Animals Are Always Communicating

What if animals are communicating with us all the time, and we've simply forgotten how to listen?

In this episode, I sit down with Ashley, an animal communicator, to explore her journey of becoming a bridge between species and her mission to be a voice for the voiceless. We dive into animal communication, the wisdom animals carry, and how they mirror our emotional and energetic states.

Ashley is certified in sound therapy, animal communication, equine-assisted therapy, & other healing modalities. Interspecies connectedness is her passion & life purpose, bringing people back to their roots in nature, away from the stimulation of today's society & back into our heart space. Taking a moment to view ourselves and the world around us with a primal lens, rooted in simplicity, presence, curiosity, & magic. She has worked with animals for 10 years now, and has always wanted to give them a voice, being a “voice for the voiceless”. She is a bridge of connection beyond words. Bringing you into the animal & natural world to see what they have to share with you as medicine, mirrors, and companions

Ashley is hosting a day retreat for women, Herd & Heart, in June and has private 1:1 sessions and healing available.

Connect with Ashley
https://linktr.ee/Starseedbaddie

Learn more or work with me:
https://bio.site/Kristenshea

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to Break Free. I'm Kristen Shay, and today I'm super excited because I am bringing on my amazing friend Ashley. Ashley is so incredible. She's an animal communicator. She is an equine therapist, an equine healing facilitator, a sound healing fairy. She is all of the different things in typical Aquarius fashion. And we are so excited to have you on the podcast. Welcome, Ashley.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Thank you so much for having me. I'm very just grateful to be here. And yeah, just have a very open and honest and heartfelt conversation, right? Wherever that goes.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Yeah, of course. Same. And I just want to preface this conversation with um kind of introducing people to how we connected originally. Um, because I I think Soul Family always just like gravitates towards each other in some way or form. And so we were actually at an event with JJ, activations with JJ, if anybody knows her light language, it's incredible. Um, here in LA. And we met in that circle. And at that time, I had just lost my dog, and you had just found and were rescued, kind of in the process of rescuing um Angel. Yeah, who's next to you right now? And I feel like that was um, there she is. She's so cute. What a little love bug. Um, and so we met at that event and we were just kind of like instantly connected and have just like stayed in touch since then. I came to um one of your sound baths. We've just connected throughout the community. And one of the things I've always loved about you is you have this really special relationship with animals. And I feel like you can not only communicate to them, but like on their behalf in a very unique way, um, which I think is such a gift. Did you always have that gift?

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Yes. Um even when I was little, I was always trying to like talk to my dog, or I would tell my dad. I had a lab growing up, his name was Shadow, and I would tell my dad, like, I'm gonna marry Shadow. I just and I was like maybe for saying this, and I just had this emotional connection to them where I felt like they understood me. And I fortunately, I never had a like bad um incident with like an animal or a dog or cat growing up, so I got to see you could say like one side of them, right? I got a really good taste of how they can be, and they just always made me feel loved and accepted, and it was far beyond words.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

I do not always cry, but that almost got me right there. That's bringing you to tears. Um because it's unspoken and it's also palpable, even though it's unspoken. Yeah, it is, which I think is magic, right? Yeah unspoken, but very palpable, where you just know it or have a feeling or have a moment. And um, yeah, that's how I've always been. And I've always rescued them, taken then taken them in. My parents like no longer use these certain uh like mouse traps that had this like glue on it. And I remember even like a couple years ago, my dad he had like a bird on it, and I looked at him and I was like, You're not gonna throw the bird away like that. And he looked at me and he was like, He was probably gonna do it. And he was like, Nope, are you gonna do something with it? And I said, Yes. I took oil about 30 minutes of slowly because it's a small bird, you could rip off its wings or anything so slowly with oil, and then rinsed him afterwards and kind of let him be, and he ended up surviving. Um, but I just I've never been one of those that can just watch something suffer, whether I'm driving by or anything. I just act 80% of the time I act, you know. I'm human eighty percent of the time I have to do something about it. Yeah. Um and so that's been it's led me down beautiful moments, and then it's also led me down paths that were very hard, and it really brings reality back in and not the lovey dovey reality, the reality of you know, life is fragile. And um yeah, we can there's just so much ways for all of us to connect, and I think that they bring us back to simplicity. I think that life is very overly complicated, which is fun at times, you know, like overly assessing or creating or um a lot of thoughts going on and expansion. But then there's also just so much medicine that nature and animals bring back where it's like, okay, yeah, you can do all those things and play and all of that, and you really are like the roots, the soils, the trees, the micellum, the animals. Like that is your core, and that is your innate way of communicating when you first come into this world. You don't have words yet, you're taught words, which is great. It's a great way of expressing ourselves, but we come in like animals in a lot of ways, where we come in with all of our senses and then we start to adapt to what our environment is, which is just like that.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Totally. When did you know that this was gonna be like your life's work or part of your life's work? Like that it was so big because you used to be a hairdresser, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so what was that like? When did that happen? And then how did you transition?

SPEAKER_00 5:08

So I was a lot of people that used to be in my chair would know this. Um, I would come in like super stylish, like all done up, just so fun, right? And I would go from that to then like, okay, so I need to reschedule. And my clients were really cool about it because it was rare. But there were moments where I would have to be like, I am being that girl. I am gonna have to move all four clients today to tomorrow because I'm in the middle of rescuing this pig or in the middle of rescuing this dog, and like, I just can't leave it alone right now. And my clients worked with me on it, and I remember sitting there in time where I'm like, this may eventually hinder me, right? In my financial. And do I care or do I lean into that? Right. And back then for my business mind, I was like, that's so stupid. You should not, you should show up all the time and do what you're supposed to do. But there was something in me where one, I picked hairstyling really young. I picked it when I was like 16. I started doing online schooling because of like bullying and different things by like end of junior year to senior year. And my mom's rule with me was if you're gonna do online schooling, you're gonna have that much free time on your hands, you will also get a job. Yeah.

unknown 6:16

Like, okay, fine.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

So I was like, what do I want to do at my age? I didn't want to, I was like uh working at um Cold Stone for a while, serving ice cream, and I was like, no, I want something else. And I was getting older, right? I was like, I can handle more. So I was like, let me just do like front desk at a hair salon. And I started doing that, and I just fell in love with the world of chatting. Who doesn't have a job that you get to chat with your clients all the time? Yeah. Um, I love holding space, I love hearing and knowing what different people of all walks of life go through in life. Um, I thought that was really special and uh and potent, and just able to kind of grow with them or grow with kids and just also the creativity of it. Like, it's never a boring day at a hair salon, let me tell you. Yeah, never a boring day.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Um I can imagine, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Especially if you do like, you know, like a little bit of gossip, you like the creativity, you like the being in environment, you like coffee or matcha, like it's just great. But I remember just feeling like I never gave myself the chance once I got older to pick something else because I came from a very tumultuous household, and I was the oldest, uh, the oldest daughter, and I just wanted to get out and I wanted to be independent, I wanted to get out, I wanted to do things on my terms, and I wanted to learn how to regulate myself better than I was because I was not regulating, I was surviving and detaching and just doing what I know how to function and how to be in this world.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

