NL: Hi everyone. My name is Natalie Ledwell and this is the Inspiration Show. Today on the show we have a very interesting topic that we’re talking about. I have a very special guest with me who is from Pet Prana and what’s been coming up in the Mind Movies community lately, there’s been a lot of people talking about Chakra Healing with their pets. Now I didn’t know there was such a thing but apparently there is. So we’re going to go deeper in to that on the show today. But before I introduce my special guest, I just want to remind you that once the show is over, don’t forget to click the link below this video to download the free ebook version of my bestselling book Never In Your Wildest Dreams. So let’s talk about pets and all things spiritual. Please welcome my guest, Denise Mange. How are you Denise?

DM: I’m doing great. Thank you so much for having me and I love the title of your book because never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to live this life that I’m living, working with the animals.

NL: I know right. So we’ve just established that we’re living near each other so we’re living in paradise which is awesome. But you were living, you were sort of in New York I thought, before now. Like tell us a little bit about your journey and how you sort of ended up doing this work with pets.

DM: Absolutely. So I was actually in New York for 13 years and before that I grew up in Brazil. So again this weather in California feels very home. But growing up in Brazil I lived in an apartment and my dad didn’t love animals. So I never had the traditional pet. I always had a connection to animals. I would bring in caterpillars and doodlebugs and basically anything that I could bring and have that connection with. Which in retrospect was fantastic because it helps me seek out connection and the wisdom and the lessons from even the smallest little souls. So growing up of course, we’re encouraged to choose a traditional path so I went in to advertising and it’s actually a good segue in to the conversation we’re having today because advertising is all about picking up on trends and people’s motivations and their unmet needs.        So after 10 years in advertising I said “Good lord, it’s everything you see in the movies”. Those long hours, sleeping in the office, I said “You know what, I need a change”. And that’s where my love for animals came back into the picture and I thought “You know, I’m going to open a doggy daycare“. As you might imagine in New York city there’s tons of demand for that. So I figured if I’m going to open a doggy daycare, I should understand pets and their behaviors and how to work with them. So I went through traditional dog obedience courses all through positive reinforcement training. And as I started working one-on-one with pet parents and their animal companions, I realized wow, there’s so much more here to their bond. So that’s where I started adding some of my intuitiveness and energy work in to dog training.

NL: Right. So, like what I was saying before, there seems to be this growing number of people looking at doing some energetic healing with their dogs. So what are the kind of modalities that you do and what is the purpose of them?

DM: So with, you know I think more and more people are ready to bring energy in to training because we’re no longer coming from a place of compartmentalization or separation. You know, the way we exercise, it’s about mind, body, spirit now. You know, yoga is taking off. The way that we digest our food, it’s a more mindful way that we choose what we are going to ingest in to our bodies. So it just makes sense that we are ready to bring that in with our relationship with our animal companions. So for me in particular, in high school, growing up in Brazil, they’re very attune to energy and very open to different modalities, so I got certified in Reiki early on in my life. So the chakras have been kind of part of my understanding and existence. So as I started working with the animal companions and their humans, of course, I started doing the traditional fundamentals of obedience training but when that wasn’t enough, I couldn’t help but look at the energy within the home. So what I did is I created a road map. Mapping the pet’s behaviors against the universal themes of each chakra because I started realizing that at the essence, they carried similar vibrations.

NL: Yeah. Well, I mean, I know with Bella that she’s like a human trapped in a dog’s body, I always say. (Laughing) And I think, I often say like when my husband and I separated and her and I moved up here to L.A., when you spend that much time together, you notice these shifts in energy. You notice personality, like now, she’ll make a little bark and I go “Oh, you’re thirsty”. So I know, it’s like we’re telepathically communicating (inaudible).

DM: Yeah, I mean pet parents are always very intuitive. So what I’m here to do is help empower them to open up to that intuition because that’s what our animal companions are here to help us do, take the access points to go back to that remembrance of our interconnectedness with all things.

NL: Yeah. So when you, what type of behavior traits do you see in pet companions that mean certain things? Like some of the common ones that you see.

DM: So the number one behavior that I get called in to work with pets and their humans is on leash reactivity, which basically means either they are barking on leash, barking at other dogs either because they are fearful or maybe overly exuberant. But what I started realizing as I work with pet parents was that there was the trend where a lot of the dogs who had this on-leash reactivity, the human also had some insecurities in their lives, right? So I mapped it against the first chakra, because the first chakra carries the themes of I am, feeling confident in yourself, matters of grounding, feeling safe, feeling secure, feeling tethered to the earth. And so I realized that a lot of the dogs with on-leash reactivity, the pet parent was maybe in between jobs or not very secure in their relationship, maybe they had problems with their maternal figures in their life or their siblings but they always felt like they weren’t in control of their lives. They didn’t quite have their footing on solid ground. So I started realizing “Okay, so there’s more behind us that we want to look at and address”.

