Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather Wallace. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

I find in the equestrian community, to admit you are nervous or “timid” is viewed as a weakness instead of something that everyone feels periodically. In my view, it is a strength to be self-aware and admit that I have moments where I overthink, or my nerves get the best of me. Showcasing these feelings in an authentic way not only helps me to keep moving forward through the rocky periods, but also proves just how strong we are when we admit we aren’t perfect. I want to be a voice for those women who feel somehow inferior, when in fact they are incredibly strong. To be afraid of something, or to not be perfect, and yet keep moving forward because you are passionate- that is courage at its best.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Heather. I stepped away from horses as a teen due to anxiety and regretted it ever since. Now I’m back but things are a little different now. I’m a mother, I’m less flexible, and I’m a lot more nervous. The biggest difference? I’m following my passion despite lacking confidence. Join me as I talk about all those things we think but don’t say out loud.

I always wanted to be an author. I never shared anything I wrote because I was afraid of criticism. One day, shortly after I opened my animal bodywork business, I decided to share something personally on the blog for the website. The words poured out of me and shaking- I hit the publish button. I was shocked by the response. What I shared was a “Confession” or a diary-entry of sorts that detailed my first solo ride on a horse in Arizona and how despite dreaming of this for years as a young girl, I self-sabotaged and panicked. I never rode that little pony and regretted it in the following years. Sharing this personal story not only helped me to process that moment I held on to for years, but set off a cascading stream of events where I continued to write and share, meeting some incredibly supporting people along the way. Most importantly, I realized I was not alone. So many other women also had nerves, anxiety, and tended to overthink and thought something was wrong with them.

Slowly, by talking openly and honestly about our highs and lows, we are spreading awareness and changing the way nervous riders are viewed.

While I am focused on the horse world, because that is something I am deeply entrenched within and passionate about, this by no means is solely important to equestrians. We all have communities we become part of and yet somehow, can often feel like an outsider in.

Building a small community of like-minded women, a safe space I hope, I have found the courage to share my writing on a larger scale. That first blog post I published became a chapter in my first book, Confessions of a Timid Rider. Now, I have multiple non-fiction books published both personal and educational. Stepping outside of my comfort zone and realizing that I was a relatable voice for others who didn’t or couldn’t speak out, gave me the courage to do something I always feared and yet dreamed of doing.

A little fear is normal and healthy. I have learned to recognize my feelings, find solutions to help me either work through them or set myself up for success. I don’t profess to know it all or help teach others. I just hope that I can be an example for someone and show them that it is possible to keep moving forward despite self-doubt.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Writing books is my side hustle. One that I hope to turn into a career and is well on its way. I began Animal Bodywork & Aromatherapy in 2016 and knew that I had to have a blog that updated regularly in order to be found by Google. I wrote regularly on animal health and wellness, when one day I was inspired to share something personal.

My behind-the-scenes look into my feelings spiraled and quickly took me down a path I hadn’t foreseen, one where only one year later I would start a new website devoted only to The Timid Rider, as it came to be called. Writing blog posts and later books, became a side hustle.

I found myself living two lives- one where I help animals and the other where I shared my personal journey and help humans who can relate.

I published my first booklet, The Equestrian Handbook of Excuses, as an extended version of a blog post in 2017. I had so many people commenting and engaging and it was a great way for me to test the waters when it came to publishing my own books. But I did have a slight head start- you see, I worked in the publishing world, in the medical division, for 12 years prior to starting my own business. I had a lot of experience working with technology, building relationships internationally, and completing projects. I used everything I learned there and applied it to building my small business and my identity as an author.

With networking skills in my background, I found that I was invited to an equestrian-focused film and arts festival shortly after publishing the booklet. There, I met many incredible people in my industry, who were willing to give me advice and support me when needed. I did the same for them.