Um, but I always had dogs or cats or an animal at home. I never lived without one. And I remember one of my friends at one point, I met her at an animal sanctuary, and this was right before the pandemic hit, and I would do a lot of um just like volunteer work, and then during the pandemic, I did even more volunteer work, and one of the girls there was like, Hey, you know, I took this course and it's for animal communication and energy healing, and I don't know what you're really into, but I just feel like you would be a good fit. And at the time I was like, I just built, you know, my success. I'm very comfortable in my finances, but I wasn't fulfilled. And I also wanted to heal more, and even for a hairstylist job, and I will put that out there, there's so many tools and stuff that I really think that you should learn that would help you in that type of environment. Uh, regulation, being judged off your work, um, learning how to raise your prices and that being attached to your worth, um, you having a bad day and still having to deal with people. So there's a lot there that I learned to be really good at because I came from a very tough household. But on my off time, I was always just like self-soothing or trying to make sure that I'm okay for the next day. I wasn't really like thriving in that. And I was like, you know, maybe I should. So like I went, I did the two-year course. It was like three, four times a week we'd meet online. There was like four things in person for the two years, and then I also did my sound healing certification because I knew that I always loved holding space for women and children, and men for sure, but majority of my clients were women and children, and I just always loved holding space for them and just being there for them and knowing what was going on. So I always wanted to kind of bridge that. Um, and so then I took the course, I took the two-year course, sound healing, and then things just kind of went on from there. Like I would then tell people what I'm doing, and I would naturally get clients, and people always knew how I was. They would follow like my random pig rescue story or like my dog rescue story or like kittens or whatever was going on. They would always make, yeah, you know, like you're so great with that, and we love watching you, and so it just kind of went on from there, and then people started to trust me to do readings, which is really exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time. Like my younger self was so used to being overjudged and needing to be right, where that type of practice actually helped me just be and learn that whatever comes up is gonna come up, and that also, too, I'm gonna be better in five, ten, fifteen years from now than I am in this moment. All that matters is that you go for your soul's calling and you don't give up.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

That's such a good message. Go through your soul's calling and don't give up.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

And you know, when you're working, even with with hair, like you need to be precise. This is how people view themselves, this is very important to their day-to-day. Yeah. And then with animals, it's like stakes are just as high, or you could say a little higher, right? Depending because you are giving them a voice. So I also did hold myself to a very high standard because you are being a vessel for them. So I also preface that when you are starting out, to say that and not try to be something that you're not, because the owner also deserves to know where you're at in your journey, and it doesn't make you any less than, but I think that's just also really responsible to do of like, hey, I love this, I've always done this. I'm starting out just so you know. So any feedback I would love because that just helps me grow. Yeah, and that feedback was great because it helps you take constructive criticism, which I was really good at with hair, but with animals, it can be tangible and also very up here. So it kind of leaves room for a little bit more. I don't want to say error, but just things that can happen or get brought up. And so it really teaches you how to how to really heal my nervous system. And there was like I couldn't beat around the bush anymore with it. So it really catapulted me to if you really want to do this to the best of your ability, you gotta start with you, and then it's just all gonna unfold, and you're still gonna have moments in your life where you're human or you feel like the reading was so so. But the more I leaned into that, the better everything got.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

And it's just like this nerve-wracking trust fall in the beginning, right? Of a lot of that.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

And yeah, a lot of you ever find that so you just said something that's interesting to me too of like the reading is so so, and you have to just kind of let it be what it is. Do you ever find that the things that you think are so so are the things that like the clients are like, what that wasn't like you think it, you're like, I don't know if that was good. I don't know if you got all the things I wanted you to get, but the owner or whoever you're reading for is like, that was amazing, and got everything that they needed.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Yep, exactly. It has like those energy moments where you'd really have to learn to just like let go and let spirit right, like just do its thing. Um, and also sometimes with readings, which I'm sure you've known, also even with plant medicine sometimes or even meditations, things come up or be brought up that may not make sense right now, but I've gotten texts like a week later, a month later, even a year later, and they're like, This hit and it makes so much more sense now. I just want to let you know that. And I'm like, Well, because I feel that way in my life. Yeah. So readings are like, well, because I think you're tapping into so many timelines. And that's why I say I'm like, there's so many, and also too, when you're first tapping in, there's so many things that can come up, or you're like, okay, okay, okay, let me try to mix through this file cabinet and see what I can pull through and how that's also portrayed. But yeah, it's like when you're it's infinite almost in the beginning of everything, and then you have to learn how to just zone in and bring up what feels right in this moment and what feels the most upfront, like in your face coming through, pull through those, and everything else will eventually come out in that reading or another reading. And had to tell myself that not everything needs to be in ever in the first reading, like everything for the next 10, 15, 20 years, like no right now, right here, right now. And it's like the simplicity, the coming back to self in this present moment. This is what's supposed to come through right now.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Totally. Oh, I love that. I think that's such an important point. I even had something the other day. I did a workshop and I got there and the energy was really different for the workshop. So I didn't do what I had planned to do. Like my Virgo son doesn't, you know, we talked about that, doesn't do well with that. Um, and so after I was like, I'm not gonna send this out. I'm just gonna like whoever was there live got it, whatever. And I kept, you know, my guides kept telling me to send it out. And then one of my clients emailed me and she was like, Hey, can I get the recording from the other day? That was like one of the most transformative hour and a half of my life. And I was, and here I am like judging it, like, oh, this isn't worth anything. Or so it's like we get in our own way, just our ego wanting to like perform or meet a certain XYZ goal that we set, the standard. And it's like everything flows exactly as it's meant to. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

And you know, easier said than done. Some people that's like really easy, some people that's really hard, and that's medicine, right? Like that's medicine for this life is learning that.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Totally. And I love you're such a talented communicator with animals. Like, I I mean, I messaged you the second I got Zion. Like, I think I was like literally driving home from the shelter. And I was like, Ashley, I need a reading. I need to help me connect with Zion and understand and like what does he need? And it was so helpful.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

