Hi,
It was a few years ago now, in October of 2019 that Karen first reached out on LinkedIn. Like most unsolicited messages, I read it and sent a polite but somewhat cursory response.
Karen said she “helps companies build great culture by developing people both professionally and personally for success, by developing self awareness and awareness of those around us as well as techniques to think clearly and other beneficial skills”.
That’s a pretty standard LinkedIn message and to be honest, I didn’t give it much thought. A week later, she followed up with an invitation to an open day, “a chance to see how we develop life and business skills using horses.”
I was curious but still non-committal and responded, “I’ll see if I can make it.”
It took me a few more years until I took her up on the invitation.
I’m so glad I did.
Last Friday I drove up to Kinglake on a narrow hairpin highway blanketed in thick morning fog. The fog prevented us from seeing any more than a few meters ahead which made the approach to her property feel like an adventure into the unknown. I really didn’t know what to expect but had a feeling it was going to be something special.
Karen personifies hospitality, she’s thoughtful. From the daily weather updates via email leading up to the visit (I should have taken her advice to bring a jumper) to the hot, homemade quiche and chewy chocolate brownies on arrival – we were being cared for.
Over a coffee and a few slices of quiche (oh, it was good!) we spent the first hour or so learning about the philosophy of equine assisted learning before heading out to the arena where our teachers were waiting, munching on the wet grass.
We got to choose our horses, though it really was them doing the choosing. It felt a bit like that scene in Avatar when the Na’vi would first connect with one of those flying horse-like creatures. Apparently there’s a word for this connection in Na’vi, it's 'Tsaheylu'. It means to bond, or a neural connection.1
Music and I bonded.
There was no riding bareback through the floating mist and mountains however. Instead, I gently held a rope and the communication was mostly non-verbal. Karen explained that horses respond to your energy. They trust (or not) based on the integrity of your communication – is what you’re feeling, saying and doing in alignment? They know and will trust accordingly.
We stepped through the basics of being safe around a horse – where to stand, how to stand, how to communicate and lead. There were a few activity stations set up in the arena that provide an opportunity to practice the skills of leading self, others and your horse.
I’ve done plenty of these activities before and facilitated more than I can remember. These are pretty standard initiatives and if you’ve ever done a team building / communication / problem solving / leadership offsite or outdoor education day, you’ll be familiar with the set up.
You’re set a challenge, you and your colleagues go about solving it and in doing so highlight strengths and weaknesses, communication styles etc. There’ll be a debrief highlighting some key teaching points and lessons learned before hopefully (but rarely) translating and integrating these lessons into a more effective way of working after you leave.
The difference here is that you’re working with a horse. A horse whose not interested in your role, your title, your history, budget or strategy for the quarter. It doesn’t rationalise, justify or explain things away the way humans tend to.
A horse is guided by its natural instincts and it will feed back what it’s feeling. They respond to what you’re projecting, which is revealing, and hence the gift in working with these animals. Karen has a workbook that accompanies the session and in it she writes,
“Horses live in the moment, are aware of their greater surroundings, sensitive to disturbances within the environment and the herd in order to stay alive. The herd itself is a much more complex organism that we often underestimate and overlook. There is a very structured hierarchy and responses that keep them safe. Safety is their firs priority and highest vale followed by comfort and they must work tother as a unit to achieve this. They are a prey animal and it never ceases to amaze us that they have allowed one of their predators (humans) to interact with them.”
Horses are great mirrors and therefore great teachers, but it takes an insightful facilitator to translate these experiences into life lessons. Karen is an expert facilitator and has a gift for not only identifying these opportunities, but she has the compassion and empathy to see how they can be translated and integrated for individuals.
I learned so much about myself from these few hours at Karen’s property at Kinglake. These lessons were somatic – they were felt and integrated deeply. It was tactile and sensory and it was a profound lesson in self and relational awareness. These are the lessons we need to take back to our workplaces and our relationships.
There’s a great story about how Karen came to be doing this. In fact she’s got plenty of great stories to tell. Some of them are tragic and heartbreaking but each told with Karen’s own optimism and empathy.
I don’t have any commercial affiliation with The Matanya Effect nor the work Karen does. I simply want to share it for I believe that these are the lessons we need to be learning and living right now. Such as, how to develop greater self awareness, how to regulate and take responsibility for our energy and impact and how to work together more sensitively with each other so that we may treat ourselves, each other and this planet and its animals with greater respect and kindness.
And perhaps it’s the animals that have the most to teach us about how to do that, if only we learn to listen.
Karen is hosting two open days in February if you’d like to experience this for yourself, I can’t recommend it enough:
Friday 10th Feb - Corporate Open Day
Monday 13th Feb - Corporate Women’s Open Day
Something To Do
This is happening. I mentioned it last week and have had a positive response so it’s on. If you feel like this year got off to a false start or if your’e lacking some inspiration or motivation, you’ll love this.
Check out the flyer I whipped up on Canva with very little design skills and register by clicking on the link below. I’ll send out a link to the workshop once you’ve registered.
It’s free, it’ll be fun and I’d love to see you there.
Something To Watch
Stephen Jenkinson is the elder wisdom the world needs right now. His books ‘Die Wise’ and ‘Come of Age’ are treasures. He’s also a musician and poet. Check out this live studio session with his band, Nights of Grief and Mystery, it is pure magic.
Something To Listen To
This one keeps popping up on my Spotify playlists. I’m still not that familiar with it so each time I hear it I go to add it to my ‘liked songs’ only to realise it’s already there. Do you do that? It’s a moody one, best paired with a big glass of wine and lingering middle distance stare.
I hope to see you Sunday.
If not, until next week,
Michael
Source: https://james-camerons-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Tsaheylu