We recently connected with Elsa Janney and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Elsa, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
This is not a question I had thought I would answer when I initially read through the series of prompts; yet I felt called to it, so I’ll give it a go!
In my adolescent years I was bullied a lot, yet praised for my physical body and athletic skills and it created a very odd dynamic within my inner dialogue and sense of confidence. I developed a very strange self esteem from the neck down. Thinking that people thought I was ugly in my face because they never mentioned that I was beautiful, pretty or even cute. I concluded that my body must be all I’m known for and receive love for so I began to hyper focus on my athleticism. I developed an eating disorder known as othorexia. I exercised heavily, and ate healthy foods very minimally.
By this point I was in my late teens attending college, unsure of myself, reserved, shut down, anything but confident in myself. Because well, I was only seeking the approval of others all the while loathing the person I was. Full of self hate and ridicule, I can’t even explain where this self dynamic came from. I grew up in a loving household. Full of connection and relationships with my mom and sisters. But, as we are our own best critics, I really took it and ran.
I dealt with this inner battle for a few years and a few major events prompted me to reflect on the relationship I had with myself.
I quit track in college. It was the first time I had stood up for myself and say, “I don’t deserve to be treated this way.” I remember it being such a weight off my shoulders and utterly liberating. Saying no to someone and something I had committed to definitely touched a domino towards self confidence.
Then when I was twenty, I got my first dog. I still was struggling with my eating disorder at the time and having a puppy in my life helped to divert my attention from spending hours at the gym to nurturing and nourishing a relationship with a puppy. I found myself spending less and less time at the gym, eating more because if I wanted to keep up with this growing dog, I had to be properly fuled, and getting outside more where animal and nature connection began to fuel my soul.
Eleven years later, and many animals more. I have such a profound and loving relationship with myself. I relinquished the pull of my ego to seek external validation and brew my self-esteem from a place of inward devotion to myself and the animals in my life.
It’s been such therapy to be in the presence of dogs, horses and even for a time reindeer over that of people. Animals don’t care what I look like, what I say or do, they just ask of me to be present and authentic with them. I can be my marvelous, weird self completely with them and there is no judgement. That hasn’t always been easy, but I can’t lie or hide from animals. They know and have asked me to look deep and hard at the placed I’ve denied myself authentic expression and love.
I feel being held accountable by them, the animals, has been one of my greatest teachers in development of my confidence and self-esteem. I am their guardian and leader. And something I ask my clients all the time in my Horse Medicine and Prey/Predator Embodiment work is:
“Would you be led by you right now?”
“Would you trust you right now?”
“Do you feel safe and seen in your own presence right now?”
I too, ask myself these questions daily and the dogs and horses hold me accountable to this energy and prompt of self love reflection. It’s not to say hooray, I’m confident now and always will be. Like I said it’s been eleven years of confidence development. It even came to a huge headway that I was denying myself self love this past year when I experienced a health crisis and my body mysteriously began to shut down. I had to let go on a cellular level, all the shame, self loathing and hatred I felt towards myself and not keep it hidden in a closet for rainy days when I wanted some ego self soothing.
It’s so easy to believe the lies, to deny ourselves capacity to feel worthy and loved by ourselves. In a society where we are conditioned to seek external validation and sense of self from everyone but ourselves, it’s been liberating and down right life saving to begin to cultivate a relationship with my body and internal dialog.
I’ll be forever grateful to the animals in my life past, present and future; as well as the relationship I’ve developed with nature to offer me space and place to build, strengthen, condition and ever evolve a sense of confidence and self-esteem.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Well to continue to story from my share about my confidence and self-esteem, I’ve found my path, inspiration, fulfillment and purpose within working with animals.
There are many layers and facets to my work and I’ll do my best to outline them in a conceivable manner.
Firstly, as a Witch as I like to refer to myself as. My greatest value in this lifetime is soul connection. In every experience we have with self and others, land, animal and human, we are connecting through many means of Being, including the soul. My work in my company Wolf Winds, is rooted in soul connection.
Whether through animal communication, land clearing/healing, Akashic Records reading and/or teaching, ancestral healing, quantum healing, trauma transmutation and self love through Prey & Predator Embodiment, yoga, Re-Wilding & Nature/Ecosystem Reconnection, Equine Energetics, animal human relationship development and more… the root of my magic and presence with my clients both two and four legged, is deeper soul connection.
My business has evolved an awful lot in the past four years as I’ve explored the vast realms of my phsyic and intuitive gifts. And I’m so excited to be offering some really new magical, enchanting and empowering experiences to connect with Wolf Winds.
The first will be a digital cohert gathering of women desiring to connect to the Elements of Nature and Self in a program called Elemental Rebel. Nature connection is branded about in every corner of health and wellness these days with little to no mention of the reciprocity nature seeks when we seek to connect with them. We also overlook the elements of nature themselves and how their micro influences are how we connect to nature in the first place.
In a five month devoted and sacred space we will expose and explore the vast means to connection with the elements of: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Ether. Through the modalities of Akashic Records Ceremonies, nutrition, somatic/dynamic movement, skincare/self-care, quantum healing, breathwork, horse medicine and canine connection, and many more.
Secondly, I offer my services as a Holistic Healer and Equine Energetics practitioner to those in the equine industry who seek deeper understanding, communication and support with their Equine partners. I explain it often as, I help to bridge the language and communication barrier between horse and human, and support both parties in their deeper desired healing for optimal, fluid coherent essence. Meaning your body, mind, emotions and soul are operating in a congruent frequency and awareness.