I mean, when you're bringing in a new being into your home, right? And a rescue or not either one, yeah, you kind of want to know like what is the blueprint? What is like what are they coming in with right now? Right. And animals are really cool because we think we're present, they're masters at being present. And and that also doesn't mean that they'll have moments that are triggers or um yeah, triggers from something that has happened in the past. They're not like us, where they do we kind of ponder that or it'll come into our mind and we can kind of sit on that for a while. Theirs is more quick, where like if something reminds them of that, it comes in quick, they react, they let it go.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

And it's I wish I could do that sometimes. I feel like I've gotten so much better at that. I will say. I should give myself credit. I have mastered that a lot more than I did 10 years ago, I will for sure say that. Um, but yeah, they can carry trauma, their body keeps score. Now they shake things off, they have more natural somatics that they do from horses to dogs to cats, from stretching to different things to really let them move. And that even helped me because I needed help with movement 10 years ago a lot from my hips and my back, and just as a woman, my self-expression and so leaning into my primal self was great learning from them because that helps them a lot. Does it fix everything? No, but does it fix a lot of things for them in nature? Yes. Yeah, after a prey is chased by a predator, they shake that off and they start grazing and they are back to being 100% in the moment reset once the threat is gone, right? Same thing with predators. Predators, once they get a kill, when they don't get a kill, it can kind of like linger on a little bit and they're like, oh, I'm so hyped, right? And now they have to shake it off. But same thing. Well, they'll go do that and they'll basically reset, recalibrate, and then like go on. And I thought even as a kid when I would observe that, be like, wow, like I want to do that. Like, I want to be able to do that and just like be okay, but actually be okay. Right. It's interesting how animals naturally bring in somatics and you don't even realize it. Yeah. Um until you're living with them and you're observing them in their day-to-day.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

Yeah. Yeah. That's a really good point. They do naturally do somatics all of the time. Yeah. All the time. Is there anything that you find across the board when you're like, especially for the domesticated animals, when you're like connecting a human to like their pet? Is there common themes that you find that the animals are wanting to express to their human?

SPEAKER_00 17:44

A lot of the time, which is really beautiful, is gratitude. Um, they also love chatting about their food. Like they get they can be very if you give your dog one food their whole life, I will say they're so used to and accustomed to it that unless you give them some extra treats or something that kind of speaks out to it, they're pretty neutral with it. When you start to give a domesticated animals um different tastes of different things and experiences, then I've noticed so they can sometimes come up with like, well, I actually like this better. Well, I actually prefer this better, or I actually want to be there at the same time as them. And you're like, Oh, I actually forget sometimes how much of a sovereign being you are, and you actually have preferences because we're so used to looking at them as like, oh, they have their regular dry food, their water, and they have a roof over their head and they're fine. Now I will preface by saying this because a lot of people are like, Am I doing enough? Yeah. If you have so much on your plate, okay, and you give them love every day, you give them food, water, and a roof over their head, you are doing enough. And I want to preface that because there can be this um energy that can kind of hold people back from taking in animals or something because they feel like they can't give them the best of the best.

unknown 19:01

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Now why while I love that mentality, because obviously, just like humans, if you're gonna like give them the best of the best, but sometimes like the basics is the best for that time, and that may not always be your guys' life together. So sometimes you will struggle together, right? And then you'll thrive together. And that's okay. Like your animal is also signing up for going on that journey with you, and they don't expect perfection, they just like consistency. Not perfection, but consistency. That's good. And they really, really love consistency because also, too, they have a different way of viewing time. Like when we leave the house, that is so hard for them to differentiate how long that's really been, especially when it's past like 30 minutes. Like you just get that seems like forever, right? Um, and then bringing that back in, it's like they just my brain will do this sometimes. I also haven't even that was such a good thought. It'll come back. Yeah. Um it has to do with like time. Oh, but then when you are consistent in that, it helps them kind of pinpoint where they are in their day, right? You're consistent with the feeding, consistent with your walk to a certain extent, consistent with if you have a certain time a day that you always spend time with them, which they really love. They love when there's like a special moment every day that they can get used to. They look forward to that moment, whether that's meditation, whether that's acupressure penning, whether that's just cuddling and watching a show together, listening to music, or while you're reading a book and they're next to you, they can count on that. So consistency also helps them feel safe in their day-to-day and kind of gauge where they're at, especially when that's like you do leave normally at least like once or twice a day. They can kind of clock that into their mind and their body of like where they're at. I'm so glad they came back.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

I know you're like, come back. I know I hate when that happens when a thought leaves, and you're like, no, come back.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

I'm glad it came back. Because sometimes, as you know, it kind of goes further and further, and you're like, okay, my case. Never mind.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

It's so true. One of the things you had also told me before was that like if you're boarding a dog or you go on vacation and you have to, you know, have them boarded or somebody watch them to connect to your heart space, to connect to their heart space so you can tell them, like, even while you're gone, like, I'm connected and we're coming, I'm coming back and don't worry.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

Yes. It is so important, whether you're gone for one day, three days, or a week, to tap in. Being able to do clients with that. I have where their animals are in the room with them. Normally they don't have to be, but the you can tell, and I love when the clients also too can tell that their animal can tell that they have been tapped into because that right there is palpable and tangible proof that they knew that something tapped in and they felt heard, they felt seen, they felt connected to, and that shifts energy already. And so that happens the same way where if you're gonna go and you know that you tap into their energy from their heart space and you really tap. Right there, they're going to feel that. So, may it take every anxiety away sometimes, right? But a lot of the times it just takes that edge off where they can feel you and sense you, and they can just almost come back to full homeostasis. They're always gonna still be like, Okay, my parents not back yet, my parents not back yet. But it lowers it, and if you do that consistently every day, they get to feel you, and that is so important for them to feel when they are away from you.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

That's so sweet. Because that's one thing I've always worried about with my any of my animals. Like, I've always that was like the worst. I'd be like, I'd rather even not go on vacation because it breaks my heart if they don't know what's going on.

SPEAKER_00 22:37

Yep, yep. Also, too, when really make sure you know who's watching your dog or cat. Really make sure if you do drop them off somewhere that you have done really good homework, background checks, yeah, just everything because we've all heard stories and you're trusting people with one of the loves of your lives. Okay, this is such a deep connection, and it is your duty to just like a kid, if you're gonna try to daycare or anything, they are at your will, right? So, like what happens, and this is a hard conversation sometimes, but it just allows us to just really make sure because we aren't perfect, right? But we want to do the best that we can because they don't communicate how humans do. Um and so yeah, just to really know that where they're going, that you are 100% um sure about the safety and that you feel really comfortable as well.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Yeah, I think that's a really good point.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

Yeah, because they don't have a choice, you know, just like kids don't have a choice, and that's okay. Um that does put more on you, and that's just a part of your job. It's not like a bad or good thing, it's just a part of it.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Yeah, absolutely. And you had shared that um in the beginning, there's like the really beautiful part of this journey, but then there's the more challenging parts of those journeys. What types of challenge have you experienced or have you seen even with your owners?

