Hitting Your Stride -- The Equestrian Elements Life Coaching podcast with Tracey Mitchell

Dr. Kyla Sorensen just continues to show up. She's one of those people in life where one or two words just don't seem to describe her justly, and that's partly because of her determination to do things the right way. Tracey and Kyla talk about the good doctor's start on her equine journey and how she learned a lot just by going out and trying something new - including lessons from Joe the Horse. But after going to med school and leaving horses behind for a while, she discovered that it wasn't just like riding a bike - but she came back with purpose. Discipline helps define her life, but so does her passion (for horses, medicine and more). What she doesn't let define her is a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis - in fact, she's turned a negative into a positive. Thankful for her coaches, her work ethic and her future, Kyla has taken what life has dealt her and turned it into something spectacular. With a horse-first mentality, Dr. Kyla Sorensen always chooses to show up. Her fiercely independent nature ensures that she opts for bravery and takes that chance - regardless if she's going to crash and burn. Given the opportunity, Kyla will always head down the centre line.

Allie Schmidt says that there has never been a time when she didn't love horses, and the former competitive gymnast honed her riding skills by doing a bit of everything. That should tell you a lot about who Allie is and how she approaches things. Her riding and coaching careers have been rising, which is all the more impressive when you hear her admit that dressage chose her and not the other way around. Tracey talks with Allie about topics like self-awareness, confidence and independence, her history of working with difficult horses and what she does to take the pressure off and celebrate success. You can find out more about Allie Schmidt and her coaching services by visiting her website.

Sarah Bernardi began her career in veterinary social work as just one of two in all of Canada. When you let that sink in, the ideas this trailblazer talks about seem to resonate that much more. Tracey gets the down-low from Sarah on what it's like to work as a vet social worker, how there can be big issues with boundaries and how for a long time veterinary medicine was almost singularly focused on the animals and not the human component. There are challenges to work through, but Sarah talks about learning the different dynamics at play and how important it is to preserve the human-animal bond. They share a laugh when Sarah remembers what her expectations were like at the beginning of her path, and then she shares her excitement for the future ahead for her field. Sarah Bernardi can be reached via the Ontario Veterinary College's Pet Trust website here.

Karen Sparks is showing us all what happens when you ask for more. All it took was one time at summer camp as a six year old for Karen to get hooked on horses, leading her to ask for more time with them. That simple request cemented her lifelong equestrian passion, and she's been making every moment since then count. Helping turn Wesley Clover Parks into one of Canada's premier equestrian venues is only a small part of who and what Karen has become. She talks about her decision not to live a professional rider's life, how the mind of an athlete and an entrepreneur are very similar and, perhaps most importantly, the act of giving yourself grace. Tracey talks with Karen about her involvement in Equestrian Canada, her partnership with her horse, Lugano, and that time McLain Ward gave her the best compliment she's ever received. It's an episode full of teachable moments from start to finish. You can find out more about Karen's work with the Wesley Clover Foundation here, and more about Wesley Clover Parks here.

Have you ever been in the ring and avoided going into a particular corner because you'd been bucked off there, or have you passed on going for a solo hack because your horse got spooked by something? According to Megan Pinfield, those are trauma responses. Megan has her PhD is a therapist and the owner of Pinfield Counselling Coaching Consulting in British Columbia. She's been working with equestrians for more than 20 years, helping them deal with the riding fears they have and understanding where they come from. The topics we cover are deep, talking about how she prefers terms like Acute or Chronic Trauma, that a rider's fears have more to do with who they were before the event than most realize, overcoming the stigma of asking for mental health help, and the keys to self compassion. Her own horse story is unique and helps inform us of why she so passionately invested the time to learn how she could help equestrians overcome their fears and be more confident in the sport they love. She looks at her work through multiple lenses, and knows just how lucky she is to work with any rider who comes through her door. Megan Pinfield can be found online at www.pccc.ca, and she's also on Instagram under the handle under_your_helmet.