Thirdly, this coming year and beyond I’ll be hosting and co-hosting multiple “Embodied Adventure Retreats” in Montana and beyond. These retreats focus on our physical ability to experience and adventure with life great joys, pleasures and connections. Along with other talented and powerful women, the dogs and horses, these retreats are held in reverence to the cycles of nature and our integral part of this earth.
And lastly, my dear friend Hannah Catalino and myself are in preparations for a few long rides in 2025 and 2026. Long Rides are well, long rides on horse back. We are hoping to embark on one across the length of Montana in summer of 2025. And then again in Mongolia as part of a charity ride in 2026. Long Riding is a means in which many, including myself, desire to spend ample time with the horse and dogs we’ve created deep relationships with. It’s a truly spiritual experience removing yourself for weeks or even months on end traveling with horses witnessing the world from a slower, more wild lense. Soon we will be setting up avenues to donate and support our adventures ahead! Along with some beautiful art, jewelry, clothing, horse tack we will be making as means of raising funds and awareness for our Long Rides. You can follow along on Instagram for more information.
What I love so dearly about my work, well our work, as I do not create alone. The dogs, horses, my spirit team, and nature connection all co-create this beautiful business with me is that we hold space and hopefully inspiration to challenge perspective. Just because we’ve always held relationships to animals a certain way, does not mean we cannot develop a new, sovereign, autonomous, interdependent relationship with animals. We honor the desire of all to be received. Our work amplifies and offers education on how to be in reciprocity with self, nature and animals. That as our world continues to shift and evolve and needs humans to be present and available more than ever, we cannot attempt to solve or “fix” nature because they don’t needing fixing. They need receiving. In love and in grace. Letting go of the fear, shame, blame and guilt we hold as a battle cry against humanity doesn’t serve as a source of reciprocity. We at Wolf Winds desire to be a relam in which we can explore the journey back to being part of the ecosystem of nature. In gratitude and in love.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Oh man, only three!
Leave your lone wolf complex at the door! Lone wolves are not healthy wolves, they don’t survive. They need a pack for support and to thrive. In any endeavor you find yourself on, allow yourself to be supported. It’s ok to ask for help. We need to ask for help, and receive it when it is offered. If I had learned this years ago, I would be far better off than I am.
Always be learning. Learning from others yes, but also learn from yourself. At the beginning of my business and even just personal growth I was listening to all the podcasts, all the courses and books I could get my hands on the learn about personal development and the things. Then after awhile my inner voice got really loud, and I remember so vividly one day driving home from the mountains with the dogs listening to a podcast and I heard “stop listening. Grow your own voice.” And I turned off the podcast then and there and rarely listen to other podcasts anymore to better know my voice. We are meant to learn and connect with others, but also learn and connect to our own truth, authenticity and voice. And we can’t do that if we are only listening and learning from others.
You matter. What you do matters. Our journey is laiden with bumps, obstacles, battles and more to overcome that will challenge our worthiness, integrity, creativity, confidence and all the things. Hell, most of us will at some point not even recognize ourselves anymore and that’s ok, we get to unlearn so we can learn who we are and that our space in form matters. I don’t care where you find yourself in life. You matter. If you think what you want to do is weird or even similar to what someone else is doing, who cares. You matter. You’re feeling lost, alone and confused. It’s ok. You matter. You’re not wrong, you haven’t failed. You are beyond loved.
My advice to most people is to get to know your spirit team. Get to know your soul. Get to know the souls of the animals in your life if there are some. You can learn all this in the Akashic Records which I also encourage everyone to learn to connect with. Find your inner faith and reasons for being. Be kind and compassionate to all beings great and small, because they all matter too. The world doesn’t revolve around you. Only your world revolves around you. You have influence and are responsible for the ways in which you affect the space and occupants around you. I call it essence integrity. And in all you do and be, do and be with love. Love gets to be the answer.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Let me live with them in my late twenties. When the pandemic hit in 2020 I moved back to Montana from Alaska and spent the summer living out of my truck. One weekend in Oct 2020 I came home to visit my parents for a weekend and just never left.
I’ve spent the past four years trying to manifest a home for myself, dogs and horses to no avail yet and I’m so grateful for my parents support and them allowing me to livee with them.
I’m blessed to have a positive relationship with my mom and dad. I know this is something not everyone has, and I do not take this for granted. It’s my desire that when I have a home of my own one day I’ll be able to build a little cabin for my parents so if they need support as they age I will be available to them.
I often say fortunately, unfortunately I’m living with my parents. In slight jest and awareness to the privilege I have to live with them. I would be homeless if I couldn’t. And, I wish I wasn’t living with them. It’s not out of choice I’m “the troll dwelling in the basement” as I affectionately refer to myself as. I’m single, self employed and real estate pricing along with the overall inflation of the world is ridiculous so I find myself fortunately under the roof of my childhood home, deepening the relationship with my parents as a young adult now is something I will cherish forever.
If you’re in a space to do so. Tell your parents thank you. Tell them you love them. Let them know you’re grateful for all they’ve done for you with what they know.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wolfwinds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolf_winds
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QE46bzzhzhzSfGZgZWHAW?si=L_CWVsjuR7WyT4SJAj2AeQ Spotify podcast
Image Credits
All images were taken by myself!