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Uh let's see, I've been around animals my whole life, and my dad growing up would take in strays off the street, big strays. And so he was really the first one to teach me how to be around a dog because I was really young. So he was never the parent that was just like a free-for-all, which I think he taught and implemented really good um just boundaries and like respect for animals and how to approach it, and also to knowing that I'm a child and this is an animal, and like sometimes in the wild, something my size can be mistaken for something else, and that's not to scare your child, that's to make your child aware because we live in a world of nature, we live in a world of predators and prey, and we're kind of in the middle, we're a predator and a prey, depending on where we're at. So it's good to just know that as a kid of like knowing your surroundings, knowing what's going on. Maybe you don't run up to a dog, just like you wouldn't like this. Is different, or like run up to a bear. Like, there's just certain things that maybe you should tell your kid, okay, yes, the cartoons are like this, but in real life, this is what we need to do to respect them, so then you feel safe and then they're safe too. Because like that can also harm them and get them put down if your kid or you're doing something that maybe we shouldn't be doing, right? That then triggers a response from an animal. So my dad was really good about one of our dogs had a thing with squeaky toys. So, like, if I were to bring out a squeaky toy, I had to be on the couch, which is above eye level with them. I could do it twice, he would take it away from me, and I would see one of my dogs. Like, her name was Shiva. She was like the target dog, she was a terrier, so she had some prey driving her for sure. Never came out towards me. Um, but that squeaky thing was like a squirrel and it would just send her. But it was so funny to watch her do that. And then he always made sure that when the it was funny, even when I was really little, my dogs would be really attached to me, even though I was only there every other weekend with my dad. Um, and they would come in and they would sleep in my room on the ground and they would guard my room. And my dad has videos coming into my room, and that's so cute. Yeah, like this big uh like Pipple boxer mix that my dad had rescued, like this like terrier dog that can be very aggressive, were also I got to see both sides of them, right? The bigger dog was actually like never aggressive, he was such a big teddy bear, so I got a really good taste of how big animals can really be like teddy bears, and you can have a bond that is safe and secure, and they're not gonna turn on you. Yeah, um, and so I always just kind of felt that, and so I feel like I needed that in my life. Um, and my dad always prefaced of like when we're at a dog park, when we're out walking, like you never run up to a dog, you always ask if you can pet the dog, and if they say no, it's a no. Also, if you're reaching out to pet the dog and the dog's turning away, you let it walk away. You never, my dad was really big on you never force yourself on any being, human or reasonable, you never force a connection, period. And he was like, capiche, and I'd be like, capiche. It was like a big moment, but it was a beautiful principle that he taught me. Yeah. Um, that I took it. It's so important. It's so it's so simple, but so important. Like, imagine if that was instilled, no matter what being your like how you treat any being should be consensual and respectful. Yeah, it has nothing to do, you know. As a kid, it doesn't feel good if like you want to touch a chicken and it runs away from you, or you want to pet a dog or a cat and it's like, but that also teaches kids how to handle healthy rejection that doesn't really have to do with them. It's like, right, but sometimes they're just not feeling it, and it's just not the time. And that doesn't have to be this whole me thing, right? It can just be okay, not right now. Right. And that helps a lot with development. Yeah, and yeah, there's safety. But just like with humans, a human tells you to stop after a couple times, it's gonna be like stop. With animals, it's like sometimes it can be a little more scary because you're like, okay, I don't want to get bit. Hold on.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Totally. I remember when I was five, nobody taught me anything around animals, and I just wasn't around. A lot of people don't. It wasn't, I don't even, I don't remember really seeing. I mean, we were always taking in stray cats. I was always finding straight cats and like bringing them home. Just was always like collecting, but dogs, I was never around. And I was five and I was at this birthday party, and um, there was a German shepherd there that they had just found on the street, who definitely should not have been at a child's birthday party or like loose too much simulation, too new of a dog to the enemy. Totally. And I had I was so excited, and I had no idea how to act around a dog, and I got bit, and he like took this whole half of my face, like yeah, just crazy. There was a lot that happened with that situation. But when I look back on it, I'm like, I was hanging all over that dog. Like I was so excited to see him, and I was just trying to hug him and hang on him. And so when I went in the kitchen to like grab a cracker or something, something off the food uh station, he saw me, he saw the food, but I think he also thought I was gonna like touch him again or grab or something. And so yeah, he ended up um biting. And I think he ended up getting put down in the end too, which was really, really unfortunate. But it was definitely when I look back on that, I'm like, if somebody had just told me how to act around a dog or just like some of those basic principles, yeah, like could have avoided so, so much. And then it's like also for that poor dog who was in a situation that he should have never been in. Um, so it's just all of these things feel so simple, but I think so many people don't do it. Even when I walk his island, sometimes little kids run up to him and I'm like to the parents, I'm like, hello, like I like, why are you letting your little kids be the same size? They're the same size. Why are you letting him do that?

SPEAKER_00 29:40

And you brought up first, I'm so glad you're okay. Yeah, thank you. Like, I'm so glad you're okay. And being able to work through that because I can also, I'm sure that was really traumatizing. It's so scary. Um, and you made such beautiful points of like there are there's been obviously, we know, very horrible things that have happened to families and even adults, but kids when it comes to animals. And my animals are amazing, they are really desensitized, and I would never bring them to a child's birthday party. I don't even bring them to big holiday gatherings. Yeah. Because it's just so much stimulation. I trust them with my life in most situations, and I can get into my journey with them. Um, but there are just so many moments where, like, right there, right? The dog is so new off the street, it's a bigger dog. Um, there's kids around that are prey height, and there's so much stimulation. They are so present and their smell, their ears, how much they hear. There's so much going on for them that I think people just again, they kind of look at animals as lower than and they think that they'll just kind of take it. And it's unfortunate that then those situations lead to really sad moments where yes, the animal gets put down, and also sometimes a child doesn't make it, or a child gets very traumatized, or a child gets very hurt. Um, and it's unfortunate because they don't, that doesn't need to happen, especially if there's like multi- I'm not into like multiple dogs being at family functions unless they're like little shits or they're little dogs that are just not as harmful. But with big dogs, I just yeah, and that's like with my own journey. I think they're best left at home. Or best case scenario, there's a crate situation, right? When people are eating, if there's a lot going on, they should be in the crate still with everyone, but in a crate. When things are different, maybe you can let them out. But there needs to be some type of protection of the dog, of the children. And I mean, adults can get bit at big gatherings because a dog's like, uh, I'm done now. I've been overstimulated for so long, I'm done. And sadly, when animals are done, they try to walk away or they end up just biting because they're telling you to leave me alone.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

