjb.html 

The Power of The Pause

Three Pony Tales

https://www.equineleadership.ca/8theditionjb.html

The Journey from Separation to Conneciton

Paths to Wholeness Guided by Horses

https://www.equineleadership.ca/volume10jb.html

There are multiple modalities mentioned in our conversation. Do connect if you wish to learn more about any of them 

Judy can be contacted via her website: https://www.mindfulhorsemindfulleader.com/

Thank you, Judy for sharing your time, wisdom, and knowledge with us. With the utmost of gratitude.

~*~

Join us on FB at: 

Inspire Me Forward: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1218273445447262

Equine Leadership: https://www.facebook.com/EquineLeadership

Website: www.equineleadership.ca 

Season Five, Episode 35

There is No HOW with Pat Hutchinson

A perfect soul conversation was had. We laughed, explored, shared, and questioned. We delved into the unknown, and investigated each of our beliefs along the way. From defining joy, to looking into the dark places and turning on the light switch. From considering clarity versus sticky residue, and sharing expectations, judgments, and surrendering. We dove into the statement: There is No HOW.  I do hope you find the wisdom, clarity, presence, and some guidance in the words that Pat and I shared in the rabbit hole.   

Thank you, Pat, what a joyful and deep conversation and thank you for your calm and nurturing presence. 

Pat can be contacted at:  [email protected]  

~*~ 

I mention a short video about the wisdom and lessons in Alice in Wonderland. Head down the rabbit hole if you wish. Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdx8e-8SBuM

 
 From my heart to yours,
 Stay well, Stay Connected, Stay Inspired
 Lynda J Watson
 
Music credit: FreeSound  ~ Gustavo_Alivero

Season Five, Episode 34

Witnessing and Withing with Chelsea Hann

What a magical soul conversation. We went down the rabbit hole, into the unknown, and found magic and grace along the way. I hope you find the wisdom, softness, and liminality that we found in our words and in between them. Below are some references for names, books mentioned and the poem that Chelsea shared with us. 

Thank you Chelsea, what a beautiful and rich conversation. I look forward to picking it up again sometime and see where we go. From my heart to yours. 

Chelsea can be contacted at:  [email protected] 

~*~ 

Stephen Gonzalez Montserro 

https://www.stevengonzalezm.com/about

https://mit-serc.pubpub.org/pub/the-cloud-is-material/release/1

Thomas King

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-2003-cbc-massey-lectures-the-truth-about-stories-a-native-narrative-1.2946870

https://houseofanansi.com/products/the-truth-about-stories?srsltid=AfmBOopS5CRxtOs-XcQxUzpVE-Jw0c12fhCmCOSR57Tr1GdatHnPlPkb

Craig Foster 

https://seachangeproject.com/projects/books/amphibious-soul/

Some Introductory Reading on Liminality

http://borderpoetics.wikidot.com/liminality

https://indeterminacy.ac.uk/dictionary/liminality/

From my heart to yours, 
Stay well, Stay Connected, Stay Inspired
Lynda J Watson

Music credit: FreeSound  ~ Gustavo_Alivero

This was the second of two panel discussions we are hosting on Inspire Me Forward entitled: The Life of Death

Life and Death, A Celebration of Life, A Living Funeral, The Cycle of Life, Transitioning or Crossing Over. They all include two things; the living and those that have passed or are passing. Yet, we tend to only speak of the living part. The dying part has been put in a corner for far too long. So, WE are going to talk about it all. The Life of Death. What space does each hold in that cycle of life? How do we hold space for the living and the dying? How do we process it all? 

I offer such deep gratitude for our panel: Claire Misson and Gabriela Ostendorfer. Thank you so Louise Gallegher for doing her best to join us but technology had other thoughts. Thank you all.

Each panelist shared their stories with a deep love and authenticity. The learnings in the endings offer us all a chance to live with more heart and honesty.    

I will leave you to find your inspiration within the words and the heart of all that was said.

From my heart to yours, Lynda

This was the first of two panel discussion we are hosting on Inspire Me Forward entitled: The Life of Death

Life and Death, A Celebration of Life, A Living Funeral, The Cycle of Life, Transitioning or Crossing Over. They all include two things. The living and those that have passed or are passing. Yet, we tend to only speak of the living part. The dying part has been put in a corner for far too long. So, WE are going to talk about it all. The Life of Death. What space do each hold in that cycle of life? How do we hold space for the living and the dying? How do we process it all? 

I offer such deep gratitude for our panel: Pat Hutchinson, Tina Turner, and Pamela L. Maynard, PhD. 

So much wisdom and heart in the stories told and the experience shared.

