The 7 Oaks Story

Horses have played a vital role in my brightest joys and my darkest sorrows.

In fact, I might not be alive today, if it weren’t for my relationship with Horses. Four years after high school, I dropped out of college with no sense of purpose or hope, and a lifestyle to show it. I had hit rock bottom! And the turning point came as I recalled my experiences with the magical wisdom of Horses, and how they can inspire humans to move through fear and doubt, and to be vulnerable and thus grow, heal and develop true confidence. It was this awareness that led me to go back to college, and do so with a dream and a purpose. By 1980, I had earned my Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Camp Administration and Adventure Education from George Williams College. During my Academic Education, I developed a passion for Experiential Education. I worked at some of the finest camps and conference centers, including Man His Land Expeditions (a front runner to Outward Bound and N.O.L.S). I facilitated groups through teams courses, high ropes, courses, and even a desert survival trip on horseback. From 1981 to 1985 I directed my own horse camp on our family horse farm where I grew up. In 1985, my father sold the farm without letting me know. I was devastated! I had to sell all 21 of my horses, plus most of my Tack and Equipment. My wife at the time was pregnant and she and our seven year‐old son and our golden retriever moved all of our earthly possessions in a little Chevette and a U‐Haul truck. I had accepted a job in Durham, NC directing a large YMCA camp. It was not a good fit for me at all. It was a very toxic environment. I was miserable… full of confusion, doubt, and fear. After a good deal of counseling and research and touching in with my Equine buddies, I did a major career shift and became a financial advisor. This too was very challenging at first, as I felt like a fish out of water. I had to cut my long hair, wear a starched collar shirt, and wear a tie and be affiliated with Wall Street? Yuck! I didn’t even know what a stock was. This was crazy, but as I was advised to realize that I could learn the financial stuff easily enough, it was my passion to help people, and my natural skills as a teacher in counselor that would empower me to have impact and help people in a very meaningful aspect of life. In my first year I was rookie of the year in NC. Now I am still enjoying my career in wealth management after 40 years and I have no interest in retiring. Interestingly, I never totally gave up my work and Retreats in camp work with groups from 1986 to the present. I have facilitated numerous retreats in men’s groups. From 1986 to 1999, I continued my connection with Horses through various equine centers and through my friends who had horses on their property. In 1991 we moved our family from Durham, NC to Barrington, IL and I started my wealth management practice all over again. I felt so insecure! It was terrifying to build a business from scratch in the big City of Chicago and once again I turned to the horse for wisdom and direction. In 1999 we are a family with four kids and we moved from Barrington to a small farm near Kalamazoo MI. We bought a horse for each of the three of three kids for 4‐H and horse shows, plus a horse for me. I was in heaven! Also starting in 1999, I served on the board of a highly respected horse camp with teams building retreats, and high ropes course. This was a great time in my life 10 years of a dynamic family, horses, and a growing business. Then in 2009 as empty‐nesters we sold our horses all except for my horse Scooter. During this time our marriage was drifting apart. In 2011 in the attempt to save the marriage, I agreed to sell our small farm and move into the city of Kalamazoo and Board scooter at a friends farm.

I was so terribly unhappy. Then at Christmas time, my wife presented me with divorce. I felt like my entire life, all that gave me meaning and joy was falling apart. I felt like I couldn’t bear the pain of my shattered life. I did a lot of therapy, and Retreats, yoga, and meditation. Then one afternoon, feeling like I couldn’t go on, I went out to visit Scooter. After I cried my eyes out in his main for quite a while. I had this amazing thought “I’m going to move back to the farm life, while I continue my wealth management business and I decided to create a small rustic Ranch and retreat facility with a focus on horses. Through all of my therapy and Retreats in men’s work, yoga, and meditation classes I came to the realization that a lot of men in this world are dealing with fear and anger, shame, insecurity, and anxiety.

In May 2014, I purchased a stunning 18 acre property and construction started immediately renovating a large garage into a four stall horse barn and creating a 6 acre pasture out of the forest. By July 2014, Scooter moved to our new property and finally we were back together again! In August, we added a weanling filly and thus began our new horse family. The construction carried on for several years adding a second barn and converting the 1500 square‐foot 1970s ranch to a 6800 square‐foot lodge +4 cabins. In 2022, I completed my certification as an equine coach through the organization EAL. In 2025 construction was completed and I hosted several events and Equine coaching sessions. And… we hosted our very first true retreat with six men from across the United States. According to their feedback it was a huge and meaningful success. We had impact and touched their lives in a way that was empowering and healing.

My 12 year dream was now a reality.