Joséphine Jammaers - The Journey On Podcast

Transcript

Cornelia (0:07)

Journey on Magic lies within the trails we ride.

Warwick Schiller (0:12)

You're listening to the Journey On Podcast with Warwick Schiller. Warrick is a horseman, trainer, international clinician and author who helps empower horse people from all over the world with the skills, knowledge and mindsets needed to create trusting partnerships with their horses. Warrick offers a free seven day trial to his comprehensive online video library that includes hundreds of full length training videos and several home Study courses@videos.warwick shiller.com.

Warwick Schiller (0:44)

G' day everyone. Welcome back to the Journey On Podcast. I'm your host, Warwick Schiller and it's my absolute pleasure this week to introduce you guys to my guest, Josephine Jamirs. And I met Josephine at the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia and I knew when I met her, I'm like, I have to get this girl on the podcast one day. But let me read you Josephine's bio and then I'll tell you a bit more about Josephine. But Josephine is an outdoor psychologist, lifelong horsewoman and adventurer who feels most at home far from the beaten path. She has crossed the mountains of Kyrgyzstan with stallions and competed in the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia, the world's toughest multi horse endurance race, where she earned the Spirit Award for her resilience and positivity in extreme conditions. After two years of living almost entirely outdoors, traveling on foot, by bicycle, sailboat, pack, raft and horseback, she developed a profound understanding of how nature and adventure shapes the mind, builds resilience and sparks personal growth. With years of experience as a trainer, speaker and practitioner, she blends scientific insights with lived wilderness experience. She now leads outdoor psychology, inspiring individuals and organizations to step outside and far beyond their comfort zone, using nature and adventure as a catalyst for change. And that's the short version of Josephine, but I remember, so I met her at the Gaucho Derby and I remember one night we were having dinner and we're sitting at these big long, you know, big long tables with benches beside them sort of thing. And I was talking to her and she, I said to her, I want what you're having. And so Josephine's a vegetarian and she was eating the vegetarian selection and we're having dinner. I said, I want what you're having. And she pushed her plate over to me and she said, here you go. I said, I don't mean the food, whatever is that makes you you. Because she has this, she has this light that shines out of her. She's just an absolutely amazing human. And I knew this is way before we even went on the Gaucho Derby. This is the start camp that one day I would like to get her on the podcast. And we camped together the first night in the Gaucho Derby. And some of the stories she told me then, which she will repeat here in this podcast, made me really realize I've got to get her. Anyway, I've been trying to get Josephine for probably since I got back from the Gaucho Derby, so a year and a half now and we finally managed to get the time together and it was so good to catch up with her again. She's such an amazing human and I'm so glad she got to share her stories with me for you guys to hear. So without any further ado, here's my conversation with the amazing Josephine Jamirs. Josephine J. Welcome to the Journey on podcast.

Summary

The Journey On Podcast with Warwick Schiller
Episode: Joséphine Jammaers
Date: November 28, 2025

Episode Overview
In this captivating episode, Warwick Schiller is joined by adventurer, psychologist, and horsewoman Joséphine Jammaers. The conversation dives deep into Joséphine's unconventional path—her transformative journeys with horses across continents, the philosophy of "living your dream," and harnessing the power of nature and adventure for personal growth. Joséphine shares tales from endurance races, nomadic expeditions, and her innovative work as an outdoor psychologist, revealing profound lessons learned in the wild and how these experiences connect to self-development and horsemanship.

Main Discussion Themes

1. Joséphine’s Unique Path: Outdoor Psychology & Adventure

Current Role & Philosophy [04:10]
- Joséphine introduces herself as an outdoor psychologist who takes therapy outside, regardless of the weather, maximizing the healing effects of nature and movement.
- She facilitates individual sessions and leads adventure-based psychological retreats, often in the mountains, using nature as a catalyst for real change.
  - “I take the advantages of nature and adventure as a catalyst for change. That's what I do now... I love to see myself as an adventurer.” [04:10–05:00]
Work with Companies [08:00]
- Offers team-building and leadership training to companies, often incorporating horses.
- Provides talks on the intersection between adventure and entrepreneurship.
Equine-Assisted Therapy with Stallions [10:35]
- Describes her work at a Belgian farm using stallions—intact male horses—as co-trainers in leadership and team workshops.
  - “It's also one of the only places in Western Europe where stallions live together and are kept stallion, because for us, it serves as a metaphor...We are the ones who need to learn how to balance strict boundaries and asking for respect on the one hand, and on the other hand, just the empathy and the love and the connection and balancing those poles inside ourselves to be able to work with the stallions in a safe and respectful way.” [14:10–14:52]
- Warwick expresses amazement at the use of stallions for therapy work:
  - “I've never heard of anybody doing equine assisted therapy with stallions. That is super cool.” [14:52]

2. World Expedition: Mountains, Horses, and Human Connection

Long-Distance Expedition [16:40]
- Post-pandemic, Joséphine and her partner Cornel set out from Belgium on a tandem bike, carrying climbing and trekking gear across Europe, the Balkans, and into Greece.
- Switched from cycling to sailing in Greece, undertook trekking, and later hitchhiked through Iran and Central Asia.
Rock Climbing as Presence and Fear Work [19:19]
- Discusses rock climbing as a practice in presence, immersion in nature, and as a tool to confront and work with fear, equating the process to personal growth.
  - “Freedom really starts to exist where trust becomes greater than fear. And in rock climbing, I can really feel that shift.” [21:59]
Profound Manifestation Story: The Water Bottle in Iran [37:11–45:10]
- Shares a day in Iran when, after verbalizing needs (water, face cream, ride, dolphins, nail cutter) with her partner, each request unexplainably manifested.
  - “People say the trail provides, right?...We were just talking about it, how we would just drink small bits and then continue. And then suddenly while we were walking on the beach there we found, like, it was...a huge bottle of water. Like 2 liter, 2 liter bottle of water...and it was completely sealed.” [38:54]
- Warwick relates this to his own experiences of “manifesting” on trail—highlighting a recurring theme of trusting the journey.

