Biography

I was an emotional and sensitive child. On the outside, I was perceived as shy and quiet, on the inside, I carried a fair amount of emotional pain. I found growing up difficult and also beautiful. I had a childhood full of nature and exploration, and from being introduced to horses at the age of seven, I fell in love immediately and knew they would be a part of my life forever.

My teenage years were full of rebellion, my hard outer shell I had grown to protect my inner vulnerability, seemingly, was doing it’s job well, and I spent some years exploring my world in various ways.

At seventeen, triggered by a disturbing dream, my mental health took a u-turn overnight and my world turned upside down. This resulted in my first twenty or so years of adulthood, struggling with recurrent episodes of depression, anxiety and panic attacks. I was also having, what I considered to be abnormal phenomena, which caused much confusion and inner turmoil.

Into my mid thirties, I was diagnosed with bipolar depression, and for the first time, I was medicated. I was told I would be on medication for the rest of my life if I wanted to live a somewhat stable life, yet I had never been offered any form of therapy.

I was then introduced to a horse called Brandi.