Some people inspire us through extraordinary achievements. Others inspire us simply by showing us what becomes possible when we stay deeply committed to relationship.
Amy Dojahn does both.
A licensed professional counselor for more than three decades, Amy is on the verge of earning her Advanced Natural Lifemanship Certification—a distinction achieved by only a small number of practitioners. Throughout her journey, while navigating life in a wheelchair, she has continually adapted, learned, and grown alongside her horses, demonstrating that meaningful connection is never determined by physical ability.
Horses Were Always Home
Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of three, Amy learned early that life would require adaptation. She shared that pain, surgeries, and changing physical abilities were simply part of growing up.
If there was one place where she experienced something entirely different, it was with horses.
“When I was on the horse,” she says, “I didn’t feel disabled. I could just go and be free.”
Her Shetland pony, Cookie, gave her the chance to move through the world without thinking about what her body couldn’t do. With horses, she found freedom, joy, and a relationship that made her feel fully herself.
Those early experiences stayed with Amy throughout her life. After becoming a licensed professional counselor in 1994, she spent many years in traditional office-based practice before discovering equine-assisted psychotherapy around 2010. It brought together two parts of her life that had always been deeply connected: helping people heal and building relationships with horses.
Finding Natural Lifemanship
By the time Amy discovered Natural Lifemanship, she had already decided she wanted horses to become part of her counseling practice. She just wasn’t sure how it would work.
As someone using a wheelchair, entering into a field with large animals came with practical challenges and some self-doubt. Looking back, Amy admits she often questioned whether she belonged in this work.
“I would think, ‘Here I am in a wheelchair. Who do I think I am trying to do this?’”
Through Natural Lifemanship, she found a different way of thinking about those questions.
She explained that Natural Lifemanship made the work feel possible because its philosophy centered on connection rather than control. As she progressed through the certification process, she began to see that her wheelchair was part of her story, but it did not define her ability to build meaningful relationships with horses.
That perspective changed more than the way she worked with horses. It encouraged Amy to look beyond her own insecurities and recognize that her ability to build relationship had never depended on walking across a pasture. It depended on presence, attunement, and connection.
Learning to Work With Her Body
One of Amy’s most meaningful discoveries through Natural Lifemanship has been her relationship with her own body. For many years, she describes feeling disconnected from it.
Personal Immersion and the somatic work woven throughout NL began changing that relationship. Instead of seeing her body only through the lens of limitation, she learned to recognize its wisdom.
Today, she pays close attention to the signals her body offers, using breath, awareness, and regulation to remain present with both horses and clients.
“My body lets me know when I’m anxious,” she says. “We’ve definitely learned to work together better.”
That internal relationship has become just as important as any relationship she builds in the pasture.
Embracing Relationship Over Limitation
Amy has never asked for special treatment. Throughout her certification journey, she simply looked for ways to participate fully while honoring the realities of her body.
Rather than trying to work around her wheelchair, Amy learned how to work with it. She pays close attention to how her horses respond to her movement, her pace, and her energy. Over time, even the movement of her wheelchair became another way of communicating with them. She also adapted the tools she uses during groundwork to better fit what her hands are physically able to do.
An all-terrain electric wheelchair, affectionately known around the ranch as “the ranch chair,” allows Amy to navigate the pastures with greater ease. It supports her work, but it is her presence and relationship with the horses that make the work possible.
Creating Space for Others
The lessons Amy learned with her horses naturally became part of the way she practices therapy.
She recalls one client who experienced an unfamiliar sense of openness while working alongside one of the ranch’s ponies. After visiting family members connected to painful experiences from her past, the client returned surprised by how differently she had moved through those interactions.
“I know what anxiety feels like,” the client told Amy. “But this openness…this is new.”
For Amy, moments like these affirm the value of experiential work. Clients aren’t simply talking about healing. They’re discovering what it feels like in their own bodies and carrying that experience into everyday life.
Amy has approached her own certification journey in much the same way.
