✨ “The horse lives in the present. If you want to be a good horse person, you need to become more like the horse.” – Richard Williams

✨ “Horsemanship is a physical meditation. The horse is a three-dimensional mirror.” – Richard Williams

From preserving rare classical manuscripts to exploring the emotional and civilizing power of horsemanship, Richard Williams — publisher of Xenophon Press — joins Rupert Isaacson for a deep dive into why the old masters still matter.

In this episode of Live Free Ride Free, Rupert and Richard trace the arc of classical equestrian knowledge from Xenophon through the Renaissance academies, La Guérinière, Steinbrecht, Baucher, and Nuno Oliveira — right up to the modern therapeutic and rehabilitative applications of classical riding.

Richard shares how he came to acquire Xenophon Press, why publishing these works is an act of stewardship rather than profit, and how editing and translating classical texts became a form of "time travel." The conversation moves from Renaissance schools that trained diplomats through horsemanship, to emotional regulation in the saddle, to the role horses may play in addiction recovery and mental health today.

🎥 FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpout
📚 All Books Mentioned: https://longridehome.com/books
🎟️ Xenophon Press Discount Code: 7greatCUSTOMER (7% off) https://xenophonpress.com

This is not simply a conversation about dressage. It is about humility, mastery, emotional regulation, leadership, and the civilizing influence of the horse.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Richard’s journey into purchasing Xenophon Press and preserving classical texts ([00:03:00])
• How publishing classical works became a form of “time travel” across centuries ([00:06:00])
• Why Renaissance academies trained diplomats through horsemanship, fencing, and mathematics ([00:32:00])
• How stallions in the academies helped civilize young aristocrats ([00:35:00])
• The link between classical riding and emotional regulation ([00:49:00])
• Why breathing and “feel” anchor the rider in the present moment ([00:54:00])
• The four conditions of horsemanship: ignoring, opposing, yielding, harmonizing ([01:00:00])
• Why therapeutic riding is embodied practice — not a gimmick ([01:11:00])
• How classical training benefits the horse physically and mentally ([01:16:00])
• A recommended reading pathway through the classical canon ([01:18:00])

🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode:

• Rupert describing Xenophon Press as a modern Library of Alexandria ([00:01:30])
• Richard’s story of his brother being launched into a manure pile by a pony ([00:37:00])
• The insight that horses sort for emotional maturity ([00:39:00])
• Discussion of how leaders historically were judged by how they rode ([00:43:00])
• The idea that horsemanship teaches recovery from imbalance — not avoidance of it ([01:02:00])
• Riding as a practice of embodied mindfulness and humility ([00:50:00])
• Exploring the potential of horses in addiction recovery work ([01:15:00])

📚 Projects, Thinkers, and Ideas Mentioned:

• Xenophon
• Giovanni Battista Tomassini – The Italian Tradition of Equestrian Art
• François Robichon de La Guérinière – École de Cavalerie
• Gustav Steinbrecht – Gymnasium of the Horse
• François Baucher
• Nuno Oliveira
• Dom Diogo de Bragança – Dressage in the French Tradition
• Alois Podhajsky – The Complete Training of Horse and Rider
• Sally Swift – Centered Riding
• Renaissance Schools of Horsemanship in Naples

🌍 See All of Rupert’s Programs and Shows:
Website: https://rupertisaacson.com

📲 Follow Us:

Long Ride Home:
Website: https://longridehome.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh
Instagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehome

New Trails Learning Systems:
Website: https://ntls.co
Facebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworld
Instagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworld
YouTube: https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems

📊 Affiliate Disclosure: Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.

✨ “I’m upset because life should be so beautiful.” – Rejane D’Espirac
✨ “Healing begins with attention.” – Rupert Isaacson

In this expansive and deeply reflective episode of Live Free Ride Free, Rupert Isaacson is joined by French writer, journalist, filmmaker, and activist Rejane D’Espirac for a wide‑ranging conversation on healing, presence, storytelling, plants, and what it means to live a life in service.

Rejane’s work sits at the crossroads of human rights, environmental activism, health, and inner transformation. From documenting the long‑term aftermath of the Bhopal industrial disaster in India, to exploring Ayurveda, yoga, infertility, and the healing power of attention, her life and career have been shaped by one central question: how do we truly care for one another in a damaged world?

Together, Rupert and Rejane explore the idea of being “upset by beauty” — not anger, but the kind of heartbreak that comes from seeing how precious life is, and how easily that magic is overlooked or harmed. They discuss relationship as medicine, presence as a healing force, plants as silent allies, and why service — rather than self‑actualization alone — is often the key to meaning.

❤️ Support the Podcast on Patreon https://patreon.com/longridehome

This episode weaves personal story, activism, philosophy, and nature into a conversation about attention, awe, responsibility, and hope.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What Rejane means by being “upset” — not with anger, but with love, beauty, and the pain of seeing life disrespected ([00:02:26]–[00:06:00])
• The long‑term human and environmental impact of the Bhopal industrial disaster, and why its consequences are still unfolding decades later ([00:08:44]–[00:11:00])
• How the Sambhavna free clinic in Bhopal uses Ayurveda, yoga, plants, and care to support survivors when Western medicine alone no longer works ([00:13:17]–[00:26:23])
• Why care, listening, and relationship account for a large part of healing — often more than techniques or medication ([00:31:25]–[00:37:21])
• Rejane’s personal journey through infertility, Ayurveda, and unexpected pregnancy — and what it revealed about quality versus quantity in healing ([00:47:11]–[00:57:06])
• How attention, presence, and being truly seen can unlock self‑healing processes in body and mind ([01:02:27]–[01:04:53])
• Why sadness, isolation, and disconnection are central challenges of modern life — and how service and relationship help counter them ([01:24:53]–[01:27:22])
• The quiet power of flowers, plants, and awe — and why beauty itself can be a political and healing force ([01:29:42]–[01:33:22])

🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode:

• Rejane explains how witnessing suffering without solutions led her from journalism into activism ([00:07:40]–[00:08:15])
• A detailed account of how the Sambhavna clinic was founded, and why detoxification, yoga, and plants became central tools ([00:21:02]–[00:25:55])
• Rupert reflects on care, attention, and yoga nidra as accessible forms of self‑healing ([00:40:31]–[00:42:16])
• Rejane shares how a simple question — “Why are you so sad?” — opened a profound healing journey ([00:49:49]–[01:03:10])
• A moving exchange on flowers as symbols of connection, resilience, and life’s quiet intelligence ([01:29:24]–[01:33:30])

📚 Books, Projects & Resources Mentioned:

• Sambhavna Clinic (Bhopal) & documentary “Sambhavna” https://sambhavnabhopal.org/
• At Last, a Baby – Rejane D’Espirac
• The Discreet Power of Flowers – Rejane D’Espirac https://www.rejanedespirac.com/
• The Horse Boy, The Long Ride Home & The Healing Land – Rupert Isaacson
• Movement Method – New Trails Learning Systems

🌍 See All of Rupert’s Programs and Shows:

Website: https://rupertisaacson.com

📲 Follow Us:

Long Ride Home
Website: https://longridehome.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh
Instagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehome

New Trails Learning Systems
Website: https://ntls.co
Facebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworld
Instagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworld
YouTube: https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems

📊 Affiliate Disclosure:

Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.

✨ “Being different is not your weakness — it’s your superpower.” – John Kippen
✨ “Story is the original healing technology.” – Rupert Isaacson

In this deeply moving and wide‑ranging episode of Live Free Ride Free, Rupert Isaacson speaks with resilience coach, magician, and motivational speaker John Kippen about identity, illness, visibility, and what it truly takes to come out of hiding.

John shares his extraordinary personal story — from being diagnosed with a life‑threatening brain tumor in his early thirties, to waking from surgery with permanent facial paralysis that led him to withdraw from public life for more than a decade. What followed was not just physical recovery, but a long inner journey through shame, self‑judgment, and loss of identity.

Through magic, storytelling, and radical honesty, John ultimately found his way back into the world — discovering that the very thing he tried to hide could become his greatest point of connection. Today, he uses those lessons to help others step out of fear, reclaim their dreams, and see their differences as sources of strength.

This conversation explores illness, facial difference, vulnerability, creativity, neuroscience, coaching, dreaming, and the quiet power of presence. It is an episode about being seen — and about learning to see yourself with compassion.

❤️ Support the Podcast on Patreon https://patreon.com/longridehome

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How a sudden medical crisis can fracture identity — and why facial difference uniquely impacts how we see ourselves and how others respond ([00:03:22]–[00:07:46])
• What it means to “go into hiding” emotionally and socially — and how shame keeps people invisible for years ([00:07:14]–[00:08:10])
• How magic became a tool for healing, presence, and connection rather than performance ([00:10:00]–[00:14:00])
• Why naming the story behind visible difference allows others to relax, connect, and truly see you ([00:12:22]–[00:13:40])
• How creativity and wonder help bypass fear and open new neurological pathways ([00:50:32]–[01:00:14])
• John’s “Tripod Method” for getting unstuck when fear and overwhelm take over ([00:40:32]–[00:43:19])
• Why many adults are living someone else’s dream — and how to reconnect with your own ([00:51:42]–[00:54:08])
• How coaching can help uncover limiting beliefs rooted in childhood experiences ([01:03:23]–[01:08:03])
• The role of joy, service, nature, and presence in sustaining a meaningful life ([01:16:32]–[01:19:34])

🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode:

• John describes waking from brain surgery and realizing how deeply facial paralysis affected his sense of worth ([00:06:15]–[00:07:14])
• A powerful story from the Magic Castle where a single evening of magic helped a woman stop hiding after a mastectomy ([00:16:00]–[00:25:00])
• Rupert reflects on facial identity, vulnerability, and storytelling as a form of healing ([00:19:00]–[00:23:00])
• John explains how COVID mask mandates challenged — but did not undo — his healing around visibility ([00:29:50]–[00:31:26])
• A moving discussion on dreams, creativity, and why it’s never too late to begin again ([00:51:00]–[01:25:00])

📚 Books, Projects & Resources Mentioned:

• Playing the Hand You Were Dealt – John Kippen https://amzn.to/3YM8K0E
• John Kippen: https://johnkippen.com
• The Horse Boy, The Long Ride Home & The Healing Land – Rupert Isaacson
• Movement Method – New Trails Learning Systems

🌍 See All of Rupert’s Programs and Shows:

Website: https://rupertisaacson.com

📲 Follow Us:

Long Ride Home
Website: https://longridehome.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh
Instagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehome

New Trails Learning Systems
Website: https://ntls.co
Facebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworld
Instagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworld
YouTube: https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems

📊 Affiliate Disclosure:

Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.