I will leave you, dear ones, to find your own inspiration within the words and the heart of all that was said.

Here is contact information for our panelists:

Pamela L. Maynard, PhD: Sacred End of Life Care for Horses, Cats, Dogs, and other SoulMate Animals   https://www.facebook.com/groups/253913606983599

Pat Hutchinson: [email protected] 

Tina Turner: www.wildlearning.ca

I shared a piece at the beginning of the episode and leave it here for you.

The Life of Death

Similar to our lived experience, dying is different for all.
Some travel quickly with goodbyes having to be shared across realms.  
Some are afforded time. Moments to embrace loved ones and travel slowly to that new world.
The idea of leaving this world holds as many different levels of emotion in it as humans that face it.
The continuum of emotion from fear to love is vast and well-travelled.

With all that variance, there is one constant. The living.
Whether the moment one crosses over is spent alone or with loved ones around there is always an element of living involved in dying.
For them the continuum of emotions is vast and infinite as well. 
From fear to sadness to shame to anger to love. And every feeling in between. 
Each has a possibility of standing in the space of the loss of a loved one. 

For those who have passed and those who live on, and for the feelings that find space for expression, 
At the bottom of that experience, love is found. 
Rooted in our deepest hearts and waiting in our patient souls. 
We find the bond that connects us to our dear one.
We send them on their journeys across time and space with a loving heart. 
The life of death is a sacred road. 
Travel well sweet souls. 

Lynda J Watson

Inspire Me Forward, Episode #31, The Support We Offer our Dogs with Alyssa Giles from Utah, USA. What ana fascinating conversation we had. 

Alyssa and I delved into a discussion about our beloved family members, our dogs. We spoke about Affective Behaviour and Affective Dog Behaviour. We looked at the science behind our dog's emotions and how we can enhance our connection with them. We talked about what is behind that connection and how it builds on their feelings of safety, reduces their stress, and helps meet their needs. So much wisdom, and science in Alyssa's repertoire.  As is so important in that relationship, we touched on us, the humans who so love their dogs. What we can learn from being there for our dogs and supporting them better.

Thank you, Alyssa, for sharing your knowledge and your heart. Our beloved canine family members thank you. 

Here are some of the folks and teachings We also talked we spoke of, as well as Alyssa's website.

Alyssa’s website, Beyond Behavior LLC:  https://www.thinkbeyondbehavior.com/

Circle of Security model:  https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/circle-of-security-model/what-is-the-circle-of-security/

Affective Neuroscience Theory and Personality: An Update

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7219919/

Affective Dog Behavior 

https://www.affectivedog.com/ 

Dr Dan Siegel 

https://drdansiegel.com/

Inspire Me Forward, Episode #30, Daring to be Wise. My guest, Louise Gallagher from Calgary, Alberta, Canada joined me for a deeply enriching and inspirational conversation.      

In this episode Louise and I take a deep dive into ‘aging’. Or should I say ‘becoming’? Louise shares how her path brought her to create this movement of inspiring women to move through their later years with boldness, brightness, and bravery. We spoke of society’s view of aging in today’s world and the wisdom we all hold within. 

We celebrate the 30th episode of Inspire Me Forward with so so much wisdom. I truly am surprised by how much wisdom we packed into one hour. But we did. I will leave it to you, dear listener, to extrapolate the wisdom that your beautiful soul is called to and embrace it will all your heart. 

Thank you, Louise, for your shining light. Thank you for your energy and truth. You truly are an inspiration.

Louise’s passionate work can be found at:

Louise’s website

https://dareboldly.com/ 

She Dares FB Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1472939980316752

The Rewrite Journey

https://louisegallagher.ca/rewrite/ 

Book recommendation:

Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende

https://www.amazon.ca/Soul-Woman-Isabel-Allende/dp/0593355628 

Louise shared a story of receiving from the quite wise, Max. 
Here is the story of another gift she received from Ian:

https://dareboldly.com/2021/01/23/the-gift/

And just like that Episode #29 of Inspire Me Forward is in the books. With myself as host and guest I took some time to reflect on what The Book of Realizations is and what it holds. Thank you to to those that shared questions to assist in this episode having form and function. 

This book is:
A collection of thirty personal realizations gathered and supported by wisdom from the equine herd, nature and her intelligence, my fellow human travelers, and my own inner well of wisdom. They are articulated from the heart with a sense of raw authenticity and from a space of genuine positivity. One might say it is a set of authentic tools that will offer support on the journey forward and into the present moment. This book is about nature and her intelligence that is within and around us all. We have a reciprocal connection to everything and everyone. That is our nature. That is our home. This collection of guiding insights is a handbook to humanity's journey home. 

