Women’s Wellness & Recovery — Guided by Horses

Trauma-informed coaching, workshops, and retreats for women ready to reconnect with their strength, self-trust, and inner wisdom.

Recovery isn’t about fixing what’s broken.

It’s about remembering who you are —

in safe, supportive spaces designed for women.

Explore Ways to Work Together

Hi, I’m Nancy McKay, founder of Women Empowered Recovery

Portrait of an older woman with short gray hair, smiling, wearing a navy blue top, silver jewelry, including a necklace with a dragonfly pendant and matching earrings, against a gray background.

I believe that we are all recovering from something and that our deepest struggles often become our greatest gifts,both to ourselves and to others who need to hear they're not alone.

I've been in recovery from alcohol use disorder since 2009, and an ovarian cancer survivor since 2015. The journey has been anything but linear. Over time, my personal recovery evolved into my life's work: guiding women back to their inner wisdom and helping them heal from burnout, grief, trauma, and addiction.

After 16+ years in recovery, and hearing from countless women exhausted by programs not designed for them, I created The BRAVE Recovery Method™. This body-based, trauma-informed framework helps women move from surviving to thriving without spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity.

It is my honor to create compassionate spaces where you can feel seen, heard, and supported as you reclaim your strength.

Trauma-Informed Recovery Coaching for Women

Women Empowered Recovery offers trauma-informed recovery coaching for women navigating addiction, grief, burnout, and major life transitions. Services include private coaching, equine-assisted coaching, and The BRAVE Recovery Method™, a holistic framework designed specifically for women’s healing and recovery.

Nancy McKay standing beside a horse during an equine-assisted coaching session, illustrating trauma-informed recovery work guided by horses.

What Makes This Work Different (and Why it Works)

The BRAVE Recovery Method™

My work is grounded in The BRAVE Recovery Method™, a trauma-informed, body-based framework created specifically for women navigating recovery from life’s challenges — including addiction, burnout, grief, illness, and major transitions.

This work isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping you remember who you are beneath the noise, expectations, and survival patterns.

Guided by Horses

Horses are at the heart of my work because they don’t respond to performance, people-pleasing, or “doing it right.” They respond to presence, honesty, and nervous system regulation. Equine-assisted coaching with horses offers clarity, connection, and insight that talk alone often can’t — gently and powerfully, without judgment.

Designed for Women

Everything I offer is intentionally created for women and those who feel at home in women’s spaces. These are safe, supportive environments where you don’t have to explain yourself, minimize your experience, or hold it all together.

Grounded, Not Guru-Led

This work is practical, compassionate, and real. No spiritual bypassing. No toxic positivity. No pressure to be “healed.” Just thoughtful guidance, deep listening, and experiences that help you reconnect with your strength, self-trust, and inner wisdom.

At your own pace.

Find the Right Next Step for You

If you’re not ready to take the next step just yet, the Free BRAVE Recovery Starter Guide is a gentle place to begin.

Cover of a booklet titled 'The Brave Recovery Starter Guide' with a subtitle, 'Your First Steps to Recovery That Actually Works,' and an illustration of a horse's head inside a stylized lotus flower logo. The author is Nancy McKay, and the website is TheBraveRecoveryMethod.com.

Discover the revolutionary approach designed specifically for women's unique healing needs. No spiritual bypassing, no toxic positivity - just practical tools that work.

Start with the Free Guide