a Journey with Grit

A strategist as well as a teacher, Tori has worked with the Agribusiness and Trade Unit of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Emerging Markets providing support in project/proposal administration, marketing, and recruiting for international development projects. She is effective in client service relations, strategic planning, and staff/project management. Since 2012, she has been engaged in the Walls to Bridges organization through Wilfrid Laurier University, working with members inside and outside of a federal prison to promote education and social justice initiatives for incarcerated women. Tori has instructed part-time at Seneca College with the Therapeutic Recreation Degree Program. As mother, daughter, partner, aunt, teacher, kayaker, canoeist, animal steward, care giver, and active community member, she brings her life experience and compassion to the people and animals she engages with.

Of all the different experiential modalities Tori has incorporated into learning groups, Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) has been her passion. For over 20 years she has partnered with herds of horses throughout Ontario and recently Quebec to offer training, workshops, professional development, family growth, retreats, personal recovery and healing. In the last decade, her horse partners have taught so much on how they want to facilitate together. Individual horses have showed up with their own gifts to assist persons, individually or in group, with personal and collective journeys. Clients travel from various communities each week to participate in counselling sessions with the horses at Oz Farms around the corner from where Tori lives. She co-facilitates sessions and workshops at other farm locations, on an on-going basis. This is part of the teachings she takes out into her life, her family relationships and work interactions. This learning or rather listening is a lifelong practice. In a nutshell, the horses are experts in educating humans about attunement, resonance, trust and reciprocity.

Being outside and working with nature as opposed to avoiding nature has been her continued ‘ah ha’ lesson in problem solving and relationship building. Being in nature has become her cathedral and spiritual practice. Facilitating with horses embraces this natural setting, and builds a space of interconnectedness and a richer institute to learn with –in nature people can vision growth, respite and harvest in their lives, families, businesses and communities and learn how to share the rewards of seasonal beauty, growth and fun. This process of collaborative learning with horses has supported her vision and has been woven into her life’s work. When necessary, she seeks help and never facilitates alone! She started as a teacher and felt so odd standing in front of a classroom of rows of seats. Once she quit that model of teaching she went outdoors, began to facilitate in circle, explore in groups and in herds. But most importantly she loves learning the art of facilitation and leadership with horses.

Tori has co-facilitated the FEEL (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning)® Certification Program and has co-facilitated with other (EFL) practitioners. As facilitator, peer support, program developer, and FEEL trainer, Tori brings her education and training expertise as well as her diverse experience working with horses. She has learned from her horse Querica, and gleaned much from EPONA instructors, Klaus Hempfling, Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association, Equine Guided Education Association and many herds of horses.