Creative Spirits Unleashed Lynn Carnes

My guest for this episode of the Creative Spirits Unleashed podcast is Laurie Kaplan. I reached out to Laurie to be on the podcast after hearing her talk about her experience of the Gaucho Derby on the Greg and Dan Show in Peoria Illinois. The Gaucho Derby is a 500 km adventure race through Patagonia, and it’s billed as the world’s toughest horse race. That’s an understatement. Three of my former podcast guests were involved in the Derby, Kansas Carradine, Stevie Delahunt and Warwick Schiller, so I was paying attention to their adventures as well. In this podcast, Laurie shares her epic moments. Some were high notes and there were plenty of low notes as well. As we spoke, it’s almost as if she were reliving many of the moments, which you will hear. Listen to the whole thing, because at the end, you will hear how she puts it all together, when I ask her: What would the Laurie of today tell the Laurie that decided in August 2022 to do the race. Her answer moved me to tears.  
Here's what Laurie has to say about herself:  
Laurie is a free spirit who seeks living at a deeper level in the many things that she pursues. Whether it is raising her 2 boys who are both successfully off at university, riding horses, caring for her farm, rocking out on her drums and guiding others to their epigenetically best life. She recently experienced the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia, Argentina and is still processing the profound expansion this is opening for her.
I hope you enjoy this podcast with Laurie Kaplan and as always, please share this episode with your colleagues and friends. 

Additional Topics

·      The Gaucho Derby adventure race in Patagonia with Laurie Kaplan. (0:02)
·      Endurance horse race in Patagonia with challenging terrain and limited gear. (3:30)
·      Carrying personal items during a horseback ride. (9:59)
·      Mental preparation and overcoming obstacles in a horse race. (17:21)
·      Adventure vs. competitor in horse race. (23:48)
·      Horseback riding adventure with injuries and lessons learned. (29:35)
·      Trust, balance, and galloping in horse riding. (35:21)
·      Horseback riding adventure with highs and lows. (40:19)
·      Overcoming self-criticism and focusing on progress. (46:24)
·      Overcoming burnout and building mental strength. (51:43)
·      Hormones, burnout, and epigenetics in a horseback riding adventure. (1:00:22)
·      Outdoor adventures, hiking, and bathroom experiences. (1:08:09)
·      Visualization and manifestation in a horse riding competition. (1:14:04)
·      Dealing with disappointment after not completing a big goal. (1:20:09)
·      Self-discovery and horse riding. (1:25:52)
·      Epigenetics, genetic testing, and personalized health plans. (1:31:30)
·      Epigenetics, mindset, and adventure with Laurie Kaplan. (1:38:11)

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My guest for this episode is Jane Pike. I first heard Jane’s name in context of the World Equestrian Games in 2018. She was the mindset coach for Warwick and Robyn Schiller, who competed in reining, and scored their best scores during an extremely high-pressure event. Prior to those games, I had never heard of reining; however, it was the discipline that captivated me then and has ever since. Back to Jane. I was very intrigued by Jane’s approach to mindset training. Not only does she align with my experience of what really works, she aligns very much with the natural world. I met her in 2022 at the Journey On Podcast summit, and also got to spend time with her on at the 2023 event as well. I was thrilled when she agreed to come on this podcast.  

This conversation flew by for both of us. We started and were immediately in the flow, speaking about topics like what to do with discomfort, the distinction between the action of fear and the emotion of fear, the way our mind can get in loops like Groundhog Day, and so much more. There were many quotable moments in this conversation. One of my favorite’s was this: Our role is not to police other people’s passions.  

Here's what Jane has to say about herself:  

Jane Pike is a writer, poet, and horsewoman from the South Island of New Zealand. In the horse world, her work focuses on practices and understandings that increase vitality for both humans and horses, incorporating nervous system awareness to both mindset and movement. The methods she teaches explore physical and emotional patterns at their most foundational level- the brain and the nervous system- with the aim of creating adaptability and responsiveness, both in and out of the saddle. Jane has featured and written for various magazines around the world and is a sought after international clinician and trainer through her business Confident Rider. 

Jane’s passions and expertise also extend to how we can best live full and creative lives, and develop the tenacity and courage to do so. Her deep appreciation for writing and the arts has also seen her skip down the garden path of how it is we can all find and allow for our own unique creative expression, sharing her own writing and teaching retreats and workshops that focus on giving ourselves permission to and making the time for following the things that we love. 

My guest for this episode is Mary Connaughty-Sullivan. This was an incredibly special episode unlike any I've done before. Mary is the author of "Nudges from the Other Side." It is the story that she shares from her journal entries, along with a lot of poetry and her thoughts of losing her son, Aaron, at the age of 20. It's not only a heartbreaking story but also an uplifting one. You'll understand that as you listen to this podcast. 
Here is what she has to say about herself:
When asked to provide biographical info, Mary’s first sentence typically is, “I’m a mom.” To say that Aaron was and is important to her is an understatement. She considers him her foremost gift and trusts that in providing his and her story to readers, they too will receive a gift.
Mary grew up in a small midwestern town and enjoyed an active outdoor life during an era when life was slower and simpler. A self-described lifelong learner, Mary was encouraged and unrestricted by her parents to read anything and everything that interested her. Her love for words, language, and stories persists to this day.
After college, Mary spent 41 years in financial services where she held roles in sales, leadership, and as an executive leading Learning & Development teams for Fortune 500 firms. She has a BA in Psychology and has recently graduated with highest honors from the Funeral Director’s program at Fayetteville Technical Community College. Mary successfully completed all of her state board exams and became a licensed North Carolina Funeral Director in September of 2023. 
Mary lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband and their three horses, three dogs, and three cats. In her spare time, Mary enjoys reading, gardening, water skiing, sketching, writing, and horseback riding.
I hope you enjoy this episode with Mary Connaughty-Sullivan.

