Posts by Beth Anstandig
Broadening the Concept of Mindfulness with the Four Channels of Natural Leadership Awareness
We’re used to thinking about mindfulness in terms of what’s going on in our thinking. But, the thing about awareness, which we can learn from being with animals, is that by tapping into our Natural Leadership Awareness, we can broaden the scope of mindfulness to include what’s happening within our bodies, spirits, and emotions. And…
Read MoreHardship and Herdship: We Need Each Other
By now, you might feel like a caged animal. Well, you kind of are. We are human animals in captivity. COVID-19 has put most of the world in this surreal lock-down experience, and our lives have slowed down beyond recognition. I’ve been referring to it as The New Abnormal. I use these words to remind…
Read MoreThe Nature of Closure
Winter has been whispering at our closed doors and windows for a few months now. Frigid air, cloud cover, fewer rays of sunshine. The colder weather and shorter days affect us, whether we are aware of it or not. Our bodies have instinctively been instructed to pull the curtains hunker down. There is this palpable…
Read MoreHumanly Possible with Bryan Kramer, Featuring Beth Killough
Learning to Continually Shift September 24, 2020 Humanly Possible with Bryan Kramer is a podcast that reminds us being imperfect humans is our greatest competitive advantage and where guests share stories about small shifts that make an epic difference. Beth shared with Bryan how we can tap into our natural awareness as human mammals for…
Read MoreWork and the Future with Linda Nazareth, featuring Beth Killough
What Can Animals Tell Us About How to Work Better? September 16, 2020 Are there things that animals can tell us about how to cope with work stress and ultimately how to work better? Beth joins economist and host Linda Nazareth. In this episode, they discuss how human beings are mammals, but mammals who do not…
Read MoreWorking with the Fires of Fear
What can we say about 2020 at this point? I find it difficult to choose words to capture the pain, anxiety, and losses that our human species has been facing. As a writer and lover of language, rarely have I been at a loss for words. This moment in time, The Great Pause, has forced…
Read MoreWhen the World is On Fire, We Need Each Other
When the reporters started calling, I figured they were after the story about the harrowing evacuations in the middle of the night, horse trailers weaving through the emblazoned Santa Cruz mountains, and the hundreds of displaced animals settling into unfamiliar barns. We’re located in the south Bay Area where we were quite literally surrounded by…
Read MoreBeth Anstandig on BBC World Service
BBC Health Check with Alison van Diggelen Beth Anstandig spoke with Alison van Diggelen of BBC World Service about the work she does with humans and horses. Beth explained our resilience to stress and change comes from our self-care practices and how the animals show us how soothing and powerful it can be when we commit…
Read MoreWhat Lights You Up? Fanning the Flames of Your True Self
I’m fascinated by the phenomenon of pressure. Okay, it’s a full blown obsession!! I have found that practicing “pressure awareness” is a game changer in how we lead ourselves and how we show up for others. I’ve been a lifelong student of pressure and my teachers have been my animals. Dogs and horses are always…
Read MoreA Boundary Story: She Stuffed The Anger and Her Own Feelings
I want to share a boundary story that a friend told me recently. Like the rest of us, my friend has been on quarantine lockdown for weeks, running a household, raising two little kids, wrestling with the homeschool phenomenon, and working from home. The other morning, she was putting the finishing touches on breakfast for…
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