Linda Kohanov finishes her extensive 2017 tour with a late-September trip to Missoula, Montana. “As Arizona baked in 118 degree heat at times, I’ve enjoyed traveling around the US and Canada this summer, meeting so many inspiring people and horses,” she says. “I’m looking forward to my last two trips of the season, which take place in Minneapolis and Missoula in September. These events cover a wide variety of applications for taking horse wisdom back to the human world.”
Next summer, Linda’s annual tour will take her to Europe and Australia, so if you live in the vicinity of Minnesota or Montana, now’s the time to experience her varied insights into the power of the human-animal bond to help people to become better leaders, parents, spouses, friends and citizens of a free, compassionate, mutually supportive, mutually empowering society.
Here’s an overview of these upcoming workshops. Click on the links to see more extensive descriptions of these events.
September 8 and 9 in Minneapolis:
The Five Roles of a Master Herder: A Revolutionary Model for Socially Intelligent Leadership
This two-day introductory workshop features engaging horse-facilitated learning activities to teach leadership and social intelligence skills. Based on Linda’s latest book by the same title, this innovative approach moves beyond conventional theories on leadership, drawing upon the richly nuanced skills of ancient pastoral tribes who formed mutually beneficial partnerships with large, powerful animals.
“These people had to deal with predators and changing climates, protecting and nurturing the herd while keeping these massive, gregarious, sometimes aggressive animals together — without the benefit of fences and with very little reliance on restraints,” Linda says. In studying these tribes, Linda observed a number of key skills that herders employed that could address many challenges modern people face. She uses the term “master herder” to describe a strong, compassionate, well-balanced leader who also acts as a caretaker and guardian. Such a person has to master five roles of power and social influence, using them fluidly, interchangeably, as needed. (No horse experience or previous interest in horses is necessary, though the skills featured are also useful for equestrians, including those who work with rescue horses.)
September 27 to 28 in Missoula
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Families
This two-part training is for therapists, social workers, judges, attorneys, law enforcement, equine-facilitated therapy practitioners, and other professionals who work with families in transition and crisis, including divorce, domestic violence and other complex cases. The workshop is also open to parents who are dealing with family challenges.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Families introduces an engaging and effective model for helping parents, their spouses, and their children learn how to recognize, reframe and alter unproductive behavior, belief, and communication patterns that inhibit families from leading loving, mutually supportive lives. Participants can attend the first day only, or both days.
Linda will team up with longstanding colleagues Lauren Loos, MA, and Shari Montana, both of whom have worked extensively with this model in different contexts: as an in-office counseling and psycho-social learning tool, and as a powerful equine-facilitated experiential learning modality.
In Part One, a one-day workshop on Wednesday, September 27, participants will learn how the model and accompanying workbook can help parents and children learn how to employ these roles effectively. During the optional Day Two segment on Thursday, September 28, Linda, Lauren and Shari will demonstrate how families can quickly become more proficient in the productive behaviors of each role through experiential learning activities with horses.
September 29 in Missoula
Balance of Power: Leading Change in an Unpredictable World
This workshop explores five forms of power and social influence that can create a balanced approach to leadership when used effectively. This innovative model—based on an ancient source of wisdom—offers a much-needed perspective on how free, empowered people can navigate continuously changing social and economic climates.
In part through engaging demonstrations with horses, Linda shows how people can take these skills back to the human world. No horse experience, or previous interest in horses, is necessary. 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 workshop offers innovative tools for executives, managers, and coaches, as well as people who work in non-profit, social services, 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.
September 30 only, or September 30 through October 2 in Missoula
The Heart of Evolution: Exploring the Hidden History and Untapped Potential of the Human-Animal Bond (Half-Day Seminar or Half-Day Seminar & 2-Day Experiential Program)
Did you know that increasing scientific evidence suggests certain animals reached out to our ancestors—befriending, empowering, and gentling people long before we were able to corral and control them? Did you realize that as early humans formed partnerships with animals, our own species became braver, stronger, and more compassionate as a result?
Join Linda for a moving, at times mind-altering exploration of humanity’s deep connection with the caring side of nature during this half day seminar on September 30. A two-day, equine-facilitated skill-building workshop on how to take this ancient wisdom back to the modern human world will follow on Oct. 1 and 2. The public can attend either or both events.
“In researching my fourth book The Power of the Herd, I came across some unexpected information that turns conventional theories about animal domestication inside out and upside down,” Kohanov marvels. “I quickly realized that this counterintuitive perspective on how ancient humans formed mutually beneficial partnerships with other species offers a model for how we can effectively gain the trust and loyalty of people who we may initially perceive as being very different from ourselves.”
In her latest book The Five Roles of a Master Herder, Kohanov was able to distill research on the human-animal bond into a remarkable eight-step process for 21st century humans who want to enhance their relationships with other people in business, community, educational, and family settings, as well as with other cultures. The Southern Arizona-based author and educator has led similar seminars throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. This marks the first time she will share these insights in Montana. “Linda’s books come alive in this visually inspiring and intellectually original culmination of her work,” says Beverly Kane, MD, Stanford School of Medicine, who attended the seminar near San Francisco. “She is once again the brilliant voice of associative thinking, using science, spirit, and stories to dig deep into our history and into our hearts. What evolves is a striking new narrative on our non-predatory co-evolution with multiple species of animals.”