The Journey On Podcast with Warwick Schiller
Guest: Lynn Mann
Release Date: February 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Warwick Schiller sits down with British author Lynn Mann to delve into her remarkable personal journey and the profound, almost mystical, genesis of her equestrian fiction series—most notably, The Horses Know. Lynn shares the compelling life experiences—from living in a haunted house, navigating severe health challenges, to a transformative partnership with her horse, Pie—that fed the depth of wisdom in her writing. Their wide-ranging and heartfelt discussion explores the interplay between spiritual awakening, animal communication, self-healing, and the role of horses as wise teachers and guides.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Lynn’s Unconventional Path to Authorship

• Unexpected Author: Lynn did not set out to write; her 14 books “just poured out” from an overflow of life experiences.
• Genre-Mashing Fiction: Her novels blend equestrian fiction, fantasy, spiritual fiction, dystopian themes, and even time travel.
• “I don't tend to like being restricted by rules... it's a bit of a mishmash really, but centered around horses and what's possible when a horse and a human form a bond.” (02:23)

2. The Horses Know – Themes & World-Building

• Book Premise: Set in a post-apocalyptic future where small, self-sufficient villages survive, guided by horses who telepathically select and bond with humans.

• Unique Bond: Horses are not just helpers—they’re spiritual teachers, guiding humanity’s next evolutionary step and inviting mutual transformation.

• “...they reach this point where they would like to find a higher level of balance for themselves. And in finding that, and in asking a human to help them to find that, they help humanity to evolve one stage further.” (07:57)

• Book Structure: Lynn’s series is written out of chronological order (much like Star Wars), including mainline books and prequels exploring different characters’ backstories.

• Reading Order: Readers can start with The Horses Know or the character-focused prequels.

3. Inspirations Behind the Wisdom

• Not From Textbooks: The wisdom in Lynn’s fiction is not the result of academic study or spiritual retreat; it comes directly from her life:
  • Living in a haunted country house
  • Overcoming health crises by investigating the mind-body connection
  • A spiritually transformative relationship with her horse, Pie
• “It wasn’t so much a case of coming up with it as having so many experiences crammed into a relatively short space of time that I couldn't contain at all, and it all just kind of poured out.” (04:13)
• Receiving Inspiration: Lynn’s process is organic and intuitive: “So much of what I've written I can't really take credit for. I just kind of ask myself a question [...] and then whatever comes to me, I just write it down. I don't question it.” (12:38)

4. Mystical & Supernatural Experiences

• Haunted House: Upon moving into an old Welsh house, Lynn became aware of five spirit presences. She shares chilling details—paranormal events, validation from a psychic, and ultimately banishing the spirits through positivity and visualizing light.
  • “On the day we moved in... as soon as I thought of the house, I could feel these beings there... I just felt this complete adrenaline rush of, ‘Oh my god, I’ve bought a haunted house.’” (39:48)
• Profound Impact: This forced her to confront the unknown, expanded her worldview, and seeded ideas for her fiction.

5. The Mind-Body Connection & Healing

• Health Crisis: Lynn faced repeated kidney infections and stones, leading her to question the physical/emotional root causes.
• Alternative Healing: Working with a psychic health professional, she explored emotional blocks—tracing issues back to past experiences and even past lives. She describes dramatic recoveries once emotional roots were addressed.
  • “Because of the... heart issue I had, I was slightly tilted internally down the right hand side, which was putting pressure on the kidney. So the emotions affecting the kidney were kind of the first layer to deal with.” (63:32)
• Clearing Emotional Baggage: Lynn outlines her tools—awareness, changing her response patterns, and using intention to resolve deep-seated emotional wounds.

