In Stride Ride iQ

This is the third session of Equestrian Mastermind with top riders Lauren Sprieser, Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, and Lehua Custer guided by transformational life coach Natalie Hummel. This episode was recorded on February 19th, 2024.

Natalie prompts the group to talk about the avoidant strategies their nervous system uses in moments of high stress. In the third episode, they reflect on the mindset shift from the previous episode and discuss how they can widen their nervous system’s window of capacity to create peak performance:

• How they have used the tools they’ve learned in previous sessions in the real world.
• Myths about the practices that create peak performance.
• A visualization exercise that helps them turn towards the feelings they avoid so that they can create a nervous system that can hold in the reality of competition.
• Learning to stay present in a stressful competitive environment.

Join Natalie, Lauren, Olivia, and Lehua in this exciting conversation on widening their nervous system’s window of capacity.

This is the second session of Equestrian Mastermind with top riders Lauren Sprieser, Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, and Lehua Custer guided by transformational life coach Natalie Hummel. This episode was recorded on January 22nd, 2024.
Natalie prompts the group to talk about the visions they have for their career and what might stand in the way of their success. In the second episode, they reflect on mindset shifts from the previous episode and discuss experiences that may be subconsciously keeping them from achieving their goals. They talk through:

• Any awareness about their ultimate goals after the first session.
• A visualization exercise that helps each person reflect on a misunderstanding about themselves.
• Creating safety from within by learning to forgive and undo subconscious misunderstandings.
• Understanding the purpose of an ego and learning to see it in a positive light.

Join Natalie, Lauren, Olivia, and Lehua in this exciting conversation on acknowledging and forgiving subconscious misunderstandings.

In this episode of Riders Unscripted, Natalie works through visualization exercises with one of her clients, who is dealing with show anxiety and burnout from working with horses. They discuss creating safety within the nervous system’s window of capacity so that she doesn’t feel a need to constantly prove herself and put others’ needs before her own. Natalie guides her through an exercise to help her face any resistance to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety so that she can improve her performance at shows and prioritize herself in everyday life.

This is the first session of Equestrian Mastermind with top riders Lauren Sprieser, Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, and Lehua Custer guided by transformational life coach Natalie Hummel. This episode was recorded on December 4th, 2023.

Natalie prompts the group to talk about the visions they have for their career and what might stand in the way of their success. In the first episode, they discuss various topics related to inner and outer goals and the steps they must take to achieve those goals:

• What is their ultimate goal? Why is it important to them? Where are they in relation to that goal?
• A realistic view of the challenges professionals face in their personal and professional lives.
• A visualization exercise that gives clarity to what type of support each person needs.
• Figuring out the next steps to get past any roadblocks and closer to a goal.

Join Natalie, Lauren, Olivia, and Lehua in this exciting conversation on embracing pressure and tension.

In this episode of Riders Unscripted, Natalie works through visualization exercises with one of her clients, who puts too much pressure on herself in competitive environments and feels like she is likely to fail. They discuss creating safety in the nervous system so that she has the capability to accept imperfect moments and remain present. Natalie guides her through an exercise to help widen her nervous system’s window of capacity so that the pressure and fear doesn't feel debilitating, and she can focus on being committed to horsemanship and not horse show results.

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by New Zealand 5* event rider Monica Spencer.

Monica started riding at a young age and worked her way up through the Pony Club system. After graduating from Paraparaumu College, Monica started a business selling off-the-track thoroughbreds but eventually left the sales behind to pursue a high-performance career. Monica has since been very successful with her thoroughbred Artist, or Max, having won at the 2019 Puhinui International CCI3*-S in Auckland, the 2020 Puhinui International CCI4*-L, and the 2021 Matamata CIC4*-S. The pair also competed at the 2022 Pratoni World Championships, finishing 21st individually and earning team bronze for New Zealand.

In this episode, Monica discusses topics related to her career and riding for Team New Zealand, including:

• How she started her sales business and what pushed her to pursue high performance.
• The culture surrounding Team New Zealand and how performance-based funding works.
• The similarities and differences with eventing in the US vs New Zealand.
• Dealing with the pressure of coming to the states to compete in 5* events.
• Her plan to compete in the Kentucky 5* and what the next few weeks leading up to it will look like.

Join Monica and Sinead in this exciting conversation about competing in high-performance.