Hi, I’m Siera.

My work is rooted in the belief that nature helps us return to balance. I partner with horses and the wisdom held in nature to help you return to yourself with clarity, connection, and freedom.

Work with me

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A woman with dark hair, wearing a bright blue top and a necklace, standing outdoors in a grassy area with a fence and buildings in the background, smiling at the camera.

Siera Hanks

Equine Empowerment Coach
Founder, Four Winds to Freedom
Certified Master Equine Gestaltist

Guided by Horses. Held by Nature.
Where Healing Begins.

I see you. I hear you. I honor you.

At Four Winds to Freedom, we work alongside horses and the natural world, drawing on the wisdom of the four directions (east, south, west, north) and the four elements (spring, summer, fall, winter) to invite presence, deeper awareness, and meaningful change. My mission is to support you as you move forward with greater understanding and intention.

Close-up of a beige bird feather held between fingers, with sunlight filtering through trees in the background.

Why four winds?

Nature has a way of bringing us back to ourselves. When we step outside – feeling the ground beneath our feet, hearing the birds sing, seeing the beautiful, ever-changing sky, smelling the fresh air, and connecting to the presence of horses – our nervous system softens. The noise in our heads fades, and we’re then able to reconnect with our true selves.

The Four Winds symbolize the journey we take together:

Honoring where you have been.

Becoming aware of where you are.

Moving forward with clarity.

Experiencing freedom.

Here, healing is not about fixing yourself. It is about remembering your connection – to the earth, to a Higher Power, to your inner wisdom, and to the direction your life is calling you toward.

The Four Winds serve as a reminder that growth is not linear. Each direction and element carries its own energy and invitation: beginnings and vision, growth and courage, release and transformation, rest and renewal. Together, they remind us that life is not meant to be rushed or forced, but lived in harmony with the seasons within and around us.

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Grounded in nature and guided by the Four Winds, Four Winds to Freedom offers a space to slow down, reconnect, and gain clarity.

A vibrant sunset over clouds with rays of sunlight shining through, casting a warm glow across the sky.

A woman with long dark hair wearing a red long sleeve shirt standing next to a light brown horse with a white star on its forehead, outdoors during fall with colorful autumn trees in the background.

About me

I grew up in Sun Prairie, with horses in the backyard and wide open space to disappear into. Through 4H, I showed horses for a few years, but even then, I knew — what I loved most wasn’t the arena. It was being out in nature. The quiet, the movement. The feeling of freedom as I rode through the fields on my childhood horse, Beau. At the time, I knew how good it felt to be on his back. I just didn’t yet have words for why. I didn’t understand the depth of it. The way horses hold space. The way they mirror, soften, steady. The healing power they hold.

Fast forward to 2019.
I had just gone through a divorce, and everything in my life felt like it had cracked open. It was the beginning of a deeper question—who is Siera? Not who I had been. Not who I thought I was supposed to be. But who I actually am.

Somewhere in that space, I not so coincidentally crossed paths with Melisa Pearce and the Touched by a Horse Equine Gestalt Coaching program. I remember reading about it and feeling it immediately. A full body yes. No hesitation.
And I had no idea how much it would change me.
That work asked everything of me — in the best way. I moved through traumatic childhood experiences. I uncovered belief systems I didn’t even realize I was carrying. Old stories, outdated patterns. Things that had quietly shaped how I moved through the world.

I began to understand my values.
I created a vision for my life that actually felt like mine.
I learned how to respond instead of react. How to be present. How to practice gratitude in a way that isn’t performative, but lived.
I began to truly heal.

And somewhere along the way, it became clear—this is what I’m meant to do.
To create a space where you can set things down. The heavy memories. The experiences you’ve been carrying. To gently uncover what no longer serves you. To get honest about who you are. To imagine a life that feels aligned and real.
And alongside my equine partners, I walk with you through that process. Not fixing. Not forcing. Rather, holding space for what wants to shift, so you can move toward a life that feels full of joy.

Outside of this work, I love being outdoors. Camping in Wisconsin State Parks. Walking my dogs. Going on adventures with my husband. I love a really good cup of hot coffee.

I notice the little things, and I practice gratitude every day.

