Ylwa Woxmark

”She was curled up in the fetal position on the floor again. As usual, he had left her in the middle of an argument, and she knew he would have his cell phone turned off for several days, probably to control her. Panic welled up inside her as she tried to find something to focus on in the room, something to calm her down. Her eyes landed on the picture of the children, her beloved children. She needed to be strong for them. Their smiles in the camera brought her momentary comfort. “It’s not me who’s crazy, it’s not me who’s crazy,” she began to mumble like a mantra while her body’s shaking sobs slowly subsided. “It’s not me who’s crazy…” In a wave of resignation, her body and mind crashed heavily, and she fell asleep on the wooden floor with tears running down her cheeks.”

This is the story of a woman who, after her divorce from her teenage love, found herself in a major life crisis. She built a career, acquired the horse she always dreamed of, and drove a Porsche. She bought a flat in a fancy neighborhood, only to slip straight into the hands of a psychopath. This destructive relationship lasted for four and a half years and broke her down piece by piece until the day she discovered he was living parallel lives with several other women. But this is also the story of healing. Mentally, physically, and spiritually, from experiences that nearly erased her identity. It's a tale of hope and how to turn traumatic experiences into incredible strength. Along the path through the deepest darkness of one's soul, one can not only survive but also uncover the root cause of the behavioral patterns that made them an easy target, an easy prey for someone like him.

Ylwa Woxmark lived a successful business and family life when her father died in 2000. Although she was in her 30s, his death brought a surge of suppressed emotions and childhood events to the fore. Her life completely changed; she divorced her husband, became a workaholic, pursued a career, and began living a very destructive life, one that ultimately led her to a relationship with a psychopath. Totally devoid of identity yet somehow alive, she finally managed to leave him, and her long recovery began. With professional help, she was able to see how her beliefs, patterns, and behaviors had led her to this point of no return. At rock bottom, she made a solemn oath to herself: to someday help horses and people facing the same challenges she had endured.

Today, she has three grown children and is happily married to Mats, living on a horse farm in the heart of Sweden. Here, at The Horse Sanctuary, she dedicates her life as an equine-guided recovery coach helping both horses and people heal. Ylwa shares her knowledge about healing traumas and the power of changing one’s perspective to effect lifelong changes and create the life of one’s dreams. Would you allow yourself to receive a second chance?

CV:

Exam in economics, university
Controller, finance manager, project economist
Photographer, reporter
Ambassador for female entrepreneurship
Project leader
Incubator company
Trainer, instructor horse ridning for the disabled, horseback archery
Board member
CEO
Bed and breakfast owner
Author
Founder of The Horse Sanctuary, Sweden
Certified and accredited coach
Equine-guided Recovery Coach