Yeah, it's so true. I saw a TikTok the other day, and the girl was like, You need to start leaving your dog at home alone. And I was like, Finally, somebody's saying that because sometimes I walk down like uh Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, and all these dogs are like at the bars with their owners, or like just things where I'm like, why is your dog here? Like they don't want to be here. This is so loud and so chaotic. And like, yes, I'm sure I know like Zion always looks heartbroken when I'm leaving, or if he thinks I'm leaving, but I also know he's so much happier here where it's calm, quiet, and he can just sleep versus whatever I'm about to go do, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:26

It's crazy. No, but yeah, again, and my youngest angel, she has the worst oh she's so cute a separation anxiety. I've had a work on that with her. The amount, this is my third place of I've uh I've lived with her. The girl has just scratched the shit out of my door. Like she's one where she's left with one of my dogs. This is Lola, she's 15, she's in her last round of children.

SPEAKER_01 32:51

Lola, so cute, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:53

They're great together, or when she was with all when all three of mine were together, they were better. Angel, from her trauma response from what happened to her before I had her, does not like to be left alone. She's very much a Velcro pity to the max. And I love her for it, but we have now fixed that on the other side. If she scratches sometimes, it's like once or twice, but she's not like plowing out the door, like trying to get in. When I first got her, I tried to crate train her. She would bend the metal bars back because she was so scared of being left and that no one was gonna come get her. That then, of course, it made me nervous coming. She could hurt her teeth, and this could be so bad. And so she became my car dog, and so she's going with me everywhere, and then this girl wants to be everywhere with me, but then she is so reactive and like has beef with like every animal. And I was like, I'm looking at her and I'm like, I love you so much already. I feel this soul tie, and I just know you're gonna send me for a whirlwind of a journey. Like, I just knew it. I was like, I'm gonna put up with so much for this girl, and I'm willing to do this. God, thanks for sending her to me. Her name is Angel.

SPEAKER_02 34:01

Um, it's been a journey.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

I've had her for four years now. And this is also what I've learned, and I've talked to many of my other friends that uh either work with animals or animal communicators or dog trainers. One, it's yes, the principles in the home, the boundaries, the training. That is a number one thing you should always set up in the beginning. Um, if you do not have dogs that are regret, that are uh reactive, this is a different story. You can be a lot more loose in your household. It's not as big of a deal. If your animal is reactive, you kind of want to nip it in the butt as soon as you can. And nipping in the butt doesn't always mean fixing it, it means just being aware of it and trying to get ahead of it or and or accepting it and working with it. She has gotten so much better throughout the year. So there is a saying with dogs where when they come in, it takes them one to three years to find their place in their pack, their home, which is their pack. By the third year is really when you start to see them fully acclimate. Now I've seen it sooner than that, but I'm talking like all around. Like when you're looking big picture of like, okay, when I first brought them home to three years later, I hope it's better because that's what you're doing. That doesn't mean that your household is perfect, but it needs to be better. That means that you're heading in the right direction. And so I've tried different trainers with her, I tried different tools, and from her to my horse, I've learned that uh there's different tools, right? Sometimes a vest works, sometimes a prong collar, sometimes a prong collar doesn't work, sometimes it puts more reactivity because it's like a bite. Sometimes I need a slip lead. So it really depends on what works for your animals. Some dogs, a prong collar works instantly and they don't do that anymore. Great, you have found your tool. Then eventually I hope you graduate out of it, or at least that tool works for you for it to be safe and you can enjoy a walk without almost losing your dog. Um, she's graduated to a vest, but with the little vest, it needs to be clipped in the front. Because then when you cut off access to their front legs like that and you turn them, they can't be as aggressive because they also lose their power. They lose their throttle, they lose their power, and they're being whipped this way, so they can't really overreact. Um I tried a slip lead with her. There's obviously controversy on like a lot of from the prong to the slip lead, right? But it's like in those moments, you need to do with what you got. So if one's not working, try the other. Your biggest thing is just to get it under control to then grow from there because then you're gonna be using it forever. And so she really um tested me for sure. And animals will always force you to work on yourself as well because they can be a mirror, right? If you're really dysregulated, they're gonna feel dysregulated because that's just gonna feed into the overstimulation of the environment, right? But then there are some animals too that are great spaceholders that you could be just losing it and they're pretty calm. And then there's other animals, it's like humans, right? It's like some of them can hold space better, some of them are not great at space holders, but they're just great at other things, like consoling you and making you laugh and things like that, and so we each have their own medicine and personality, and angels really force me, even though I do this work all the time. I'm also human. Sometimes I was way too laxed in my house because I just want to be laxed, and that ended up biting me in the ass. Yeah, but I think that was the whole point, right? We get pushed through things because you're like, oh, okay, now I know if I'm this lax for this amount of time, it's actually gonna hurt everybody involved. It's a lot, it snowballs into a a bigger situation, but then you look back and you're like, how does that sparrow so bad because I didn't do this one basic thing? Because animals are very simple and basic. When you don't do that, it just can break havoc eventually. And with animals, they live in a hierarchy, they're always telling each other, I'm up here, you're here, this is where I'm at, this is your job, this is what you do. And so if you are not actually in control of the household, then you're a little bit too fairy fairy, they decide to do that themselves. And that can be very dangerous if you have animals that don't have good chemistry, that are too close in age and they're the same gender, or they just have really bad reactivity and and or trauma. Those are when I'm like, you really can't be laxed anymore. Because not only that, if you don't train these animals to a point and let's say it's not working, right? If you don't train them and they go to another household, you're setting them up for failure. Because then that person may not be able to handle it, they can get put down, they can be put back in the shelter, which then they probably will get put down. So, like basic training is so important, regardless whether you and your guys' journey is forever or momentarily.