Amy hopes her journey encourages other practitioners to see possibilities they may not have considered for themselves. Meaningful work grows from presence, curiosity, and a willingness to remain in relationship—with ourselves, with our clients, and with our horses.
Continuing the Journey
Amy has invested years in the Natural Lifemanship Certification Pathway, approaching each stage with curiosity, thoughtful adaptation, and a willingness to keep learning.
Today, she continues to support clients through Runnin Free Ranch while looking toward what comes next. She hopes to expand the ranch along with her husband DJ, so more people can experience healing through relationship. She also dreams of one day adding a Mustang to her herd and eventually becoming a Natural Lifemanship trainer.
Looking back on her journey, it is clear that Natural Lifemanship has shaped far more than the way Amy works with horses. It has influenced the way she relates to her own body, the way she partners with clients, and the way she continues to approach growth.
Your Invitation
The Natural Lifemanship Certification Pathway is designed to do more than teach. It shapes the person doing the work.
If you are a mental health professional drawn to equine-assisted work and want training that takes the relational dimension seriously, the Fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship offers a meaningful place to begin. As the first step toward NL Certification, it gives you space to slow down, deepen your understanding of relational work, and begin experiencing the principles that can shape the way you practice.
You do not have to know exactly where the journey will lead. You simply have to be willing to take the next step.
Some of the most important work happens where no one is watching.
It happens before the first participant arrives and long after the last one leaves. It is the kind of work that rarely gets named, but is felt by everyone who steps onto the ranch — in the quality of a meal, the warmth of a room, the quiet order of a well-tended space.
Today, we want to name it. And we want to introduce the person behind it.
We are honored to shine a light on Chip Hutler, NL’s facilities manager, ranch steward, and the steady, quietly devoted force who makes sure that when you arrive at the NL ranch, everything is ready to hold you well.
The Work That Holds the Work
There is a particular kind of care that does not ask to be noticed. It shows up before the participants arrive and long after they leave. It is in the lights that come on when you pull in late at night, the room that feels clean and settled, the meal that nourishes without distraction, and the grounds that feel tended and alive.
That is Chip’s work.
His approach is deeply aligned with NL’s own: remove the obstacles, create the conditions for something good to happen, and then step back.
A Life Built Around Camps, Community, and Care
Chip and his wife Laura are both originally from Wisconsin and spent the primary part of their careers in camp ministry, working with the YMCA and church camps across Wisconsin, Arizona, and Iowa.
It was in Iowa, at Wesley Woods, that Laura first encountered Natural Lifemanship. She had taken over management of the camp’s horse program and was searching for something more than what they had.
As Chip describes it, they both felt that “the kids could get more out of the experience than just jumping on a horse and riding around the path in a circle,” and that there was real opportunity for children in the space of relationship and genuine connection with horses. In that search for the right approach, Laura found NL.
Taking a Gamble on Texas
By 2023, Laura had immersed herself in NL’s learning path and had built a real relationship with Tim and Bettina through years of webinars, trainings, and certifications. When it became clear that the new Texas facility might need the kind of support she and Chip were built to offer, she turned to Chip with a question: what do you think about Texas?
“I had never pictured myself moving to Texas,” he admitted.
But they met with Tim and Bettina over Zoom, and it went from there. Chip joined the NL team in April of 2023. He will tell you, without any false modesty, that Tim and Bettina took a gamble on him, and that he is grateful they were willing.
Watching a Garden Grow
When Chip arrived, there was bare ground and a great deal of reconstruction still underway. He describes the years since then the way a gardener might, patient and observant and genuinely moved by what has taken root.
“It’s kind of like watching a garden grow,” he reflected. “Every day is a little bit different, which I like. Some days it’s things you embrace and are fun. Some things have to be done. But it’s nice to watch things develop and improve, to go back and take a look at where things started and where things are today and how much all the effort that was put in by everybody here to see that happen. It’s been a good team effort.”
His job, as he sees it, is to look for what others might miss.
