In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he tells us the secret to mastery is the 10,000 hour rule. To achieve 'expert' status, you must do whatever you do for 10,000 hours. Now let's think about this....

How many hours have you put into your Equine Facilitated Learning practice? That means actually doing the work, either you and your horse, you and a client(s), paid or unpaid. Fifty? One hundred? One thousand?

To give you some perspective, as an ICF certified coach, to apply for my MCC (Master Certified Coach) I needed to have at least 2,500 hours of coaching. I have been coaching for 15 years. 10,000 hours is a lot of hours!!

Why does 10,000 hours make an expert? Because by being engaged in any one field that amount of time gives you answers to critical questions like:

• What is happening in this field right now?
  


• Where do we go to find out?
  


• Who are the leading experts?
  


• How do we create an abundant practice with sustainable value to our clients?


• What are cutting edge practices?


• Who can we partner with to grow, learn, and create possibility?

What makes an 'expert'? What is an expert? These are questions that you might want to consider on your way to creating the business and life you have always wanted.

Times are tough right now. Money is in short supply for many of us. But if you look around, abundance is still flowing. There are many opportunities for you to continue moving forward to fulfilling your dream of creating abundance through living your passion.

One of them is the gift of Kathleen Barry Ingram, the co-founder of the Epona Apprenticeship Program! During my apprenticeship at Epona I was able to access a part of myself that I didn't know was there. We all know the horses are masters at helping up to do this. Kathleen, who coined the term 'sacred space of possibility' did just that in partnership with the horses so they could do their magic! She is a master at creating a space where we can live in possibility--the first step to creating our future and the lives we want.

Next month, Kathleen will be joining me at Top o' the Morning Farm in Wellington, FL for a never before event! An Equine Facilitated MasterMInd Group! She has been taking her wisdom and experience all over the world. She has seen and experienced what is happening in this field. And now she is bringing it us! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from her again. We created this time in a particular format for sharing and growth and are officially launching an EFL MasterMind!

What is a MasterMind?

• A group of like-hearted professionals that are on a success track with their business--If you want to be successful, you need to be around people who are! Or people who are on the way to being successful!
  
• A community of people who are committed to living in abundance--There are people who have a context for life that says abundance is for other people, it will never happen for them. A MasterMind group is not the place for them!! A group of people whose collective life context is YES! is what this group is all about!
  
• A tribe of challenging colleagues who will question your ideas, support your genius and push your limits--So many of us are working on our own with the horses. How often do you feel isolated and feel like you need some fresh ideas and input on your work? How often do your assumptions about your work keep you stuck?
  
• A sacred space for sharing ideas and creating new ones!--This EFL MasterMind is for those of you who are ready to partner, collaborate, TEST your ideas and learn new ones. As we have each taken our respective training and made it our own, we have grown the field of Equine Facilitated Learning. This group is a way for you to grow your work and business even more.
  

  What's the difference between this EFL MasterMind and others, the very few that exist? This one is live, experiential and full of horses! The others are virtual--a great venue, but limited in terms of building relationships and learning. This is really a ground breaking event! And it is necessary!

  The field of Equine Assisted Learning is growing in leaps and bounds. The time for the Way of the Horse is NOW! The time for differing factions to ban together for the greater good of the industry and the planet is also NOW! Are you ready to join the movement?

  We need your voice and your energy for this next EFL quantum leap! This is more than just another workshop, this is the future of this work. Please take a look and consider what part you can play!

  To register, click EFL MasterMind with Kathleen Barry Ingram! Join us and take your next step to becoming an expert in your work with the horses.

  With ease and grace,
  Lisa

  Tags:
  • Abundance,
  • EFL MasterMind,
  • Kathleen Barry Ingram,

Are you still wondering if your clients are the right ones for you? Welcome to the final blogs before the course, The Six Secret Strategies to building and maintaining a successful business. Each of the next six blogs until February 15, the launch date for the APC, will take another quick look at each strategy to remind you of it's importance in creating your success. You can still jump in on the preview calls! The next one is February 3rd.

Strategy #1—Know Thyself

• Unconscious incompetence – what you don’t know, or your blind side.
  