Life is full of choices we all have to make. There are times when those choices are easy and are made without hesitation, and then there are those fuelled by tears and pain that are forced upon you. Lori Shaw knows about painful choices, but she also knows about determination, second chapters and pivoting. The former owner/operator of Sunbridge Equestrian had to make the tough choices while recovering from injury, but they've led to a new career as a freelance coach who is just as driven as ever to help students succeed. Lori learned how to communicate her knowledge with some help early on, and has never stopped her quest for improvement. She got into horses early on and did whatever she had to in order to make them part of her life - she's showing that same can-do attitude now. There is a lot to learn from this episode and from Lori Shaw's story. You can find Lori on Facebook to find out more about her coaching services.

Ontario Equestrian's Danielle Glanc joins the show and lets her inner light shine brightly as she talks about her love of horses and her commitment to them in every imaginable way. Danielle is able to take the analytical half of her brain she uses for her day job as a farm policy analyst with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and meld it seamlessly with her passionate championing of horses in her private life and with OE. Her natural inclination towards service helps her be a better advocate for horses and a better horsewoman for herself. Tracey and Danielle talk about how big a factor priority setting is for her, and her biggest motivating factor is seeing the results of her hard work rather than trophies. In short, it's her desire to be realistic that echoes in her ears when it comes to finding her inner touchstone. She is partially responsible for helping OE establish the Equine Welfare & Advocacy Committee, something that helped save the equine community during the COVID pandemic and continues to provide guidance today. Danielle keeps in mind that all of her experiences in the saddle and around the barn have been a privilege and will hold that gratitude in her heart forever. Well, that and a little grit, too! You can follow along with the work that Danielle and Ontario Equestrian are doing at www.ontarioequestrian.ca.

For Sarah Steenbeek, horses have been a saving grace for as long as she can remember. They have given her validation when she needed it most, and have been a constant in her life since she was a girl. In joining the podcast, Sarah shares her story: dealing with hearing and speech impediments and how horses helped get her through that, to learning about driving during her first date with her future husband, and then to seeing the fruits of her work as a coach come to fruition by witnessing the resilience grow in her young students. Working with husband Jordan at the family's Stonecreek Friesians, Sarah has learned a lot about the sport of driving and what it takes to shine. But it's also given them the chance to be the Governor General's Horse Guard as well as participate in the King's Plate ceremonies. It's been non-stop learning for Sarah along the way and thankfully, she says, friesians have a patience to them that's given her the room to learn the lessons in full. Sarah and the Steenbeek family can be found online at www.stonecreekfriesians.com, as well as on Facebook.

Tracey is joined on this episode of Hitting Your Stride by the Modern Day Dolittle herself, Meg Vickell, as she opens up about her path to becoming a well-known animal communicator. Meg doesn't waste time, diving into her passion by telling us that all animals speak the love language of the heart and that all humans are wired to intuitively hear them as long as they use and flex that muscle. She goes over her early days as an animal communicator and how she slowly built her skills and business by working on it and spending the time reading thousands of animals along the way. When it comes to horses and how equestrian athletes can build a better relationship with their partners, Meg has some simple advice: listen more and be open to hearing. She acknowledges the playful nature of horses but points out they're capable of shaking things up unlike most other animals. It's taken a lot of focus on where she's felt valued to tune out the extra noise while following her path, but it's afforded her a window to the world very few get to look through. As she says about horses - something that can be applicable to most things in life - you get what you need and not what you want. Meg Vickell can be found online at www.moderndaydolittle.com as well as on social media.

Ericka Rusnak loves the small things about horses just as much now as when she was a little girl. It's helped to shape her in many ways, not the least of which being her career path to one of Canada's premier horse breeders. As Ericka joins Tracey on this episode of Hitting Your Stride, she talks about all of the elements that have mixed perfectly together to bring her to this point: breeder of a Queen's Plate champion and one of the new generation of horse breeders in Canada. She talks about how she made the switch from competitive rowing and how closely linked the two sports are, to what it's like running her two-farm operation that's nearly non-stop. An important revelation comes when Ericka mentions the equality she applies to lessons learned from both success and failure and how it takes practice to make progress. There have been hard lessons, but everything she's learned guided her to the highest highs she's experienced. Forging her own name and success has been an intentional journey filled with challenges and choices, and she chooses to see the good that always follows the bad. Ericka Rusnak is the manager at Hill'N'Dale Canada and can be found on both Facebook and Instagram.