He’s referring to the small details where discomfort might slip in unnoticed, like a bug that found its way in through a crevice; a heating setting that was never adjusted for a late arrival; or, a clock that stopped on its tracks.
“A lot of it is the little stuff,” he said. “We work on the big stuff on a regular basis. But then when it comes to people showing up, what little stuff are we missing?”
The Most Rewarding Part
Ask Chip what he finds most challenging about his work, and he will tell you without hesitation: the Texas heat, month after month, especially when the grass still needs mowing and the outside work still needs doing.
Ask him what he finds most rewarding, and his answer is just as immediate.
“People,” he said simply.
He then talked about a recent training group who gathered around a simple lunch and offered genuine gratitude, and remarked that some trainings they attend only offer a bagged lunch, and that this was something more. That kind of response, Chip says, is what it is all about.
It’s More Than the Horses
When asked what he wishes more people understood about Natural Lifemanship, Chip is thoughtful and personal in his answer.
“Don’t assume this is just about horses,” he said.
He and Laura have been married for over 34 years. And as NL’s principles have made their way into his life, through Laura, and through the people who pass through the ranch, he found himself returning to a quiet wish.
“We wish we would have known this stuff when we were raising our daughter,” he shared. “We wish we would have known this stuff when we were newly married and the tools we would have had for that relationship.”
He also speaks to the emotional weight of living in a world that constantly pulls at our nervous systems, and how NL has given him a way to meet that without being swept into reaction.
“The climate we’re living in currently requires me to manage my emotions as far as reacting to opening up social media and just all the junk that’s out there,” he said. “To manage my emotions and my reaction to some of those things and not allowing myself to go down the path that could possibly send me into a point of frustration and anger and bitterness. There’s a lot more tools in your toolbox for helping relationships beyond working with the horse or clients. It’s something you take with you wherever you go.”
The Space That Holds You
When you come to the NL ranch, you may not think about who checked the light timers before you arrived, or who walked the room one more time to make sure everything felt right, or who made sure the grounds were ready to receive you. But that care is there, woven into the ground beneath your feet and the air you walk into when you open the door.
Chip is part of that care, alongside everyone at NL who believes that the small things done faithfully are what make a space feel safe, welcoming, and worth returning to.
Thank you, Chip, for the quiet, steady work that holds everything else. You are a foundational part of what makes the NL a place that feels like it was made to hold people well.
Come and See for Yourself
We have just released our training calendar for the remainder of the year, and we would love for you to experience this space for yourself. When you register before June 4th, select trainings will include complimentary lodging for those who feel called to come stay on the ranch and fully immerse themselves in the experience.
If you have been feeling the pull toward deeper learning, meaningful community, and a space intentionally created to support both personal and professional growth, this is your invitation to step in.
Whether you are just beginning your Natural Lifemanship journey or continuing along a path you have been walking for years, there is a place for you here.
We invite you to explore ourupcoming trainings, find the experience that meets you where you are, and learn more about the complimentary lodging opportunity while it is still available.
Each month, we shine a light on a member of the Natural Lifemanship community who embodies the heart of this work. Today, we’re honored to feature Kathy Taylor—an embodiment coach, equine professional, and lifelong learner whose journey blends neuroscience, movement, and deep relational healing.
Through her integration of Natural Lifemanship and neuro-based coaching, Kathy has cultivated a unique approach that supports lasting healing in both body and mind. Her journey is a powerful reminder that when we change how we relate to ourselves, everything else begins to shift.
A Lifetime with Horses. A New Relationship with the Body.
Kathy has been around horses for most of her life. But her introduction to equine-assisted services began in 2008, when she attended a demonstration with Tim and Bettina.
She didn’t fully understand what she had witnessed, but something clicked, and she knew she wanted to be part of it.
“I always wanted to share my love of horses with people for people’s benefit,” Kathy said. “But I didn’t want to be a riding instructor and I didn’t want to be a horse trainer. People don’t have to ride. They don’t have to know anything about horses. In fact, usually it’s better if they don’t.”
