The Freedom Way

10/05/2026

“‘Not yet’ is not a problem for the coach to solve.”

Sometimes what we call resistance may actually be a boundary. A client might be communicating not yet, not today, I need more time, or simply I don’t want to go there.

We don’t necessarily need to determine which one it is before we can respect what is happening.

For someone who has experienced relationships where their boundaries were questioned, minimized, or pushed past, discovering that they can pull back without being pursued can offer a very different experience of relationship.

They get to choose what they share and how far they go while remaining connected to the person sitting beside them.

Trauma-aware coaching isn’t about finding a gentler way to get someone where we think they need to go. It asks us to recognize that the client has agency in deciding where they go in the first place.

10/03/2026

When we care about our clients, of course we want something meaningful to happen for them during a session. We want them to discover something, make a connection, or walk away with a new awareness they can carry into their lives.

There can be a very fine line, though, between wanting to support someone and becoming attached to seeing a particular result.

If the client isn’t going as deep as we expected, do we start asking more questions? Do we introduce another activity? Do we begin wondering whether the session is working?

Those moments are an invitation for us to notice ourselves. A client does not have to cry, uncover an old wound, or experience a dramatic realization for meaningful work to be happening.

Our effectiveness as coaches is not proven by how much emotion we can evoke. Part of becoming an embodied coach is learning to stay present without needing the client to give us evidence that we did a good job.

Read our latest blog post here... https://www.freedomwayequinecoaching.com/post/what-if-client-resistance-isn-t-something-to-break-through

10/01/2026

“Before you call it resistance, get curious about what the client may be communicating.”

We use the word resistance pretty easily in coaching. A client gets really quiet, changes the subject, says “I don’t know,” or doesn’t want to go where the conversation seems to be leading, and we can quickly decide they’re resisting the work.

But once we give it that label, something can shift in us as coaches. We may start looking for the question that will get beneath it or the activity that will help the client move past it. Without realizing it, we’ve created an agenda.

What if we became curious instead?

Maybe the client has reached their capacity for that moment. Maybe there isn’t enough trust yet. Maybe something inside them is saying not today, or maybe they simply need some time without another question coming at them.

We don’t always need to know why someone has slowed down in order to honor it. Sometimes the most useful thing we can do is notice what is happening, stay present, and allow the client to have their own timing.

Read our newest blog here.. https://www.freedomwayequinecoaching.com/post/what-if-client-resistance-isn-t-something-to-break-through

09/29/2026

There is more going on during an equine-assisted coaching session than people often realize.

The coach is listening to the client while also being aware of the horse, the environment, physical safety, changes in emotion, and the pace of the conversation.

You're also paying attention to yourself. Are you becoming too directive? Are you making an assumption? Are you rushing because the silence feels uncomfortable to you?

Much of this happens quietly in the background.

To me, this is where preparation and embodiment of the work really show themselves. It is not about controlling every part of the experience. It's about developing enough awareness that you can respond thoughtfully to what is actually happening in the moment.

09/29/2026

One of the shifts I hope to see more of in equine-assisted work is allowing horses to simply be horses.

They don't need to create a lesson for us. They don't need to walk toward someone at the perfect moment or behave in a way that gives us a beautiful story to tell afterward.

Sometimes they are interested. Sometimes they are eating. Sometimes they are standing halfway across the pasture with absolutely no intention of coming closer.

That doesn't make the experience less valuable.

When we stop requiring the horse to produce something for the human, we begin to see them differently. We can become more curious about who they are, what they are communicating, and whether they actually want to participate.

That's the kind of relationship I want this work to be built on.

09/25/2026

Some parts of this work are beautiful in the way people expect them to be, and some parts involve muddy boots, filling water troughs, checking fences, rescheduling because the weather changed, answering emails, and wondering why that gate suddenly refuses to close properly.

I actually love that combination.

It keeps the work grounded. A client may share something deeply personal with you in the morning, and twenty minutes later you’re dragging a hose across the property or cleaning something up before the next person arrives.

Working with horses has a way of bringing you back to what is real. There is very little room for pretending that every day is profound and perfect.

Some days are simply full, ordinary, and good.

09/23/2026

A horse walking away isn't a failed moment.

That may sound simple, but it changes the way we approach this work. If a horse is truly a sentient partner, then their choice has to be respected even when it is not what we hoped would happen.

A horse may approach a client and then leave. They may choose to stay at a distance. They may be interested one day and less interested the next. I don’t see that as something we need to fix or work around.

It is part of being in relationship with another living being.

The horse does not owe us participation, and the work becomes very different when we stop expecting them to perform a role for the human.

“The horse’s choice still belongs to the horse.”

09/21/2026

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that a meaningful session doesn't always look meaningful from the outside.

Sometimes there is a lot of conversation. Sometimes there are tears or a realization someone has been circling for a long time. Other times, a client may spend several quiet minutes near a horse without saying much at all.

Those quieter moments can be easy to underestimate, especially in a world that likes visible results. But I’ve seen how much can happen when someone is given room to slow down and simply notice what is happening inside themselves without being rushed toward an answer.

We don’t need to make every experience bigger than it is. Sometimes we just need to leave enough room for the person to hear themselves.

09/19/2026

There’s a lot that happens before a client ever steps into the pasture.

Part of my day is simply spending time with the horses and noticing how they are that morning. I’m looking at the herd, the weather, the footing, the space we’ll be working in, and anything that feels a little different from the day before. Sometimes one horse is especially curious. Another may want more distance. Sometimes everybody is content doing their own thing.

I never want to walk into the day assuming the horses need to show up a certain way for us. Their experience is part of the work too, and that means paying attention before we ever ask anything of them.

That quiet beginning is one of my favorite parts of the day because it reminds me that this work starts with relationship, not activity.

You can check out our latest blog here: https://www.freedomwayequinecoaching.com/post/behind-the-scenes-a-day-in-the-life-of-an-equine-assisted-coach

09/17/2026

Go behind the scenes with us: discover what really goes into a day as an equine-assisted coach — from prepping the herd to quiet, powerful moments with clients.
Read the full story and see how every small detail shapes meaningful change: https://wix.to/RzDpy9w

When people think about equine-assisted coaching, they usually just picture the beautiful scene with the horses and the clients. What they don't always see is everything that leads up to those moments.