NL: So do you work with the humans to help improve the behavior of the pet companions?

DM: I do. So basically I feel you can’t separate the energy right? It’s all intertwined. So of course, we do the traditional foundational training because that’s important. But then we look at the energy of the situation and maybe some limiting beliefs that come up with the human always in a compassionate and loving way. So it’s kind of funny because a lot of my clients say “Oh my gosh, you’re not only my dog trainer, you’re like my life coach as well”

(Laughter)

NL: Like a toofa. It’s fantastic.

DM: Exactly.

NL: So what, I know that there are some questions that we can ask that helps us to be in more harmony and connected with our pets. What are those questions?

DM: So because their behaviors are bringing up broader patterns in our lives that we want to revisit. Like if they’re barking at us for attention or nipping at us. They might be bringing up the energy of frustration right? Like why are you barking at me, I have to do this, I have to do this, you know, back off. What I always say is okay, let’s identify the energy behind the behavior. How does that make you feel and where do you experience it in your body? Because once we start identifying what that energy feels like, what our reaction feels like, then we can ask the second question which is where else in my life do I experience that same frustration. So it might be when I’m in a meeting at the office and I say something and I think it’s a good point and then someone next to me echoes the exact same comment and your boss goes Oh my gosh, that’s brilliant, yes! And you’re like Oh my gosh, I literally just said that. And you feel that same frustration. So once we identify the frustration, where it’s showing up broadly in our lives, we can start identifying “Okay, so what have I told myself about this frustration” and you know, there may have been an incident growing up where I said “You know what, my voice and my opinion, it’s not perfect so I don’t want it to be heard”. You know, I might have shut myself down a little bit. So once we’ve kind of gotten through those layers, then we get to the fourth most important question which is are you ready to change the story. Because a lot of these behaviors and patterns and limiting beliefs have really served us throughout our lives. And whether it’s to keep us safe or small or as a learning curve. And sometimes we are not ready to release them but if we are, we can make that affirmation, create that shift and replace it with a new story, a new chapter.

NL: Right. And so what is it specifically that you do to help clear the energy and work with the animals?

DM: So the beautiful part is I’m realizing that now the energies are so strong. In the past you had to have very specific modalities that you follow and you do because the veils weren’t as thin as they are now. I find that sometimes now, even just acknowledging the pattern and verbally saying “I’m off, I’m shifting this”. That can be a huge, that can create the shift that you need for yourself and your animal companions. But for me, it’s not a one size fits all. You know, we can do Reiki, some people do great with journaling, some people really enjoy EFT, emotional freedom tapping, so really there’s so many modalities out there. It’s about what works for you. But what I do is I help you work with your animal companion to translate the behavior that’s going on and then we can work to change the story and go from there.

NL: Yeah. Yeah and you’re right. Before when you’re talking about getting frustrated, that I probably yelled at Bella like a few times but I realized because I was just in the moment and her behavior was like a mirror of what I was going through at that time. So it’s interesting how that shows up. So how do you work with people? Do you work with people one on one, like how does that work?

DM: So in the L.A. area, I do one on one, I do group sessions, but I’m such a passionate advocate for online classes. I know I’ve learned some great modalities through online classes so I offer the same so that we can connect with the community of like-hearted pet parents. Because by acknowledging that there’s no longer separation that we have to do traditional training but also bring in, you know, the energy in. We are creating a new vanguard in pet guardianship. So it’s not everywhere that you’ll find this philosophy. So for me, being able to offer courses like healing the chakras online is a way to really call in those that are ready to learn and then spread it around their communities.

NL: Yeah. Well even the terminology in which you are using right now on how you describing the relationship and the pet companions and so forth, it’s amazing. So I know that you’ve worked with a lot of people, you have to share a story. Share a story of something that was like impactful that you really did see a big shift in both the human and the pet.

