Meagan Hruska, MS, LMHC

11/05/2025

We recently lost our horse, Jesse, whom we all loved so deeply. Those of us lucky to know Jesse knew what a gentle, loving soul he was. As I’m continuing to sit with my heart wide open in grief, I can’t help but be grateful to Jesse for all he has taught me, our herd, our barncrew and clients in both his life and death. I let every tear fall in honor of him because I know the heartbreak we all feel is just reflective of the love we have for him. He deserves to be felt for.

I wish everyone could understand the gifts Jesse brought to all who knew him. One of the greatest gifts was how so many people felt so deeply seen and loved in Jesse’s presence. Jesse really saw you with his deep brown, kind and gentle eyes. He could see your soul and let you know that you were worthy of love for the simple fact of existing. Per one of my clients: “It’s the first time I felt in my body that I am enough just because I am here. That it’s safe to be me and that I can truly be loved for me.”

I know there’s also deep medicine in grief. We’ve all had to hold space for ourselves, our team, the horses and clients in goodbyes and sadness. It’s been beautiful in how we’ve all had to learn how to lean in to the heartbreak and loss fully without numbing or checking out. Our clients have had to learn to be present even more deeply in their experience with life and death. They have even chosen to hold space for Jesse as he prepared for his departure and our herd in their grief. How powerful it has been to have witnessed this.

One of the most beautiful goodbyes I witnessed was a young teenage girl who sat with Jesse, and as she did so, her dad went over and sat with her, fully present and holding space for her goodbye. I still keep thinking about the deep medicine of that moment.

I think Jesse knew what he was doing by choosing us as his herd in the final couple years of his life. I know he left feeling loved and seen by us too, barncrew and clients both. And what a beautiful way to end life- giving and receiving love; showing others what true reciprocal partnership looks and feels like in both life and death.

I know Jesse will always remain connected to us all in our hearts, and I’m grateful we will always be able to meet him there.

There’s so much more to share on all the deep lessons I’m learning about grief through this experience and how it has expanded me, our herd and clients in ways I never expected. But for now, my heart and words quiet so my grief can continue to be felt and fully integrated.

Thank you, Jesse, for being part of my therapy team, but most importantly, for being my friend and teacher ❤️

10/10/2025

It’s world mental health day! 🌎💚🌺🦋

No matter where you are at in your journey, take a moment to honor yourself today. Mental wellness is a practice, and although we bring awareness to it today, it is worth bringing small acts of honoring yourself each and every day!

Choosing something small to bring mental wellness into your daily life, unique to you and your needs, is a radical act. Whether that’s a deep breath, a kind statement to yourself, time out in nature or something more, a daily small commitment to yourself cultivates mental wellness in powerful ways long-term. Mental wellness habits don’t have to be big. Sometimes the most powerful practices take less than a few seconds 😉.

09/30/2025

I would encourage everyone to try a gratitude practice of some sort! It’s a great practice for couples, family and friends to participate in together too.

Ever “herd” of a gratitude journal (yes, pun intended 😉)?

Gratitude practices can be such a great option to improve our physical and mental health. Dedication to writing about the things you are grateful for has so many benefits, including reduced stress, increased feel good emotions, enhanced self-esteem, better decision making, creativity, nervous system regulation, improved immune functioning and better sleep, just to name a few.

With a gratitude journal or practice, we take the time to write out daily what we are grateful for. The more depth, the better! But it can also be just a short list. The more consistent you are, the more you also rewire your brain to look for the abundance in life and move from a “lack mentality” (I.,e. “ I don’t have…”) to a wholesome, abundant mentality. Shifting what we focus on boosts mood and has the ability to bring more vibrancy into our lives.

I also like to think of any consistent practice as building self-trust and as a commitment to ourselves. This is powerful. If we want others to be consistent and show up for us, we must also cultivate practices where we too show up for us. It is an action that cultivates our own worthiness, that we are “worth” the time.

I (Meagan) personally have a gratitude journal that I write in every (or almost every night) before I go to bed. It helps me reflect on my day and go to bed with a full heart.

