We’re all busy people who don’t have time to be checking and interacting with multiple online communities so it makes sense to send everyone an occasional catch-up email rather than expecting you all to be having Skool conversations with each other every day. This way, you can see if there’s anything of interest you want to check out. In the spirit of working smarter, not harder, this message is going to members of both Skool groups - Horses Connect and Sustain your EA practice – because many of you are members of both. What’s the Difference? The main difference is that the Horses Connect Skool community is a public space for anyone interested in equine-assisted work. It also contains the libraries of resources (private) for graduates of the Horses Connect TR?EAL Coaching course and the Horses Connect Equine-assisted learning and Personal Development Course. Sustain your EA Practice is a private group and it’s has just had a name change! We’ve realised that overwhelm, burnout, and that sense of ‘oh F**k what do I do now?!’ is not exclusive to equine-assisted practitioners. Many people in caring professions have the same experience. THE REALISTIC GROWTH COMMUNITY is there to help! Both groups offer free lifetime membership with options to purchase courses, or upgrade to get them free. Remember to keep an eye on both Classrooms because we’re adding more content soon. And, if you have any requests for resources or courses or information, please let us know. What else has been happening? THE REALISTIC GROWTH COMMUNITY is now running a Member Spotlight feature. At the moment, @Chaela Sumner is in the hotseat but she will be handing over to @Lucy Seeley in the next few days. MEMBER SPOTLIGHT is your opportunity to answer a set of questions on you, your business, and anything else relevant to the community that you want to share, and the post in pinned in the community.

When my kids were small my husband used to smoke. It didn’t matter what else was going on, he had to have his daily fix. Somehow, even in tight times, we always found money for cigarettes 😳 For him, that was non-negotiable. Some people have to have a holiday every year. Others change their car, or get their hair done regularly, or have a monthly spa day. We still have a few little comforts we won’t compromise on. 😊 Barry’s tea 😊 Decent toilet paper 😊 Real butter 😊 Good coffee 😊 Proper marmalade Here’s my question: What are your non-negotiables in life, in business, and/or in caring for your 4-legged friends?

You may (or may not) have noticed I’ve been a bit absent around here for the last few weeks. Truthfully? I’ve been a little overwhelmed. Actually… a lot overwhelmed. There has been a perfect storm of: too many moving parts too many ideas not enough hours in the day, and exhaustion quietly sneaking up on me from behind! I’ve been so busy trying to keep all the plates spinning that I stopped paying attention to the person spinning them. The ‘plates’ became my focus and keeping them all going just kept getting harder! I really gave it my best shot – until my body said STOP! Sound familiar? Here’s the awkward little lesson horses repeatedly try to teach us: You cannot sustainably care for everyone and everything else while quietly abandoning yourself. Eventually your body, brain and energy notices. And life starts gently (or not so gently) nudging us to pause. For someone who preaches the power of pause, I found it really difficult and uncomfortable to settle into the space of ‘non- doing’. It was so challenging to give myself permission to rest, breathe, and decide ‘What actually matters right now?’ And it was even more challenging to let some things go, for a while. For me, it’s been a reminder that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is stop pretending we’re fine when we’re actually running on fumes. And maybe there’s a lesson in that too: Overwhelm is information, not failure. Sometimes it means: - too many priorities - too may projects - too little support (probably because you didn’t ask for help!) - or simply… you’re tired. And tired people are allowed to rest. Anyway, I’m still here. Slightly frazzled. Still figuring things out. Still occasionally resembling an overcaffeinated pony in a plastic bag storm. But back. And grateful you’re here too. QUESTION: What has life been trying to teach you lately — even if you didn’t particularly ask for the lesson?

Whether it was a moment of patience, a breakthrough in body language, or simply a quiet look that said “I see you” — horses have a way of handing us exactly the lesson we need. Drop your story in the comments — big or small, funny or heartfelt. Let’s celebrate what our four-legged teachers are showing us. Bonus points if you share a photo! 📸

This post is asking you to share your wisdom on any topic 😊 👍 What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? 👍 What’s the best advice you can give? 👍 What’s your go-to mantra when the going gets tough? I’ll go first 😊