Join me on a road trip today to…

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It’s Arizona or bust. Today, I’m embarking on one of my favorite trips…a road trip to Tucson, Arizona where my ultimate destination is White Stallion Ranch where I’m leading the UNBRIDLED Retreat.

I love a good road trip. Do you like road trips too?

There’s something about being on the open road with the windows down blasting Steppenwolf, Taylor Swift (#noshame), and Allison Krauss that fills my soul.

Road trips epitomize my number one core value…FREEDOM.

road-trip

I can stop wherever I want to (unless my car tells me it need gas), do some sightseeing, and visit friends along the way.

It’s where I contemplate life, and have the time and space to reflect on recent experiences. Watching the world go by and seeing new landscape, never fails to help me view things from a new perspective.

You’re invited to ride alongside on my trip and I’ll be posting live video on Facebook (CLICK HERE to follow), and scenic pictures on Instagram (CLICK HERE to see the pics).

I’m excited to share my adventures with you, and let me know if you have a song request 😉

This is my third time leading the UNBRIDLED Retreat and it’s a symbolic trip in many ways.

Eleven years ago, I hit rock bottom from depression and bulimia and went from a hospital, to a psych ward, to a holistic treatment center called Mirasol in Tucson, Arizona. At Mirasol, I experienced equine therapy for the first time and it saved my life. To read the full story, CLICK HERE.

It’s also where the lightbulb went off that my purpose was to help others experience healing through horses.

Now, I’m headed back to a sacred area of Tucson to help 10 women experience the healing power of horses in a retreat where the “Wild West”meets “Holistic Healing.” White Stallion Ranch (a 3,000 acre dude ranch) is located 30 minutes away from Mirasol, where my journey began.

Another reason that makes this trip special is I’ll be visiting Marla Kuhn of Blue Horse Medicine. 

Marla was my equine therapist at Mirasol, and it was working with her and her horse, “Jack,” that inspired my passion, my calling, and what has now been my career for the past six years.

You never know where the trail is going to lead (I certainly didn’t), and eleven years ago I never would have imagined where I’d be today. From the holistic treatment center to leading a holistic retreat, it has been a full circle experience.

From what I’ve discovered, sometimes our greatest struggles become our greatest gifts.

I hope you’ll ride alongside as I drive down through the Four Corners, and past cities such as Truth or Consequences (no joke) in New Mexico, and into the land of saguaros and breathtaking sunsets.

On the road again…just can’t wait to get on the road again,

Devon

P.S. If you’re interested in attending the next UNBRIDLED Arizona Retreat on March 2nd – 5th, 2017, CLICK HERE for more information and to reserve a spot. 

Follow Your Calling

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Everyone has a calling; a path to follow. It’s our job to follow that calling in whichever direction it leads.

It means trusting your intuition and having faith, letting go of who you think you “should be” and embracing who you are. When you follow what you love, you find what you’ve been looking for.

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” — Rumi

Trust what speaks to your heart,

Devon

Chakras and Shotguns…a Woman’s Montana Memoir

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Sometimes a woman needs a change of scenery.

As much as I love the Colorado ranch, I needed to go beyond the arena for a few days. On an adventure to Big Sky Country for a Wildheart Retreat.

I decided to drive there. My gut told me I needed a solo road trip.

I didn’t know what lay in store for me on the road ahead but I knew that Montana had some answers.

So I put an air mattress in the back of the Suburban and headed North…

There is a reason Montana is called Big Sky Country. The skies stretch as far as the eye can see and gives a whole new meaning to wide open spaces. I fell in love immediately.

The retreat was led by the dynamic trio of fellow coaches Wildheart Revolution leader Sally Hope, Business and Money coach Ellen Ercolini and Love and Relationship coach Natalie Vartanian.

The weekend was packed with activities like ATVing, skeet shooting, horseback riding, barrel racing and learning about falconry.  We also wrote out what we wanted to let go of in our lives and burned the lists in a fire.

I had reservations about skeet shooting because I’m not a hunter and I have mixed feelings about guns. But I was willing to try and we had an amazing female instructor who gave a great safety demonstration.

I surprised myself…I loved it. Turns out, I’m a straight shooter and won a mug for hitting the most clay disks in my group.

Later that night I chatted about chakras and energy work with some fellow Wildhearts.

Point is, pre-Wildheart retreat I would only be sharing about the chakra part with you. Not wanting to rock the boat out of fear that you won’t agree or like the shooting part. Truth is, you may not agree and that’s ok.

For a long time, I was trying to fit in to a specific way that I wanted people to see me. Telling myself “If you’re this________then you can’t be that_______. I mean, what will people think?!” 

Talk about feeling suffocated and confined of my own doing.

But you can’t stay small in Montana. It brought out all my different sides. Complete opposites. Dichotomies all playing together. It was awesome and FREEING.

I loved feeling like a badass, driving ATV’s splashing through mud while having crystals in my pocket.

Basking in the solitude of driving thirty hours on a solo road trip, then being in a group of twenty amazing Wildhearted women for three days.

Car camping under the stars, then staying in a beautiful lodge with luxurious rustic amenities.