SPEAKER_01 38:44

Well, what would you say are like the biggest for people who maybe may not know and they're listening to this? What is lax versus not lax? What are some of the things? Because I even I'm thinking about it. I'm like, I'm probably super laxed with Zion at home. I'm sure there's things I'm not even thinking of.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Yeah. Basic training really comes down to like, so let's say, do they have their own places in the house? Their own places can be a crate, it can be a bed, it can be a bunch of blankets that it's just theirs. And this is this is great for all animals to have because I think that every animal in their home, even though the whole home is like their safe space, yeah, they deserve to have a space that is truly theirs. That if they're ever overstimulated, there's too much going on, maybe there's someone that came over that they don't really like, they don't need to be forced into that. They can make the choice to go sit in their bed, sit in their place, sit in their spot, and that keeps them independent and sovereign and that they don't just need to do whatever you say. So that's like a really beautiful, simple training that every I think dog should have, um, just out of like a respect for them of their place in the home. Um, when it comes to other things, right, you shouldn't let your dog run out the door. My dogs have been reactive, so I don't let them run out the door. But if I open the door, they probably would do it. So I've had a trainer even tell me, hey, like they need to be listening to you in the house at all times. This is where it laxed versus unlaxed, right? So when you have reacted dogs, and let's say you've had a trainer that's like, okay, make sure that they're on their bed all times of the day unless you tell them to get up. I thrived at that sometimes, and sometimes I didn't thrive on that because once things start to get better, you loosen up, and then you're like, wait, no, they learned that, so I should just stay on that. So obviously your dogs should be walked, they should be exercised, they should be mentally simulated. That way, no, you're not torturing them from just sitting in this place. So, like right now, like when I'm doing something, I'll have my dogs kind of go sit in their spot and then eventually I'll call them, right? Some people, when when friends come in the door, they won't even let them get up and greet them until they say. That's like lax first. Right. And you're like, hmm, okay, interesting. Or like getting up and off the couch. Because I only have two of my girls now and I have no issues with them, I'm not strict on that. They can get on the couch, they can get on the bed. It doesn't matter if I say or not. And if I say get off, they'll get off. They don't like protest me. But when I had three of my dogs together and two of them had bad chemistry, I had to start really being the mom where I had to say, no, you can't do that, no, you can't do this. And I had to be really strict because them didn't learn how to communicate that properly because they didn't grow up together. They were two different rescues at different ages, but they're two females that are very headstrong, and they both are very alpha, very alpha females, and so they're super sweet and then they're super particular. And they would start to have miscommunications on that. I didn't set boundaries when I had a big yard. I, because they were doing decent at that time, I let them out and I learned that letting them out together with a toy was not a good idea because they at that time didn't want to share. Like they both wanted to claim the yard. They didn't want to share it. So the yard now is no longer a place where they could be together unless I wanted to be right there with them, which is not always what you want to be doing, right? So it's like a lot of this is how much are you willing to work and be in this relationship with them where you're having to parent, right? Versus you want something that's easier. I'm not someone that gives up. So I was like, I'm gonna figure out how to make this work, but I'm also knowing that I'm choosing something that may be difficult for somebody else to deal with, and I'm okay with that.

SPEAKER_02 42:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:27

And so I think it's really big where no, you shouldn't give up. I'm really big on don't give up unless it becomes dangerous, right? That's my thing. We all have our own free will. I do not judge off anything else, but that's my firm belief is until it becomes unsafe, I think that you should try your best to help them in this life and give them a really good life. And so are like walking, right? My girls walk next to me for forever. They walked in front of me, and that was the biggest part of their reactivity because when they're in front of you, they get to make decisions. When they're behind you or on your side, they're not fully in control and they know that when they're ahead of you, they feel in control, they will take the lead, they will make their own choices, which most of the time they are reactive. Not every dog that leads is like that, but that's them. And a lot of reactive dogs like to lead for that reason because they are ready to pounce, they think it's exciting, they just want to take control. It's a way of like having their power, is being in front. And so for Angel, that little girl, my home girl, needs to be to my side. I would love her to be in the back. She was really good about in the back for a while, and now she's graduated to the side. When she tries to keep going, keep going, I don't have a prong anymore. I unclip the back halter and I clip it in the front, and I get her a couple pulls and she stops pulling. And so that's a big thing, right? How they walk sets the tone for the house too. Like how that is, it transfers into the home. Um, but yeah, for a long time I couldn't have her name's Blue, I couldn't have Blue and Angel on the couch together, and I couldn't have um people give them affection at the same time. Time they would they would kill over affection. A lot of dogs, especially pipples, they are teddy bears, they just want affection all the time, they want to be your couch potato, which is great. But when they have bad chemistry, that is a huge trigger, is affection. And that sucks. Like, imagine having people come over and you're like, hey, you can't pit my dogs at the same time.

