“All I ever wanted was a horse…” So begins Janice’s best-selling travel memoir “Only Pack What You Can Carry” (National Geographic). Horses have been a fixture in her life even when she was a child and could only dream about having them. From her first backyard pony to thoroughbred royalty, Janice has been involved in nearly every aspect of the equine world. She’s been a trainer, an instructor, a competitor, a breeder, and she ran one of the largest equestrian facilities in Western North Carolina before moving to North Carolina in 1997 with her thoroughbred gelding, Brazen, whom she’d had since birth.

Janice is the founder and CEO of the Teambuilding & Communication KIT, which helps people and teams become more effective, productive and harmonious by helping them understand different ways to communicate successfully. She has created a special program for True Connection called the Equi-KIT which helps improve the human-horse connection. Once horsemen know and understand their own personal communication style, they can recognize how their approach may not be the most effective for the horse or the situation. Once they recognize these self-made barriers, horsemen can make the necessary changes in themselves which leads to a more harmonious connection with their horse.

In addition to being a National Geographic author, Janice is an equine photographer specializing in portraiture, dressage and three-day eventing. She has explored many countries on horseback and written features about those adventures for both equine and mainstream publications.

“When I think back to when I first started with horses, I had one way of doing things. My way,” she says. “It took some very sensitive and wise horses to show me there was a better path to true connection.” Janice is excited to bring her experience, insights and guidance to the True Connection family.

Emmaus Vanderbilt

True Connection Team Member

Emmaus is an entrepreneur and the founder of Silver Fox Productions, a photography/videography company that produces everything from corporate videos and wedding collections to documentary films. He is devoted to the work he does at Vision Church and is pursuing bilingual studies through various programs. Emmaus is the visual storyteller for True Connection Horse Academy, in charge of all video and photography work, as well as overseeing social media strategy and development. He is part of the Vanderbilt family who runs Bit of Hope Ranch, a non-profit organization in Gastonia, NC that utilizes horses for healing.

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