Hitting Your Stride -- The Equestrian Elements Life Coaching podcast with Tracey Mitchell

In a rare solo episode, Tracey dives in to a topic that's very personal for her - self-care and the value of personal investment. She's witnessed for years what happens when people don't take the time to tend to themselves, and how professionals and amateur owners alike continue to miscalculate just how important looking after their own needs really is. She talks about how it's not easy to recogni...

We all know that the relationships with the animals that we love, whether they're a pet or an equine partner, will eventually come to an end. And no matter how prepared we think we are for that day, it's always harder than we imagined it would be. Helen Goldberg, the owner of Helen Goldberg Pet Loss Counselling, shares with Tracey that the journey with each animal will be different and that dictat...

As Tracey's latest guest, Sarah Long opens this episode of 'Hitting Your Stride' by accepting who she is and what she's capable of, but doesn't settle for just being naturally talented. Building on the working relationships she forged as a young rider and coach, Sarah credits the people around her and a joy of learning for her ability to transition from 'just a rider' to an up & coming coach w...

Life's path isn't always clearly set out in front of you, and as Tracey and her guest, Jennifer Anstey from the Horse Media Group, find out by delving into the divergent path Jennifer took when she joined her mother's company. That decision unknowingly set up her future career as the head of Canada's premier equine media outlets. With an obvious love of what she does, Jennifer shares her experienc...

With one year of 'Hitting Your Stride' under her belt, Tracey takes the opportunity to sit down with her brother, Rob Mitchell, to go over the best ways to set goals for yourself. A new year is just around the corner, so the Mitchell siblings get into details on how to set and maintain goals, how reassuring yourself that you're on the right path is a good thing, and setting rituals and routines fo...

Discussing the importance of self-evaluation, how we set our goals, and the self-compassion we need to have for ourselves along the way, Tracey and Kendra spend time delving into both the psychological and physiological impacts that go along with stress and anxiety. Kendra makes clear the distinction between the two and how recognizing 'the tiger in the room' for what it is and how it can be a goo...

This is the tale of a little girl who only ever wanted to grow up to be at the horse show. Ardie Hastey is living out her dream every day, as anyone who's ever set foot in her Blueberry Hill boutique can attest to. Tracey gets the bubbly Ardie to talk shop (literally) about how it started and how it's going, touching on things like how customers always get the 'real Ardie', having the guts to cold...

Here are just two ideas you will come to embrace after the latest episode of 'Hitting Your Stride': failure is not an ending, and your original idea will not be your final idea. Those are just two notions that Nicole Verkindt shares with Tracey and her listeners in this episode. The Ivey School of Business graduate and one of Canada's leading entrepreneurial voices, Verkindt gives her take on such...

Tracey engages in conversation with two-time Olympian and PanAm Games silver medalist Jacqueline Brooks on a wide range of topics. She talks about her multi-sport training approach, doing what got you here and not trying to be a gold medalist, and how everyone needs someone really in their corner in the equestrian world. Brooks reveals her unique view of the horse/rider relationship, how improved...

Taylor Stafford of Anatomeq Inc., joins Tracey for the latest episode of Hitting Your Stride, and the pair of entrepreneurs talk shop about thinking bigger and breaking the mold when it comes to turning a vision into reality. A believer in being hands-on and getting involved, Stafford talked about how she followed her passion and belief that she could make a better equine product ... resulting in...

Ray Butterfield joins Tracey on this episode of 'Hitting Your Stride' and he makes quite an impression with their wide-ranging conversation. The rider-turned-salesman-turned-instructor opens up on the influences in his equestrian journey; how big the difference between good enough and good is, learning to manage animals right from their most delicate stage, and recognizing value when others don't...

It's clear from the start that Tracey's latest guest, Megan Lane, is different in many ways. The young dressage rider already boasts an impressive resume, but that's about all the boasting she is likely to do. Lane talks on 'Hitting Your Stride' about where she goes mentally when she's in the saddle and the feeling of power between her and her horse, as well as her foundations of hard work and det...

