Episode summary

This episode explores something a little different. Instead of a traditional neurodivergence story, Ron sits down with Susan Bloom, a Master Equine Gestalt Coach who partners with horses to help people process trauma, grief, burnout, and identity shifts.

Susan shares how her journey as a caregiver for her husband during his battle with a rare autoimmune disease ultimately led her into equine Gestalt work. Together, Ron and Susan unpack how horses act as nervous system mirrors, how trauma can live in the body long after the event has passed, and why medical professionals, especially veterinarians and physicians, may benefit deeply from embodied, trauma-informed work.

This conversation bridges neurodivergence, burnout, grief, boundaries, and the human-animal bond in a way that feels grounding and expansive.

What you’ll hear in this episode

What Gestalt means and how it centers wholeness rather than fixing
• How Susan’s caregiving journey shaped her work with trauma and burnout
• Why medical professionals often intellectualize instead of inhabit their bodies
• How horses mirror nervous system states and emotional shifts
• The round pen exercises that reveal subconscious patterns
• A powerful story of a woman whose body rejected her home environment
• How horses help clients find boundaries without force
• Grounding techniques used in equine Gestalt work
• Why burnout in the good ones is often trauma-based
• The difference between performance and embodiment
• How small human moments from doctors reduce emotional distance
• Why connection reduces burnout for both practitioner and client

Notable moments

A horse physically removing a house boundary to symbolize needed change
• A pony responding to third-grade math trauma before the client consciously processed it
• The idea that horses vibrate at a higher energetic frequency and help regulate humans
• Ron’s reflection on how veterinarians set impossible standards for themselves
• A conversation about preserving the human-animal bond over rigid medical perfection
• The reminder that doctors and veterinarians don’t need to be superhuman to be respected

Key takeaways

Trauma often lives in the body, not just in narrative memory.
Intellectual professions can disconnect practitioners from embodied awareness.
Burnout may be rooted in unresolved emotional load, not just workload.
Horses respond to authenticity, not performance.
Connection, not perfection, sustains healing professions.
Being human with patients or clients builds trust more than authority alone.

About Susan

Susan Bloom is a Master Equine Gestalt Coach and founder of Connection & Synergy. She partners with horses to help clients process trauma, grief, caregiver fatigue, and burnout. Her work includes individual sessions and small group retreats designed to create safe, embodied healing environments.

She is located approximately one hour from Kansas City and offers immersive retreat experiences on her ranch.

Connect with Susan

Website: connectionandsynergy.com
Facebook: Connection & Synergy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanbloom-connectionandsynergy/

Connect with Ron & Keep Exploring

If this episode resonated with you, especially if you’re a veterinarian, medical professional, or neurodivergent leader navigating burnout:

Join the Left Unattended Newsletter: https://www.syn-apt.me/newsletter
• Explore 1:1 or group coaching: https://www.syn-apt.me/coaching-schedule
• Connect with Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-sosa-cvpm-ccfp-pgd-cld-53453797/

S1 - E10 - TRUAMA, PRESENCE, AND THE WISDOM OF HORSES