Episode 93 -- Sonya Farrell -- 3 Words Can Save A Life, "Are You Okay?"

This guest does not live a life of regret. Meet a jack of all trades who has raised three independent and very successful young ladies. This episode features our host’s cousin, Sonya Deese Farrell. There’s a little reminiscing and you’ll hear that this lady— who was the youngest of our pack— had more knowhow than the rest of us about horses and we found out the hard way. A mom, horse farm owner, wife and friend, you’ll be in awe of Sonya and will be amazed at her life as she graciously impacts so many.Sonya had a great life growing up and she felt her parents were always interested in everything she attempted to do. As a child she had an imaginary black horse named Midnight who ran along side the car everywhere she went. The day came when her parents bought her a real horse and from that moment on she has owned at least one horse and developed that passion and even shared it with one of her daughters who fell in love with the massive animals too. In this episode we deal with some terrifically hard topics that are truly personal. Sonya talks about mental health issues that have slammed their family up close and personal.She’s married to an amazing man, Brian and he deals with PTSD from experiences in his military career. In their family, it is not unusual for them to address a situation head on and figure out what they can do— together. They also have a tremendous christian faith. Horses have always been a part of Sonya’s life and she seems to be getting more and more serious about the gentle giants. She noticed that her husband could work through his PTSD by spending time with his horse. This family doesn’t believe in keeping a good thing to themselves and they started a horse camp for grooming and riding for kids — some who had needs including PTSD. Making connections between the person and the animal there is trust and Sonya says that it is really about the horse understanding us. They recently moved to snow country and bought another horse farm and this one has a racetrack.We talk about war and being a christian and how she and her spouse brought the discussion to the forefront. We talk about what it’s like to be a military wife and having an immediate deployment and we talk about marriage and how they adjusted their blended family.Sonya opens up about suicide attempts and how that came crashing into their world and she shares advice on how we should check on our people.If you need advice on attitude, Sonya puts life in perspective and how she stops stressing over the situations that arise and focuses only on what she has control over. This episode is packed full and you’ll be inspired to get moving.Song “Stomp” used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff