Explore the Hidden History and Untapped Potential of the Human-Animal Bond when Linda Kohanov travels to Los Angeles, CA and Alberta, Canada.
After highly successful workshops in Texas, Toronto, and Buffalo, best selling author Linda Kohanov heads West, touring in support of her new book The Five Roles of a Master Herder. Audiences this spring embraced her moving and empowering seminars on the human-animal bond and The Five Roles of a Master Herder, workshops she will offer in Los Angeles, Alberta, Canada, and Virginia Beach, VA over the next three months.
“In accessing some surprising insights on the distant past, we gain an unexpectedly optimistic view of the future,” Linda reveals. “Innovative biochemical research, combined with archeological evidence, suggests that relationships with animals made our ancestors more courageous, social, adventurous, and empathetic. Research on the human-animal bond further suggests that modern, city-based lifestyles insulate us from the benefits we once gained from close ties with other species. Tens of thousands of years ago, mutually supportive relationships with animals drew our ancient relatives out of caves and into a more expansive lifestyle. Today, we can draw upon the power, self-control, balance, and compassion that working with animals strengthens in people, helping us tap our brightest talents while reining in our most dangerous, needlessly destructive impulses.”
Conservation writer and equine-facilitated learning practitioner Laura Williams, who also serves as Senior Advisor for WWF in Russia, described Linda’s latest work as 
“ground-breaking in our understanding of the natural world and how humans may have first come to forge alliances with wildlife, including horses….Linda peers into windows of the past to unravel the enigma of how we first came to live alongside wild animals [some of which were later “domesticated”]. I have worked in the area of wildlife studies and wilderness conservation for more than two decades, and have been around horses even longer, and I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout Linda’s entire presentation, celebrating confirmation of my own thoughts on the domestication of the horse and enlightened by Linda’s new and exciting theories.”
Through evocative images and case studies from around the world, Linda combines compelling historical, archeological, biochemical, and behavioral research to illuminate a process of mutual transformation that challenges all our previous notions and how and why our ancestors formed close partnerships with animals.
In seminars based on The Five Roles of a Master Herder, Linda shows how a recent move toward greater freedom and mobility in modern culture requires that we incorporate the innovative leadership and social intelligence skills that early nomadic, animal-centered cultures pioneered eons ago. This fluid wisdom was lost when city-based civilizations began to objectify animals.
“As people developed the technology to corral, confine, and restrain their four-legged friends, rather than socialize, collaborate and move with them as nomadic pastoral tribes learned to do, our city-based ancestors limited their own approaches to power and social organization,” Linda says. “Humanity became proficient at intimidating and in some cases enslaving animals and other people. In the process, civilization lost respect for the benevolent side of nature, instead developing a cold-hearted, mechanistic view of life that even now leads to disconnection, depression, and widespread acts of violence.
“Growing evidence concerning the history and untapped potential of the human-animal bond, on the other hand, suggests that the tendency to seek connection, and to offer as well as request mutual aid across species lines, is a part of nature, that ‘life’ does in fact ‘favor and protect life.’ From this perspective, the human-animal bond is not a by-product of civilization or a contrived innovation; it is the heart of evolution in action.”
The Benevolent Side of Nature
Linda will expand upon this theme during an evening presentation at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center July 30. The Heart of Evolution: Exploring the Hidden History and Untapped Potential of the Human-Animal Bond offers an uplifting perspective on nature and evolution, providing strong evidence that some animals, horses included, were not so much “domesticated” by humans. Rather, certain species likely reached out to our ancestors, drawing people into mutually supportive interspecies relationships that changed our minds and our hearts for the better. To register, see http://eponaquest.com/workshop/heart-evolution-burbank/. 
Attorney Francie Kilborne, owner of the Texas-based Solace Equine
Center, attended the premier of Linda’s Heart of Evolution presentation at the Dallas Healing with Horse Conference in May and was inspired by the life-changing perspective it conveyed: “Once again, Linda has combined her meticulous research methodology and keen insight to bring us a new lens through which we can see, understand and experience our relationships with animals, both domesticated and wild. At a time when all forms of media appear to be dividing us from each other and our natural world, it is indeed a tonic to be reminded of our deep-rooted evolutionary connection to all living beings.”
