Living Honestly — In Your Relationships, Decisions, and Life
Wild Truth Mentorship with Chantel & the Herd
About Me (Chantel)
I didn’t start this work because I wanted a healing business.
I started it because I could no longer live a life that required me to ignore what I knew was true.
For most of my life, I was the reliable one — the peacemaker, the helper, the person who could understand everyone else. I could feel what others needed quickly, and I learned to adjust myself to keep relationships steady. From the outside, it looked loving. Internally, it required constant self-negotiation.
I didn’t lose myself all at once.
I negotiated myself away in small decisions, quiet silences, and repeated moments of choosing harmony over honesty.
I negotiated myself away in small decisions, quiet silences, and repeated moments of choosing harmony over honesty.
Before my life changed, something else happened.
I began working with horses.
At first, I approached them the same way I approached people — attentive, accommodating, trying to create ease. But they didn’t respond to my effort. They responded to my congruence.
When I said I was fine but wasn’t, they moved away.
When I tried to manage their reaction instead of being clear, they disengaged.
I couldn’t explain, reassure, or smooth it over.
When I tried to manage their reaction instead of being clear, they disengaged.
I couldn’t explain, reassure, or smooth it over.
They showed me something I had been able to avoid in my relationships:
I was not living as honestly as I believed I was.
The more time I spent with them, the harder it became to ignore what I already sensed in my own life. I could see clearly where I was accommodating, where I was managing tension, and where I was overriding my own perception to keep the peace.
Eventually, there was a moment I could no longer ignore.
I wrote a note and left it on the table:
Not one more second, one more minute, one more day will I put up with this.
I didn’t recognize the woman I had become. I didn’t like how I was being treated — and more importantly, I didn’t like who I had to be in order to stay.
So I packed a small bag, took my dog, and walked out.
That decision didn’t fix my life.
But from that day forward, I stopped arguing with my own perception.
What followed wasn’t a sudden awakening. It was the slower work of learning to tolerate discomfort without abandoning myself — speaking honestly, setting boundaries, and allowing other people to be disappointed without trying to repair it for them.
Working with the horses didn’t give me answers.
They removed my ability to pretend I didn’t already know.
I began to understand something important:
Most people are not confused about their lives.
They are overriding what they already know to preserve connection.
That is the work I do now.
The Women Who Usually Find Me
Most people who come to me are not in crisis.
They are capable, thoughtful, and often the ones others rely on. They’ve done therapy, read the books, listened to podcasts, and understand their patterns. From the outside, their life functions. But internally they feel a quiet tension — the sense that they are living responsibly, yet not honestly.
They often:
• over-explain themselves in conversations
• feel responsible for other people’s emotional reactions
• replay interactions afterward, wondering if they were too much or not enough
• delay decisions they already know the answer to
• feel resentment where they believe they should feel gratitude
• have difficulty saying no without guilt
• feel responsible for other people’s emotional reactions
• replay interactions afterward, wondering if they were too much or not enough
• delay decisions they already know the answer to
• feel resentment where they believe they should feel gratitude
• have difficulty saying no without guilt
They are not trying to become someone new.
They are trying to stop negotiating who they already are.
What I Mean by “Wild Truth Mentor”
I describe my work as Wild Truth mentoring.
To me, wild truth isn’t dramatic or rebellious. It’s the honest knowing people already carry but have learned to talk themselves out of in order to keep relationships stable and avoid conflict.
Most people don’t struggle because they lack insight.
They struggle because they don’t yet trust themselves enough to live what they already see.
They struggle because they don’t yet trust themselves enough to live what they already see.
As a mentor, my role isn’t to tell you what to do with your life.
My role is to help you recognize your own clarity, stay present when it feels uncomfortable, and practice responding honestly instead of automatically.
Sometimes that looks like setting a boundary.
Sometimes it looks like telling the truth in a conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Sometimes it looks like making a decision you’ve been postponing for years.
Sometimes it looks like telling the truth in a conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Sometimes it looks like making a decision you’ve been postponing for years.
The work is simple, but not easy.
Wild truth mentoring is about learning to live in alignment with your perception — not just in moments of courage, but in ordinary daily life.
How I Work
I don’t position myself as someone who has answers for your life.
I pay attention.
I listen to what you say, how you say it, what you hesitate around, and what your body does when certain topics appear. I notice the places where you soften your words, take responsibility for other people’s emotions, or talk yourself out of what you already know.
Some people experience this as intuition. I experience it as trained awareness and careful observation in real time.
My role is to help you see what you are already doing and support you as you choose a different response — in conversations, decisions, and relationships. Change happens much less from insight and much more from practicing honesty while someone steady is beside you.
Sometimes we do this in conversation.
