It all started with what Carolyn Creed refers to as her “shakening.”
“Life taps you on the shoulder, and when you're not listening, it just shakes you,” says Creed, an alumna of Woodsworth College who studied fine art in the Department of Art History in the Faculty of Arts & Science.
At 21 weeks pregnant with her second child, Creed’s water broke. Doctors predicted her baby had a 20 per cent chance of survival.
“I was stopped in my tracks,” Creed explains. “I had been struggling for most of my adult life with bipolar II disorder, and then this happened.”
As weeks passed and specialists were unable to provide answers, Creed discovered equine-assisted learning (EAL), the practice of working with horses to promote personal growth. A lifelong horse lover, Creed signed up.
“For the first time, I tuned out all this noise coming at me and listened to that quiet inner voice,” says Creed. “I just heard, ‘You’re going to be okay.’” After giving birth to a healthy son 12 weeks later, she felt compelled to pursue a career in EAL.
Creed believes that when it comes to overcoming professional and personal obstacles, horses have a lot to teach us — if we’re willing to learn. “I call them ‘gentle warriors.’ They’re peaceful and non-violent. They’re actually prey animals. Their sensitivity is their superpower. That’s how they stay alive.”
The concept of horse therapy dates back to ancient Greece. Some contemporary forms of EAL — like Creed’s — take place on the ground and focus on emotional benefits, while others involve riding horses as a form of physical therapy. EAL is used for a variety of conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism and cerebral palsy.
The benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) have been widely studied, commonly through programs where therapy dogs visit universities during exam periods, hospitals and retirement homes. The interactions between humans and animals have been shown to decrease loneliness and anxiety, while improving mood and cognitive function.
Horses are unique therapy animals due to their size and hypersensitivity. They also can decipher human emotions, says Creed, and will mirror those emotions, encouraging self-discovery in the participant. There is still limited research on the benefits of EAL, but the existing scholarship shows positive results.
Creed formerly ran her own photography and professional photo album businesses, working seven days a week with her husband. “That’s the old way of thinking,” she observes. “You sacrifice everything, and then maybe later you can enjoy a little bit when you're older. It doesn’t work — we need community, collaboration and connection.”
Today, Creed is a mindset and leadership coach and an equine-guided facilitator. She works with “big-hearted, sensitive entrepreneurs” to help them overcome their business-related fears through online courses and in-person sessions. There’s no riding involved during the on-location group retreats and one-on-one sessions, but clients practice meditation and self-reflection in the presence of horses. Creed works with five equine partners in Markdale, Ontario, but her clients are spread out geographically. It’s an exciting time, says Creed, as technology allows her to connect with clients, no matter where they’re located across North America.
“You can sit at home on your computer and help people doing what you love.”
To grow her business beyond its rural roots, Creed has created a website — which includes a free guide called “The Sensitive Soul’s Guide to Impact” — and various social media accounts to showcase her photography and videography. A podcast is in the works as well.
Creed also set a goal earlier this year to have 100 meaningful conversations by the end of 2019. “We’re online so much and we're connected, but we're not really.” So she began reaching out to family, friends and acquaintances, inviting them to a video chat. She then asks them to have a meaningful conversation with someone else, and connect Creed with someone new who might be interested in participating. “It’s been so amazing and profound.”
Creed says her arts degree helped her develop the flexibility and creativity to be successful as an entrepreneur. “It prepared me for the beauty of the unknown. To be an entrepreneur, you have to embrace the unknown,” she says, adding that her degree encouraged her to ask questions and think critically. “What do I want? What's this calling? And then how do I create that? Let me ask questions and really pave my own path.”
Creed describes herself as intuitive, empathetic and emotional — traits she believes are often viewed as negative. Creed, however, sees them as unique assets in the business world. “I thought that to be an entrepreneur, I’d have to be loud and aggressive,” she says. “What I've learned is that gentle power is the superpower for people who are more introverted and sensitive. Gentle is in fact quite powerful. We can achieve amazing success.”
This article was originally published by A & S News on November 19, 2019; reprinted with permission.