Mentoring for business owners who are done separating who they are from how they work

There's nothing particularly neat about being a business owner.

Life doesn't pause while you run it. Hormones, health, family, grief, your team; it often all arrives at once, and you're expected to make clear decisions through the middle of it.

I meet you there.

We use business design and nervous system regulation strategies together — so that when you make a move, it's coming from somewhere you deeply trust.

is this work for you?

You're capable and experienced. You don't need someone to fix you.

Your business, your life, and your whole health aren't separate, and the support you get shouldn't treat them that way.

You need someone where it’s okay to bring all of you into the conversation about your business, cultivating sustainability.

This work is suited to business owners navigating:

  • Conditioned responses and patterns running on autopilot affecting their leadership

  • Business decisions that feel misaligned with their values and instincts

  • Feeling the full complexity of life alongside their practice — neurodivergence, hormone cycles, chronic illness, grief, parenting, caring for family (you name it!)

  • Hitting a ceiling for what strategy and cognitive approaches can offer

  • Curiosity around the impact of their nervous system on their business (and vice versa)

am I right for you?

Many business mentors or coaches touch on the personal aspect of being a business owner. Few have the breadth of training and lived experience to hold it with you.

I know what it costs to keep going. I also know what it takes to build something sustainable on the other side of that.

Clients come expecting strategy, practical outcomes and a P&L analysis. And yes, we cover that. But my clients also describe going further than they expected, not because the work is heavy, but because we get honest.

I don't pretend things are simpler than they are. And I don't tap out energetically when it gets hard.

If you're ready to work at that layer, that's where I come in.

  • 2 x 90-minute sessions per month

  • WhatsApp and email support between sessions for integration and when things surface.

  • Templates, tools, and frameworks relevant to what’s coming up

  • Practitioner supplement access and prescriptions as needed

  • We build the foundation over 3 months, then shape what comes next around you.

how it works

DEEPEN THE WORK

Some of what surfaces in mentoring wants more than an online conversation.

Equine facilitated learning works at a layer that talk alone doesn't always reach — nervous system, patterns and presence.

For those who can travel to Mornington Peninsula on a regular basis, sessions can be with the herd, in the beauty of nature. Or we can shift to a half day with the herd when travel is possible.

It's not a separate offering. It's an extension of the same work.

Why horses?

Some of my wonderful clients…

Katee Gray is an accredited EAL (Equine Assisted Learning) practitioner, trained through the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI) and accredited Nutritionist with Nutrition Society of Australia.

Sessions are held in the Balnarring or Tyabb on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria - Confirmed at time of booking.

Frequent asked questions

Understanding Equine Mentoring

  • Equine mentoring and facilitation is a form of experiential learning and mentoring that takes place in the presence of horses, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It is not riding or horse therapy. Sessions focus on present-moment awareness, nervous system regulation, and practical business or leadership insight, guided by how horses respond to your state, patterns, and presence. You don't need horse experience. You bring what's live for you. The horses respond to what's real.

  • Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is present-moment, capacity-building work. It focuses on awareness, patterns, and practical development, what's happening now and how to work with it.

    Equine Assisted Therapy or Psychotherapy (EAP) is a clinical modality that explores the origins and history of patterns, typically within a therapeutic or counselling framework.

    EAL is what's offered here. If your needs are better suited to a clinical or therapeutic pathway, I'll tell you that and point you toward the right support.

  • No. Equine mentoring is experiential learning, not counselling, not psychotherapy. It works with what's present and alive right now: how you're functioning, what patterns are showing up, what capacity you need to build. It is not a space for excavating your past. If that's what you need, I'll refer you to someone qualified to do that work.

  • Look for accreditation through a recognised training body. I hold accreditation as an EAL practitioner through the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI), completing Foundation Training with senior trainer Meg Kirby. EAAPI is one of Australia's leading equine-facilitated training institutes. Accreditation requires demonstrated competency in facilitation, horse welfare, safety, and ethical practice, not just horse experience. Specifically we focus on i-thou principles where the horses are invited into the work, and not forced to do anything.

  • No horse experience is needed. Most clients arrive without any. Everything you need to know to be safe and engage with the session is covered at the start. If you're an experienced horse person, that's welcome too, the work operates differently from horsepersonship, so prior experience doesn't determine what you get out of it.

  • Equine mentoring on the Mornington Peninsula with Katee Gray is used for: burnout recovery and capacity building, business strategy and decision-making, leadership presence and congruence, pricing and confidence, nervous system regulation, and patterns in how you work and relate. Most people arrive with a business or leadership question and leave with a deeper understanding of how they're operating underneath it.

