It's easy to think that you can just do everything solo but the truth is.. We all need some help sometimes!

Today I talk about the importance of having a support system not just for the bad times but for the good times too

I first talk about reasons that you need to have a support system

These include emotional well-being... no matter how introverted you are humans are social creatures and need to connection

Accountability and motivation to stick to your goals when times get tough

Getting different perspectives on problems and being able to work on them together

And possibly the most important... Sharing the load of life's stresses

I then go on to explain how we can cultivate and grow our support systems but also highlight that it is a two-way street and you need to be there for each other and work on these relationships

I did want to end on a bit of a serious note and encourage anybody out there who may be in need of help to reach out to people

Do not worry if you have been distancing yourself from them and don't feel embarrassed about looking for help

It could make all the difference

Is there something that you just can't get right with your horse?

Today I speak to Emma McCauley owner of Sparrow Equestrian also a bit of an equine encyclopedia

We speak about how she was always involved with horses despite not being from a horsey background

Deciding to make the jump from a corporate "safe" job to follow her dream of working with horses full-time

The importance of people around you giving you unwavering support during the tough times

We discuss how she works with clients from assessing all areas from rider to horse

The training scale and how each part of it can affect the horse's movement

That horses do not plot against us and they aren't out to get you, if something is wrong it's not because they are being deliberately bold

The importance of taking videos to be able to see the progress that you've made

That most horses don't need high-percentage feeds and this can cause more issues than good

The prevalence of quick fixes and that equestrians need to be patient and go back to basics before just buying training aids as they are often misused

Flatwork is the foundation and more emphasis needs to be put on that over jumping

That we need to accept that perfection is not possible with horses and we need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves and the horses and enjoy our time with them

Emma also lets us know what she has coming up this year including some riding club clinics in Emerald Equestrian and lots more exciting things so keep an eye on her page

Emma has some great advice at the end of the podcast including not being afraid to ask for help

If you'd like to find out more about working with Emma you'll get her:

Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok: @sparrowequestrian

Do you feel like your mind is always going? Maybe you feel like you never have a quiet moment, but you don't feel that you have time to slow down.

Today I speak with Kendall Platt, the Mindful Gardening Coach.  She helps women take time out of their busy lives to quieten their minds whilst creating a garden that sets their heart on fire and creating with the flowers that they grow.

Coming from a background in forensics Kendall found herself constantly working and pushing herself until she ended up in burnout one thing that helped her come back to herself and quiet her mind was her garden and she wanted to bring this to other women

We speak about the constant need people feel to keep producing and never focus on giving time to themselves

That the transactional nature of life makes us feel like we don't deserve to take time for ourselves unless we have "earned" it but we shouldn't have to delay our happiness

We also speak about being ADHD and being diagnosed at 36 and how it explained so much for her but also brought a lot of sadness for her

The challenges she has faced when it comes to family members really understanding the condition and not only family but wider society as well

We discuss common misconceptions about ADHD and how you can be incredibly successful when you know how to work with your brain instead of trying to force yourself to do things the neurotypical way

She then speaks about the education system and how it leaves no room for creativity and how it's important to allow yourself to follow your intuition and create spaces that make you happy

How she describes her mindful garden revolution as a way for women to take some power back for themselves and embrace their quirks instead of sitting down, staying quiet and behaving

We also talk about how important it is to schedule time for yourself even if it's just 5-10 minutes

Getting a friend involved can make doing your garden a social experience too as well as provide you with some accountability

The fear people have of trying something new as making mistakes are vilified but making mistakes is human

You need to be able to express yourself and how businesses and governments do not like this

The importance of using your voice if you want to see change

The toxic mentality of "well if I had to you should" and how no change can really be made if you with this line of thought

Kendall has a great piece of advice at the end of the podcast for those who don't see their own power

If you want to follow Kendall or find out more about working with her:

Socials:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kendallmarieplatt/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventureswithflowers

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-marie-platt/

Website: 

https://www.adventureswithflowers.com/

Key products/services

Create your dream garden

Garden Inspiration session

Free and paid-for resources

Come and read the Seed my publication on Substack.

Something that I often hear from people that I meet when I say that I am a personal training is "oh I'm not fit"

But fitness takes very many forms

Today I wanted to talk about misconceptions I regularly come across when it comes to "fitness" or "gym work"

I talk about how the extreme is what sells on the internet but often it puts off normal people as they think that they need to do this to make any progress

I speak about running is not necessary if it is not conducive to your goal

Pilates is not the holy grail for equestrian fitness

The numerous daily benefits that come from becoming stronger and fitter that people forget

The importance of keeping active as you age and how it will affect your quality of life if you don't

And most importantly:

It's normal to be bad at something when you start and find it difficult so don't be so hard on yourself if you do find it tough!

If you are interested in working with me you can find me :

What does it take to not only compete in but win the public vote in the Grassroots Rider Academy?

Well, today I speak to Megan Norton who did just that.

We start by talking about how she got into horses and despite her mother's protests once she got a taste for Equestrianism she was hooked

How the "get back up the horse mentality" has helped her in every area of her life

That even though she only had Timmy a short amount of time she decided to give applying for The Grassroots Rider Academy a go

The difference she noticed while competing in the academy to competing at shows and how supportive everyone was

The importance of having a support system around you who can help you when you need it, even if you don't want to admit it

We then talk about the heartbreak of not being able to breed from her first Horse Hattie and how it was like a loss of her own when she couldn't get in foal

How Megan really fell out of love with riding but getting Timmy changed it all

We come back to the Rider Academy and what it was like being interviewed and the difference she found from the start of the journey to where she is now

How life has changed for her since the Rider Academy and the drive she gets now people are acknowledging all the work she puts in

That she still gets negative comments here and there but if they aren't doing better than her she ignores them

We finish by speaking about what Megan plans for the future and even though she had had some setbacks shes making the most of all the time she has

If you want to keep up with Megan you can find her:

Instagram: @lifeonmegsrein

Facebook: Megan Norton

To be a vet you need to become very good at communicating... especially as your patients can't talk!

Today I speak with Tommy Heffernan @tommythevet who is a veterinary consultant who primarily works with precision microbes right now

We speak about what led him to become a vet and eventually step away of his own practice to set up his consultancy firm

The emotions involved and struggles that came with leaving a "stable" job to go out on your own and how he dealt with them

The pressure that comes with working as a vet but the resilience that it builds inside of you at the same time and how that can be applied to other areas of life

The importance of having a group of friends who understand what you are going through

We talk about how the field of communication and how media work helped him fall back in love with the Veterinary

How it has taken 15 years of practice to get to the level he is now and how important it is to be passionate about your work

We also speak about the different levels of communication and how humans and animals aren't that different when it comes to how we communicate both verbally and non-verbally

We then move on to how his communication work brought him to work with the company Precision Microbes which are a liquid pre and postbiotic for animals

How he was initially sceptical when they contacted him but has seen amazing results with the trial groups which really excited him and convinced him to come on board

He does clarify that supplements are only a piece of the puzzle and not the magic pill that people hope it to be

We then speak about the move towards biological interventions and how there may be a need to look towards this over the traditional chemical interventions

That you need to always be open to learning and it's not only ok but better if you change your opinion from time to time

We then speak about comparison and some of the dangers of social media when it comes to this

We finish off by talking about what Tommy is most excited for in the future and how he feels that they are just at the start of this journey with Precision Microbes

If you want to find out more about Tommy you can find him:

Instagram: @tommythevet

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://tommythevet.ie/

Precision Microbes: @precison_microbes

We know horse riding can be a risky sport but what if you have a condition that makes injury even easier than usual?

Today I speak to Vicki Hoben who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and also dystonia.