Tracey welcomes Ryan Mitra to Hitting Your Stride for this episode, and the two talk about the focus needed to attain your goals. Mitra, a former crew member for the Western University Mustangs and now a strength & conditioning coach for the squad, breaks down the myths surrounding personal fitness and says you start by being honest with yourself and setting concrete goals. They talk about the...

Tracey sits down (literally) with her husband, business partner and podcast producer Matt Harris to talk about the art of collaboration. Over the course of their conversation, Matt talks about the inspiration he's drawn from a number of the Hitting Your Stride episodes he's taken particular interest in, as well as how watching Tracey work at her job gives him the motivation to find better ways to...

Owner/operator of The Equestrian Marketing Coach and co-owner of Outrageous Creations website design, Kerri McGregor joins Tracey on Hitting Your Stride to discuss their similar paths in the equestrian world, but also hits on a few hot topics: dealing with imposter syndrome, finding a way to balance a hectic schedule, and taking the social media monster head-on. Kerri talks about her experiences i...

Tracey goes solo for this episode where she talks about energy hacks and how to make the best use of your 24 hours. Like a good rider is built with a solid foundation of fundamentals, Tracey points out a good day for anyone starts with when your eyes are closed; getting a good sleep doesn't happen by accident, and there is prep work involved!  She covers the value of being kind to your brain...

Tracey talks with Dr. Kendra Clark, a human/equine chiropractor who recently returned to her home town of Guelph, Ontario, to set up her practice. Over the course of their conversation, Tracey and Dr. Kendra discuss already knowing the answer when you ask for advice, the problem with assumptions and the importance of humility, how she has carried a rider's mindset into everything she does and livi...

In the latest episode of 'Hitting Your Stride', Tracey talks with Mac Cone about his lengthy high-profile career and life in equestrian sports. Cone talks about how he knew early on as a horseman that he was going to have to carry his own banner and be a professional, and how it would be necessary to find the balance between his career and his business to make both sides of the equation work. The...

This episode of 'Hitting Your Stride' helps give listeners a different look at life coaching, as Tracey chats with her coach, Rod Macdonald, about its importance in the world today. As Rod says, 'the world needs more coaches', and they cover topics like conquering fear, remembering what is actually true rather than what isn't, and what the real value is of having a strong support team around you ....

In this episode of Hitting Your Stride, Tracey chats with Maya Markowski of Equest Dressage -- a rider and coach who has dedicated her life to the sport. They talk about what Maya looks for in a horse to work with, how she originally began her equine odyssey in the hunter-jumper ring before moving to dressage, and how she works to find a balance between her passion for horses and life outside of t...

Tracey returns the favour for Reese Koffler-Stanfield & Philip Parkes from the 'Dressage Radio Show' podcast of The Horse Radio Network, as she welcomes the co-hosts to Hitting Your Stride for a multi-facted talk about a wide range of topics. They start out with a bit of their joint history and how they came together on DRS, but they expand into several key areas like building confidence (or r...

In this episode, Tracey talks with Pam Dorion about how she turned an interest in horses at a young age into a career as an elite-level groom. They cover the importance of reframing one's goals in the face of challenges, but also stress the need for a high level of care and consistency provided to the horse no matter where in the world they found themselves. Pam shares stories of some of her favou...

In this episode, Tracey chats with Peter Gisborn -- stable owner, hunter/jumper coach, ex-football player, and a true believer in the fundamentals. The pair talk about what it was like for Peter to go from riding horses in his childhood to putting on the football pads for a time being before coming back to his true passion; they also cover Gisborn's belief in making sure his riders (as well as him...

Tracey chats with Anna Swackhammer and Carson Lewis, members of the Ontario Equestrian GRIT team, about their experiences on the team and what they've been able to learn from OE's elite training program for young riders. The trio discuss how important it is to maintain balance between trying to achieve goals in the ring while keeping other aspects of their lives maintained as well. And let's not f...

The 2021 show season is closing in fast, and riders are finding themselves inundated with things to do -- including managing their mental approach. In this episode, Tracey discusses the finer points of three important parts to a successful show season and offers some timely tips on how to give yourself a mental tune-up to be ready for that first competition. And remember -- life favours the bold,...