Soon, I found that I was publishing a book a year, continuing to network, largely on social media, and began to have a small but engaged following myself. I focused on authenticity and transparency. More than that, I wanted to pay it forward and found that it became effortless to introduce those who may be able to help one another.

In 2018, only two years after starting my website was named a Second place winner for “Publishing Media Equine-Related Blog” by American Horse Publications, coming in second to a commercial website for a magazine with decades of experience. I found myself returning to the film and arts festival and won four writing awards for non-fiction books.

More than those accolades, I found myself being invited to moderate or speak on panels in relation to my field of expertise. I had no idea I was on anyone’s radar and yet, somehow I continued to grow and step out of my comfort zone to try new things.

In 2019 I was invited to co-host an equestrian podcast, which I did for a year before realizing it was not the right fit for me. I was then invited to co-host for a magazine’s podcast only to have that fall through. In 2022, I was speaking to a friend and fellow author about my idea for a podcast that had a unique and authentic voice. Soon after, we launched Adulting with Horses which has grown each month and is now on the Horse Radio Network and part of the Equine Network Family, pulling in amazing downloads and being one of their highlighted shows.

Long term, when my hands and body are tired and I can no longer perform bodywork, I am confident that my work as an author and podcaster will continue on and go from a side hustle to a full-time reality. Until then, I’m balancing both as best I can.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It’s easy to look back and see all the wonderful things. In truth, I’ve only been an entrepreneur and author for 6-7 years. The truth is, I have had a lot of hard lessons in that time.

When I first opened my business, I did so with a partner. It became clear very quickly that we weren’t balanced and I was putting in most of the work. More than that, I wanted it to be a career I could be proud of, and she seemed to view it as a side hustle. Our energies didn’t align. Ending the business partnership was probably the biggest trauma I had as an entrepreneur. I learned that it’s best to never work with friends because we lost our entire friendship over dissolving the business. It felt like a divorce.

I wouldn’t give up. I wanted to buy her out but she refused and so I lost a lot of money closing down the business and setting up a new one of my own. It was a very difficult and dark time. My husband wasn’t sure if I should continue down this path and gave me two years to make it successful. No pressure, right? Still, I knew in my bones that I had something to share and I wouldn’t back down.

I worked six-hour days, handling my three children and our household, and built up another business from scratch. At the same time, I decided to separate out the business and my blog so split my focus and began to build two different platforms and businesses at the same time.

I did get derailed during this time. An opportunity came up in 2018 to go to Mongolia and be the publicist for a horse-related event. The job would involve writing, photography, and social media as well as some day-to-day work for the Founder of the event. I was incredibly excited by the opportunity and said yes. My experience there was life-changing and I wrote about the entire experience in my book, Girl Forward. After the event, I was invited to come on board and work with the Founder to develop the website and be more involved. I agreed. There is a lot of detail to international events, and I found that I had less and less time to focus on my business and my own books. After the second event in 2019, I was under so much stress to meet this person’s growing expectations, and found myself working more for her than I did myself, that I gave my notice. It was an extremely stressful decision because I felt like I had made an impact, but I found that my focus had drifted and my own clients and writing had been severely neglected.

I chose myself. I chose my businesses and turned things around. It would have been easy to quit at any time and be a stay-at-home mom. I could have chosen to focus on one business and put my all into it. That probably would have been the smarter move. Yet, bodywork and writing are both equally important to me. It’s easy to get lost and much harder to find your way back. And yet, I am stronger each time for the missteps that I have made. And damn, if it doesn’t make for a good story, I don’t know what does!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.timidrider.com/www.animalbodywork.com
• Instagram: @timidrider
• Facebook: @timidrider
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timidrider/
• Twitter: @timidrider
• Other: You can also find Adulting with Horses podcast on all major players and Animal Bodywork and Aromatherapy at www.animalbodywork.com or @animalbodyworknj

Image Credits
Book cover image @JamieBaldanzaPhotography All other images @Goldhorsemedia