We speak about the syndrome and how it affects her daily life and how horse riding has been a massive help in managing that condition

The joy that horses have brought Vicki over the years

How Vicky never wants to stop and a big reason that she refuses to stop

We then speak about the process of getting diagnosed and how difficult it is to get diagnosed and that many people are misdiagnosed with other conditions

We also talk about neurodivergence and the difference just knowing can make to your mental health

She also talks about the importance of having different people around you, ones who will be kind to you in difficult times and those who will give you a kick on

She then speaks about the different classifications for para-riding and how her recent diagnosis of dystonia changes her classification

Vicki also speaks openly about the toll these conditions can take on your mental health and how harmful it can be to refer to someone as "not disabled enough"

This has lit a fire in her belly to stand up and fight for all disabled people so they have a voice and are not held back from anything

Vicki recommends these societies to help when you are looking to get diagnosed:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/

https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/what-is-eds/

We then talk about Vicki's future plans and she has an amazing piece of advice at the end for you all

If you want to keep up with Vicki, you can find her:

Instagram: @vickihobanparaequestrian

If you are interested in working with me you can find me :

What does it take to become a central figure of Europe's fastest growing online Equine media brand?

Today I talk to Gary Monahan, Community manager of the Grassroots Gazette and Host of Series One of "The Grassroots Rider Academy"

We talk about how he came to be a part of the Grassroots Gazette team and his journey within the organisation

The importance of having the right people around you

Where the idea of The Grassroots Rider Academy came from and why it and platforms like the Grassroots Gazette are so important to amateur riders

We talk about mindset and how it is something that amateurs really struggle with

How that we never really give ourselves credit for how well we've done

We also talk about how Gary got into horses and how he found a way to ride different horses growing up

How after a small break from horses, one show had him right back at it again and how equestrians are just a different breed

We also speak about how equestrians' love for horses can actually affect us negatively sometimes because we are so focused on ourselves that we often forget to look after ourselves

Gary also speaks about how equine sports can be isolating and that it would be great to see more team events to get people together more instead of against each other

Gary predominantly events and we talk about what drew him to eventing and what changes he would like to see in the industry

We discuss social media and the effects it has on the industry both good and bad

That you need to enjoy your time with your horse instead of dwelling on the one bad thing that happens when you're competing

We also discuss Gary's plans for the coming year both in and out of the saddle

Gary also has a cracking piece of advice at the end of the podcast that everyone needs to hear

If you're looking to keep up with Gary you can find him:

Instagram: @gar.monahan

You'll find him over on The Grassroots Gazette: @thegrassrootsgazette

If you are interested in working with me you can find me :

Instagram: @chrissyhfitness

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Today we welcome Muireann O'Toole Brennan who is co-founder and CMO of Equitas to the Podcast

Muireann comes in hot with some exclusive news on something that will be happening soon on Equitas!

We then talk about how she started writing for The Grassroots Gazette and how wanting to combine her degree in journalism with horses brought her being a leader within Equitas

We talk about what Equitas means to her and the impact it has had not only on the women in the equine industry but also on her

We talk about how working with horses can become very isolating and lonely and this is why having a platform like this is so important

That 73% of the industry is made of women so having a community like this was needed

We then talk about Muireann herself and how she got into horses a love that never left her

Of course we talk about her own horses including a heartwarming story about her first pony June

How her parents were so supportive with whatever they wanted to do once they were willing to put in the work and that instilled a strong work ethic in them

We also talk about when she became a cofounder and that she actually thought she was about to be fired, but you can hear in the way she speaks about Equitas she's in the right place

We talk about how tough the industry is and how things are starting to change and it's starting to be acknowledged within the governing bodies to support staff

We also touch on racing and the rep it has and Muirreann dispels some of the myths about it, the most common one being that horses are just thrown on the scrap heap if they don't make it

We then speak about her horse Theo and how they are retrained when she gets a racehorse starting with giving them a good bit of time off

That it's a slow process but you will get what you put into the horse

How sometimes you just need someone to back you to help you believe in yourself

If you are looking to keep up with Muireann you will find her on:

Instagram: @lifeaftertheyard

And Theo has his own Instagram: @lifewiththeo

If you are interested in working with me you can find me :

Instagram: @chrissyhfitness

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