
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 74 | What horses teach us about systemic oppression with Julia Alexander
What an episode this was with Julia Alexander. After reading one of Julia’s blog posts, I knew that I needed to speak with her about her work at the intersection of horses and systemic oppression, and her ideas on how to start to change the unhealthy systems that we exist in, and the foundation of much of our horse work (and how we have been taught to be). I’m so grateful to her for doing this work, exploring my many questions, and opening up about this challenging topic.
Julia (she, her, hers) is a fellow traveler for those seeking healing, an advocate of love in action, and a connector of dots. She believes that meaningful relationships, where people are seen and heard in the reality of their lived experiences, are essential to healing. For 15 years, Julia has worked to advance social justice in education, therapy, and work with non-human animals. She has designed social justice curriculum for colleges and universities, taught courses, and facilitated dialogues on privilege and oppression, racism, sexism, and heterosexism. Julia is also a long-life horsewoman with 20 years of experience in the horse industry. From 4-h to classical dressage in Spain to Equine-assisted mental health- she is passionate about promoting kind, ethical horse-human relationships that truly embody socially just practices. Julia is learning from several horse trainers and animal behaviorists exploring positive-based learning/training methods and seeks to combine all of her experiences to support others in developing compassionate, safe, embodied relationships and communities that reunite us with our interconnectedness.
Julia studied the psychology of colorblind racism and white identity development as an undergrad at Mount Holyoke College. She earned a Masters of Social Justice Education at UMass Amherst, where she discovered the art of dialogue facilitation across differences. She received her MSW from Smith College and currently works as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for Colors of Austin Counseling in Austin TX. Julia is a Certified Daring Way Facilitator, a Circle of Security Parent Facilitator, a Trained Intergroup Dialogue Facilitator, a graduate of Leif Hallberg’s year-long Master Class on Equine Assisted Mental Health and Equine Assisted Learning and is currently participating in a year-long Interpersonal Neurobiology course with Bonnie Badenoch.
Learn more about Julia and her work at https://www.juliaalexandercounseling.com/
Social change Map: http://deepaiyer.com/the-map-

Episode 88 | The nervous system – the key to effective rehabilitation with Elisse Miki
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 88 | The nervous system - the key to effective rehabilitation with Elisse Miki We're getting geeky again! Elisse Miki of Equilibria Therapeutics and I venture into more of our favourite territory, this time focusing on the...

Episode 87 | How to support and love the mares in your life with Lockie Phillips
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 87 | How to support and love the mares in your life with Lockie Phillips After his recent post about mares went viral, I knew I needed to chat with Lockie Phillips and more about this important topic! As most of you know,...

Episode 86 | Healthy herd integration with Josh Nichol
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 86 | Healthy herd integration with Josh Nichol Josh Nichol is back on the podcast, and sharing more wisdom, this time sharing his thoughts and practices around how to support healthy and safe integration of horses...

Episode 85 | The meeting of movement and neuroscience with Kathy Sierra
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 85 | The meeting of movement and neuroscience with Kathy Sierra This conversation with Kathy Sierra literally shifted my direction with my horses! It was pivotal in the best possible way and I am excited to share...

Episode 84| How emotions support your horsemanship with Lockie Phillips
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 84 | How emotions support your horsemanship with Lockie Phillips Our last episode of 2021! In this wide ranging conversation, Lockie Phillips of Emotional Horsemanship shares about his unique path to horses by way of a...

Episode 83| Intuition and the Equestrian with Felicity Davies
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 83 | Intuition and the Equestrian with Felicity Davies Season Five is here! In this episode, Felicity Davies of the Confident Equestrian Program traversed uncharted territory, to celebrate the creation of her new...

Episode 82 | Working with the Equine Brain and Nervous System with Sarah Schlote
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 82 | Working with the Equine Brain and Nervous System with Sarah Schlote So awesome to have Sarah Schlote, founder of EQUUSOMA™ and now EQUUSCIENCE, is back on the podcast! In this incredible follow-up episode (check out...

Episode 81 | Classical Foundations, Wild Movement and Deep Attention with Shannon Beahen
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 81 | Classical Foundations, Wild Movement and Deep Attention with Shannon Beahen It's the very last episode of Season 4 and I'm so glad it was with Shannon Beahen of Humminghorse Equestrian. Our conversation was...

Episode 80 | Grace, Grit and Gratitude with Tara Coyote
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 80 | Grace, Grit and Gratitude with Tara Coyote After following the inspiring Tara Coyote of Wind Horse Sanctuary and Cancer Warrioress for quite a few years, I finally worked up the courage to ask for an interview...

Episode 79 | Finding sacred spaces with horses with Dr. Susan Fay
The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 79 | Finding sacred spaces with horses Dr. Susan Fay What an honour to have a conversation with Dr. Susan Fay about her fascinating research about horses, presence and relationship, her work with breathing and the...