Gina M., so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I have a few things that put me in this state of mind: a yoga and qigong practice, working with my horses and playing my piano and singing.
I had started a nonprofit, Casa de Paz SLV, to respond to the need for holistic trauma support for asylum seekers, refugees and new immigrants. The original vision for the nonprofit was to provide holistic trauma support retreats on my ranch in south central Colorado. As I began to help my two rescue haflinger painted ponies to recover from their own trauma history, I also experienced my own healing. Specifically around having patience in life and not being so impulsive. Once the horses were settled enough and relaxed, I began letting other people work with them. These people were ranch hands who I trained to work with them. All were very interested in equine therapy and the mental health benefits of working with horses. The horses were very cooperative with them, so I felt it was safe to begin letting the ponies help others with equine therapy for mental health.
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