unknown 44:21

Right.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

A lot of people could not comprehend that. And I would always preface by saying, My household is special. This is not what I would want people to be doing. But until I know what I'm gonna do with my girls, this is what I do to keep them safe, and what I do to keep us safe. And so safety-ness was my biggest thing of like, I don't care if I look like a helicopter parent to a certain extent. This is literally for their safety because when I'm alone, I'm outnumbered. My partner, he was with me a lot. That's a little different. But I'm sure a lot of couples that have gone through this can talk about this. Our dogs almost broke us up a few times because I'm very and nothing happened on my watch. Not something happened, we were together, but I was very careful because of what my dad said too when I was alone. I was just, and when I stuck to that, they were fine. They weren't sitting on their beds all day. They weren't being we were working it, and I learned how to work it with them, and we were good, and it felt really good. Now, was I living a little bit heightened for sure? Because I got used to that, but that was okay. And it really made me realize that like I can do this, it's just a want, right? Until things started to go a bit further. So then a couple incidents happened when I wasn't home and they were really bad. Um, the dogs were hospitalized, my partner and my mom had been hospitalized. I was hospitalized the last time to show my finger. That's not to um diminish that it is my finger, my finger's still on. That's still a thing. Um dogs get into a fight, and I would like for this to be heard by people that have big dogs, your reflex, some people's reflex is to stand back and kind of freeze, right? There's different responses to trauma. My reaction, I'm a go-getter. I don't know what I'm doing. I just know that I'm in there and I'm trying to break this up. That is a good and a bad thing. Let me tell you why. So when you have a reflex like that, the worst thing you want to do is stick your fingers in dog's mouths. We know this. When you're in that and you love these animals, you are trying everything to save their lives and just get them apart into a different room. So, with that being said, with dogs, this is gonna sound really not even crazy. This is just honest. How do you break up a dog fight? Yeah, you could do the whole finger and the butt. No, it's really cutting off circulation. Wow. If they can't breathe, they can't continue to bite, so they will let go. And that is your chance. Even like if you're on a dog walk and someone attacks your dog, like everyone should know this. You need to cut the airway, you don't choke them out until they're dead. You cut the airway so they release and then you break them apart. If they are attached to each other and two owners are pulling them apart, their skin is just getting pulled. And it is the worst thing for your dog to go through, especially if you have a small dog being attacked by a big dog. Stop trying to pull them apart because that little dog is not gonna make it. Your best bet is to cut the airway or get a brake stick and shove it inside of their mouth and just get it apart and get them apart as quickly as you can. That is really like even if you go to dog trainers, you go to dog or like dog like boarding kind of places, they have some things in place or rescues because sometimes things happen. And that's why even if you go to the vet, they always have those slip, have you noticed that? They always have one type of leash, it's the slip leash. Because if anything happens, the only thing you can do is cut the airway long enough to separate, and then you you separate them and you move on, and both dogs will end up calming down. But I had to learn that the hard way where my own reflex of how I do things because I'm not thinking, I'm just doing, but of course, you're like, well, Ash, that situation, how are you not? It's like when those things happen, you're not, it's not slow motion, it's what the heck's going on. How do I stop this? Yeah, and so that is really bigger people. I want them to know that, like you don't want to do nothing, you don't want to stick your fingers in there. My last one, I suck my fingers now. Yes, does that work? Do they let go? Yes, but you are risking getting injured. I want you to know that if you have nothing else that's working and you do that, that is your own thing to deal with, and so but yeah, the worst thing to do is pull them apart. It's really you have to cut that airway, and sometimes it's with the collar. Uh, my partner, he did it with his arm. Unless there's no collars on them, I would not do that because his arm got wrecked. He is fine, and those dogs aren't realizing that that's your arm, right? They have no idea because they are literally seeing red and they're in survival mode at this point. And so the biggest thing is to cut the airways and just to be as aware as you can in this moment. And if you're in a household and a dog breaks out and a dog fight breaks out, you need to get them into a separate room and close a door because sometimes they can go again because they're not, they don't calm down, it takes them a minute to calm down. They're just like us. Like when you get into a fight, whether it's a verbal screaming fight, or maybe you've been into a physical fight with a human or you've been through some physical trauma, you know the levels of coming down from that. It's like a couple hours, and you can kind of still feel that you went through something. So you'll go from really heightened to to then really, really, really calm and almost drained. Yeah, that makes total sense. You go from one extreme to the next, and they do the same thing. They go from that to very tired, very calm, very like, what the heck just happened? And then they even start to process what happened, and that they're in trouble or something happened or somebody's injured. So they do realize, but it's not till a way after of what has happened, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 49:54

Yeah. Wow, that makes a lot of sense. That's actually good information because even some of what you shared is very opposite to I think some of the common knowledge that's out there, right?

SPEAKER_02 50:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:04

Um, so that's super helpful, I think, for people to have. And then how did you get into like the equine therapy? I know you have a horse. Yes, you you do, I love watching your Instagram and seeing all the healing that you're doing with those incredible horses, too.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

Thank you. Um, I really got into equine therapy to further help heal myself, uh, them to be guides for me. I think anyone that has been, I'm not vegan currently, but I was vegan for a long time. I did a lot of activism. I saw a lot, uh, I witnessed a lot, especially with animal rescues and stuff, to where you also have to find a way to heal from the things that you've gone through or the things that you have seen or absorbed in that line of work. Um, it is really important. So I was like, you know, I did the journey with plant medicines, those are huge teachers, and I love that horses were some of my best ways to integrate. I think they're a really good pairing for my personal journey. And so for me, they really helped me. What's the way to put this? When you're around a horse, there's something so within 45 minutes, they affect your nervous system and your limbic system. And their EMFs from their heart are so much bigger than ours that they affect ours. And so with under within 45 minutes, you'll start to feel yes, calmer, right? And whether you feel really calm or sleepy, or you just you just feel really grounded because your nervous system feels safe enough in that moment, most of the time things that you've gone through, things are uh things that are at the forefront of your mind normally that you don't really want to talk about or work through, stuff from childhood or last week, anything, right, starts to come up subconsciously and you're like randomly thinking about it. And then instead of pushing it away of like, oh no, I need to be here, I need to be here. No, it's being brought up through the horse because you need to be able to heal this. And normally you can only heal when your body feels safe enough.

SPEAKER_01 51:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:58

Wow. And so they are some of the best spaceholders because they can hold so many big emotions and they're so present, even though they're prey animals. It's their strength is so beautiful because they're they're not as soft as a deer, right? But to me, they are like a dolphin on land or a whale on land. They are such a celestial being and they are so ancient, and we have worked with them in so many ways, and they have so much more to give to us than just writing them or using them for labor, like they are so beyond that as far as their intuitiveness and their connection to the divine and their connection to nature.

SPEAKER_01 52:37

Yeah. I just started equine therapy in the last year, and so I'm like so obsessed with it. Like sometime last summer, I forget, end of summer, I had like my first session, and so much energy was just cleared being with within that presence, and then um the nervous, like they just do so much that I feel like there aren't even totally words to it. But one thing I found was like so challenging, or it's something I've actually always had a hard time with, um, is finding like really good places to go for that. Because I feel like once animals are monetized, like so much of their care goes out the window. And so there's only been like one or two places so far in California where I've been like, oh, the animals are actually prioritized here. I'm the second priority, like, which is how I prefer it to be. What is your experience with seeing some of that in just like the e coin industry?

SPEAKER_00 53:34

The e-coin industry, right? Because you have e-coine therapy, then you have like writing e-coin, right? And then you have people that use them for sport. I'll use the sport really quick because it's the shortest explanation for me. Is I've read a lot of animals and a lot of Porsches in my last eight years or so. And there are some that do like that, but not as many as there are at work right now, and I will say that. They're like there are some that do need more, that do want more, that are more athletic, that are the go-getters, they are the Aries of the Zodiac, whatever you want to say, that is them. There are that for sure, and you can tell that because you don't have to overly train them to do it, they just start to do it because they want to do it. Um, then when you go down to writing, equine writing is very therapeutic. Equine writing is a great way to partner with them in a way where you're trusting them to carry you on this journey, right? And I think it is very beautiful, and I have done horseback riding since I was a child. I love it. And in the same breath, there are places I've been to in California, uh, in Maui, and certain places where I would never support again because once you start to overly monetize them, you are no longer really reading them. Um do they want to be written today? Right. That can be a huge I'm sure writers will want to come for me for saying this right now because well, that's what I've trained them to do. Yes, and they are like us, they have days, they have choices. I right now have a female horse, a mare. Mares really do teach you of I'm not feeling it today. You need to earn my respect. I'm not just gonna be like because you tell me to do that. There are some boys that are like that too, but for the most part, mares, because horses do live in a matriarchy. Um female horses will always need for you to gain their respect, need you to listen to their needs, and there is no ifs, ands, or buts because like they will just maybe not buck you off, but they'll just be like, no, they will protest you really hard, or maybe they'll try to buck you off. And at that point, she's literally saying, get off of me. I don't want to do this.