6. Pie the Horse – Teacher and Soul Guide

• Unmistakable Bond: Lynn intuitively recognized Pie, a blue-eyed rescue mare, as “the one” she’d been searching for:
  • “She raised her head and looked at me with those amazing blue eyes. And I heard this voice in my head saying, ‘You're here.’ And it was just this instant recognition.” (82:39)
• Communication Beyond Words: Pie communicated via instant, whole-body knowing, images, and thoughts—guiding Lynn into new awareness and healing.
  • “I felt a whole load of information enter my body via my solar plexus... it took me three quarters of an hour to separate out all of the information she gave me.” (88:25)
• Horse as Transformational Partner: Through the process of riding and relating to Pie, Lynn learned confidence, embodied communication, and what it means to truly collaborate.
• Life Lessons: Pie expected progress and integrity, challenging Lynn to evolve.
  • “She knew right from the... she had me sussed right from the word go.” (92:46)

7. Universal Wisdom from Horses/Hunter-Gatherers/Nature

• Collaboration & Connection: Recurrent theme: true leadership and community arise from cooperation for the greater good—echoed in hunter-gatherer tribes, horse herds, and Indigenous teachings.
  • “Nature is collaborative... Those of us who see that we’re all parts of the same whole are likely to want to cooperate...” (29:04)
• Comparison with Other Wisdom Traditions: Warwick And guests note convergences with mystics, scientists (e.g. “The Secret Life of Trees,” mycelial networks), and other spiritual communicators.

8. The Writer’s Experience and Message

• “Pantser” Writing: Lynn writes “by the seat of her pants,” letting characters and insights arise spontaneously rather than from strict plotting.
• Channeling, Not Planning: Warwick wonders if Lynn is channeling a future timeline; she affirms her process is channeled/intuitive.
• Not Niche, But Universal: While the books are marketed as equestrian or even YA fiction, Warwick asserts their depth transcends genre—they’re vehicles for deep spiritual wisdom.

Notable Quotes

• “I have a theory that truth finds its way out from lots of different directions.” (10:16, Lynn Mann)
• “It was easy to write those bits. Whenever [the horse] did decide to impart anything, I would always stand there and think, huh, yeah… that's so much of a better way of looking at it than the way I would have chosen to look at it. Let's just go with that.” (112:20, Lynn Mann)
• “I will stop and stare at the wall for a bit. You're like, you gotta be kidding me. Like, that's profound. Like, deeply profound...” (111:08, Warwick Schiller)
• “Confidence isn't about knowing your horse isn't going to do anything that's going to scare you. Confidence is about knowing that whatever they do, you've got them… That’s what confidence is.” (108:18, Lynn Mann)
• “Any sentence that begins with ‘horses need this’ or ‘horses want that’… Who’s the horse in front of you?” (127:25, Lynn Mann)
• “Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” (126:32, Lynn Mann)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:09 | Lynn introduces her eclectic, intuitive writing journey | | 05:47 | Synopsis of The Horses Know | | 13:01 | “Downloaded” writing process and character inspiration | | 39:35 | Moving into the haunted house and paranormal experiences | | 62:53 | Health issues, mystical healing, and emotional-clearing process | | 82:16 | Lynn’s first encounter and soul-connection with Pie | | 88:25 | Receiving communication from Pie (solar plexus download) | | 104:50 | The importance of trust and confidence in horse–human partnership | | 111:08 | Warwick on the profundity of “horsey” wisdom in the book | | 115:09 | On writing for personal truth vs. writing for the market | | 127:25 | Lynn’s “bad advice”: Never generalize what horses want | | 132:13 | Announcement: The Horses Know optioned for film |

Memorable Moments

• Lynn’s vivid account of her haunted house (39:35–57:50): “I was looking after my friend’s toddler… he looks over my shoulder, ‘Hi!’... and I can feel the shivers go down my back…”
• Pie’s blunt feedback on repeating groundwork exercises: “Doing that with her was the equivalent of me reciting the alphabet to myself before every time I’d write or read something.” (89:01)
• Warwick marvels at the channelled nature of Lynn’s writing: “Did you spend a year in a cave in Tibet?... I knew there was a reason it was there. I just didn’t know where it was going to take us..." (74:08)
• Optioned for film! The news that The Horses Know may hit the big screen (132:13) leaves Warwick delighted and hopeful for wider impact.

Conclusion

This conversation is a rich tapestry of mystical experience, practical wisdom, and inspiring partnership—between human and horse, author and intuition, trauma and healing. Lynn Mann’s journey and stories are testament to the magic that unfolds when we embrace intuition, ask “what if?”, and truly open to connection—with our animals, our world, and ourselves.

Connect with Lynn Mann & The Horses Know

• Find the books on Amazon and major bookstores by order
• Visit Lynn’s website: lynnmann.co.uk
• Watch for future adaptations, including a possible film!

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” (126:32, Lynn Mann)