• Conscious Incompetence (you know what you don’t know)
  
• Conscious competence (what you know you know)
  
• Unconscious competence (what you don’t know you know), Reflective Competence (Unique Brilliance).
  
  
  What do you know and not know right now? What is the most critical aspect of this strategy for you? For your clients? Are they getting what they need? Can you provide it?

  Taking a moment to reflect upon each of these aspects of knowing and writing them down will give you powerful insight into your self and how you are showing up in your business. It is a great start to creating a foundation of, “Right Mindset and Context”; the second Secret Strategy.

  With ease and grace,
  Lisa and Schelli

  Links you need to know!
  

  
  
  • Schelli's website
    Attract the Perfect Client Preview Call Sign Up
    
  • Attract the Perfect Client through the Way of the Horse application
    

Last week was a re-entry for me into the corporate world. While I have continued coaching and consulting with some businesses over the past year, my main focus was the Equine Assisted Coach Training Program and the Attract the Perfect Clients through the Way of the Horse program, both of which begin in February.

As of December 2009, I knew this was going to be a different year. My corporate clients began calling in numbers; a good sign for the economy! However, now that I was completely established in my work with coaching and horses, where and how did the corporate world fit it?

To my complete amazement and delight, it fits in just perfectly!! For example...

I hosted members of a global coaching and consulting firm for a few hours in Florida before leaving for NYC to facilitate an off-site for a major pharmaceutical company. I knew I had only a few hours to share the power and potential of Equine Alchemy with these people.

One of the most common questions I hear is how to hold a successful demo. Well, the following is what I did. It was steeped in true coaching; I had no agenda. I created the space for what wanted to happen to show up. I have learned through working with the horses that if I connect to my energy, I will connect to my client's and I will then know what I need to do and say. Here is how it unfolded.

• I began by asking them to come prepared with something they might like some coaching on. This was easy for them because they were on their way to a team development of their own, so any issues were fresh in their mind. Asking them to come with something in mind sets the context for 'consensual' learning--both of us learning together vs. I am the teacher and they are the students so I need to provide everything. It requires them to be actively involved in the session before they arrive.
  
• After welcoming them, I took out my trusty Tibetan Singing Bowl and did some sound, space and energy clearing. 'Coincidentally', the places on their bodies that were cleared were the places with stuck energy, according to them. This work is so important for creating a clear container for the work. It also is a small step for them to experience the energy work without the horses first. This will better prepare them for their equine experiences.
  
• Then we chose a card from Linda Kohanov's Wisdom of the Horse book and card deck. Again, the cards spoke directly to their issues. These beautiful and powerful cards were a way to meet them where they were by shifting their 'corporate' context gradually. The cards also provided a way of exploring their issues through another lens in preparation for the work with the horses. (This is also for the health and well being of my horses. I do not want to expose them to such abrupt energy if I don't have to!)
  
• All of this preparation created the space for very powerful team and individual coaching. It wasn't until then that I knew how I would bring in the horses, I had some ideas but I didn't really know. Here is the difference between facilitation and coaching. Facilitation has an already set agenda that the facilitator brings and manages. Coaching is based entirely upon the client's agenda which then provides the window into what needs to happen with the horses.
  
• Since how they related to each other in the team as well as their clients was a big issue, the energy and boundary work that is the heart of Epona was the first work we did. This work is powerful in creating awareness of our own electromagnetic fields and those of others and how they inter-relate. They were amazed and delighted at what they felt and learned.
  
• Because their role with their clients was a leadership role and the fact that most of their clients contacted them for leadership coaching and consulting, naturally a leadership exercise with the horses was in order. Whatever their idea of leadership when they began the work, it was clearly changed as a result of the experiential and kinesthetic learning from this exercise. They began to see a different 'leadership light'!
  

  Now I come to the part where words fail me. What happened for these people as a result of 2.5 hours with a horse and their authentic selves was nothing less than transformational. For those of you who already work with horses, I know you know...For them it was unprecedented.

  The hope is that this morning together was not only valuable for the participants, it is a way to further evolve Equine Alchemy in general. As I mentioned, the participants are a global firm that work with leaders in very high places. When we spoke about the potential of Equine Alchemy at the end of the morning, I felt like I was 'preaching to the choir'! In fact, the horses went with them to their corporate team development by way of Linda's book and cards. They asked to borrow mine and pulled a card each morning of the 3 day meeting! I am thrilled to say that this was a powerful step in the journey of Equine Guided Education.

