Meet Nicole Birkholzer | Relationship Coach for Animals + their People, Podcaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Birkholzer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks = desire to grow. A surprise job opportunity carried me to New York City, at age 23. I spoke 50 words of English, and carried vocabulary cards in my purse to guide me through the tangled urban jungle. I remember the steel, the smoke, and being booted out of a bagel shop because I couldn’t order fast enough. I loved the speed, the intensity + the energy. But I missed the horses.

Five years later, I found myself with a high-powered advertising job — and a volunteer position at a therapeutic riding center on the Upper West Side. I was thrilled to be back with my equine companions, and dreamed of devoting my life to their protection + care.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Leaving my career as an advertising executive, I became the director of the riding center, raising half a million dollars for a new equine-therapy facility. I witnessed the incredible healing power of horses — their ability to calm, soothe + empower nearly everyone who visited the center . . . from alcoholics + troubled teens to those blind, deaf + emotionally drained.

I added new skills to my tool kit — including Life Coaching training with renowned Master Coach, O magazine columnist + bestselling author Martha Beck.

I fell deeper + deeper in love with my work — and with animals.
But something wasn’t quite aligned.

It took me years to realize that I wasn’t an equine coach who happened to practice mindfulness — I was a relationship coach who could express the side of the animal.

A new path was born.

When our animals “speak” to us, we are given a choice: we can dismiss them as silly and goofy, or we can choose to stop… and listen.

Today, I speak with and listen to 100+ animals and their people monthly over the phone, helping them express their needs + wants. Together we resolve quirky or undesired animal behaviors because I help the animals be seen and heard.

Because every relationship needs attention, nourishment + tender maintenance, and your relationship with your animal is no different.

I don’t see obstacles. I see opportunities.
When I feel stuck or repeat an unhealthy pattern, I step back and allow. Allow for a sign to show me the path of least resistance.

Animals teach us ease. Animals will always choose ease over unease. Unease leads to dis-ease. Only humans can create unease for themselves by pushing on when all the signs say STOP.

Every day, I listen to the wisdom animals have to share. Animals are our best life coaches. They teach us to breathe, to listen to our body, and to open ourselves to our own intuition. Your best guide is furry or feathery and lives in your home or backyard.

I use plant medicine to support the animal’s well-being. Essential oils and essence are a natural way to support our animal’s path to wellness.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First stop Fire Arts Vermont Gallery and Cafe In Brattleboro, Vermont. Right by the West River, I will introduce you to amazing artists creating world-renowned glass and ceramics.
Walking into the gallery, you will “wow.”
The croissants, french baguettes, and chai at the cafe will have you smitten.
From there, we head up some Southern Vermont trails on Hogback Mountain. The 360-degree view into Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire will spin your head. Hence we stop by at the Naked Beer Brewery for craft beer and wood-fired pizza. We will head into Brattleboro in the afternoon to score some second-hand Frye boots at Boomerang. We’ll finish off at the Peter Haven Oyster bar with a Negroni.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think in stories. My most essential touchstone will always be my fellow writers.
For over a decade, I have attended weekly writing groups that provided the space and feedback to tell my stories.
Nerissa Nields https://nerissanields.com/
and Suzanne Kingsbury https://suzannekingsbury.net/
influenced and guided my love for the written page

Website: mindful-connections.com

Instagram: @loveandjoyforanimals, @nicole_birkholzer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.birkholzer/ https://www.facebook.com/mindfulconnects

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NicoleBirkholzerMC/videos

Image Credits
Kristen Vallejo – Photographer