SPEAKER_01 55:54

So we could all embody some mare energy, right?

SPEAKER_00 55:59

Literally, and it's like actually, I'm gonna take my power back and know. And so I get the needing to make a living. I get that horses can do this, I get that some horses like to do it, but there is the ebb and flow of like, right, but then maybe you should have a couple other ones and you need to start um what's the right word? Like cycling them out. Like you can't be using the same beings every day because that's not what they want to be doing every day. Right. Horses are meant to be in pastures grazing for miles and running and galloping and living life in their herd. Um, and yes, throughout history, we have had humans that have been able to bond and ride them. Way before a saddle was made, natives are riding them. That's how we know how a saddle should be made. I'm someone where I really love learning bare back. I love getting on her in the arena with nothing on. And then if I want to take her out of the arena, right, then I will put a mouth bit on her for a little bit of control, but I don't saddle her up really tight in her stomach. Now, sometimes if we're going on a big trail for safety, I will do that. But it's not all the time. I would never force her name's Freya. I would never force Freya to just go that day because I feel like it and I and I need it today.

SPEAKER_01 57:08

Right.

SPEAKER_00 57:08

Why don't we start with bonding and some fun and some groundwork? And then why don't you try asking her again? And if she says no for your own safety, it's a no, okay. Yeah. And if not, then that way it's a reciprocal of like, okay, she's asked me again, like what my dad said, it always needs to be consensual, it should never be forced.

SPEAKER_02 57:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:28

Um, and just because some horses are more docile, they can still be forced, you know? And so there is that conversation. So when it comes to true equine therapy, as far as on the ground and not riding them, I love partnering with them that way because they are completely at their own free will.

SPEAKER_01 57:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:45

They don't have to come to you. They it doesn't mean that they're not working on you, they can work on you from afar. That is not what that means. People have that misconception of, oh, I didn't get hands-on connection today. So it means that like I didn't get anything. That is so far beyond that. That makes you, they're really great at for you to mirror things to question within yourself. Like, well, why do I feel that way? Why do I feel like because they didn't accept me that now I am not worthy or I'm being rejected, or it brings up things within you to look at, and maybe you feel that maybe you don't, you know? And so they're really good at kind of mirroring that back to you of like, okay, well, why don't we sit here and talk about this?

SPEAKER_02 58:21

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 58:22

I love that. So it's like that. It's like a talk therapy, but also different. I did talk therapy when I was a child. It helps you to a point, not knocking therapy. It helped me a lot as a child with expressing myself and explaining myself. But then there is a point where you don't really need words, you just need to be present and introspective and curious and have an open heart.

SPEAKER_01 58:44

Yeah. And what are you doing with that? You have an event coming up with you're combining kind of all of your magic. So tell me a little bit about the event that you have coming up because it looks incredible.

SPEAKER_00 58:54

Yes, and so I do love this because the horses are really taken care of. Um, only one of them is ridden when you know, when he wants. And uh there's a female named Sophie, there's three other boys, Frankie and um oh, I need to eat my brain. Frankie, Cash, and Abe. My god, they'd be so sad that I forgot that. I know. Um they'd be like, ma'am, we see you all. Um, but they are such an amazing herd. I've loved working with them. It's gonna be at Shakti Ranch in Malibu. I'm partnering with another equine therapist named Paulina that we took our certification together. She is a yoga teacher down in San Diego, and she also does deep sea diving with Dale with whales and dolphins. She's that's so cool. So we have like two different types of animal girls coming together to also facilitate, which I think is really cool. Like her talks on whales and dolphins and her healing journey is so amazing. And then I kind of take more of like the on land animals, and then we're combining. So there'll be yoga, there'll be like a nice fairy lunch, there'll be 90 minutes of equine therapy. We will also do a rose blessing ceremony just to really bring in like the feminine energy and going into just the power of the rose from the scent to everything that it can invoke. Um, and then we'll end with a cacao ceremony and share a circle from the day, and then a beautiful sound bath. So the goal is really to just everything you've been through the last year or two, which has been everyone, bring whatever you want that day. Come as you are. We're not looking for anything but your authentic self in this moment, and whatever your shares are going to be, they can be heavy, they can be fun, they can be whatever you want them to be. My life has been pretty messy, and I strive for perfection. So, like that's something I will even be talking about in my own journey. And so we're really here to just be honest about what we've been going through and allow the goats. Also, too, there's gonna be goats, there's baby goats there and big goats. They'll be a part of the yoga and a little bit of the equine therapy, and so it's just to be held by nature and all of the elements that day and different women and animals, and it's a day to rejuvenate, to reconnect, to just wow, recalibrating and be and really have fun as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:04

It sounds incredible, like it sounds like such a cool event to come to because you're encompassing everything, which is one of the things I love about you is you bring all of your gifts, all of your magic um to create something really, really special. And you know, it's such a testament, I think, to everything you do because I think you're such an advocate for animals, and I think you take on so many of the cases that other people would not take on, or when, like you said, people tend to give up, or I think you've just done so much for animals. And I know you were such a blessing um to me to be able to connect with Zion when I first got him and learn what he needed and how I could help him and just working with Zion. So thank you, thank you, thank you for coming on and sharing so much. And we will put links in the show notes to um the event and all of your social handles, but where can people find you if they want to connect with you?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:54

So my Instagram is a super fun one. I thought of it years ago and I just kept it. Um it's starseedbaddie at gmail. I mean at gmail.com. You're gonna have to edit this. Um, and then I also have two different uh Instagram accounts. They'll be linked in my bio. One is Inner Species Connectedness and the other one is Heard and Heart. The uh retreat coming up is called Herd and Heart. And so yeah, I just love the name of it. So I'm gonna do something with it. But those are three ways, and then there's always a link in my bio to see all of my um offerings. Offerings.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:28

And I highly recommend anybody who wants to communicate with their pet or just connect in. It was I've always worked with animal communicators, it's been a huge part of me, like understanding my animals and what they need. And I so recommend you do that with Ashley. She's amazing. All of my clients, whenever they mention that they have an animal, I am always um sharing Ashley's information, and everyone always has such a great experience. So thank you so much, Ashley. And if you guys are available, heard and heart in Malibu. And what's the date for your event? June 28th. June 28th, amazing, and it'll be in the show notes. Thank you, Ashley.