Hi! My name is Molly Sanders and I love horses and people.
In 2020, all of our worlds were shaken up with a global pandemic. A silver lining that resulted was a new passion in my life: Shine a Light Productions. I'm happy you're here and would love to have you join in on the learning adventure! More about who I am below.
One of the things that makes my heart sing is connecting people. Connecting them with their horses, with information and with each other. Through Shine a Light Productions and A Learner's Journey I'm grateful to do all of the above.
My Story...
Teaching has been a passion of mine most of my adult life. In 1996 I graduated from WWU in Bellingham, WA with a BA in Education, 2 years later I earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. I taught in a variety of programs with a wide range of ages for the next 12 years. I loved the challenge teaching presented. In 2005, my passion for horses and for teaching collided during a demonstration of horsemanship in Yakima, WA that fit what I'd always wanted to do with horses. I was sitting in the stands at a Parelli Tour Stop - it was the first time I'd seen Pat and Linda Parelli and I knew my future would change. And change it did.
Four years later in 2009, I was on my way to Ocala, Florida where I planned to spend my summer in an externship at the Parelli Campus. Two months later, I quit my teaching job and dedicated myself full time to the pursuit of excellence in horsemanship and becoming a professional in the Parelli program. I became an instructor in 2010 and for the next decade, loved sharing what I'd learned with a fabulous community of horse lovers in Washington state.
Then came 2020... a year of challenge and change for all of us. I was supposed to host a clinic with Linda Parelli in my hometown of Washington State. Covid threw a banana peel on that path and thanks to Linda's sense of adventure and her passion for sharing her knowledge, we were able to pivot and offer a virtual event. I'd been playing around with offering virtual events for about a year before this, but nothing on the scale we were talking about. We took a huge risk and it was a big success.
Designing, producing and facilitating virtual events became my new full time job. I truly feel that all my experiences up to this point: teaching elementary school, being a Parelli Instructor, even waiting tables to put myself through college, have prepared me for this chapter.
I now dedicate my time and heart to shining a light on a variety of excellent horsemen and women, bringing their expertise to you through virtual learning.
I've also started a blog and podcast called A Learner's Journey with the goal of supporting you on your horsemanship journey with inspirational and educational content. There is a private Facebook group for horse lovers to connect and support each other on the journey too.
I hope you and I get a chance to connect along the way.
