Introductory Workshop — Facilitated by Linda Kohanov

When — February 19 & 20, 2016
Where — Lubbock, Texas area (Wilson, Texas) — Trinity Ranch
Cost — $1200 (includes lunch & workshop materials)

Limited to 6 Participants — 1 Spaces Remaining 

What might we all accomplish if we finally understood how to be powerful, together?
In Linda Kohanov’s 2013 book The Power of the Herd, and in her upcoming book The Five Roles of a Master Herder (due in June 2016), she takes an in-depth look at traditional herding cultures where tribes must manage large groups of powerful animals without the benefit of fences. As a result, Master Herders employ a sophisticated understanding of leadership and group cohesion as they move through seasonal grazing lands, facing predators, and dealing with changing climates/resources along the way. This knowledge, virtually lost to modern “civilized” leaders, is based in part on the little-known fact that among cattle and horses, the herd leader and the herd dominant are often different animals. Furthermore, group coordination and solidarity are reinforced through acts of daily acts of companionship and nurturing.

“Leaders, dominants, sentinels and nurturer/companions are all crucial to herd cohesiveness,” Linda writes. “Among horses and other large herbivores, herd members tend to play more than one role, though few are fluent in all the roles. The thing about being human among animals ten times your size is that you really do need to perform all these roles well to become a Master Herder, especially in the great unfenced backcountry where freedom abides. As humans, we also need to separate predatory power from the other four roles. When used consciously and judiciously, the predator role helps us keep life in balance with available resources. But for the most part, it is important to employ the Dominant, Leader, Sentinel and Nurturer/Companion roles in their nonpredatory forms.”

Linda has drawn compelling insights from this research to create a variety of horse-facilitated activities that effectively teach the nonverbal leadership and communication skills associated with these varied roles, boosting people’s ability to engage in empowered relationships with humans at work, school, home, church, and in political and social activism contexts. “It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish if you know how to engage leadership, dominance, sentinel, and companionship-related skills—without becoming abusive or indulgent,” she says. “Understanding the differences between these ‘power tools,’ when to employ them, and how to combine them has been a revelation!”
Those who’ve attended Linda’s Power of the Herd workshops in the US and Europe over the last three years were impressed with the horse-facilitated work—and the use of the book as a text that offers explicit instructions on how to take these equine-inspired insights back to the human world.

The Power of the Herd workshop shows you how to use nonpredatory, horse-inspired wisdom to handle life, career, and community-building challenges with greater ease and success. The book and the equine-facilitated activities that bring this material to life represent over fifteen years of research, experimentation, and experience teaching advanced human development skills through working with these powerful animals. “If you increasingly avoid the Four Stone Age Power Tools,” Linda says, “while practicing the Twelve Guiding Principles, you will experience significant positive changes in your professional and personal relationships. And when you learn to balance all five of the Master Herder roles, you effectiveness rises exponentially.”

“The simple processes that Linda teaches are a wonderful take-away that can be applied to our everyday lives,” says Lisa Walters, an entrepreneur, equine-facilitated learning practitioner, and founder of the EquuSatori Center in Sebastopol, CA. “This workshop deepened my personal awareness while demonstrating how we are connecting with others and the collective power in that connection. Linda does a great job linking the concepts in The Power of the Herd with history, current research and modern science; a powerful combination.”

Laura Brinkerhoff, a psychotherapist and experienced horsewoman who created an innovative equine-based program at a residential treatment center, notes: “I am incorporating the 12 guiding principals into our barn philosophy in a conscious way and continuing sharing the wisdom of mutual aid and non predatory power with my clients and staff (and my husband! Happy to say we LIVE it! ) This is a revolutionary book sure to take our work and human consciousness to a whole new level!”

To register for this fast-approaching event, contact Sue Smades at info@eponaquest.com or 520-455-5908.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the skills you will learn during the upcoming Power of the Herd workshop.

You will learn:

• When and how to employ the roles of Leader, Dominant, Nurturer/Companion, Sentinel, and Predator
• How to help others manage fear and anxiety in times of significant change or competition
• How to use your own body as a “sensing device” capable of reading the unspoken moods/concerns of co-workers, employees, and clients
• How to use emotions as information in professional settings (without, ironically, discussing the emotions themselves)

You will practice:

• Engaging non-verbal leadership skills associated with assertiveness, timing, focus, energy modulation, motivation, experimentation, and boundaries-in-motion—with sensitivity to the needs of others
• Setting boundaries with aggressive people in ways that create mutually respectful relationships
• Balancing embodied reason and embodied intuition in realizing a goal
• Recognizing and moving beyond limiting behavior and thought patterns to achieve optimal performance

Accommodations Near Trinity Ranch:
Embassy Suites Lubbock 5215 S Loop 289, Lubbock, TX 79424 • (806) 771-7000
Comfort Suites Lubbock 5113 S Loop 289, Lubbock, TX, 79424 • (806) 798-0002
Extended Stay America 4802 S Loop 289, Lubbock, TX, 79414 • (806) 785-9881

For Directions to Trinity Ranch: www.unbridled-leadership.com

If you have questions or need additional information about the workshop contact:
Margaret Couch – Trinity Ranch Owner
(806) 438-0022
mzcouchtrinityranch@yahoo.com

Register Now