  As for the pharmaceutical company...that's for the next blog.

  With ease and grace,
  Lisa

  Tags:
  • coaching with horses,
  • corporate coaching,
  • energy work,
  • leadership,
  • leading exercise,

It is time to walk my talk.

As I step into the launch of Equine Alchemy's 2010 programs, I want to share with you what is most present for me.

I have been on a serious path of transformation for almost 5 years. I have made it though, alive; in fact more alive than I ever thought possible. (This was definitely questionable at several points!)

When I began this path, I wanted to incorporate the new awareness into my corporate work; the real world...but how? I took a tiny step by changing my email signature from the innocuous, 'Regards' to 'Powerfully yours' because at the time I was discovering my authentic power through working with the horses at Epona. The response I received from my favorite client, "Are you drunk?"

Needless to say, I immediately went back to 'regards'; only now instead of innocuous, it felt like 'selling my soul'.

When I finally got up the courage to sign my emails , 'With ease and grace', I had some help from Schelli Whitehouse--thank you, Schelli. I couldn't seem to do this on my own.

Now, my favorite corporate client's response to this is signing his name, "Rarely easy and never graceful"! So I feel like I am making progress!

However, in the midst of launching the Equine Assisted Coach Training Program 2010 in both the US on February 1st and Europe in May and the Attract the Perfect Clients through the Way of the Horse February 15th, it has felt everything but easy and full of grace.

Why, I ask myself, am I not feeling and living what I am teaching and preaching?

This question inspired me to do some seeking and contemplation. So I began re-reading Spiritual Alchemy by Dr. Christine Page (one of the books on my reading list for my EAC program) and Deepok Chopra's new book Reinventing the Body and Resurrecting the Soul; I highly recommend them both. This reading, along with the fact that I am where I am in my own path of transformation, enables me a new glimpse into my existence. Get ready! It is a big one....(at least for me--one that have to have over and over again).

I am already here. Each moment, this is it. I don't have to wait to get there.

This feels much more easy and graceful! As I work towards inviting the right people into my programs with the horses, I must walk my talk. I must realize that it is not about my reality looking like I think it should look. It is about having a vision that is bigger than me, working towards that vision with detachment, gratitude and grace.

So, as I step up to the plate, I invite you to do the same. Where are you compromising yourself and your future? Where is fear keeping you from getting into action? Where is the right action for you? What must you give up and embrace more of to live the life you have always wanted to live?

I can say without question, working with the horses is absolutely the place to ask these questions and receive powerful answers.

Are you ready to walk your talk? Join me, and we can walk together.

With ease and grace,
Lisa and Tibor

When I did my Branding with Archetypes assessment with Schelli Whitehouse, http://TheNextHighestVersionOfYou.com , I found out that my primary archetype is Alchemist! What a validation since I already had named my business Equine Alchemy.

Including Branding with Archetypes with Schelli was a powerful step in my journey to Attract the Perfect Clients. I always have a business strategy; after all I have been a business consultant and coach for 15 years! However, I didn't always include the 'energetic' aspects in the strategic planning and visioning of my business. I am experiencing a deep learning about how completely necessary it is to include this aspect in aligning with my perfect clients and growing the business I always wanted.

Through this process I also discovered that my unique brilliance is 'Connecting the Cosmic Dots'. So, that is the theme of this blog. I want to connect the dots of:

• our previous Attract the Perfect Clients through the Way of the Horse calls,
  
• the upcoming calls, including the next one on Wednesday, January 13th, Register for the call here: http://www.equinealchemy.com/attractyourperfectclient_previewsignup.html
  
• our program Attract the Perfect Clients through the Way of the Horse which begins in February. http://equinealchemy.com/apcinvite.html#2
  

These calls are to help you align with your perfect clients and grow the business of your dreams! They are also a preview into the upcoming program where we will go into depth around each one of the topics. In fact, Schelli and I designed these calls based upon the program curriculum. Let's take a closer look.

