Intro:
This episode is with Shelley Golan, a senior director at a leading fintech company, lifelong horse lover, and multi-time entrepreneur. Shelley shares her journey of reentering the horse world as an adult amateur after a long hiatus: a story that weaves through startups, motorcycles, autoimmune disease, and the pipeline of drawing horses as a kid to becoming a horse person.
It’s about choosing joy, reclaiming identity, and doing things for no other reason than because they mean something to you.
Key topics we discussed:
How Shelley went from urban agriculture founder to startup accelerator leader to fintech exec and why supporting founders still lights her up
Growing up horse-crazy in Manhattan, learning to ride in the now-closed Claremont Stables and yes, galloping through Central Park at 10 years old
The adult amateur’s return to riding: the courage to restart, the right trainer fit, and how motorcycles reawakened her horsemanship muscle memory
The unspoken barriers in lesson barns from saddle soreness to aging school horses and the case for a new model between leasing and buying
What it really takes (mentally, physically, emotionally) to become a stronger, more confident rider in your 30s and how intentional strength training changed her seat
Bonus: We coin the term “horse virus” instead of “horse bug”, because, let’s be honest, it lies dormant and then flares up like clockwork
Social media links:
Instagram: @horsepeoplepodcast
LinkedIn: Shelley Golan
If you’ve ever felt the horse virus stir in your bones even a little hit that subscribe button and share this episode with someone who’s been “thinking about getting back into riding.”