About Sara & Matt
A little more room to be human.Meet the people
you’ll be
practicing with.
We’re Sara and Matt. Partners in life, cofounders of Discovery Horse and Dandelion, and people who keep practicing, too.
School of Self grows out of the work—and the life—we’ve built together.
Sara Sherman
Hi. I’m Sara.
I notice how things connect.
People often tell me they feel seen by me without feeling judged. Sometimes they tell me it’s the first time they’ve felt that way.
I’m curious about the whole of you: what matters to you, what you’ve been carrying, and what happens in your body and your relationships when things get hard. I want to understand why. There’s room here for big feelings and experiences that can be difficult to put into words.
For a long time, paying close attention to everyone around me was part of how I kept myself safe. My own healing has helped me stay connected to myself while being present with someone else. I keep practicing that, too.
I’m a neurorelational coach, professional trainer, speaker, and equine professional. I developed NeuroRelational Coaching to bring our understanding of the nervous system into how we actually relate to ourselves and one another.
My work includes coaching, group facilitation, workshops, professional training, and working with organizations. I’ve developed programs, written grants, built and led a team of fourteen, and shaped a workplace culture around the same principles I teach.
As a Natural Lifemanship trainer, I train therapists and horse professionals to apply the principles of connection in their work with people and horses.
My facilitation pays attention to the body as well as the words. It’s informed by somatics, interpersonal neurobiology, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Gestalt, and attachment science.
I bring expertise. You bring authority over your own life.
We can be curious together. You can disagree with me, tell me I’ve misunderstood you, or ask for something different. There’s room for your whole self in the relationship—including the parts you’re still getting to know.
Matt Schwab
Meet Matt.
Matt is a wonderful cook and an extraordinary gardener. Food and music are woven through the way he brings people together. Even dinner for two gets a beautifully arranged plate. Feeding people is one of the ways he cares for them.
He’s playful, practical, and resourceful. A longtime entrepreneur, he once ran a custom driftwood furniture business. He likes making things work. His remarkably well-equipped backpack helps.
He has a particular ability to connect with children who have struggled to feel understood.
“I used to be one of those kids,” he says.
Matt loves sports and cares about giving people a fair chance to participate. At Dandelion, shared activities included joining bowling leagues together—helping children find connection and become part of a bigger community.
His work makes room for play, movement, getting frustrated, finding your way back, and having something to contribute.
He and Sara have both spent years doing their own personal work. That commitment continues.
Experience, education & training
You probably want to know
what qualifies us.
Fair question.
Sara
- BA in Integrative Studies with a Counseling Psychology competency, Prescott College, 2001.
- Natural Lifemanship NLC-P/EP & Trainer, with advanced training.
- Equid-Nexus Trained — training in a facilitation model that brings Internal Family Systems (IFS) together with equine engagement.
Ongoing learning
STAIR Level One training with Juliane Taylor Shore, and current participation in her year-long Memory Reconsolidation Consult Group.
Matt
- Advanced Practitioner with the Baffling Behavior Training Institute.
- Natural Lifemanship training through the Intensive level.
School of Self, in practice
There’s room
to begin.
We’re learning and building, too. You can start before everything is figured out.
Find your place to begin