A new way of learning with EQ Leaders

A Little River-based company is using horses to help develop the skills and mindset of executive and senior-level management.

Emma Costin was inspired to start EQ Leaders during the COVID lockdowns, with Costin having worked in the corporate learning and development space for about 15 years.

During the lockdowns, Costin facilitated training online through Zoom, and saw many people turn their cameras off and disengage.

Coming out of the pandemic, she thought there had to be a better way to reconnect people, especially knowing that hybrid workspaces were going to be a challenge for managers to negotiate.

Costin, who had always enjoyed working with horses, discovered programs being run in the US for corporate groups.

“It sort of piqued my interest, it felt like I could bring all of my corporate and professional experience forward in a way that I could align it with the horses and use it in a in a more meaningful way,” she said.

EQ Leaders use experiential learning theory, something Costin describes as learning through an experience.

When designing activities, Costin thinks about the horses’ personalities and the lessons a particular group of leaders may need.

The horses represent something that makes sense to the participants’ workplace. Costin said the animals create a space of psychological safety to have conversations.

“The neuroscience behind is the way that you work in a group of people at work or the way you communicate with people in your family group or friendship circles, those activities show up in a goal-focused exercise with the horses.

“The horses don’t care who you are, horses live in the present and they very much just respond to our energy and intention in the moment.

“It’s quite amazing and it’s difficult to believe how powerful it is until you’ve actually seen it or experienced it yourself.”

The programs are based on robust leadership models and allows participants to practice what they are learning with the horses.

Participants can see what it is like to lead differently and how that plays out, allowing them to change what they’re doing.

“It’s very deep and impactful learning about that level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence that potentially a lot of people don’t get the chance to explore outside of a boardroom style training.”

Costin said multiple factors made her want to create EQ Leaders.

“It was about creating a really meaningful learning space and a way for people to learn that’s also quite enjoyable.”

She also wanted to feel like she had a greater sense of purpose and wasn’t just rolling out training and working just to put food on the table.

“The reason that I wanted to start this business was to feel like we were leaving the world better than when we arrived in it,” she said.

Costin’s two sons, Henry (aged seven) and Samuel (aged four) were also a big reason Costin decided to create her own business and find a sense of purpose by creating.

“Particularly having young children, I wanted to create a sense of legacy for them that they could be proud of.”

As part of creating that legacy 50 per cent of the business’s profits go back into supporting not for profits and social enterprises.

“Professional development and training opportunities are the second biggest barrier to non-for-profits and social enterprises really thriving and moving forward,” Costin said.

“We work with the corporates and deliver first class leadership and executive training programmes, but then by working with them we can redirect our profits to supporting the charity organisations and not-for-profits who might not have the same opportunities for professional development.”

Costin said running this business was special and unique and was what gets her out of bed every day.

“I love it, I just love seeing those light bulb moments for people where they just learn something so powerful about themselves that they can take forward in every aspect of their life.

“I feel like the people that we work with on that day, we’re impacting their lives, their lives will change forever from the work we do with them on that day, but then they go forward in the organisation that they work for and then they change the lives of all the people they work with and it’s just an ongoing effect.

“I know that the people we’re working with today are going to go out and become the change makers themselves.”

She has a strong passion for sustainability and looking after nature, with her family planting about 4,000 trees on their property over the past 12 years.

“Such a driving force is doing full circle good, not just with the people we’re delivering programs to but reducing our impact and our harm on the environment.

Costin owes a lot to having children and is now inspired to have a real sense of purpose.

“I think had I not had children, I might have still been climbing the corporate ladder and just been happy doing what I was doing,” she said.

“I really am very passionate and inspired about changing the world in whatever way I can.

“I’m really looking forward to leaving a legacy and something that they’re proud of us doing.”

For more information, head to eqleaders.com.au