Posts by Stacy Westfall
Episode 163- A Year End Review
Do you pause each year to reflect back on the things you did…or didn’t…accomplish? In this conversation my good friend Suzi Vlietstra helps me do just that. As you listen, I hope you reflect and can hear how we are cleaning up our thinking before starting the next. I find that bouncing ideas off a…
Read MoreEpisode 162: Leave room for the magic
I think there can be a magical dance between dreaming and doing. In this podcast I discuss: -dreaming and the nuts-and-bolts of training -why it looks like some trainers don’t like horses -how to make progress when you aren’t sure exactly what you want to do with your horse -the idea that all disciplines share…
Read MoreEpisode 161: The power of “I don’t know how…”
The phrase “I don’t know how” is often said with a sense of defeat but it can also be freeing. ‘I don’t know how…but I’m going for it anyway.’ What if it means you are ready to learn? If you do decide to go for it…you’ll likely experience ‘want’, as in wanting it. ‘Want’ can…
Read MoreEpisode 160: Yearly theme instead of goal?
Choosing a yearly theme is a great way to guide your brain in a new direction. Unlike specific goals, themes are there as a guiding principal. A theme is broad and is often something that will cross several areas of your life. Themes are also more flexible in nature because they are here to…
Read MoreEpisode 159: 5 steps to blow your own mind
What would happen if you got in the habit of surprising yourself with what you are capable of? The more you surprise yourself with what you can do…the more you can open your mind to what is possible. What if the SIDE EFFECT of your measurable goals…is who you want to become? What if confidence…
Read MoreEpisode 158: An inside-out thankfulness assignment
“Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”-Robert Brault I see a dance between the words; thankful, grateful and compassion. When you make your ’I’m thankful for…’ list, do you make it on the list? There is a good chance you don’t because many people…
Read MoreEpisode 157: What ‘they’ say…and what I make it mean about me as a rider.
When someone makes a comment there is; what we hear, what we make it mean and how we can learn from it. A judge wrote, “You got just about every possible point out of this willing, obedient horse who is just not gifted with elasticity. Good training.” Not everyone reacted the same as I did…
Read MoreAQHA World Show Champion Open Western Dressage & Dressage
I Can Can I. That is the name that I gave my little 14 hand horse…who keeps proving that she certainly CAN. Willow (that’s her barn name) and I drove 16 hours to Oklahoma City to the American Quarter Horse Association World show to compete in both traditional and western dressage. ?AQHA World Show Champion…
Read MoreEpisode 156: Three mistakes I nearly made at the AQHA world show
Going ALL IN on a goal contains many learning opportunities. In this podcast, I discuss these three challenges and how I overcame them at the AQHA world show. 1) I was tempted to become overly focused on this one event and loose sight of the big picture. 2) I was tempted to let the results…
Read MoreEpisode 155: Abandoning hopes and dreams.
“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid…
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