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#67 Stevie Delahunt: She Calls Them “Spicy Memories”

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My guest for this next episode is Stevie Delahunt. This podcast is going to be a very different episode. When you get into it, you'll notice that we just started recording. There wasn't this moment where I went, "Stevie, welcome to the podcast," because we just started talking the minute we got on Zoom together. Here's the background. 

In the 24 hours before Stevie and I were scheduled to record, she discovered that her horse, Captain America, had severely lacerated his front left leg in the pasture. There was a big decision to be made. Was it even something that could be recoverable? She had spent the last 24 hours working with him to determine what to do. 

The vets eventually took four hours to stich him up and put him back together. Given all that, I started this podcast by saying, "Stevie, we can just talk. We don't have to do a podcast; maybe you just need an ear for what you've been going through." She started talking, and I hit record because we just got right into it. 

What you're going to hear in this podcast is two people having a very rich discussion about how to deal with adversity and pressure, including things like having our horse cut their leg and all the other things that we might call trauma.  She calls those things productive struggle, or spicy memories.

Stevie is all about helping people deal with difficult situations. Let me tell you a little bit about her. 

Stevie Delahunt graduated Michigan State University with two degrees and an intent to pursue law school at Georgetown University where she had been accepted. She switched gears and went to the French Pastry School of Chicago to learn how to do wedding cakes and set up shop in the Windy City. While in Chicago she learned of the worlds toughest horse race, the Mongol Derby, and she again let life guide her into constant change. On the other side of successfully completing the Mongol Derby she took a job with a start up company in Rhode Island and learned coding and marketing for the online business.  
 
The endeavor in the world of start-ups gave her strong leadership skills and an education in business models she applied to starting her second and current business of horse related retreats. Stevie’s current business encompasses several facets of the horse world including beginner riding instruction, advanced Bootcamp style retreats for riders wishing to participate in difficult horse riding survival races around the world, horse shoeing, and endurance racing with horses which includes doing the worlds toughest one day one hundred mile horse race; the Tevis Cup. 
 

Stevie believes that adversity is a necessary part of life and being prepared for adversity as well as creating it for oneself is essential and is a tool she uses in teaching both horses and humans, both young and old. 

And as always, please share this episode with your colleagues and friends. I hope you enjoy this episode. 

Additional Topics:

  • Handling life's challenges with resilience and determination. (0:02)
  • Horse injury and recovery, with a focus on the horse's past owners and previous injuries. (3:55)
  • Animal communication, plant medicine, and healing. (10:51)
  • Psychedelics as introspective tools and their potential for personal growth. (15:51)
  • Using horses for therapy and personal growth. (21:18)
  • Horses' purpose and connection with humans. (26:23)
  • The mental state of horses and humans. (34:06)
  • The impact of modern technology on mental and physical well-being. (38:58)
  • Facing fears and personal growth through equine therapy. (42:46)
  • Pain, suffering, and personal growth. (46:52)
  • Trusting the universe and letting go of control. (54:46)
  • Mind control and self-awareness. (57:43)
  • Mindfulness and living in the present moment. (1:02:25)
  • Smiling, emotions, and endorphins. (1:09:05)
  • Self-judgment and nervous system resetting. (1:16:02)
  • The power of storytelling and assumptions in human behavior. (1:19:13)
  • Mindfulness, self-improvement, and letting go of anxiety. (1:23:52)
  • Abandoning metrics for fitness and listening to the body. (1:28:18)
  • The meaning of life through horse riding. (1:34:41)
  • Embracing childlike joy and self-expression. (1:42:59)
  • Goal setting and addiction to achievement. (1:50:00)
  • Embracing change and pressure for personal growth. (1:54:34)
  • Taking small steps towards change. (2:00:39)
  • Taking small steps to achieve great accomplishments. (2:06:03)
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