Barrel racing like a cowgirl, then later that night, crying on trail horse Dandy’s shoulder while he gave me some impromptu equine therapy.

Listening to Dolly Parton, Norah Jones and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Drinking Coors Light one night and champagne the next.

Shooting shotguns and talking chakras.

Wearing a cowgirl hat and yoga pants.

Big Sky country taught me to expand and share more of myself with others. The feminine, vulnerable, rugged, tough, adventurous, sensitive sides. I’m all of it. Not one or the other. I gave myself permission to be all of it. To show up and fully be ME.

Montana is a great teacher. The landscape here is as diverse as the skies. Golden rays of morning light on the bald hilltops above the majestic rocky hills and wide open prairies. Montana puts it all out there, lucky for us!

Maybe you can relate? Do you hide or tone down sides of yourself so you don’t confuse people or rock the boat? Maybe you like opera and hip hop? Or you love riding motorcycles and sewing? Or you like to ride horses like the wind and experience their healing power in a therapeutic setting? Whatever it is, ROCK IT ALL.

The more you give yourself permission to show up as you really are, the more the right people and situations will find you.

“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you…as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

What parts of yourself are you ready to share more of? You don’t just have to be one way…BE ALL OF YOU.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments below!

The git r’ done metaphysical cowgirl,

Devon

What to do when the Confidence train doesn’t stop at your station

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“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams…”

Thanks, Henry David Thoreau, but what if I don’t have the confidence yet?

Here’s what I propose, “Go in the direction of your dreams…one shaky step at a time.”

“I’ve been afraid every single day of my life, but I’ve gone ahead and done it anyway.” ~Georgia O’Keefe

When I was twenty-three, my dream was in the form of a blue-eyed boy named Nick in my real estate class.

He was gorgeous and I mean the kind of piercing blue eyes that make a girl’s palms sweat and cheeks blush at the sight of him.

I can’t believe I even learned anything in class but he was a damn good excuse to show up every day (and to apply an extra layer of lip gloss every 20 minutes.)

We didn’t exchange words for the whole three weeks, just a lot of stalking looks on my part and he threw a few casual glances my way.

At the end of week three, we took our final exams and I turned mine in.

I looked around and noticed he wasn’t there.

Nick, where art thou Nick?

I booked it out of the lecture room and took off  down the hall, frantically looking around.

It turned out that he was finishing the test in a nearby room, free of distractions.

I walked by, saw him alone in there and fear struck my heart.

The universe had definitely thrown me a bone.

It was now or never.

The familiar rambling inner critic voice reared her head but I didn’t stay in my head.

Instead I reined in the huge rush of fear adrenaline and took action.

“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” ~Wayne Gretzky

I nervously walked into the room.

He looked up from his test and did not smile.

Oh shit, what was I doing?

I smiled like a crazy woman and scampered over to the desk where he was sitting.

Scared

Voice shaking, I blurted out “Hi, I’m Devon.”

He said hi and that his name was Nick.

I already knew his name but I didn’t tell him that.

“Don’t mean to bother you, but, ummm, I don’t know if you’re spoken for or not but, ummmm, would you ever want to get coffee sometime?”

I shut my mouth and stopped stammering.

He grinned a little, put his pen down, sat back in his chair and replied, “Umm, haha, no I’m not spoken for and yeah that sounds cool.”

I almost passed out, I was holding my breath at this point.

“Great!!! What’s the best way to get in touch with you?”

OMG, I sounded like I was at a networking event.

“Here I’ll give you my number.”

He wrote down his number and I tried to control myself.

Walked backward right into a chair and almost fell over.

Blushing like wildfire, I sheepishly grinned and said “Awesome, I’ll text you!”

I spun around like I’d just won the lottery.

Walked outside, got into my car and started fist pumping.

I was so PROUD of myself for just doing it.

We ended up dating for two years.

Point is, I was a nervous wreck.

If I had waited until confidence came, I would have been dead in the water because it never came.

Fear was pulsing through me but I took action in spite of it.

Instead of letting it paralyze me I used it for fuel.

I took one small step for womankind and one huge step for Devon.

My confidence muscles were weak and flabby at the time.

But they got their first real workout that day.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

And I’ve been building the confidence muscles ever since.

One day and one step at a time. In different areas of my life.

Just a girl

How do you build yours?

Is it saying “NO” to something you really don’t want to do?

Is it saying “YES” to something you normally never would do?

What’s something you could take action on that’s a complete 180 degree difference of what you’d normally do?

Instead of letting fear paralyze you, take advantage of the enormous energy it has behind it.

Channel it into action. Act on it and confidence will follow, I guarantee it.

So go talk to that person. Or leave a conversation that doesn’t feel good to you.

Email the person who has the amazing job you’d want to do someday and ask to take them out to coffee.

Or ask the dude you’ve been crushing on to go out to coffee.

Sign up for the class at the nearby community college. Speak up in class, in the boardroom or in the bedroom.

“Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.” ~ Anonymous

Here’s what I suggest:  Just GO in the direction of your dreams.

Trembling in your boots. Or high heels. Or tennis shoes.