3. Kyrgyzstan: Traveling Across Mountains with Stallions [53:14–67:12]

The Logistics: Markets, Stallions, Survival
- Upon reaching Kyrgyzstan, they meet a French expert via the Long Riders’ Guild who mentors them in horse care and navigation.
- Purchased horses (all stallions, as per Kyrgyz custom), navigated local horse markets, and learned to adapt quickly.
- Horse training is eclectic: going from bitless riding to riding with just a rope after months together.
Cultural Insights
- Details about living among and learning from Kyrgyz nomads and their deep connection to the land.
- Shared hardships and hospitality—sheep herders, yurts, language barriers, but always a sense of community and resilience.

4. Gaucho Derby in Patagonia [81:51–101:58]

Preparation and Motivation
- Inspired by a fellow traveler, Joséphine applied for the Gaucho Derby (an extreme multi-horse race in Patagonia) from Kyrgyzstan, banking on her adventure and horsemanship instead of formal competition skills.
Racing Solo—“A bold experiment” [82:12]
- Chose to ride the entire race almost entirely alone as a conscious experiment in self-reliance, discomfort management, and decision-making:
  - “It was kind of an experiment for me to ride it alone...I like to make my own decisions and to flow on my own energy.” [83:05]
Critical Moment: Plateau of Death Incident
- Joséphine gets her horse stuck in a rock bog in a dangerous part of the Derby, experiencing intense fear and feeling profound responsibility for her horse.
  - “At that moment, I was just, I want to get this horse out safely. I felt so bad about myself, and I was so much confronted with my ego in a way.” [95:21]
- Collaborating riders and event staff organize a rescue; her horse miraculously breaks free unharmed after a moment of calm.
  - “He gave in to the situation. And then...he just lifted his head and he got life again in his eyes. I could see it. And he made one big movement, and he jumped out.” [98:25]
Solo Endurance: The Double-Edged Sword
- Contrasts the mental aspects of riding alone versus in a group—the absence of a “complaint spiral” and the deeper self-trust and presence required.
  - “When you complain, you're just complaining to other people, and when there's no one to complain to, you just stop complaining...It's a different feeling.” [104:39]

5. Philosophy, Personal Growth, and Upbringing

Living by ‘Must’ Not ‘Should’ [27:55]
- Joséphine reflects on the importance of choosing the life one must live, despite societal expectations and “shoulds.”
  - “It's so easy to choose for I should...It's way harder to choose for the things you feel you must do...the reward is huge when you choose must.” [27:13]
Childhood & Inspiration
- The loss of her mother at a young age and a father who said “don’t dream your life, live your dream” were seminal influences.
  - “A major piece of it is that I lost my mom when we were really young...I believe that it made me very aware of the fact that life will end one day at a very young age. And this in combination with having a father who says...don’t dream your life. Live your dream.” [107:01]
On Purpose and Advice
- Purpose: “To reconnect people with nature and by doing so with themselves. Because we are our nature, we cannot see ourselves as separate from nature.” [113:10]
- Advice for future psychologists (and all walk-of-life): “You do you. People will want you in the end for the way you are...I tried to take myself out of my own personality, but I really couldn’t stay true to myself without that part of myself. So now I'm just a very enthusiastic psychologist. But that's what people are choosing me for now. So, please, you do you.” [115:52]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On fear and freedom:
“Freedom really starts to exist where trust becomes greater than fear.”
— Joséphine Jammaers [21:59]
On authenticity:
“You do you. People will want you in the end for the way you are...that is what makes you special.”
— Joséphine Jammaers [115:52]
On upbringing:
“Don’t dream your life. Live your dream.”
— Joséphine’s father (repeated by Joséphine) [107:01, 109:18]
On manifestation and trusting the journey:
“It also gives a lot of trust. The trail will provide when you need it...when you trust the trail.”
— Warwick Schiller & Joséphine Jammaers [45:27–45:32]

Key Timestamps

04:10 – Joséphine describes her role as an outdoor psychologist
10:35 – Using stallions for equine-assisted leadership training
16:40 – The start of her world journey by bicycle
19:36 – Rock climbing and working with fear
37:11 – Manifesting needs in Iran (the “water bottle day” story)
53:14 – Kyrgyzstan: Searching for and buying stallions
81:51 – Return to Europe, prepping for the Gaucho Derby
83:05 – Deciding to ride the Gaucho Derby alone
89:42 – Incident in the “Plateau of Death”: horse stuck in a bog
113:10 – Joséphine’s lifelong purpose and career advice

Where to Find Joséphine

Instagram: @josephinejammaers / @outdoorpsychology
Website: outdoorpsychology.be
Email: josephine@outdoorpsychology.be

Summary
This episode is a rich tapestry of adventure, self-discovery, and the powerful lessons learned from living close to nature and pushing beyond comfort. Joséphine's stories—from mountainous trails in Kyrgyzstan to the rock bogs of Patagonia—are both inspiration and practical metaphor for personal growth, resilience, and the courage to live authentically. Anyone seeking to better understand the connection between challenge, trust, and personal transformation—whether horseperson or adventurer—will find deep insight and actionable wisdom in this conversation.