“Learning to share power is the challenge of the 21st century,” Linda emphasizes. “But we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, as it turns out. If we adopt the social intelligence and leadership skills pioneered by our nomadic cousins, while still valuing the technological innovations that could only have been perfected in a sedentary, city-based context, we will combine best of both worlds. Balancing the Five Roles of a Master Herder can help modern tribes of empowered, mobile, innovative, and adaptable people to support each other through the inevitable droughts and doubts of life as we move ever more faithfully and confidently toward the greener pastures of humanity’s own untapped potential.”
Oasis of Transformation in Alberta, Canada
Linda will also offer a half-day seminar on this same theme in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Friday, August 19. Titled Oasis of Transformation, this mini-workshop is sure to attract people in the fields of animal assisted therapy, equine-facilitated learning, wildlife studies, and animal rescue, as well as anyone interested in research and anecdotes that show how interspecies relationships changed humanity for the better. The seminar further emphasizes the untapped potential of the human-animal bond to help people heal and excel in life. For Info/Registration: http://lodestoneleadership.com/events/oasis-of-transformation/
(September workshops in Virginia Beach, VA and at the Omega Institute in New York will feature this powerful new information as well. Details on dates, venues and registration will be coming soon.)
Master Herder One-Day Workshops
In Los Angeles, Lethbridge, Alberta, and Virginia Beach, Linda will also offer her one-day workshop on The Five Roles of a Master Herder.
This seminar offers practical tools for taking horse-inspired wisdom back to the human world. You will:
- Take the Master Herder Professional Assessment and receive coaching in how to interpret the results.
- Discover the benefits and challenges of each role, as well as why balancing all five the roles is necessary to success in your personal as well as professional life.
- Learn innovative skills for handling conflict and for motivating and empowering others.
This engaging indoor workshop offers compelling, nature-based tools for executives, managers, and coaches, as well as people who work in non-profit, social service, political and community based organizations. Equestrians will explore the advantages of employing this model with horses. Parents and teachers will discover the benefits of balancing all five roles in working with and caring for children of all ages.
To register for the Five Roles workshop in Los Angeles July 31: http://eponaquest.com/workshop/5-roles-master-herder-burbank/
To register for the Five Roles workshop in Lethbridge, Alberta August 22:
http://lodestoneleadership.com/events/five-roles-of-a-master-herder/
Reviews of the Five Roles Workshop
Since 2013, Linda has led this innovative training at businesses, conferences, universities and other international venues, and the results have been impressive:
I wish I could have pulled in at least a half dozen other people I know who would have benefitted greatly.
—Susan Sullivan, Teacher
Linda’s revolutionary work delivers a tangible model for leadership and the tools to enable you and your team to lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. If you recognize the need for change in the way we work and live, you won’t want to miss it.
—Michelle Denton, Adviser, Clinton White House
Fascinating and applicable to so many parts of our lives and work. Anyone interested in authentic relationships with humans and animals will benefit.
—Laura Williams, Equine-Facilitated Learning Practitioner
Changed my life and the life of everyone in the conference room…offered real insights into the behavior of groups …to understand how companies are working and how we can improve our efficiency. Linda explained how to build relationships that can enable any individual to steer and leverage large and powerful organizations.
—Didier Tranchier, Founder and Director of the Executive MBA Program de L’Institute Mines-Teclcom, Paris
Expanded Leadership One-Day Experiential Workshop:
Linda will also lead a one-day equine-facilitated experiential workshop in Lethbridge. Titled Expanded Leadership, this event offers you the opportunity connect with the horses to weave balance, clarity and courage into your thinking and behavior. Participants will learn tools for living a balanced life and being a true leader based on inspiration and cooperation, not intimidation. All activities are done safely from the ground. No horse experience necessary.
Date: August 20, 2016
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Location: Lodestone Leadership’s arena in Magrath, AB
To register:
http://lodestoneleadership.com/events/expanded-leadership/
The Five Roles of a Master Herder audiobook
Linda’s new book is just making it into stores, and is available on amazon.com in hardcover and Kindle versions. Audiobook and MP3 versions will be released on July 12.
To order online: