THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EQUINE-ASSISTED LEARNING TO DEVELOP PRESENCING MASTERY

Authors

  • Lissa Pohl Chief Engagement Officer, The Engagement Quotient Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69470/h8cdsy85

Keywords:

presencing mastery, equine-assisted learning, EAL, somatic intelligence, emerging presencing approaches, dynamic presencing, integral theory, conversational leadership

Abstract

This article introduces Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) as an embodied and effective methodology for cultivating presencing mastery. The aim is to contribute to the growing repertoire of Emerging Presencing Approaches (EPAs) that advance the shift from presencing as a way of knowing to presencing as a generative way of being (Gunnlaugson, 2024). The article further explores the critical roles of clean feedback, intersubjective dynamics, and co-iterative relational processes in facilitating the development of presencing mastery. By situating presencing mastery firmly within the body, EAL offers a pathway for leaders to increase their resilience and efficacy in navigating the complex, fragmented, and often disengaged social systems of contemporary organizational life. In this context, presencing mastery emerges not only as a theoretical construct but as a living, embodied practice critical for leadership development in an era marked by escalating complexity and relational fragmentation.

Author Biography

  • Lissa Pohl, Chief Engagement Officer, The Engagement Quotient

    LISSA POHL, MA, is Chief Engagement Officer of The Engagement Quotient, a coaching consultancy located in Lexington, KY. Her work embraces several innovative learning modalities including Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL), Lights On LeadershipÔ Coaching, and The Leadership Circle 360 Profile to provide leaders with the heightened perceptual awareness, feedback, and somatic intelligence they need to fully engage, inspire and lead their organizations. Lissa holds a master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on Transformational Leadership Development from the Union Institute and University. She is an E3A certified Corporate Equine-Assisted Learning Practitioner and for 10 years was a Master Trainer for the Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A), an international non-profit organization that certifies people to facilitate Equine-Assisted Learning.

    While in the Department of Community & Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky (2008-2021) she conducted pioneering research into The Effectiveness of Equine Guided Leadership Education to Increase Emotional Intelligence in Expert Nurses (2012). She has worked extensively in the Middle East facilitating leadership development with horses and has presented on these topics at leadership conferences worldwide. Lissa is a co-author of the 2019 Amazon best-selling book Transforming Your Life, (vol.2), and co-authored Optimal Terminology for Services In the United States that Incorporate Equines to Benefit Humans: A Consensus Document (2021).

    Her future includes exploring “spiritual emergence” as an essential component of leadership development while continuing to facilitate embodied learning, expanded perceptual awareness and presencing mastery. Ultimately she sees this as a sensible way to attend to the challenges of an increasingly chaotic and disengaged world.

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Published

2025-06-25

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025): Presencing Embodiment

Section

Feature Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Lissa Pohl (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EQUINE-ASSISTED LEARNING TO DEVELOP PRESENCING MASTERY. (2025). International Journal of Presencing Leadership & Coaching, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.69470/h8cdsy85