One of my favourite passages:

"There is space within each change we make and each realization we come to. It is like the pause between breaths or the moment between ebb and flow. We find a space in the presence of transformation and change, as well as between a yes and a no. Those are the spaces of possibilities where creative ideas are just out of sight and realizations are waiting to be found. I wish for you to invite curiousity into those moments, an inquisitiveness that calls in your own knowing and wisdom. Each realization you come to is there for you to navigate this journey through life with greater ease and deeper understanding. All that you need to know is within you. You simply need to offer that knowing a door to walk through and a gentle spot to land. This human journey can be filled with the greatest love and the brightest beacons to carry us along our path. We are offered this space with every breath and heartbeat, with every moment of movement and every minute of stillness. This is the magical space in between. All one needs to do is breathe in ~ hold ~ breathe out ~ hold, to find it. It is there, between the in and the out. Make that space sacred as well. That is what I wish for you, for all of us."

From Realization #30 Make it ALL Sacred

Links

www.equineleadership.ca 
Here you can find details on the book and card deck including how to order them as well as full articles and editions of Equine Leadership magazine.

www.lyndajwatson.ca
Details on ordering Short Stories for a Long Life and World Sanctuary

Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea and The Night Circus
https://erinmorgenstern.com/the-starl...

My first favourite book:  Hailstones and Halibut Bones
https://www.amazon.ca/Hailstones-Hali...

Inspire Me Forward, Episode #28, Exploring the Space in Between and Within. My guest, Kim Hallin from Ravenel, South Carolina, USA joined me for an  organic discussion on boundaries, Kim’s area of expertise. This isn’t Kim’s first conversation with Inspire Me Forward. She was our second guest. You can hear Kim’s story at: https://youtu.be/lRu2YgB15eM?si=X4_yxr4SezDJj6xc    

In this episode Kim shares her boundary journey with us and how one of her horses showed her so much about creating her own space with a sense of self worth. 

Such important wisdom in our conversation. We spoke about the naturalness of boundaries and why they are just so very important to our well-being in all ways.  We also touched on how society and our upbringing suggests we ignore those boundaries in a myriad of ways.  We spoke of how exploring the space of the self helps us explore and define the space in between. And of course, we spoke of how the horses are just brilliant at showing us how to set healthy and compassionate boundaries. 

Thank you Kim Hallin for joining us at Inspire Me Forward once again. We love having you. You always bring such grounding wisdom and your innovative work with boundaries is such an important piece of all of our journeys. 

You can find more about Kim’s boundary tools and online course at: www.kimhallin.com 

Kim and I also saved a few minutes to speak about our books.

Kim’s book:  Horse Wisdom, Life Lessons for Humanity can be found at: https://www.amazon.ca/Horse-Wisdom-Life-Lessons-Humanity/dp/1955346135 

And

My new book (available on May 31,2024): The Book of Realizations, Guiding Insights from the Horses, Nature, Humanity and Within. It will be available on Amazon at that time. I’ll add a link here when the time comes.

This episode will also be available on Apple and Spotify.

Inspire Me Forward, Episode #27 Surviving 911. My guest, Joan Marie Gjos from Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada joined me for a pertinent conversation full of life’s realities from her journey in the Emergency Services sector. Joan Marie shared her work as a paramedic and as a 911 operator and shared her signs of stress and tools for healing.    

We can be found on Apple and Spotify and YouTube.

Forty-one years in the sector took Joan Marie through many ups and downs. After seeking therapy with the support of her manager and those around her, she found herself diagnosed with PTSD. Along with a number of factors she eventually decided to leave the field.  She now works in the field with a herd of horses to support others in their journeys through stress and healing. 

So much wisdom in our conversation. Here are a few that have stuck with me:

·        Putting something ‘on the shelf’ is not a useful thing. 

·        Supports help you heal.

·        It is important to feel the feelings.  

·        Horses can assist us in recognizing our stressors and guide us to create a healing path. 

Thank you Joan Marie for your service as well as for sharing your journey, and your healing path with us all.  Joan Marie’s contact information is listed below. __________________________________________

Here are some resources we spoke of during our conversation.

Roadayo Ranch

https://www.facebook.com/roadayo.ranch.3?mibextid=ZbWKwL 

Email: [email protected] 

Boots of the Ground – Peer Support for First Responders

https://www.bootsontheground.ca/ 

North of 9

https://www.northof9bodywork.ca/ 

If you are interested in an Equine Facilitated Learning facilitator in your area (Canada) this is a great place to start.  https://horsespiritconnections.com/feel-certified-facilitators/