DM: So I will, absolutely. Again going back to that first chakra. You know, I had 2 cases going on, 2 clients I was working with. One, it was a young couple and their dog had some on-leash reactivity. And so coming in to the home I knew them pretty well and they admitted to me that they were fighting a little bit but that they both took the training very seriously. So on behalf of the dog, they were going to work together to do the training. So in that case, it wasn’t one person’s fault or one person’s problem over the other, it really help them come together as a team and remember that they are a family unit. So they would come together at dinner and share how the walks went. If the dog was a bit more reactive, they’d say “Oh gosh, we have been bickering a little bit, I have been putting this on you” and they would kind of course correct because to your point, animals are mirrors, you’ll get real time feedback on how you’re doing energetically. And with work and patience and collaboration, the dog’s on-leash reactivity 99% gone. On the flip side, I was working with a client and her dog had on-leash reactivity and it happened to be fully her job. Right, she would take the dog out, she would take the dog on a walk while her husband would stay back. And so after a few sessions, I learned that her husband had had some problems with drug dependency, there were some unsettled energies in the home and in talking, we realized, she was not ready to change the story because she would use the dog as an excuse to talk about how worried she was about her life. She says “I don’t know if I can keep him if he’s not going to be on his best behavior and you know I keep trying and trying and trying and nothing changes” and I realized in that moment, that story was still serving her. The dog was a proxy for her to vent her feelings about what was going on with her relationship with her partner. So it’s also a lesson for me. And that sometimes if the humans aren’t ready to change the story, that’s okay too, no judgment. But it’s interesting to see how energy can work to shift the pet’s behavior or to continue learning about same lesson and that same thing.

NL: Yeah. It’s really interesting. So what I also hear you saying and I don’t know if you had a dog, well you didn’t have pets as a child. I was saying that awareness of animals is also raising, not just the awareness of humans.

DM: Absolutely. We are all here to up-level and grow as individuals. So I fully and whole-heartedly believe that our animal companions are here as part of our soul family so we come together at times because we have similar lessons that we’re learning to grow and experience so I like to say, it’s like we all read the same book and instead of writing a single book report, you know, I do one, you do one. Me and my animal companion were doing a group project on that book report. That way, they’re learning, I’m learning and we have to give each other space in collaboration. That’s why it’s so important that we are not egoic, that there’s no dominance. We’re really coming from a place of harmony and learning because lessons can come from anywhere. They can come from the caterpillars or the dolphins who were playing in our beautiful harbor this morning.

NL: Yeah. Absolutely. Okay, of course, the million dollar question is do you have a pet?

DM: Isn’t that funny, I actually do not. If you believe it. But to me, I have access to so many different furry friends that I’m deeply bonded with. So I get the benefit of being kind of the godmother to so many and being able to take that observer stance because sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. I really have had a beautiful benefit of witnessing so many different bonds and relationships and what works and what doesn’t. So instead of having to go through a lifetime to learn the entire journey, I’m able to see it through various different lenses.

NL: That’s great. Yeah, I’m even, like in Australia, I had 2 Maltese Terriers when I was with my ex-husband. And it was a very tumultuous time, we have a night club at some stage which is a crazy life and we have behavior problems with them. But with Bella, it’s more like we’re a partnership. It’s like we truly are companions. Like we’re not, there’s no dominance. With my new guy, he’s used to training dogs. So when he treats her like a dog, I’m like “What are you doing?” Like “No, no, no. She’s a human in a dog’s body.”

DM: Right. It doesn’t feel quite right. You know they’re beautiful little souls and they have so much to teach us as much as we, you know, have to learn from them and they learn from us. So it’s about finding that balance and that harmony. And I always, I’ll say it again, pet parents are super intuitive. You just intuitively know that style doesn’t work for you anymore. You probably found a different form of benevolent leadership where you are still creating loving boundaries but you’re doing it in your own flavor and unique way.

NL: Yeah. Yeah and I’m in a different place and it’s so much better. Denise, thank you so much for today. Where can people reach out to you or connect with you and work with you if they want to?

DM: Yeah. They can always find me on social media @Denise_trainer, as in dog trainer. And then my website, petprana.com. Has a lot of free resources. In fact if you click seen you on an interview, you’ll get a free gift that says the top 7 things that your pet wants you to know. And it’s basing through all my working with animals and intuitive readings, there have been 7 thematic things that come up over and over. So it’s a fun PDF that I like to give away. For anyone interested in this new philosophy and the lessons our animals are here to share with us. So social media, website, petprana.com. And I’m always available for questions or just, I love hearing people’s stories as well.

NL: Awesome. Wonderful. Well, thanks again Denise. It’s been great chatting to you. Now guys, I encourage you to share this video. Please get the word out. You can do that by clicking the Facebook and Twitter share buttons on this page. And if you click the link below or the banner to the side, you’ll go through to Denise’s website. And after all that is over, don’t forget to click the link below that so you can download the free ebook version of my bestselling book Never In Your Wildest Dreams. So until next time, remember to live large, choose courageously and love without limits. We’ll see you soon.