Brenda Westwood
Brenda Westwood is a Master Equine Gestaltist™ and coach, and the founder of Horse Sense Healing, LLC, where she works independently guiding individuals through profound emotional and spiritual transformation. Her path to this work has been unconventional and deeply personal. As a teen parent with only a ninth-grade education, Brenda navigated life by doing what needed to be done in front of her. It wasn’t until she began college in her 30s that she discovered her inherent strengths and potential, largely through the encouragement and mentorship of professors and teachers who saw qualities in her that she had yet to recognize herself. A defining moment came in 1991, when she was asked to write about her ideal day in college—a question that both inspired and frightened her, as no one had ever asked her what she truly wanted to do with her life. That vision, though long delayed, became the foundation for her career in equine gestalt coaching. Before dedicating herself fully to Horse Sense Healing, Brenda spent years in the child welfare system, investigating child maltreatment and specializing in staff development and training professionals to investigate child abuse and support families. While she valued this work, her lifelong vision of partnering with horses to help people heal emotionally and spiritually remained. In 2011, she discovered an article about Equine Gestalt Coaching Certification at her dentist’s office and made a pivotal decision: if not now, then when? Committed to following her passion, she refinanced her home and began her certification with Touched by a Horse on January 1, 2012. Launching her own business in 2013 after certification, Brenda successfully transitioned from a stable career into entrepreneurship, creating a thriving practice that combines her expertise in gestalt coaching, social work, and experiential growth with the unique healing presence of horses. Brenda is celebrated for her ability to help clients uncover confidence, release limiting beliefs, and transform old narratives that no longer serve them. Her most notable professional strength is her capacity to sit fully in the presence of pain—providing a safe, empathetic space for individuals to explore, process, and heal. Through retreats, women’s circles, workshops, and one-on-one sessions, she empowers clients to connect deeply with themselves, others, and the natural world. Brenda’s work blends emotional insight, gestalt methodologies, practical coaching strategies, and the transformative power of horses, offering a holistic approach that fosters resilience, self-compassion, and authentic personal growth.
• Family Development Specialist Certificate
• Equine Gestalt Coaching Certification
• Master Equine Gestalt Certification
• University of Montana - BSW
• Flathead Valley Community College - AA, Human Services, General
• Honors & Awards
• Who's Who in America's Junior Colleges
• Women's Leadership Network
• Chamber of Commerce
• Touched by a Horse
• Equine Gestalt Coaching Method Association
• Board member of Hope Through Horses
• Protecting children and working with families
What do you attribute your success to?
Adult life started early as a parent at 15 years of age. Early adulthood presented many forms of challenges and mistakes. With a 9th grade education and unhealthy marriages and relationships, I was pretty insecure and did what was in front of me rather than having goals or a vision for my life. When my job at the telephone company. US West Communications, ended I had the opportunity to move to another state with the company or take severance pay and have my first year of college paid. At the age of 30, I chose my education and moved back to my heart home in NW Montana. I feel in love with learning. People were seeing things in me that I didn't even see. I learned that I had strengths and potential. The encouragement that the professors and the teachers gave me were instrumental in helping me move forward to earn my BA in Social Work and begin to make more positive choices in my life.
As my growth, healing and recovery from early life transformed me along my path, I found my true calling as an Equine Gestaltist!
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Looking back, it wasn't meant to be career advice, but I now see how it helped shape my drive. My Uncle, a Navy (Frogman) Seal Veteran, police officer had been married 7 times. His advice to me was to never give up. I have since never given up on me, my family, my healing, my business and supporting others to grow and heal.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Borrow the belief in you from others, when you can't find it in yourself. You are much more capable and competent than you might believe. Do your inner work. Heal those old stories.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges can also the greatest opportunities. Coaching and Equine Supported healing work can be isolating and provides opportunities to ask for support and help. Depending upon your temperament, critical networking and marketing may be challenging or exciting. Being an entrepreneur requires courage at the very least. The opportunities in the healing with horses industry is exploding. Awareness is growing and people are seeking alternative methods of healing of growth.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I thought I had a handle on values until I went through the intensive training with Touched by a Horse! Truly understanding my values-my operating system has provided me with a great deal of personal awareness. Freedom and independence are extremely important to me. Understanding this top value helps me be aware when it is serving me and when it is not. Making a difference, compassion and inspiration guide my life and business.