Give it a try! And see what happens in your daily life the more you spend time focusing on what you do have vs. what’s missing 😊

09/28/2025

I’ve always been drawn to incorporating experiential activities in my services! I think they are a great way to explore ourselves, patterns and skills in a deeper way than just “talking” about something. This post reflects equine assisted psychotherapy services that I provide with our Dusy Boots Barn. Although these services include horses (unfortunately no horses in my office 😅), it does briefly touch on some of what experiential activities can provide, whether it’s in office or outside at the barn!

09/17/2025

09/13/2025

Your breath can rewire your brain in real time.

When you slow your breathing to 4-6 breaths per minute, you’re activating your vagus nerve, the superhighway of your parasympathetic nervous system. This triggers an immediate drop in cortisol and a surge in GABA, your brain’s primary calming neurotransmitter.

But here’s what a lot of people don’t know: consistent breathwork actually changes your brain structure. Studies show increased gray matter in the insula and prefrontal cortex – regions that control emotional regulation and stress resilience.

Think of it as upgrading your nervous system’s operating system. Every slow, deep breath is a signal to your body that it’s safe to digest, repair, and heal.

The prescription is simple: 4 counts in, 6 counts out, for 2-3 minutes. Your mitochondria, gut, and immune system are all listening.

What’s your go-to stress reset? Drop it below 👇

09/03/2025

08/26/2025

There just something special about cuddling and playing with baby goats! Help us welcome all 11 of them into the world! 💜

08/03/2025

We are so excited to bring these two events to our community! They will take place on August 8th and August 15th. Both are from 9am-11:30am. You must register by emailing me (on the flyer) to attend.

They are open to anyone 18 and older. Our Dusty Boots Barn team and horses, Holli, Larry, Parker and Jesse all look forward to having you join us! 🐴🙌🏼☀️

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

I am also including another reflection below for those interested in why these experiences feel powerful and what makes us, Dusty Boots Barn, and our services different.

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You might have heard horses “heal you,” “horses are medicine,” or “horses are magic.” It’s a beautiful idea, but a false one. In fact, it’s disempowering because it does not allow you to take credit for your own healing or own your own magic. I have learned to take horses off the pedestal. They are beings like you and me in their own personalities, and we love them for it!

What is powerful though is horses are congruent. They are present and attuned, which on a body level, helps regulate our nervous systems. Our nervous systems are designed to co-regulate and match those around us. That’s why in person relationships and communities (and being around horses or nature!) are so powerful and healing. And why we need them! We are not meant to be separate.

When our nevevous system co-regulates to safety, this is where it can drop into healing. It is much easier to shift thought patterns, see a new way of thinking and have “transformational” insight, because our body now has access to it. It is a state to feel safe enough to surrender, to let go what doesn’t serve us. To let go of the emotions and limiting beliefs that have held us back from embodying who we are.

It also becomes safe for us to be seen. That’s why these experiences can bring up so much. They can show us ourselves and all that we’ve been running and hiding from. It helps cultivate self-awareness, assist us in exploring our inner world, and shift our body state, allowing us to develop authentic and secure relationships to ourselves and others.

Being in a space with regulated horses and humans can create a space for a lot of us to feel seen, esp. when we live a distracted world where most of us are chronically stressed and overwhelmed and the people in our lives are too. A lot of us don’t often get to experience this level of presence. Which is why these experience can feel like “medicine” and truly do change us.

This is also why we, Dusty Boots Barn, put such care in our team working together outside of sessions. We have high standards and go through much training to be able to cultivate our own abilities and nervous systems to create this. Without it, this wouldn’t be a safe place and community for anyone to heal and come home to themselves in. We have to be congruent, present and attuned too. This is not easy. And this is not something that can be faked! Unfortunately, not all “therapeutic and equine services” provide this depth of nervous system safety or community that allows our nervous system to move into a healing state. (We are working on changing this though!).

We as a team love this work and holding space to assist others in co-regulating their nervous system with us. This is a place where you can experience the empowered person you are by healing yourself. We are there to hold it and witness it. To see it, to see you; through our presence, attunement and congruency.

I feel honored to walk this path with this group.
So come join us and let yourself experience what it feels like to have a regulated nervous system and be surrounded by a community that encourages you to heal. I’m also biased, but the horses and animals here are pretty fun! And it’s beautiful on the land out here!

Can’t wait to see you there. 💚

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08/03/2025

These would be great groups to explore for healing for anyone interested!