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BEan in Nature
BETH ANSTANDIG
Head Cowgirl, Owner
It’s time to wake up your true self.
We are human animals but we are cut off from the natural signals of our animal bodies. We are ruled by thought, language, ego, and story. As adults, we have learned to put our mammal bodies to sleep.
When we learn to listen to our inner world and its signals, we are alive and attuned to the depth and texture of our lives. We wake up a fundamental part of our hard-wiring that transforms our ability to shape our relationships. We call this our Natural Leadership, and though it may be hidden or forgotten, it is never lost.
At The Circle Up Experience, you awaken your Natural Leadership so you can navigate the world, take hold of your most genuine desires, and build authentic connections.
Our Offerings
Retreats, Courses, and Coaching for Human Herds
Choose your experience
Custom Business Retreats
1-3 DAY CUSTOM EXPERIENCES
Escape the office and get to know your human herd by spending 1-3 days at one of our Circle Up locations, or our team will come to a special location closer to you.
Teams will strengthen current relationships, welcome new members, and increase their awareness of each other’s strengths when they engage with our horses and experience the nature-based activities we offer.
Our workshops may also feature sheep, dogs, falconry, meditation, art, writing, movement, and mindful hiking. You don’t have to be interested in animals or know much about them to have a profound transformation.
“Circle Up gathered together our group and turned us into a team! The Circle Up team (humans and horses) took our newly re-configured group—made up of people from three different countries—and gave us the opportunity to get to know each other in a completely unique way. We have been able to stay connected despite geography and to continuously develop and respect our soft skills."
LAUREN PFEIFFER, ADOBE INC.
Retreats
for all people, great and small
We host exceptional retreats at our unique Circle Up locations. Our retreats focus on personal leadership, relationships, and spiritual development. The retreat experience offers the space and time to pause from everyday life for reflection.
P.S. If you have an idea for a retreat or a group of people who want a meaningful experience together, we can help you design a gathering that meets your needs. Plan your retreat with us...
"Getting real-time feedback is a rare gift, and yet it's the biggest opportunity to learn about ourselves and grow. Circle Up’s program delivers just that, through the eyes of a partner who acts with total honesty and vulnerability, and without their own ego or agenda — the perfect mirror: a horse. My experience was simply incredible and has made a huge impact on me. I highly recommend it to anyone.”
AMY J., GOOGLE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP FORUM
Coaching
FOR INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS & INSTITUTIONS
Create a culture for the people you care about by stepping into your Natural Leadership.
Each year, we take a select number of clients for individual, executive or group coaching programs, including a limited number of large institutions for customized programs.
As coaches, we’re not afraid to ask tough questions. We pick up on core themes and issues quickly and know exactly when to be gentle and when to push. The transferable skills we teach will help you support, develop, and mentor colleagues and peers.
"What Circle Up offers is different from other team-building exercises, and is also based on the way a horse lives and works. No conference rooms. No binders. No powerpoint slides. No blah blah blah.”
FORBES MAGAZINE
Courses
For Aspiring Leaders
If you are already a leader for your herd, our courses help you step into your role with confidence and power.
Courses are offered through our online learning platform so they are accessible anytime, anywhere. They often include group coaching calls and private discussion groups.
Our integrative model teaches basic concepts about human nature through the lenses of psychology, animal behavior, interpersonal neuroscience, and meditation.
There is nothing quite like having the privilege of working through one-on-one executive coaching with Beth Anstandig. She wastes no time assessing a person’s needs and crafting an organic experience. There is an immense opportunity for personal and professional growth for anyone who chooses to embrace it.
VICTORIA CONKLIN, VICE PRESIDENT – LENDING, AMERICAN AGCREDIT
Latest News
Posts about Relationships and leadership
Work 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…
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Working 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…
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When 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…
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Beth 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…
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What 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…
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A 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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The Book We Need Now
Part guidebook, part manifesto, part wake-up call, The Human Herd: Awakening Our Natural Leadership offers a framework for living, relating, and leading a more empowered life.
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