I believe I’m always growing. Always learning. I stay open to new ideas, new thoughts, new ways of seeing.

I care deeply about animals having a voice. I care about creating spaces where people feel safe. Where they can be themselves without question.

I thrive on freedom. On connection. On joy.

I love caring for plants, and I’d be lost without my dogs.

I lead with my heart, always.

Close-up of two people holding hands, with sunlight in the background and text overlay that reads 'Louples intensive' and 'Common Ground.'

How I work

My work doesn’t exist within a single container. I practice Equine Gestalt Coaching with individuals, couples, and small groups. I guide couples through coaching intensives, and I guide healing experiences across different modalities.

Couples Coaching Intensives

This deep-dive intensive is designed for couples who are ready to do real work — together. Spread across two and a half days, I guide each couple through a series of experiences to help them learn about themselves, each other, and how they show up in their relationship.

This work is especially meaningful for couples at a crossroads, newly empty nesters wanting to remember why they chose each other, couples who have lost their spark, or couples who are simply ready to go deeper.

I believe every relationship is made up of three living things: each individual, and the relationship itself. The relationship becomes its own entity — something that must be nurtured and understood alongside the two people in it.

Each person enters a relationship carrying a suitcase filled with childhood experiences, attachment patterns, belief systems, past wounds, coping strategies, expectations, and unspoken longings. These pieces shape how partners communicate, how they love, how they protect themselves, and how they respond in moments of conflict or disconnection. Most of the time, people aren't fully aware of what's in their own suitcase — let alone their partner's.

Common Ground

A man sitting at a table with two women, engaged in a discussion, with colorful markers, sticky notes, and water bottles on the table, in a room with wooden walls and a door behind them.

A woman with blonde hair and a patterned shirt stands next to a brown horse with a teal halter inside a wooden riding barn, while another woman in a pink sweatshirt leans against a metal railing watching them.

A man and a woman engaged in a playful wrestling or dancing moment in a dirt area at a farm or ranch, with a horse nearby and a wooden barn in the background.

This is where Gestalt Couples Coaching comes in. I love guiding couples through experiences that help them discover who they are and learn who their partner truly is. Witnessing the aha moments, the breakthroughs, the compassion that naturally emerges — it is magical.

Whether couples choose to grow together or move forward on separate paths, my intention is the same: that each person leaves with greater clarity, authenticity, and the freedom to move ahead in alignment with themselves.

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Sound Baths · Yoga · Breathwork · Full Moon Events

I believe healing lives in the body, the breath, the moment of presence. Experiential Healing is a way back to yourself.

True healing rarely happens through words alone. Sometimes the body needs to release what the mind cannot yet name. Through sound, movement, breath, and the presence of horses, these gatherings offer a sacred space to feel, process, and integrate — moving beyond the stories that keep you stuck and into the lived experience of wholeness.

So much of what holds us back lives beneath words — in the body, in the places we've learned to stay quiet. When we stop trying to think our way through and start allowing ourselves to feel, that's when the real shift happens.

Upcoming events are announced on Instagram and Facebook. Follow along so you don't miss one.

Experiential Healing

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One-on-One Gestalt Coaching

Each session is uniquely shaped around you and what is emerging in the moment. Integrating traditional Gestalt principles with somatic awareness and experiential exploration, we create a safe, grounded environment for discovery.
Rather than giving advice or solutions, I walk alongside you as a coach — helping you notice what is happening internally so you can make conscious, empowered choices moving forward.

Gestalt coaching is built on the understanding that growth happens through awareness, not force. Many of the struggles we carry today come from emotions, beliefs, or experiences that were never fully processed. These unfinished pieces quietly shape how we think, how we relate, and how we respond — often outside of our conscious awareness.
When we are in a safe, non-judgmental space and in the presence of horses, healing can happen. A one-on-one session is a space to meet yourself honestly. To complete what has been left unfinished, so that energy once tied up in the past becomes available for the present.

As awareness grows, choice expands. And with choice comes freedom.

Empowerment Coaching

Four people standing together outdoors at sunset, embracing and looking at the horizon, with the overlay text 'Groups Coaching & Retreats'.