Sometimes in small groups.
And sometimes alongside the horses.
Sometimes in small groups.
And sometimes alongside the horses.
The horses are not the center of the work. They are an environment where patterns become visible quickly. Around them, people can’t manage impressions or explain themselves out of discomfort. Boundaries, hesitation, and confidence show up clearly. I guide what you notice and help you carry that into everyday life.
What Matters to Me
I’m not interested in fixing people.
I’m interested in helping people trust themselves enough to live without constant internal negotiation.
I care about honesty that is kind but direct.
I care about relationships that don’t require self-erasure.
I care about people being able to say no without guilt and yes without resentment.
I care about relationships that don’t require self-erasure.
I care about people being able to say no without guilt and yes without resentment.
My work is grounded, practical, and relational. You won’t be asked to adopt beliefs or perform healing. You will be asked to be present, to notice yourself, and to practice responding truthfully.
I live on the land with my horses and dog, and my life today is much simpler than the one I once tried to maintain. Not perfect — but aligned. I built it intentionally, and that is what I help others learn to do in their own way.
If you choose to work with me, you won’t get a persona.
You’ll get me — steady, attentive, and honest beside you while you figure out how to live your own life more clearly.
Be brave. Be true. Be you.
Next Step
If what you read here felt familiar, you don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
Some people come with a clear decision.
Others simply know something in their life is no longer working the way it used to.
Others simply know something in their life is no longer working the way it used to.
You’re welcome to start with a conversation.
You can send me a message or request a time to talk, and we’ll see whether working together makes sense.
Explaining Equine Gestalt Method ® – Click Here!
The Equine Reflection’s Mission
Founded in July 2011, our mission is to help people of all ages become who they are meant to be. We are driven by the passion for replacing self-judgement with self-acceptance. We pride ourselves on creating a safe, nurturing place of non-judgment for people of all ages, to work through personal pains, growth, and discovery.
The Meet the Herd
Each horse has a gift – which one of these horses will be your next healer?
Jazzy is the herd leader. Jazzy requires a lot of personal space and isn’t a cuddly kind of horse. She does like to offer a place for people to stand in your personal power and will have nothing to do with people who don’t speak their truth. She is honest, steady and trustworthy.
Jazzy’s message is: “Be who you are”.
Jazzy’s message is: “Be who you are”.
Sophia was born on our farm. She is very beautiful and she knows it. Sophia has a regal attitude in the herd and holds her head high. She likes to bust people who aren’t owning their feelings. She has a no-nonsense, quiet approach with people.
Sophia’s message is: “It is safe to be beautiful”.
Sophia’s message is: “It is safe to be beautiful”.
Flow has tons of personality. She has many talents and gifts. Flow teaches boundaries, she builds confidence, and instills tons of wisdom in her sessions, never forgetting to have a sense of humor in her delivery. Flow has traveled with Chantel to many conferences, read Flow’s Travel Blog to learn more.
Flow’s message is: “Step into your wisdom and do what you know”.
Flow’s message is: “Step into your wisdom and do what you know”.
Ace is gelding with a huge heart and owned by Chantel’s daughter. He was won through an essay writing contest giving youth an opportunity to own a quality registered horse. Ace has many ways of getting his messages across to his clients. He helps people release uncertainty, and past hurt.
Ace’s message is: “Get out of your head and into your heart”.
Ace’s message is: “Get out of your head and into your heart”.
She is sensitive and brings a kind and gentle spirit to her sessions. Zoey has shown many people how to be gentle with themselves, and embrace a lighter more playful life attitude. Being an introvert Zoey prefers private sessions and small groups. She is the first horse to raise her hoof to partner with Chantel in sessions.
Zoey’s message is: “Embrace your inner light”.
Zoey’s message is: “Embrace your inner light”.
Bradley is our mini farm dog. Though he’s not a horse, Bradley loves to be part of sessions and workshops. He comforts people and even participates in some of the activities. He is one of the happiest dogs you will ever meet.
Bradley’s message is: “Be happy”
Bradley’s message is: “Be happy”
“…he seemed to know how I was hurting and came to me and lowered his head into my arms. I cannot explain the joy I felt when this happened. … Diesel allowed me to literately hang on him and it seemed as though a great deal of my pain left my body and passed threw his.”
“I feel very empowered and excited to step forward into this new life. I felt safe and so very loved while I was able to release all the years of pain and trauma into the dirt. For a very long time, I have had a sense of extreme longing for the connection to my true self. That visual became real. I saw her in the eyes of my Flow. I am home!”.
“How has this helped me in my real life? I have experienced a huge leap in confidence because I now know I can (and have) set boundaries and I don’t have to get mad to maintain them, I can be calm and firm”.