Kelly Coolbaugh

After spending the majority of my life in central New York. I now live with my husband, children and 4-legged family in north central Pennsylvania. As a person I work a regular 9-5 job as an occupational therapist while doing equine gestalt coaching on the side. Equine gestalt coaching is my passion and it will become my future full-time endeavor. Like many young families we balance work, family time, children and their activities, business, farm chores and all that comes with life.
I have always been blessed to have horses in my life from the very beginning. I was able to have my own personal horse at the age of 13. His name was Fred. Fred was part of my life for 16 + years until he crossed over in 2019. He as well of many of my 4 legged family have been big teachers in raising my awareness around myself and how I interact in this world.

I could never imagine living life without horses, there was always something about them. A peace, a feeling, a joy. With a passion for horses from a young age I always dreamed of having my very own horses when I grew up. Having a horse at the age of 13 fed my passion for equines. No matter the weather at the barn I always enjoyed my time there. I knew going forward I wanted to have horses in my life. However, I was told that horses cost a lot of money and you should find a career that can support your horse habit instead of having a horse business. So that’s exactly what I did. I went to college and got my master’s degree so I could afford my horse habit. Horses were something that I could not live without.
I found Melisa Perce and the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method shortly after losing my mom to cancer. When attending the annual Equine Affaire in Massachusetts, I was given a sign from above. A wheat penny rolled across the floor while I was waiting to enter Melisa’s presentation. My mother collected wheat pennies and most of them have been collected and are no longer in circulation. So, finding one is rare. After listening to all 4 of Melisa’s presentations over the 4-day event in November I went home and did my research. Shortly there after I applied to enter the Equine Gestalt Coaching Program, was excepted and started my journey with EGC January 2018.
Since completing my certification and becoming an equine gestalt practioner with my own equine business, I have had multiple epiphanies and realizations that have illuminated areas in my life with the help from equines. For example, my own personal work around the loss of my mother, relationships in my life and how I want my future to be created. It has created a vision and the passion for life on my terms and no one else’s. Equine gestalt has opened my mind and so many doors. Many of the doors that I have allowed my mind to disguise as being closed. I stand on my own two feet with the possibility of tomorrow with my horses and living my own dream. The process of gestalt, living in the here and now in your most authentic self has provided the peace and freedom that have allowed me to for lack of better words live life to its fullest with where I am now in my journey.

My niche is two-fold due to my own experience in this lifetime.
I am who I am today because of the strong influence of my mother, my love of horses, and her encouragement to dream. After she passed from cancer I experienced grief that was all encompassing, that surrounded me and creeped into everything that I did. I had a hard time doing anything without her passing through my mind. In our current society we don’t speak grief, we normalize it. Even though I had a support system of friends and family I never fully felt heard or able to express all of my emotions around my grief. Part of my mission to assist others is finding awareness of their grief and listen at a higher level with my horse partners. Allowing others to find their own ground to stand on.
After becoming an Equine Gestalt Coach and following my own dreams I wanted to be part of assisting others in their own journey to creating their vision for their lifetime. We often carry introjects and don’t fully follow are dreams. Allowing clients to become aware of what is possible by illuminating their perspective with my horse partners, by taking hold of their dreams and having clients creating their own life is my mission.