I met one of my former students for coffee last week. He looked … different! When he was on the Horses Connect Therapeutic Horse-riding Coaching course he was working as a psychotherapist for a big government organisation. Safe and comfortable. Permanent and pensionable. We always give our students the option to experience an equine-assisted personal development session, which he accepted. During the session, the other student asked to leave the arena and join the horses in the field. He wanted to stay inside but eventually, reluctantly joined us in the field. I intuitively asked him if he preferred being inside or outside the fence. He didn’t answer, but that question changed his life. When I met him last week he had changed career and now had a much more challenging, interesting and engaging role 😊

A few years into my business I had a mentor tell me I needed to niche down. Pick one thing. One person. One problem. Be specific or be invisible. So I spent months trying to become someone I wasn't. Rewrote my website, changed my offers, hired someone to "clarify my messaging." Meanwhile the people who actually hired me? They always said the same thing: "I chose you because of that one thing you said in that post. The real one, that sounded like you were just talking to yourself." Not the polished version. The accidental casual one that I pushed publish on and instantly regretted because it wasn't included in the shiny content strategy. I've been thinking about that for a long time. About how much energy we spend making ourselves legible to people who were never our Soul Clients anyway. And how the ones who were always meant to find us just needed to FEEL US 💖 Not our niche. Not our framework. US. That's the only thing 🌼 Brand in Bloom is really about... being seen, felt and payed for who you are. 21 days. Free to join. Starting March 1st. 👉 Bloom inside Prosperity Pact

Why wouldn’t they? Because they don’t wanna be judged. They don’t wanna look like they’re wobbling. They don’t wanna admit something feels OFF. They wanna keep the pretty-in-pink picture rolling where everything is EPIC AF 24/7 and nobody ever has a grumpy thought or a “hmmm this ain’t sitting right” moment. No cracks. No dips. No honesty. But nah that’s not me. I don’t run my business on pretending. I run it on INTEGRITY. My values run the show, not my fear of what someone might think about me if I say the slightly uncomfortable thing out loud. So here goes then I’ve been feeling a bit deflated in business lately. Not about my skills. Not about what I’m good at. Not about my clients. I know what I’m epic at It’s the landscape For example. I totes love Skool. It’s fricken awesome. I’ve met epic humans on there. I’ve grown things on there. No shade to the platform. But I joined a community that was all about sharing and promoting your business. More eyeballs, more visibility, woopity woop, let’s go. And yes, I know how to stand out in those spaces. I’ve had members and clients from them. That’s not the issue. The for me issue is this… There was one. Then two. Then about 77 doing the EXACT same thing. Same threads. Same “drop your link.” Same surface-level promo energy. Same vibe, just different logos etc etc… And I’m sat there sacrtching my head thinking… why am I in 77 versions of the same room when one would do? So yeah that’s grump number one. Grump number two is the fast-growth hype train. “I got 1,000 members in 7 days.” “We hit 5k this month.” Brilliant. Clap clap. Then you step inside and it’s tumbleweed. Or worse, engagement bait posts that mean absolutely gaff all. And then the owner disappears. The hype dies. The group goes flat. And I’m like… if it was THAT strong, why did it collapse the minute the noise stopped? That’s not community. That’s momentum marketing pfffttt Grump number three, and this is where I’m being properly outspoken, is this obsession with NUMBERS without DEPTH. Member count. Follower count. Screenshots. But where’s the damn connection? Where’s the implementation? Where’s the leadership once the hype stuff settles?

Here we go! The year of the Fire Horse is upon us. Expect bold, forward-moving, and transformational energy in al aspects of life and work. And here at Horses Connect we’re more than ready! Over the coming months, you’ll begin to see us stepping more intentionally into a global leadership role. We won’t be getting louder – that’s not our style – but we will be much clearer about what we stand for: Ethical, horse-centred practice Strong professional pathways for practitioners A global community learning with horses, not simply working with them Collaboration (not competition) across the field to strengthen standards, safety, and integrity Many of the seeds for this have been growing quietly for years through our trainings, graduates, programs, and this community. Now it’s time to let some of that growth become more visible. Horses Connect is stepping up to champion the global growth of ethical, horse-centred equine-assisted practice through learning, practitioner pathways, and collaboration across our field. Embracing our Fire Horse Energy means steady momentum, clear direction, and the courage to take the next meaningful step forward together. You’re part of this journey, and we’re very glad you’re here. Come and join our little herd on Skool https://www.skool.com/horses-connect-training-7883/about QUESTION: What is one step you feel ready to take this year that brings you more fully into alignment with the values you live by?