If you've spent any time around ActivateQi, you've probably seen my name, read one of my emails, or watched one of my educational videos. But before there was ActivateQi, formulas, or countless hours spent researching herbs, there was simply a little girl who loved horses.
I started riding when I was five years old, and horses have been a huge part of my life ever since. That passion led me through 4-H, into WPRA rodeos, circuit finals, and now into the futurity world. Along the way, I developed a love for training and selling quality horses, but what I enjoy most is working with young horses. There is something incredibly rewarding about watching them grow into themselves, gain confidence, and seeing what they're truly capable of becoming. Horses have always been my passion, and they continue to shape almost every part of my life today.
I've also always been drawn to a more natural approach to health. Growing up, herbs and essential oils weren't something new or unfamiliar to me. Whether it was for myself or my horses, I naturally gravitated toward supporting the body rather than constantly working against it. Looking back now, I didn't realize how much that mindset would shape the direction my life was about to take. Everything truly changed because of one horse… Sam.
The Horse That Changed Everything
Sam changed everything for me.
He struggled with chronic digestive issues for years. We battled weight loss, ulcer medications, countless scopes, colic episodes, and more hospitalizations than I care to remember. Treatment after treatment and scope after scope always seemed to lead us back to the same place: severe bleeding ulcers. We worked with countless veterinarians, specialists, completed scans, hair tests, and explored every recommendation we could find, only to continue searching for answers that never seemed to last.
It became incredibly frustrating because I wasn't looking for another temporary fix. I wanted to understand why this kept happening. Every time we solved one problem, another one seemed to appear, and eventually I found myself questioning everything. Why were certain ingredients being used in products? Why were medications creating side effects that often led to new problems? Why would I continue giving something that seemed to create additional stress on the body and expect it to become the long-term solution?
Those questions changed the direction of my life. Instead of simply accepting the answers I was being given, I started researching for myself. I wanted to understand the body, understand ingredients, understand herbs, and understand why so many approaches seemed focused on managing symptoms instead of restoring function. I wasn't willing to accept "that's just the way it is," and I certainly wasn't willing to stop searching for better answers for Sam.
Redemption Was Built From Experience
People often ask where the idea for Redemption came from. The truth is, it came from years of frustration, determination, and refusing to give up on one horse.
There was an incredible amount of blood, sweat, tears, money, and education poured into Sam and everything we experienced together. There were endless nights spent researching on my computer, long days sitting at veterinary clinics, and countless moments where I questioned if we were ever going to find the answers we were looking for. Looking back now, all of those experiences became the foundation for our Redemption formula. Today, Redemption has become the highest-selling product at ActivateQi, and every time I see someone share how it's helped their horse, I think back to where it all started.
Then Came the Respiratory Challenges
As if the digestive issues weren't enough, competing on Sam introduced me to another challenge: severe respiratory issues.
I was entering races and coming home with no times, knowing something wasn't right. We went through traditional BAL testing, allergy testing, allergy shots, and continued searching for answers, yet nothing seemed to create the lasting improvement I was hoping for. Spending so much time sitting out of competitions was incredibly difficult, but it also fueled something inside of me. Instead of accepting that this was simply the way things were, I became even more determined to understand what was happening inside his body and why the traditional approaches weren't working.
That experience taught me something I still believe today. The body doesn't work in isolated systems. Digestive health affects respiratory health. Inflammation affects performance. One imbalance often leads to another, and until you understand how those systems work together, it's difficult to create lasting change.
Where Traditional Chinese Medicine Came In
I was also working on improving my own health shortly before this time when Rachel Schaefer and I both started receiving acupuncture treatments and were introduced to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The more we learned, the more everything started making sense. Instead of looking at isolated symptoms, Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the body as a connected system and asks why those symptoms developed in the first place.
We quickly realized we wanted to bring that knowledge into the horse world. That curiosity turned into years of research, creating formulas, enrolling in Traditional Chinese Medicine school, and testing those formulas on our own horses before ever recommending them to anyone else. We weren't interested in creating another supplement company. We wanted to build something that helped people understand their horses in a completely different way.
Building More Than Products
From the very beginning, our goal has never been to simply sell products. We wanted to build a company that does more than sell products. We wanted to educate horse owners so they could understand why they're seeing the symptoms they're seeing and how to approach them differently. We knew we weren't the only people out there feeling frustrated, managing symptoms, and wondering why nothing seemed to create lasting change. If we had felt that lost, we knew countless other horse owners probably felt the same way.
That philosophy continues to guide every decision we make today. Every formula starts with understanding the body. Every educational piece we write starts with asking why. Every conversation we have with customers is centered around helping them better understand what's happening with their horse rather than simply recommending another product. We believe education is just as important as the formulas themselves because informed owners make better decisions for their horses.
What I Believe Today
Everything I've experienced has shaped the way I approach both horses and people.
Today, I don't believe most horse owners need more products. I believe they need better guidance. They need someone willing to explain what's happening inside the body instead of simply recommending another supplement. They need to understand the approach being taken so they can make informed decisions rather than feeling like they're constantly guessing. The more we educate people, the more confident they become in helping their horses.
It's become my mission to help people who are in the same position I once found myself in. I don't want horse owners to experience years of frustration, confusion, and feeling like they're running out of options. If sharing what we've learned can shorten that journey for someone else, then every difficult moment with Sam was worth it. You don't need more answers, you need better ones.
Outside of ActivateQi
When I'm not sitting in front of my computer, you'll almost always find me riding horses. Working with young horses continues to be one of my favorite parts of life because I love watching them learn, develop confidence, and become everything they're capable of being. Outside of the barn, I enjoy spending time with my three dogs, Ryker, Kalani, and Edge, going out to eat with friends, fishing, spending time on the boat whenever I get the chance, traveling, and catching a concert every now and then. If you get to know me personally, you'll probably find that I'm funny, caring, honest, and maybe just a little brash, but I'll always tell you exactly what I believe.
This Is Our Why
When customers reach out feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and convinced that nothing is working, I understand exactly how they feel because I've been there. I know what it's like to spend countless hours searching for answers, to question every decision you're making, and to wonder if you'll ever find the solution your horse needs. That experience has given me compassion for every conversation we have because I know what it's like to stand in those shoes.
This is our why. It isn't just about creating formulas or building a business. It's about helping horses, educating horse owners, and making sure fewer people have to go through what we did. If our story can give someone hope, confidence, or simply a better understanding of their horse, then everything Sam taught me has been worth it.