·      Grief, synchronicity, and personal growth. (0:02)
·      Finding one's voice and overcoming insecurities in a corporate environment. (4:25)
·      Coping with loss and resilience. (12:52)
·      Coping with loss and finding hope. (18:54)
·      Grief, vulnerability, and authenticity. (25:27)
·      Social media, gratitude practices, and filtering negative content. (33:45)
·      Personal and professional growth through retirement transition. (40:06)
·      Grief, spirituality, and communication with the dead. (46:17)
·      Grief, journaling, and finding hope. (52:12)
·      Grief, healing, and the impact of a memoir. (58:51)
·      Personality types and book launch planning. (1:07:27)
·      Vision Boards, Intention Setting, and Spiritual Guidance. (1:10:57)
·      Intuition, dreams, and personal growth. (1:17:47)
·      Business alignment and customer service. (1:23:42)
·      Grief, loss, and how to support those in mourning. (1:28:40)
·      Grief, healing, and personal growth. (1:37:5)

Email: maryanddan.nc@gmail.com

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My guest for this episode is Julie Ripley, who specializes in helping people regain their connection with self. She was also the Chief Financial Officer of a company in her mid-30’s when she realized that she was burned out. Given my own experience of near-burnout in my mid 30’s, you can imagine, we had a lot to talk about. If I had to characterize this conversation, I would say it’s about distinctions. For example, the distinction between power and force. Also the distinction between sleep and rest. The distinction between the embodiment of wisdom versus just knowing information. 
This is a conversation for anyone who is looking for meaning, or looking for ways to get past being stuck. 
Here’s what Julie says about herself:
Julie is a personal development coach specializing in self-connection, boundaries, and communication. She is a speaker and has authored her own coaching programs; pulling together her experience of burning out in a CFO position, all the lessons she has learned from riding horses, and her lifelong study of personal growth and spiritual development. She specializes in helping high-achieving successful people, who are feeling stuck, make their next move.
I hope you enjoy this conversation with Julie Ripley.

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Kansas Carradine is a globally acclaimed professional horsewoman with a lifelong dedication to her craft. Since she was 11 years old, she has entertained audiences around the world, demonstrating her exceptional talents as a trick rider, roman rider, and lasso artist.

Some of her performance credits include Hidalgo, Heartland, the World Equestrian Games, Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, National Finals Rodeo, appearances on MTV, ESPN, CBS, Equitana, Cheval Passion and Equifest. She has been featured in publications such as Sports Illustrated, Western Horseman, Cowboy & Indians, and the LA Times. With Cavalia, she toured over five continents as a featured soloist, roper, rider, and trainer.

Kansas is a HeartMath Certified Trainer and SkyHorse Equine Guided Educator and incorporates her unique skills into her training and coaching; bridging science, spirituality, horsemanship and heart. Through her workshops and teachings, she helps individuals activate their own heart intelligence for improved emotional self-regulation, self-confidence, health, connection, and performance.

Following the wisdom and power of her heart, Kansas has made a positive impact through her service work with G20/C20 Presidency in India as Project Manager for the Fyera Foundation, as well as outreach in indigenous communities and fundraising for the Humane Society, Equestrian Aid Foundation, Wild Beauty Foundation, Compton Cowboys, and Embracing the World Charities.

My guest for this next episode is Stevie Delahunt. This podcast is going to be a very different episode. When you get into it, you'll notice that we just started recording. There wasn't this moment where I went, "Stevie, welcome to the podcast," because we just started talking the minute we got on Zoom together. 
Here's the background. 

In the 24 hours before Stevie and I were scheduled to record, she discovered that her horse, Captain America, had severely lacerated his front left leg in the pasture. There was a big decision to be made. Was it even something that could be recoverable? She had spent the last 24 hours working with him to determine what to do. 

The vets eventually took four hours to stich him up and put him back together. Given all that, I started this podcast by saying, "Stevie, we can just talk. We don't have to do a podcast; maybe you just need an ear for what you've been going through." She started talking, and I hit record because we just got right into it. 

What you're going to hear in this podcast is two people having a very rich discussion about how to deal with adversity and pressure, including things like having our horse cut their leg and all the other things that we might call trauma.  She calls those things productive struggle, or spicy memories.

Stevie is all about helping people deal with difficult situations. Let me tell you a little bit about her. 

Stevie Delahunt graduated Michigan State University with two degrees and an intent to pursue law school at Georgetown University where she had been accepted. She switched gears and went to the French Pastry School of Chicago to learn how to do wedding cakes and set up shop in the Windy City. While in Chicago she learned of the worlds toughest horse race, the Mongol Derby, and she again let life guide her into constant change. On the other side of successfully completing the Mongol Derby she took a job with a start up company in Rhode Island and learned coding and marketing for the online business. 
 
The endeavor in the world of start-ups gave her strong leadership skills and an education in business models she applied to starting her second and current business of horse related retreats. Stevie’s current business encompasses several facets of the horse world including beginner riding instruction, advanced Bootcamp style retreats for riders wishing to participate in difficult horse riding survival races around the world, horse shoeing, and endurance racing with horses which includes doing the worlds toughest one day one hundred mile horse race; the Tevis Cup. 
 
Stevie believes that adversity is a necessary part of life and being prepared for adversity as well as creating it for oneself is essential and is a tool she uses in teaching both horses and humans, both young and old.