We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Schilling a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

Through the fire and ash of what has been destroyed, you can either crumble and become part of it, or rise above letting yourself burst through like a new tree sprouting from the earth’s rich soils, reaching for the sun. We had barely begun to dream up Walk Intuit and were spread in many different directions, doing contract work for treatment centers and starting to build clients through private practice. We had 1 horse and were dedicating much of our time to an addiction treatment center providing our expertise and clinical services. When that center all of a sudden went bankrupt, they left us with a $10,000 unpaid invoice for services and a significant hole in our schedule, our hearts sank. We had no funding and minimal private clients, but we had a dream, a vision, and we knew what we had to offer was special and unique. We set off to create, dream, and expand as a nonprofit, so that no matter what someone’s financial situation was, they would have a place at Walk Intuit to heal. We began to build a sacred healing space where we would honor each individual while being held in community. It was hard work and took an immense amount of trust in ourselves and the universe.
Like any young sapling with intentions to grow into a massive sturdy and stable tree, we had our challenges and have needed a lot of nurturing and tending as we have continued to journey upward. Despite wanting to save money and trying to do things ourselves, we ended up hiring a law firm that works with nonprofits to help us get our nonprofit 501c3 status. This made the process much easier and helped us to get going in the right direction. As we began, we put most of the funds we got from contracts in a savings account and like a squirrel storing its nuts for winter, we did indeed need that nourishment that was put aside. Because of the lack of greed and pure intentions we had, we put away enough funds that we were able to survive and thrive as a new nonprofit during the pandemic, which changed the trajectory of Walk Intuit, pushing us into new spaces, expansion, and a much higher cost. But we have survived, we continue to grow, and our roots have begun to stretch far and wide.
If we may offer words of wisdom they would be,
1. Dream big and no matter the limitations that others put on you, remember that you are capable of anything you can dream up.
2. Put aside some nuts for winter. It is important to have funds set aside because you never know the storms that may be up ahead and until your roots are strong and solid you will need a bit of a safety net.
3. Bad things happen to good people and unexpected events and hurdles can create challenge for nonprofits with the best intentions, don’t let this discourage you, where there is a will, there is a way.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask, for help, for support, for positive thoughts and anything in between.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are two souls, with two beginnings, and one mission! Our lives began on opposite sides of the United States Jennifer Schilling grew up in California and Jessica Mathon in Vermont where we both experienced generational trauma, family addictions, and lack of community acceptance. After our own experiences of depression, eating disorder, suicidality, and struggles associated with being part of the LGBTQ community, we found it necessary to create a safe place where everyone is accepted, acknowledged, heard, and honored; whether they are our clients, staff, therapists or volunteers Walk Intuit is everyone’s safe place. 
Jennifer Schilling began her mission to help others heal at a young age of 19 when she became a reiki practitioner. By 23 she was a licensed therapeutic foster parent and working on a county crisis line. She fostered (for 8 years) well into her therapist journey which began in 2008. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Professional Clinical Counseling with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy. She has training in EMDR, Equine Therapy, Shamanic Healing, Reiki, Sand Tray, Art Therapy, and Play Therapy. She joined forces with Jessica Mathon in 2013 after relocating back to California. Together we worked in treatment centers, ran retreats, conducted sound healing, art therapy, trauma focused therapy, and provided equine therapy services. 
Jessica Mathon’s journey with animals began as a child, where her safe haven was with a 4-H program and daily visit to the neighbor’s horses. Horses and nature consistently served as a safety in her youth. She was 26 when her brother killed 3 people in a drunk driving accident. At the same time, she was beginning her travels to various parts of Africa, to work with traumatized human and wildlife communities as a wildlife biologist and researcher. While in Africa she witnessed alcohol and drugs being used to cope with horrific situations, she also saw ways that people were held safely within their communities. This was such a contrast to what she had experienced in America, and it propelled her into an ongoing exploration of individual and communal social systems. This drive to find the best of both worlds and marry them to create a new system focused on honoring the individual while being held by community, brought her to co-create Walk Intuit. She is trained in Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Equine Therapy, Shamanic Healing, Eco Therapy, and Reiki. 
Walk Intuit was started in 2015 and received nonprofit 501c3 status in 2017. Our mission is to honor each individual while holding people in community. We uniquely incorporate mind, body, spirit with nature and animals for a complete healing experience. We are strong believers in holding people in a sacred safe place and tapping into the healing powers of nature, equine, and spirit. At Walk Intuit Western mental health is married to a somatic view of weaving arts, movement, sound, nature, play, and trauma informed practices. We believe everyone has the right to receive exceptional trauma healing services regardless of their financial situation. Because of this we have spent countless hours and resources to get in network with Medicare, Medical, and Covered California’s insurance. We offered $120,ooo in sliding scales and scholarship services in 2023! 

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Jennifer had just relocated to California with her newborn twins to seek family support. While only hours away from licensure she had to gain her status in the state to become a licensed clinician. Jessica was also on the journey of wrapping up her clinical hours here in California. Jessica had thought that horses were behind her when she left Vermont to come to California and it wasn’t until the end of her schooling she had learned about equine therapy. Jennifer was on a mission to find a way to be supported and excited about providing therapy while juggling twins and a 4 year old. She had discovered equine therapy while on a job search and immediately looked for a training. As divine intervention would have it Jessica had completed the same training just prior to Jennifer. Jessica was already providing services at an equine therapy private practice. Jennifer entered the equine training 2 weeks after discovering it and was led to the same site as Jessica.
The clinical supervisor placed Jennifer and Jessica together as a team immediately. Equine Therapy is often a team approach of a horse professional and therapist. In this case Jessica’s expertise allowed her to have a dual role. Although it was not an immediate friendship, working together we began to see how many shared dreams we had and that our value system and ethic were in alignment. We began to lean on each other more and developed ourselves as a true team, and so the co-dreaming began.
We have often been described as Yin and Yang and although there is a contrast there is a joining that is profound and has allowed for the creation of something that stands out from all the rest and is so desperately needed in our world.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

We have often used the analogy of creating a web or fabric that serves as a secure holding for all of the clients, volunteers, animals, and communities we serve. Each member of our team is just as important as the next as they are also part of the fabric that holds Walk Intuit together. If there is tension or discourse between our team then the whole fabric is affected, and that in turn affects the foundation of the whole system. It is our job as leaders of the Walk Intuit team to make sure that we honor, listen to, and respect each individual while also holding each member of our team in community. Our team is like any other alive working system in nature that supports each other. We have worked hard to create a system of support, open communication, kindness, and compassion for each.
As a nonprofit providing high paying salaries is not always possible, and we hope that we meet whatever deficits in that with above standard supervision, training and support. Many of our team members are finishing up their requirements for graduate school and their clinical hours. They require supervision weekly. One of the reasons that we had decided to branch out into providing positions to trainees and associates is our strong desire to train and support amazing individuals into becoming amazing therapists.
What makes this environment unique is we lead from a place of compassion, empathy, and acceptance. Everyone’s ideas, uniqueness, challenges, and wisdoms are accepted on the Walk Intuit team. Our staff will be met with encouragement, gentle guidance, and a belief that their part in this fabric is no less important than ours.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://walkintuit.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkintuit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkintuit/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/walkintuit
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@walkintuitinc.885
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/walk-intuit-san-juan-capistrano-3

Image Credits

Savvy J Photography
Ryan Piorkowski Photography