Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Jones.
Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2013 I took a leap of faith and stepped away from full time employment and into full time small business ownership. I am a single mom, and at the time my children were 17 and 12 years old respectively. My soul was longing for real connection and the opportunity to make my own way. Despite my fears, and those of my friends and family, I was determined to create a thriving horse ranch in the Texas Hill Country.
I started my own business, South Wind Equestrian Center outside of Austin, Texas, in 2004. As a little girl I had dreamed of owning horses, and after purchasing a ranch in 1999, that dream became a reality! With my first horse at age 30, I soon began receiving requests to board horses, train horses and teach people horseback riding lessons. Additionally I volunteered for a horse rescue organization, and started fostering rescued horses. Combined with working full time outside of the home, my days were very long.
You see horses had always been in my life. As a youngster growing up in Beaumont, Texas, there was never an opportunity to have horses, and so I was able to be around my friends horses. Once I was able, I purchased a lovely bay Arabian mare and my story took off at a gallop. The days did not get shorter, but my heart was alive!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were many struggles along the way. I was managing a ranch on my own, and there were always challenges with getting everything accomplished everyday, that needed to be done to ensure a clean, safe and inviting equine facility. Anyone will tell you manure management alone is a full time job! With over 20 horses living at my ranch at a time, I had to continually be landscaping, mucking, providing care for horses, building new buildings, acquiring equipment and managing volunteers and employees.
There were farrier appointments and vet appointments, high-maintenance clients, frozen pipes, flat tires and broken fences that had to be managed on an daily basis. Before I bought tractor in 2016, we did all of the work by hand.
Another challenge was marketing, creating new business opportunities and networking in order for the business to grow. My best friend and I would travel throughout the area handing out flyers for the riding lesson and summer camp programs, meeting fellow small business owners and parents all over town.
Personally I was juggling a teenager that was showing her horse in dressage, getting ready for college and being a teenager, And then there was my son, who also needed me to take him to basketball and soccer practice, friends houses and rides to an from his charter school everyday. There was not much time for me to relax and get away, but I was able to control my own schedule and attend so many important events for my children.
Business-wise I opened an equine therapy facility to support those who were experiencing the symptoms of stuck trauma through partnering with licensed mental health professionals and horses. So, my business completely changed from a focus on boarding and riding lessons, to equine assisted psychotherapy and equine assisted learning (retreats).
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am the founder and director of Unbridled Connection, my coaching business, and EquiSomatic, my equine-centered business.
I am a credentialed Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with Somatic Experiencing International. This organization specializes in treating humans who are experiencing symptoms of stuck traumatic responses. These include depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, ADHD, chronic pain/illness and brain fog. I am also a certified Equine Professional with the Natural Lifemanship Institute and a Peer Support Professional.
Unbridled Connection is my virtual coaching business. I am one of the only SEP’s on the Western Slope, but I also offer sessions all over the United States and Canada. My methods combine the many years of work I did with humans at my horse ranch in Texas, and the life change I witnessed. I partnered with 16 different licensed professionals to provide equine therapy and that opportunity changed my life. I recognized how important it is for humans to restore vitality and life force, learn presence and experience authentic connection to self and others.
EquiSomatic is my equine focused business. I partner with my herd of mares to provide support for clients who are trying to overcome the symptoms of generational trauma and traumatic events. The horses provide a beautiful feedback loop that teaches humans how to restore connection to their true self, and sustain that connection in order to become more resilient and learn how to regulate their nervous system. I provide this guidance at my ranch in nature, surrounded by peace and quiet, which in turn creates a sensation of safety. In this space of safety, we can work through many traumatic events that have created unhealthy patterns that are no longer serving my clients.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me helping as many people as I can experience a life filled with vitality, joy, connection and peace. Each person I help restore their life force, will influence all of the other systems in their lives. This includes marriage, family, work and community. The image I have is of the pebble in the pond, and the soft waves moving outward.
Pricing:
- $125 per session
- I have sliding scale pricing as needed
- I do not accept insurance
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unbridledconnection.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_sw_unbridledconnection/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unbridledconnection
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kellyjones5649
- Other: https://www.equisomatic.com/home