Over the years, Kathy immersed herself in NL’s learning path, from Fundamentals to Rhythmic Riding (and lots in between!). Along the way, she also found herself drawn to the nervous system. Through a yearlong mentorship with Next Level Neuro, she began learning how the brain and body respond to sensory input, trauma, and movement.
What she discovered changed her life.
Capacity is Built, Not Pushed
Kathy works primarily with women who tend to carry a lot—business owners, caregivers, creative professionals. Her coaching combines the principles of NL with somatic and neuro-based practices that help clients build capacity slowly, gently, and with intention.
From the outside, it might look like putting on colored glasses or doing simple movement drills. But these small shifts create powerful internal changes.
“It’s all about inputs, interpretation, and output,” Kathy explains. “When we change what the nervous system is taking in, we can change how it responds. And that changes everything about how we relate.”
This approach, which she calls “minimum effective dose,” aligns beautifully with NL’s trauma-informed values. It’s not about doing more. It’s about offering just enough safety and support to help the system reorganize itself.
The Certification Process Was Never Just Professional
When Kathy talks about her NL certification journey, she reflects on it as a process of personal integration. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t linear. And that was exactly the point.
She recalls moments in her work where she asked clients to act with confidence or “get big”, only to realize later that these requests, though well-meaning, mirrored dominant patterns that weren’t helpful or safe.
NL gave her the tools to pause, reflect, and try again from a place of attunement.
“There were still all of those dominance patterns in my body that I had to first become aware of and then decide… and then become aware of soon enough to do something different. I’m still learning.”
The Power of Movement and Attunement
One of the most transformational experiences for Kathy came during Rhythmic Riding. Holding connection over time, especially in a group setting, stretched her capacity in new ways.
“I’m an introvert. Connection can be exhausting for me. But during that training, I realized how much impact comes from staying present, even when it’s hard.”
This insight now informs everything Kathy does. Whether she’s facilitating a somatic retreat or walking a client through a simple nervous system drill, she returns again and again to the same question: What does connection require of me at this moment?
The guide introduces six types of capacity and offers gentle, actionable exercises that support nervous system regulation.
Each practice is intentionally light and can be done in just a few minutes. As Kathy says, “Start small. Let your body tell you what’s next.”
Kathy’s Advice to Practitioners on the Fence
When asked what she would tell someone considering certification with NL, her response is immediate.
“Get off the fence and do it. If you care about people and relationships, then caring about your relationship with yourself has to come first. Natural Lifemanship does such a beautiful job of weaving in connection with yourself and connection with others. It’s like an infinity loop—you really can’t have one without the other.
You won’t come out on the other side as the same person. And that’s a good thing. If that’s what you want, then don’t hesitate. And don’t rush through it. Go at your own pace and listen to what your body is saying.”
Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your wisdom, your story, and your heart. You’re helping others find their footing by modeling what it means to live this work from the inside out.
“From the very first conversation with Shayla, I knew she was someone whose spirit would shape the future of NL. She’s not just teaching—she’s living the work. We’re so grateful her path led her home.” ~ Bettina Shultz-Jobe, CEO and Co-Founder of NL
Each month, we shine a light on someone in our Natural Lifemanship family whose journey reflects the depth, presence, and relational richness that guide everything we do. This time, we’re celebrating Shayla Anderson—our new Lead Teacher and Guide at Old Mill Creek Academy & Schoolhouse.
Her story is one of courageous transition, soulful return, and a sunrise-hued commitment to walking with children in their most formative years.
A Seeker of Light and Meaning
Shayla grew up in Southern Maryland, where her love for nature, animals, and creative expression began to bloom. After years in South Carolina—where she studied, taught, and shaped young minds—she recently made a big move to Brenham, Texas.
Ask Shayla what fills her soul and she’ll tell you: chasing sunrises, capturing beauty through a camera lens, writing from the heart, and singing loudly with the windows down to Celine Dion, country, and Christian music. She’s a chaser of light in more ways than one.