  • Yes. Burnout is one of the most common reasons people book. The work is specifically designed for cognitively dominant, high-functioning people whose nervous systems are running on empty. Horses are acutely attuned to nervous system state, they respond to what's actually happening in you, not what you're presenting. That makes burnout visible in a way that's hard to argue with, and creates conditions for genuine regulation rather than managed performance.

  • Horses are prey animals. They're highly attuned to their environment and to the nervous system states of the people around them. They respond to what's real, not what's performed.

    For people who are articulate and cognitively fluent - who can describe a problem in detail without actually feeling it - that's the point. Horses don't respond to your words. They respond to your state.

    That kind of feedback is hard to argue with. And it creates insight that conversation alone often can't reach.

  • Yes. The nervous system co-regulation that occurs between horses and humans is documented in research. The physiological shift in humans, measurable changes in heart rate variability and stress hormone cortisol, when in proximity to horses is well established. Sessions are grounded, observational, and practical. You won't be asked to do anything that doesn't make sense to you.

What to expect from the experience

  • Sessions run for 90 minutes on the Mornington Peninsula at either a location in Balnarring or Tyabb - confirmed upon booking.

    They follow a consistent flow: check-in (what's present for you, what you want to work with), time with the horses (which might include observing the herd, meeting a horse at liberty, grooming, or a more structured experience depending on what's relevant), and integration (what did you notice, what does it mean, what do you take with you).

    You’ll also receive integration support via WhatsApp, Marco Polo, or email after each session.

  • No. Everything is offered as an invitation, not a requirement. You determine how you engage. All current sessions are ground-based — there is no riding.

  • Mention it during or before you book in. Some nervousness is normal and often part of the work.

    A significant fear or phobia may mean we need to approach the first session differently, or have a conversation about whether this is the right fit right now.

  • It absolutely can be, and it requires honest conversation upfront. The work is not trauma therapy and does not explore trauma origins. However, it is designed to be nervous-system aware, non-coercive, and paced to what's manageable for you. If you have a significant trauma history or are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please mention this when you enquire or book in so I can best support you.

  • One session can shift something significant, many people notice a difference in clarity or capacity immediately. The monthly retainer (2 sessions per month with ongoing support) suits people working through something over time, or who want regular capacity support built into their practice. There is no lock-in commitment.

practical logistics stuff

  • Sessions are held in the Balnarring and Tyabb area on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, approximately 70km south-east of Melbourne. Exact address and parking details are confirmed at booking.

    I can arrange airport transport as part of your booking - just send us an email with your travel details: hello@kateegray.com

  • Closed-toe shoes are non-negotiable, no thongs, sandals, or heels.

    Comfortable layers for being outside in variable weather. You'll be on the ground for 90 minutes, potentially in wind, sun, or cold, so dress practically.
    We do have undercover options and some cosy spaces for warmth.

    If you arrive in unsuitable footwear the session may need to be rescheduled.

  • — with awareness. Horses are large animals and their behaviour, while predictable when you understand them, is never entirely controlled. Every session begins with a safety briefing that gives you the information you need to be safe and make good choices. Horses are specifically matched to the work and to each client. Your safety, and the horses', is the first priority in every session.

  • It absolutely can be, and it requires honest conversation upfront. The work is not trauma therapy and does not explore trauma origins. However, it is designed to be nervous-system aware, non-coercive, and paced to what's manageable for you. If you have a significant trauma history or are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please mention this when you enquire or book in so I can best support you.

  • Sessions can often be adapted for your needs. Please reach out on email with your preferred accomodations so I can confirm which location may be better suited. That conversation is better had upfront than on the day.

    hello@kateegray.com

  • Book directly at kateegray.com/book-equine-mentoring. You'll receive a confirmation with all session details. First-time clients will be sent a services agreement and safety check — both must be signed at least 48 hours before the session.

  • Please cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours before your session. Cancellations within 48 hours forfeit the 50% deposit. If I need to cancel due to illness or weather, you'll be notified as soon as possible and offered a full rebook or refund.

  • No, this is for the scope of Equine Therapy (EAP)

touch base

I'd love to hear about what you're working on and where you need support.

A note on timing: My 1:1 project capacity is booked through May 2026, but that doesn't mean I can't help you. I have DIY tools and courses for immediate implementation, priority waitlist spots for June onwards, and other options depending on what you need and when you need it.

Fill out the enquiry form and I'll be in touch with what solutions makes most sense for you.