Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Marz

Hi Christina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

Hi there, I´m Christina.
I teach coaching and healing with herds of horses all over the world to promote emotional well-being for myself, the horses and our clients.

How does one come across that profession? For me, it was my personal experience.

I grew up in a complicated home in Germany. My parents divorced when I was only 3 years old, and my younger sister and I never developed a functional relationship with our father. Our mother focused on her work as a teacher to make ends meet, but she struggled with depression and her severe social anxiety was always present in our day-to-day life.

Thankfully, our neighbors had horses and that herd became my happy place. I spent entire days hanging out on the fence and observing them, waiting for my chance to lead them back to the barn. Their calm grazing gave me stillness of mind while things at home felt out of control. Their wild running, together, gave me power and motivation while I felt lonely and unsupported by my absent father and my depressed, highly anxious mother.
I was soon given a few chores by my neighbors and discovered that I had a talent for calming stressed horses. Somehow, it was easy for me to connect with them.

Understanding a traumatized horse and helping it come out of its shell was my first experience with emotional healing. It gave me hope that I, too, could overcome anxiety and feelings of helplessness.
In short, the horses inspired me.

After studying psychology and losing track of horses for a while, I moved to Ecuador, South America in 2002. Here I finally came home to horses and as I invited a few shy indigenous girls in the neighborhood to spend time with my rescued horse, I started to understand what horses did for me, how they helped me overcome my own anxiety and how they empowered me. My own experience with horses suddenly made sense. I just did not grasp the full scope of it yet.
In the following years I would write down my experiences and eventually develop my own method of healing and coaching with horses: Horse Guided Empowerment®; In 2016 I started to teach my method to other professionals and when Covid froze all activity, I took my course online. From there it grew n on it grew exponentially. We have certified over 500 professionals and Horse Guided Empowerment® has reached 30 countries all over the world.

It’s been 40+ years now since horses helped me find calmness and empowerment.

It’s been scary at times, amazing, beautiful and crazy and I feel many times my life is the proof that manifestation does exist. I learned so much along the way and now I dedicate my life to sharing the impact of horse and human connection.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

In the early stages of my professional journey here in Ecuador, I worked at the remarkable equestrian farm stay Hacienda Zuleta. We even garnered attention from National Geographic and won prestigious International Travel Awards. Yet, as I delved deeper into the world of horses and people, my own ideas began to take shape. I yearned to share the invaluable lessons the horses had taught me. I wanted to help others overcome their fears and limitations. I wanted to create something unique. I felt trapped and frustrated in my “dream job”.

But when you find yourself feeling stuck, it’s often because you’re living outside your true essence and failing to reach your full potential, right? It was at that pivotal moment when I made the decision to leave my prestigious position and embark on a new path. I took my children, our pets and our horses and created our own haven.

It wasn’t easy. I rented a small pasture and started working with clients. I longed for the days of being surrounded by a larger herd. I missed my paycheck. At times, it felt like I was swimming against the tide of anxiety and making mistakes along the way.

However, everything changed for me when I realized that the key to transformation lay within my own mindset. Once I started working on shifting my perspective and applying it to both my personal life and business, I took a leap forward, and everything began to change.

I came to understand that not fitting in was a blessing. It allowed me to truly innovate and create something so much bigger than myself and my wildest dreams.

By showing up despite my fear, I discovered my tribe and connected with others who shared the same longing for something different.

Today, I’m living my true, authentic dream life and I believe you can too!  It takes pause and reflection and a LOT of brave forward movement. But I honestly believe that by gaining clarity and believing in our dreams we can make our dreams a reality.

Now please don´t think you just need to stick it out until a magical moment when everything becomes pure peace-and-love. I am now working with a team of 17 people. We run a non-profit therapy center in Ecuador, we take care of to students all over the world, and we manage our own herd of rescued horses. I never thought it would get this big and I am incredibly proud of myself, and also often incredibly exhausted.

As you know, we’re big fans of MarzMethod. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

MarzMethod® is an umbrella organization which includes an international school where we teach and certify Horse Guided Empowerment® Coaching and offer retreats with horses in different locations. I also mentor horsepreneurs, teach HeartMath® and I have a non-profit organization called Sin Miedo (that means “no fear”) that runs a subsidized therapy center here in Ecuador.

When I say it out loud it´s hard to believe that I manage all that. I guess that´s the reason why I am not good at taking vacations. Or I´m just too empowered by my horses!

Horse Guided EmpowermentⓇ is an innovative model for coaching and therapy interventions with a bonded herd. It is based on natural horsemanship principles and applied to a wide range of populations, including executives and team coachings, riding students and athletes, special needs populations, and individuals suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress. We tap into the intuitive competence of the horses and the emotional communication offered by the herd to find the root cause of any stressor in human interaction. After understanding why a problem occurs, our clients engage in creative, hands-on activities with the horses to overcome their mental barriers and change their mindset. With this success experience the client goes home and repeats what worked in the paddock. The results are long-lasting, profound changes for all relationships, including the one with ourselves.

If you love horses, you can learn Horse Guided Empowerment® for your personal use, or you can create a professional career and service offer around it. We cater to all levels.

What are your plans for the future?

I actually have a 50-year vision plan. Seriously! I am know for dreaming a bit bigger than your average horse girl, and I am working hard to make my dreams come true. Together with my team, my students and colleagues we want to spread Horse Guided Empowerment® to every corner of the world.

Imagine a world where emotinal wellness knows no boundaries, where the gentle nudge of a horse’s nuzzle becomes a catalyst for healing. That’s the vision driving Horse Guided Empowerment®.

We want to democratize access to mental health care through the transformative power of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP).
In rural landscapes where horses roam freely, yet mental health services are scarce, we see an untapped opportunity. By partnering with local equestrian centers, farms, and communities, we’re integrating EAP into everyday life, making mental wellness accessible to all, regardless of geography or socio-economic status.

My mission for Horse Guided Empowerment®, is not just bridging hearts and horses— I want to dismantle barriers, empowering underserved populations, and championing inclusivity, accessibility, and social justice in mental health care.

With the Sin Miedo Foundation we are already serving hundreds of families here in our corner of Ecuador, the next step is taking that model out into the world.

I´ll need lots of facilitators, funds, leadership, and motivation. If you are getting excited by reading this please reach out. I´d love to explore how we can collaborate in creating a world where people and horses heal each other.

Pricing:

• My 1-1 mentoring for horsepreneuers starts at $700 per month.
• The 6-month HGE certification process costs $2970 for profesional use
• My 3-hour introductory Udemy HeartMath & Horses course costs $40

Contact Info:

• Website: https://christinamarz.com
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/marzmethod
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaMarzRing
• Other: https://www.udemy.com/course/healing-with-horses