Small Groups and Retreats

Through guided activities and shared presence alongside the horses, group experiences support participants in cultivating calm, emotional awareness, confidence, healthy boundaries, and a deeper sense of connection and belonging.

There is something powerful about healing in community — being witnessed, and witnessing others. These offerings are thoughtfully held and intentionally small.

Reach out to learn what's currently available, be added to the waitlist, or chat about partnering for group healing experiences.

Groups

Why horses?

Horses are not an add-on to this work. They are an essential partner in it.

In equine-assisted coaching and healing experiences, horses act as a conduit. They are highly attuned, sensitive animals who read body language, emotion, and energy with incredible accuracy. They don’t respond to what we say — they respond to what is actually happening within us. Because of this, they offer immediate, honest feedback.

If you are guarded, they feel it. If you are anxious, they respond to it. If you soften, regulate, or become present — they meet you there.

This is what makes working with horses so powerful. They reflect what is real, not what is being performed. Horses are prey animals, which means their survival depends on awareness and sensitivity to their environment. They are constantly scanning for subtle shifts in energy, intention, and presence. This natural instinct allows them to notice things that often go unspoken or unseen in human interaction. They don’t judge, they don’t analyze, and they don’t carry bias or expectation. They simply respond.

In a session, this can look like a horse moving toward you, stepping away, staying still, or changing their behavior as your internal state shifts. These moments create awareness.

You don’t need any horse experience to do this work. There is no riding involved. Everything happens on the ground, at your pace, with guidance and support.

The horses are not being trained to “do” anything. They are simply being who they are, and reflecting where you’re at.

They help you come back to what is real, and when you’re ready, step forward into healing.

Methodologies

Certificate with a purple circular border and a white rectangle in the center featuring a horse illustration, and the text 'touched by a Horse' handwritten below the illustration. The certificate says 'Certified Equine Gestaltist' with the name 'Melisa Pearce' written underneath.

The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method®
Certified through Touched by a Horse®

The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method® (EGCM) is the foundation of my individuals and couples coaching work. Developed by Melisa Pearce, a psychotherapist, Master Coach, and pioneer in the horse-human healing movement, the EGCM brings together Gestalt coaching principles with the healing presence of horses.

Gestalt is a German word that loosely translates to wholeness. Rather than looking to the past to explain behavior, Gestalt works in the present moment — helping us become aware of what is happening within us right now, so that what has been left unfinished can finally be completed.

This work moves beyond talk therapy. It is somatic, experiential, and grounded in the present — gently clearing the emotional energy that has quietly shaped how we think, how we love, and how we move through the world. Most clients experience meaningful resolution in just a few sessions.

Learn more at touchedbyahorse.com

Wisdom Through Horses™
Licensed Facilitator

Wisdom Through Horses™ is a heart-centered curriculum developed by Certified Equine Gestalt Coach and author Christina Stinchcomb.

We are often taught how to think, but rarely how to feel, listen, or trust ourselves. Wisdom Through Horses™ meets people in their bodies and minds, helping them slow down, reconnect to their inner knowing, and remember the wisdom they already carry — together, in community, alongside the horses.

Learn more at wisdomthroughhorses.com

"Siera listens with great presence. She hears the things that clients say in a way that makes clients feel incredibly heard. Her heartfelt coaching is incredibly powerful."

—Alli C., Montana
"Siera is such a confident, calm presence as a coach. She is very patient and has a big heart to help others. She provides a non-judgmental safe space for people to heal."

—Brandie, North Dakota
"Siera is a gifted coach whose skill and intuition guide her clients to look inside themselves and come to a deeper understanding of who they are and how to move forward into the life they wish to lead."

—June M., Pennsylvania

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Three people and two horses in a grassy outdoor area near a red barn, with a field and trees in the background. One person is leading a dark brown horse, while another is near a light brown horse, and a third person is talking to the person with the dark brown horse. There are some folding chairs and a sunflower near the barn.

Let’s connect

Whether you know exactly what you need or you're simply feeling the pull to reach out — I would love to hear from you. You don't have to have it all figured out before we talk.

Siera@FourWindsToFreedom.com
608.577.8765

Get in touch