Becoming an Inspired Leader

Jacqueline grew up on a ranch with many horses. From a young age, she was trained by her horses to be perceptive, empathetic, and adaptable. After 20 years experience in organizational development, leadership facilitation, and conflict resolution, Jacqueline envisioned a new methodology where horses would enhance the effectiveness of workshops for established leaders. She knew leaders would gain valuable insights and expand their capacities exponentially. In 2011, Jacqueline and her cofounders created the Stanford Red Barn Leadership Program.

Lela's love of horses goes back to when she learned to ride as a little girl. She attended a horse leadership course 8 years ago and was amazed by the depth and speed of breakthroughs she witnessed. Lela brings extensive facilitation and program development experience to the Red Barn and specializes in emotional intelligence (EQ). She facilitates the popular class Interpersonal Dynamics (aka Touchy Feely) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and women’s circles for their Women in Management Program. Lela is a partner and founder at EQED, an advisory firm focused on EQ development. Previously, she co-founded three other ventures including a fund of hedge funds, a banking software company and a natural cosmetics brand. Lela spent 7 years in finance, trading commodity derivatives and credit at Goldman Sachs in London. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Dennis attended a Red Barn leadership program as a client a few years ago and was hooked. Dennis's specialty is emotional intelligence (EQ) development and he saw how powerful working with horses is in developing leadership skills. He facilitates the popular class Interpersonal Dynamics (aka Touchy Feely) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and coaches within their executive and MSx programs. Dennis is a partner at EQED, an advisory firm focused on EQ development, and has been an executive coach for over a decade. Previously, he had a 20+ year corporate career completing that part of his life as a VP of Human Resources in a multi-national software company.

Through many joyful hours spent with horses in her youth, Joyce gained a deep appreciation for their enormous capacity and generous willingness to help us activate more of our potential and become better leaders. Joyce brings over 25 years of leadership, innovation, and change management experience. Since founding Energyatwork.co in 2002, she has worked closely with leaders around the world to refine their leadership skills and expand the ways they influence their communities -- while having plenty of energy to enjoy fulfilling, and healthy personal lives. Previously, as an executive in leading Silicon Valley companies, she pioneered online consumer financial services and was the CEO of a database infrastructure company in the 1990s. She began her career as a strategic management and technology consultant. Joyce holds a Masters in Public Administration from Princeton and received her B.A. from Yale.

Since discovering the incredible capacity for horses to enhance our leadership and communication skills, Lauren has become passionate about bringing this work to others. She is a lecturer of Strategic Communication at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a speaking coach for their TED-like program, known as LOWKeynotes. In addition to her work at Stanford, Lauren has her own private practice, Resonate Coaching, where she helps clients increase their impact through the crafting and delivery of compelling presentations that resonate with audiences. Lauren received her J.D. from the Stanford Law School and her B.A. in psychology from Stanford University. She’s a certified leadership development coach through the Coaches Training Institute.

A lifelong equestrian, Avery has devoted her career to horsemanship education. Avery earned a BA and an MA in Sociology from Stanford with an emphasis on human leadership development in equine-facilitated contexts.

Avery went on to manage the Stanford Red Barn from 2010-2016 and earn her United States Dressage Federation Gold Medal in 2014. At present, Avery can be found in the High Performance dressage arena. As both a perpetual student and a visionary educator in equestrian spaces, Avery delights in how horses both humble and uplift their human partners.

Gwyn has been involved with horses for more than 45 years, and recently celebrated 30 years of commitment to the Red Barn. A founding member of the Stanford Equestrian Team, she has served in a coaching or advisory capacity since 1991, and was instrumental in the renovation of the Red Barn Equestrian Center in 2004. As a professional show jumper, she particularly enjoyed helping riders make deep connections with their equine partners, and to find the joy within the process of training and competition. Her passion is partnerships and programs that combine horses, athletics and service, particularly for youth or underserved communities. Gwyn is currently on the Hunt Seat coaching staff for the Stanford Equestrian Team.