A new Look

Branding is such an important part of a business. Defining the look and feel- the energy, the purpose. How does it make you feel? How do the colors combine to create feelings and energy? What emotions are you provoking? What are you trying to sell? Branding is often done in the early stages of a business when the ethos that sparked the company is evident in every move. But it is such a difficult task, especially when you’re a solopreneur still feeling out your niche.

I have spent the past year and a half in a state of Kapha- an Ayurvedic mind-body type and also temporary state- going over my past, healing, venturing into new areas, exploring, aye, adventuring into my dharma. I have many, many stories, not just one poignant story. My stories could help millions of people, but this is a task for which I am not yet prepared. If I ever will be. Some of these stories will unfold over time and come to light.

The past month has been somewhat of an acceleration of my vision. My ultimate vision is to rescue race horses and help them grow into healers, healing people of their wounds, shadows and past. And I am in a stepping stone on the path to that vision at the moment. This stepping stone is reaching into my bag of life to pull out the keys to help athletes overcome their challenges such as burnout, lack of motivation, unexplained drops in performance, transitioning into civilian life and handling civilian life during their pro career.

My new Logo

My life is centered around the mountains. I have been drawn to the mountains my entire life and I have loved being out exploring and adventuring whether on my own or with my brothers, my Dad or friends. Therefore, I made the mountains the centerpiece of my logo. It’s not just the peaks. It’s the valleys, the meadows, the plateaus. All things mountain.

Photo by Rocky Ehrich

Why Dharma?

I began studying yoga and Ayurveda, Buddhism and other spiritualities including my own Native American heritage at a fairly young age. My tribe, the Choctaws, wiped out almost anything to do with our spirituality especially during the era of whitening schools, so there is scarce information, but I lean other neighboring tribes for their wisdom and practices. I am a woman of the earth, of the dirt. I played in dirt before I could even walk apparently. I became intrigued by the gentle touch of spirituality as opposed to the rigid, structured, punishment-based religion I was raised on. None of that made sense to me- the Father sitting above us in a cloud watching us.

What made sense to me was the concept of dharma. Each and every one of us is here to fulfill a purpose. That purpose is not a given, however, we need to connect with it inside of us. Through social conditioning, the structures that we’re raised in, the reward-punishment systems we’re a part of, we lose touch with our dharma because we cannot sense it.

As humans in this country, we are desensitized to our emotions, to our bodies and purposefully disconnected from these aspects of ourselves. Emotions are a sign of weakness. Feelings are discounted. And we have drugs to counter all of it. Feeling tired? Drink coffee. Feeling sad? Take a Prozac. Feeling left out? “Toughen up, buttercup”.

As a country, we’re stressed, we’re very sick, ill and overtly unhappy. Overly unhappy. The reason is because we are disconnected from our true selves. We cannot know our purpose if we are in survival mode. Survival mode might just be busy-ness and stress from work. Or it might mean trying to make enough money to pay the bills and buy food for the family. But these are extreme examples. We’re all disconnected.

The Adventure

Life is an adventure. We never know what is going to happen and we are faced with countless choices every day that shape our adventure. To go on a ride or to stay home? This one decision causes a cascade of events. We are in control of our decision making. But we are making decisions from a place of disconnection. When we make decision from a disconnected place, and not from our bodies or using our body’s most perfect senses, we are making decisions that do not suit us and do not allow us to fulfill our dharma.

But every adventure has peaks- big summits of beautiful mountains that provide us a 360 degree view. There are valleys, some deep, dark and long. Streams, storms, trees, wildflowers, meadows. Everything is there, and if we choose, we can live a life of beautiful adventure. Our travels are simply mini-life-adventures that inform us of who we are in the context of the planet and people, which is always a good thing.

I was riding my bike down stairs at the age of 5. Maybe not the best decision in life, but that act really shaped how I move in the world today. I seek adventure, I seek new experiences. There is so much to experience in life. n adventure might be a month-long journey across a foreign country or simply finding a new vegetable at the market and learning how to create an unexpected and delicious meal using the plant.

Racing + Industry Experience

I raced mountain bikes full-time for 5 years (and countless years racing after that.) I know the struggles of a professional athlete. The commitment to train, eat right, keep your weight in the right place, rest, recover, intervals, periodization and of course the evolution of every idea from training to nutrition and all the latest buzz words, tools and supplements. I lived on the out-of-competition doping testing list. I have been through it. I’ve also been a director at a company, worked in marketing in many companies and roles.

And I was the first women’s demo truck driver in the industry, leading the revolution with Cannondale.

I know the struggles women face in the bike, outdoor and athletic industries.

Putting It All Together

I bring this experience, these experiences, my studies of dharma, my nutrition expertise and certifications with my love of the mountains and adventure- I bring it all together here in this container called Dharma Adventure Coaching.

I am a certified Dharma + Spiritual Life Coach through Dharma Coaching Institute, I am a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (IIN) and I have an MBA from Xavier University amongst countless other certifications including PSIA Ski Instructor Level 1. (While ski instructor may not seem to be relevant, there is a great deal of psychology involved in becoming a certified ski instructor and it is incredibly relevant to the work I do).

My vision is to help professional endurance athletes, executives and high performers reconnect with themselves to solve their biggest challenges and struggles to reach, achieve and exceed their performance expectations.

To work with me, email me, or DM me on social media or fill out any of the forms on my web site. I look forward to working with you and guiding you o your Dharma Adventure!

namaste

-Tonya