We were lucky to catch up with Kate Neligan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

There were two major defining moments in my professional career. The first was when I was still working as a marketing executive at a movie studio in Los Angeles. I was attending a Master’s program in Spiritual Psychology which was all about living a soul-centered life and remembering that we are divine beings having a human experience. Yet I was still selling horror movies and very unfulfilled at work despite my success with salary, title, and ability to get things done. I remember I had an “out-of-body” type experience when I was on a call with a major tech company, selling the latest disturbing film. I became conscious of how incongruent I was with my values and interests. I was in default mode and doing what I knew best and living an ego-based life instead of following my heart. I remember being shaken to my core that I couldn’t continue down that path anymore and I knew I had to leave the industry I had spent my entire career building.

Around the same time, I was leasing a beautiful Arabian horse at a ranch in Malibu from my friend who also worked at the movie studio. One day she told me about how the ranch leader was working with the horses in equine-assisted therapy with people from nearby addiction treatment centers. She explained how her horses would go and put their head on people’s hearts when they needed to cry or feel their feelings. In that instant the entire world stood still. I felt like I was learning something that was incredibly important and that I had to take note of every single detail. I felt a surge of awe and wonder. I asked her immediately if I could volunteer and she set me up with my first mentor so I could assist the weekly sessions. I became fascinated at how incredible the horses were at healing and how their presence was creating such massive shifts for people who were struggling to survive. I knew I had found my calling and that I was stepping into my entelechy – the realization of my potential. I dove in and never looked back. Once I felt confident in facilitating clients myself, I began to offer sessions and workshops relying heavily on my decades of experience with horses and the tools and skills from my Master’s program that had already transformed my own life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

As I learned more about the human-animal bond, and specifically how horses work with people in personal and professional development, I decided to study and then teach as much as possible. I attended horsemanship clinics, trainings, and worked with various mentors. I became certified in Equine Experiential Education. I learned animal communication from five different programs. I also listened a lot to the horses around me and rescued a Thoroughbred who taught me so much as well.

Together, we created equine-partnered life coaching private sessions and group workshops around different themes such as communication skills, feminine leadership, emotional intelligence, and developing intuition. I worked in Los Angeles but also began to travel around the country to offer events and then I moved to a larger ranch outside of Boulder, Colorado.

Over-time I realized that I wanted to pair my background in marketing with my understanding of spiritual psychology and animal communication and offer my own certification program. In an effort to truly honor the horses and their gifts, we formed the Awakening With Equines Certification program for new or next-level equine coaches. A horse wisdom card deck of 40 original works-of-art and equine guidance around what the horses teach was also created with the same name.

Today I like to speak on podcasts and write books and articles about the horses as healers. I also offer retreats, team buildings, and leadership trainings for corporate groups who are ready to learn from horses and nature. I also have goats and bring them into this work as they spark joy and help people with nervous system regulation.

We enjoy helping people change their lives for the better so they are living more in alignment with their heart and dreams while staying present and congruent. I know I greatly needed the horses when I was in my big transition out of an unfulfilling life. I’m grateful to bring them to others, especially women and teams, as they navigate their own transitions.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The hardest part about my journey was that I had to face great loss during a time of great gain. The original horse who led me to my dream life was also sick and made her transition to Heaven shortly before I began my first team building as an equine-partnered coach. I had to stay strong in my actions and choices and yet gentle with my own heart as it needed to heal and feel loved and supported.

Unfortunately, I also went through the same thing a few years later when I lost my rescue horse. Our practice with clients was steadily building and then it felt like it just had to stop for a couple months while I grieved. Luckily, I’ve had so many incredible connections in the equine space that friends offered me space to work with their horses so I could continue to see clients.

During that time, I learned a lot about resilience and what happens when the heart breaks open but we don’t let it break down. I leaned into receiving support and taking steps forward as bold acts of resiliency. I was compelled to honor both of these horses I loved so much by spreading their wisdom and teachings.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the greatest lessons I had to unlearn throughout my journey with horses was to let go of what I learned as a kid about who horses are and how humans always need to control them. I learned to ride and handle horses with a lot of “power over” energy as a kid and I was also pushed into perfectionism and performance. I had to let go of all of this from my belief system and body when I started working in the equine-assisted learning space.

I learned the innate gentleness that is a horse’s true strength and how they are also energy workers. I learned “power with” leadership and became more present, mindful, and connected to them. I had to let go of the achievement attitude that can pervade competitive sports and I prioritized relationship and happiness instead.

I also had to unlearn force and pressure and step into the power of love and joy as ways to grow engagement, trust, and the human-animal bond. As I worked with reward, positive reinforcement, deep listening and communication, I found much greater success. Even though there was a lot of unlearning, the silver lining was that I can now teach these strengths and skills to others. The good news is that next-level horsemen/women, evolved equine coaching practitioners, and advanced companies also want to work this way. My fundamental view of relationships changed which not only makes me a better horsewoman but also a better leader, friend, family member, and partner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kateneligan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kateneliganequinecoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateNeliganEquineCoach/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateneligan/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Kneligan
• Other: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/awakeningwithequines Linktree: https://linktr.ee/KateNeligan

Image Credits
Photo credit: Amanda Finch