Call #1 Speak with clarity and confidence about the transformation you provide for others. Simple must-haves for your business to create and sustain six-figures and beyond! This call was about creating clarity around what you are doing and six concrete steps to make that a reality. If you aren't clear about what you are doing, it will be impossible to speak about it and invite people to join you. The secrets were both concrete actions as well as 'ways of being' to manifest abundance. All of this is in service of attracting your perfect client. The universe is more than willing to cooperate in your abundance. But first, you need to be clear!

Call #2 How to re-purpose your existing service and products to provide more value to your clients and put more money in your pocket! Ok, so now you have some insight into clarity of what you are doing, how to speak about it and how to create a way to manifest that, right? Next, we took a look at how your current business could expand without reinventing the wheel. We spoke about how a different perspective can create different products and services. We also spoke about how a signature system, or a way of identifying, organizing and marketing these new products and services can be an invaluable tool in 're-purposing' your existing business. We also heard from someone who wants different clients and how focusing on your unique brilliance and what you want will more than likely manifest that different client. Both the system and perspective are critical aspects to Attracting YOUR Perfect Clients.

Are you getting it? There are two main parts here:

• How you see yourself and your services
  
• How you offer that to the world
  

That is what Attracting the Perfect Clients is all about.

Call #3, How Branding with Archetypes™ will distinguish you above all others in your area of expertise. Your unique brilliance gives voice to your brand that only your perfect client can hear! is a continuation of how you see yourself and services and includes how you can offer that to the world! In preparation for this call, you get a free assessment! Go to http://www.thenexthighestversionofyou.com/bwa-apc/ now so you will gain this powerful insight!

Each of these preview calls gives you the opportunity to strengthen yourself and your services as a way to expand your business through attracting the perfect clients for YOU. Our program, Attracting the Perfect Client through the Way of the Horse which begins in February, goes deeper into that journey of transformation with the horses so that you can discover and embody your authentic self and power and translate that into your product and services! A powerful combination to Attract YOUR Perfect Clients!

The F.R.E.E. Ride contest is a cosmic dot for your business as well. Filling out the application for this program requires deep reflection into yourself and your business; a critical first step to building the business you have always wanted!

Hopefully this has connected some dots for you! These calls are a mini-course in self discovery and business building; however it is just a sample of what is possible. We look forward to hearing you on our next call.

With ease and grace,

Lisa

We all have times when we know something is about to happen, or that things need to change or that we need to get into action around something; or even to stop doing something. But how often do we listen to that 'knowing'?

How often do we let our bodies and our hearts be our navigator in life?

I can easily say that the answer for me is 'not very often'. Yes, sometimes I am inspired, but for the most part, I get back into my head and the 'shitty committee' as my sister calls it, takes charge.

The new year is a time when many of us may pay closer attention to this 'knowing'. It is time for a fresh start. This year was no different for me, yet my 'knowing' was louder than it normally is.

In December I was shopping, having a great time with my family and then suddenly, my heart went up to 150 beats per minute; normal resting heart rate is around 60. I tried to ignore itinsist I was fine, but it was difficult since I was almost passing out. Paul, my dear husband, took me to the emergency room where they quickly took me in and began trying to shock my heart back to normal. They tried 3 times at 3 different levels, but it 'had a will of its own' and it resisted the treatment. So, they checked me in the cardio unit and gave me meds to get my heart back to working order. Finally, on Christmas Eve, I went back to the festivities and my family, but something was different. What happened hadn't sunk in yet. It was all very surreal.

Since then while my body has been recuperating, my spirit has been expanding. I know that this incident happened as a wake up call--how long was I going to continue giving lip service to what my heart knows is true for me? When am I going to connect my mind and heart and live my life from there? My coach and mentor told me it wasn't the heart that was shocked, it was more like my mind! That the 'shitty committee' was blown to bits!

I have been slow to 'get back into the swing of things' and I have been troubled about that. But, during the spirit expansion as I call it, I realized why. I don't want things to go back to normal. I don't want to get back 'up to speed'. I want to be present to what wants to happen now. Whatever that is. It doesn't mean that I don't want to make plans--(boy do I have plenty of those!! Just check out my Winter and Spring schedule at http://www.equinealchemy.com) But, I want to breathe and live in abundance trusting that I have everything I need and that those of you who want to join me on my journey will.