A Path That Kept Circling Back
Shayla first discovered Natural Lifemanship in 2017 while volunteering at a barn that partnered with young adults with disabilities. She was finishing her master’s in special education and was drawn to the authenticity of NL’s approach. Though her formal training didn’t begin until 2020—during a season of deep personal and professional exploration—the resonance was immediate.
After taking the Fundamentals training and a powerful experience at the 2020 Interconnected Conference, Shayla was hooked. “I was left speechless and hungry for more,” she says. “More authenticity, more growth, more life.”
But growth isn’t always linear.
Home, Lost and Found
For a couple of years, Shayla’s life shifted. She juggled multiple caregiving and farm jobs, unsure how or when she might find her way back to NL. But as often happens in this work, the connection never disappeared. A series of consultations with Bettina offered seeds of possibility—though none felt quite in reach at the time.
And then, in November 2023, Shayla returned. The Sacred Landscapes Conference cracked something open. “It struck me to my core,” she reflects. “Every interaction I’ve had since then—with trainers, presenters, members—has been nothing short of divine and tender.”
In April 2024, she took the plunge into the Personal Immersion, exploring her own nervous system, patterns, and longings in sacred community. “I am forever changed,” she shares. “I learned so much and shared space with a powerhouse group of women.”
But perhaps the most profound moment came weeks later—when Bettina mentioned a dream. A school. A space for children to learn, grow, and heal. And it needed a lead teacher.
Shayla said yes.
Holding Space for Children, Holding Space for Herself
Today, Shayla is the Lead Teacher and Guide at Old Mill Creek Academy & Schoolhouse, NL’s new educational initiative grounded in connection, nature, and nervous system regulation. It’s the most full-circle “yes” she’s ever made.
Still, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. “The most challenging part right now is the transition,” she says. “I just left a place that holds so many parts of me. But I’m trusting that I left something good, only to find something better and deeper.”
The reward, however, is just as real. “Every day, I wake up and choose that same yes that landed me here. Even in its uncertainty, newness, and unexpectedness. That’s the beauty of it.”
What She Wants You to Know About NL
Shayla says it best: “Horses matter. People matter. We are EACH a part of a grandeur scheme and THAT matters.”
She believes that how we treat others—and ourselves—creates the foundation for meaningful, honest relationships. And that’s where NL shines: “When you treat yourself with utmost respect, love, curiosity, and attentiveness, it allows for true reciprocity in your relationships with other beings.”
As a newly official member of the NL team, Shayla is eager to resume her formal training and deepen her practice—not just for her own growth, but to serve every student, animal, and human who crosses her path. “I want to be of service in all the places and ways I’ve yet to discover,” she says.
Her advice for anyone considering the journey? “Your awakening awaits. NL is like a sunrise. Each experience, each transformation—it’s all welcome. It all matters. And no two paths look the same.”
Looking Forward: Growth, Community, and the Power of NL
We are honored and overjoyed to have Shayla Anderson as part of our Natural Lifemanship family. Her journey is one of returning, remembering, and rising again—just like the sunrises she loves.
If you’re interested in learning more about Natural Lifemanship and the amazing work our team is doing, we invite you to join our community.
“Some people leave footprints wherever they go—Laura Hutler leaves a trail of transformation. From summer camps to Natural Lifemanship, her journey has been one of connection, growth, and a deep reverence for nature and the relationships we build within it. We are beyond blessed that she blazed a trail that led to us!”
– Bettina Shultz-Jobe, CEO and Co-Founder of NL
Each month, we celebrate a member of our NL family who embodies the heart and soul of what we do. This time, we’re turning the spotlight on Laura Hutler—our Onsite Steward of People and Place at NL Headquarters in Brenham. Her story is one of passion, discovery, and an unshakable belief in the power of relationships, not just with people, but with the natural world and, of course, with our equine partners.