With a shaky voice, sweaty palms and heart pounding with fear of failure, success, being judged, looking stupid, the unknown.

If you’re scared of trying something, that’s a good sign.

Means it’s a risk worth taking and you are headed in the right direction.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” ~ Joseph Campbell

So what do YOU think? Can you relate? Is fear keeping you from moving forward?

Your confidence will build over time but FIRST you gotta take action.

What’s ONE thing you can do this week to move forward toward your dream in spite of fear?

I’d love to hear in the comments below so that I can support you!

Giddy up and let’s do this!

Devon

Friday’s Frisky Filly has a message for YOU

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Earlier this week I received a private Facebook message that stopped me in my tracks.

A Facebook “former” fan of Beyond the Arena, someone whom I do not know and have never met, wrote me this:

“I liked your page because it was about getting conscious and going inward with the power of horses. Comparing a man to a stallion is just as degrading to a man as it would be if a man posted something similar about a women. I, as a woman, do not want to be objectified nor compared to an animal and if you do so to a man…I believe….it gives men permission to do the same to women. I wanted you to know that for a business that is about being conscious…you may want to look deeper into yourself and ask…what this post really represents for you and your image at Beyond the Arena.”

Yikes. My first reaction was shock. Then fear that I had pissed someone off and they didn’t like me and my business.

Then anger boiled up in response to feeling challenged about what I represent.

Then a cool wave of calmness rolled over me. I thought, hey fair enough, we are all entitled to our own opinion and I’m not here to tone myself down to please everyone.

What it really challenged me to do was to articulate and share what I represent through Beyond the Arena. This is a good thing.

Truth is, no one has control over how people react to different things and everyone views life through their own lens. 

My intention is not to degrade men. In my perspective, light-heartedly referring to a man as a stallion is a compliment. The people who are drawn to Beyond the Arena and my coaching style, tend to agree.

But not everyone sees it that way and that’s ok.

To me, a stallion is a fascinating horse. When a stallion is unrestrained and in their natural state, they have an undeniable masculine energy that is captivating.  A stallion’s presence can evoke all kinds of different emotions within humans.

Beyond the Arena is about evoking and processing emotions.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

As for permission…I’m conscious that I’m giving myself permission to be who I am and I’m allowing different parts of myself to show up in my business.

My Inner Frisky Filly likes to come out and play (especially on Fridays) as well as my Inner Holistic Goddess and my Inner Intuitive Life Coach and many other parts make appearances throughout my work.

I’m also conscious that every woman whom has worked with Beyond the Arena has benefited from a good laugh as much as a good cry. When I’m coaching, I round up the parts of myself that are going to serve my clients the best, in any given moment.

What Beyond the Arena represents is assisting women in giving themselves permission to express who they are. To explore and accept all parts of themselves. To turn inwards and become conscious to what makes us come alive. And to become conscious as to what keeps us stuck, miserable and depressed.

My intention with Friday’s Featured Stallion is to bring a smile to my readers faces (95% of whom are women), a giggle or belly laugh or perhaps a blush on the cheeks.

Hot cowboy for Nov 21

“The sacred and the sensual/sexual live very near one another in the psyche, for they all are brought to attention through a sense of wonder, not from intellectualizing but through experiencing something through the physical pathways of the body, something that for a moment or forever, whether it is a kiss, a vision, a belly laugh, or whatever, changes us, shakes us out, takes us to a pinnacle, smooths out our lines, gives us a dance step, a whistle, a true burst of life.”

~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. , Women Who Run with the Wolves

By the way, if you haven’t read Women Who Run with the Wolves, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Side note is that one of my goals in life is to write Women Who Run with the Horses…stay tuned on that 🙂

In our arena, the horses and I have had the honor of coaching and supporting hundreds of women in expressing their full range of emotions.

It is my belief that a deep belly laugh is just as healing as uncontrollable sobbing. No emotion is right or wrong. What’s wrong is not expressing who we truly are.

Not everyone jives with my Inner Frisky Filly and her often irreverent sense of humor. That’s ok. Those that do, including my family, friends and clients, have shared that it’s refreshing and it helps them snap out of a gloomy mood.

To have a sense of humor is an important part of the healing process. It can clear the cobwebs on the soul when nothing else works.

There’s something so raw and unfiltered about a woman expressing her sensual nature which is undeniably a part of who we are.

For me, it’s a joyful feeling that takes over my body when I post Friday’s Featured Stallion. I want the same for you when you see the post.

Funny joke

Here is one of my all time favorite pictures with two of my closest girlfriends that I have known since Kindergarden. We were howling. It was at a joke that some would find inappropriate. I was laughing so hard I lost all body function, hence my hand is in a unique position.

Now that’s a laugh that will clear out the cobwebs on the soul. And we did no harm in the process. Just the opposite actually. Here are three unbridled women who are expressing themselves and not suppressing themselves. In my opinion, that’s what the world needs more of.

Thanks for reading and I’d love your thoughts and comments. My intention is for you to express your unbridled self to the world. The horses and I can show you how.

Friday’s Frisky Filly,

Devon