So, before you 'get back into the swing of things' or back 'up to speed', stop a moment and listen to your heart. What wants to happen for you? How can your honor yourself and therefore give more to those who love you? How can you live your life through a strong and unbreakable connection between your mind and your heart?

Good questions. Before you get into action for 2010, I highly recommend contemplating them as preparation for right action. Finding your own answers is spiritual alchemy.

With ease and grace,
Lisa

Right Action is not only one of the 7 Secrets to a 6 Figure Business, it is an underlying principle in all of them.

Many of you have let me know that you are not sure what Right Action is for you. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to explore this a bit.

What is Right Action and how do you know what it is? I mentioned on Attract the Perfect Client preview call #1 that Right Action is about:

• Having the right Business Model
  
• Having the right Strategic Plan
  
• Having the right Implementation Plan
  

How many of you have all three of these? Congratulations! You are well on your way to your 6 figure business!! The right action for you is to know when to act and when to practice Zen and the art of inaction. Discernment is the key here.

How many of you have two of these? Terrific...except if the one you don't have is the Implementation Plan. The best business models and strategic plans are only as good as their implementation plans. The right action for you is to get one of those implementation plans asap!

How many of you have only one of these? This is a great start! The right action for you is to work with someone who can guide you in creating the other 2 to manifest the life and business you want!

And now, how many of you don't have any of these three basics of right action? Perfect!! This is a time of opportunity in your life. It is time for you to finally create the life and business you always wanted. The right action for you is to work with someone to help you realize that you are the secret to having all of this. Someone who knows how to guide and mentor you with the resources you need to make all of your dreams a reality!

Finally the right action for each of you, no matter where you are in your process of creating abundance in your life, is to find a way to make all of this sustainable. So for all of you, the Right Action is finding the right way for you to sustain the life and your business you always wanted for as long as you want while living your life to the fullest!

Now that you have an idea of where you are in the context of Right Action, what do you need to do? What action do you need to take?

Is applying for Attract the Perfect Client through the Way of the Horse the right action for you?

Schelli and I are here, ready to help you step into one Right Action after the other. We are living our dreams and want you to do the same. One of our Right Actions is to build a community of like hearted people and share our resources with them so that they can manifest those dreams.

Come join us! www.equinealchemy.com/apcinvite.html is the first step!

With ease and grace,

Lisa and Schelli

Wow! What a call on November 17! Thank all of you who signed up and participated in the first in a 4 part Tele-series, "Attract the Perfect Client through The Way of the Horse".

So many of you reached out after signing up to let me know how timely this call and information was for you. It seems like all of you want to know more about attracting your perfect clients!

That's why I decided to offer the first 5 people to contact me a 30 minute sample coaching session! (a $375 value) FREE!

Although each of the 4 tele-conferences is packed with amazing immediately applicable information, as Schelli said on the call, COACHING you through the whole process of creating a sustainable six figure and beyond business is the heart of "Attract the Perfect Client through The Way of the Horse".

Because we are committed to attracting and working with OUR perfect clients, I am offering this ONE TIME sample coaching session to those of you who are:

• ready to grow your business
  
• willing to invest in this growth
  
• are a match for this program
  

In creating my business, I made a stand for people having the life and businesses they want no matter what. Therefore as a coach and mentor, I am committed to supporting your growth and abundance. But I have learned that I can't be more committed than you are. So, if you are ready to have the life and business you have always dreamed of, call me, email me, contact me for your FREE sample coaching session. But only the first 5 get to participate in these individual sessions!

I am so looking forward to beginning our partnership!

With ease and grace,
Lisa

It was a great call on November 12th ! Thank you so much for all of you who called in. I hope you received the Bonus report....I welcome your comments as always.

Here is the link for the recording. http://www.box.net/shared/3zh5c6y6av

Enjoy!

Don't forget to join us for our upcoming FREE tele-series, Attract the Perfect Clients through the Way of the Horse. It's time to create abundance for all of you soulful service providers! Here is the signup link, http://www.equinealchemy.com/attractyourperfectclient_previewsignup.html

Hope to see you there!

With ease and grace,
Lisa