A Life Rooted in Nature
Laura’s love affair with the outdoors started young. Growing up in Wisconsin, she could often be found chasing butterflies, catching turtles, or simply reveling in the beauty of the natural world. As a teen, her happy place was the barnyard, spending countless hours with her horse—an early glimpse of the path her life would take.
It was only natural that she pursued a degree in Wildlife Management/Biology and Environmental Education, as she was eager to merge her love for nature with her deep-seated desire to help others discover and appreciate its wonders.
From Campfires to Connection
Laura’s passion for the outdoors took on new depth during college when she stumbled into summer youth camping. What started as a summer job quickly became a calling. As a Summer Camp Program Director, she spent decades crafting experiences that not only brought kids closer to nature but also fostered friendships and personal growth that lasted long after the last campfire had burned out.
But it was in the final years of her camping career that something truly remarkable happened—her path crossed with Natural Lifemanship.
Discovering a New Way with Horses
For years, Laura had sensed that the traditional way of working with camp horses was missing something. The transactional nature of lessons and trail rides didn’t sit right with her. She knew, deep down, that there had to be a better way—one built on partnership, not control.
That search led her to Natural Lifemanship in 2017. One visit to the NL website, and suddenly, all the dots started connecting. She saw a vision where horses weren’t just tools for recreation but willing partners in an experience that could be profoundly transformational—for campers, staff, and families alike.
In 2018, that vision took its first real step forward when NL’s own Tanner and Kathleen facilitated a Fundamentals Training at Laura’s camp. Among the attendees was Ashley Stavig, a local therapist. The two connected instantly, and together, they began building something entirely new—a horse program rooted in the principles of healthy relationship.
What happened next was nothing short of magical.
Horses That Choose to Partner
Under Natural Lifemanship’s guiding philosophy, the camp’s horse program underwent a profound shift. No longer was it about what horses had to do—it was about what they chose to do.
Burnt-out horses, once weary of the repetitive nature of camp life, began showing up differently. They started to engage. They began volunteering to partner with campers and clients, stepping into relationships in ways that had never been seen before. And, in turn, the campers and staff learned a new way of being—one that was relational, intentional, and deeply connected.
By early 2023, Laura and her core barn team had completed their NL Dual Certification and had embarked on the Advanced Certification path. By the end of that year, they had completed it. And in May of 2023, Laura and her husband, Chip, took a bold leap—stepping away from over 30 years in professional camping ministry to become the Onsite Stewards at NL Headquarters.
Now, she welcomes others into this world, offering a space where people can come to learn, explore, and experience the depth of connection that NL fosters.
“This Way of Being is a Lifelong Adventure”
For Laura, Natural Lifemanship is a way of being. It’s a practice, a mindset, and a lifelong adventure.
“It’s not about doing it perfectly,” Laura shares. “It’s about being vulnerable enough to start, to take each step, and to do our own work alongside the horses and each other.”
That work, she believes, is where the real transformation happens. It’s about having the courage to ask—whether it’s a horse or a human—if they’d like to step into the dance of relationship. And then, it’s about creating the kind of space where both parties feel seen, heard, and safe enough to explore their answer.
Mistakes happen. But in Laura’s world, mistakes aren’t failures. They’re opportunities for reparative work, for strengthening relationships, for growth.
Walking the Path Together
Today, as the Onsite Steward of People and Place, Laura plays a vital role in the NL community. She’s here to walk beside those on this journey, to create a space where learning and connection flourish.
And for those just discovering Natural Lifemanship, she has this to say:
“This is the work. It’s about relationships—with ourselves, with others, with the horses, with nature. It’s about stepping into a way of being that honors connection above all else. And that… that is where the healing happens.”
Looking Forward: Growth, Community, and the Power of NL
We are beyond grateful to have Laura as a part of our NL family. Her passion, wisdom, and unwavering belief in the power of connection inspire us all. Thank you, Laura, for everything you bring to this journey!
If you’re interested in learning more about Natural Lifemanship and the amazing work our team is doing, we invite you to join our community.
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