Karen Ostenried has worn many hats over the years. From professional singer toaerobics instructor, to the Chief Operations officer of an international biotechcompany. Karen impressively has three world firsts in medical technologyaccredited to her, and a number of Australian firsts in creating genetic models ofhuman diseases.In 2009, Karen’s world would change forever. One week after she retired from thefield of science, she would be faced with the devastating Black Saturday bushfiresthat tore through Victorian bushland causing widespread devastation and thegreatest loss of life from fire since colonisation. One hundred and seventy-threepeople tragically lost their lives, 414 were injured, more than a million wild anddomesticated animals were lost, and 450,000 hectares of land were burned. Karen’sKinglake property destroyed, however one of her horses survived. Nursing the horseback to health proved more difficult that she first imagined and in 2011 she took myhorse to Equine Assisted Therapy. Through this process, Karen quickly realised thatshe needed to heal as much as her beloved horse.By 2017, Karen qualified as an Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator. The primarydriver of this form of learning is to develop an expanded awareness of firstly self andthen of others. It develops essential life skills which can lead to success in all areasof life and business, and the purest form of leadership. Although Karen uses horses, it is very much Human Centred Design. It relies onbeing present to fully comprehend everything around you, calm the mind and makegood decisions with empathy, accountability, and teamwork. It also relies on trust. Today Karen’s business – The Matanya Effect, and Leadership Revolution, workwith Corporate Organisations to small businesses around team building andleadership skills. She also works with people with low support Autism, some NDISclients for life skills, Teams, families, sports, business, community groups and alllevels of leadership up to C suite. Join Karen as she chats with host Sandy Lowres and shares her amazing story.You can follow Karen and her remarkable work here:https://www.thematanyaeffect.com.au/https://www.instagram.com/thematanyaeffecthttps://www.facebook.com/thematanyaeffect-The Good Girl Confessional is the award-winning Podcast of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty, a platform for women 40, 50, 60 and beyond. Follow the revolution:www.wb40.comhttps://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondfortyhttps://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessionalhttps://www.facebook.com/thegoodgirlconfessionalI acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, upon whose lands I live, work and play. I pay my respects to Aboriginal elders past, present and emerging.