“I am a true believer that animals help humans heal, grow and evolve into the best version of ourselves.” ~ Anna Marie

My journey to this awareness began over 10 years ago, when I started working with the race horses my husband trained. The more involved I was at the barn, the better I felt about myself! Though I enjoyed my work as a teacher, being around horses on a regular basis fulfilled me in a way being a teacher never did. When Jim asked if I wanted to work with him and the horses full time, I jumped at the opportunity.

Over time, I learned and implemented various forms of therapy to help the horses recover from their racing injuries. All the while, I was secretly wishing I had psychic abilities to communicate with the horses so I could ask them what was wrong and how I could help. I hadn’t yet discovered I could indeed communicate with them!

Eventually, life led me to a Reiki class. The night after my first Reiki class, something called me to the barn to try it with the horses. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, because no part of the Reiki course talked specifically about how to Reiki with animals, but I followed my instincts and gave it a whirl. Something was happening! The horses were physically responding to the energy. As an added bonus, I was feeling better after each session I did with them. I started sharing Reiki with all of our horses on a regular basis and started noticing how my intuitive abilities were showing up in places they weren’t apparent before.

Working with horses on an energetic level led me to believing in myself and things I never thought I would be capable of—like energy healing and animal communication. I decided I was ready to sign up for a course to learn how to develop my animal communication skills further.

Unfortunately, a couple weeks into the course, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. “Stage IV. Palliative care only. 6-8 months, possibly.” The words burned into my heart. Jim died less than 4 months later. My heart was broken, the loss amplified by having to liquidate our business and sell all the horses. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own. I was completely lost. Needless to say, I didn’t complete that animal communication course.

In an effort to stay connected with the horses, I continued offering Animal Reiki sessions to the small group of horse people I stayed in touch with. I also began volunteering to share Reiki with the animals at a local shelter. I cried and released so much much during these sessions. Every animal I worked with during this time held space for me to grieve without judgment or expectation. They allowed me to cry and then did silly things to make me laugh. They were teaching me to trust myself and my intuition. These sessions were extremely healing for me, even though I thought I was there to facilitate healing for them.

Amidst the grief and heartbreak, I found gratitude for the opportunity to start over and choose any path I wanted to travel from this point forward. I didn’t want to go back to teaching just because I had a master’s degree or because that was the smart/logical/safe thing to do—no matter how much the people around me encouraged me to do so. It would be easier to get a 9-5, have a steady income, not worry about insurance or bills, but none of that felt right in my heart.

I believe, with every bit of my heart and soul, that part of the Soul Contract I had with my husband was that he would cross over before me so I would have this time to work on my own karmic lessons. Knowing this pushes me to keep working toward my dreams no matter how hard it may seem. I will not give up. I continue my journey in honor of the love I share with my husband, but also to honor my own soul and the karmic lessons I chose to incarnate in this lifetime to work on. And here I am now: Soul Level Animal Communicator®, Soul Level Intuitive Coach®, Energy Healer, and Equine Experiential Coach. It is all coming full circle for me, back to the horses and back to my true self.

I have the joy of sharing my life with a small herd of absolutely amazing horses that are near and dear to my heart. They have helped me create my Healed by a Horse® Equine Experiential Coaching program and continue to teach me ways I can help others heal and evolve. Each of them work with me on my Soul Level Lessons every single day, along with 3 of our barn cats and my newly adopted senior dog, Tica. With their help, and with the help of all the animals and clients I meet and work with, I am healing, growing and evolving into the best version of myself a little bit each day.

With Love and Gratitude,
Anna Marie