Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Cowan.
Melissa , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started from day one of my childhood. I was born three days after my mother turned 16. My dad was 19. Three years later, my brother was born.
My mother’s childhood was filled with trauma. She witnessed and endured abuse from her parents. Her life was difficult—truly, to say the least.
When I was 12, my mother received her first diagnosis of schizophrenia. At the time, it was incorrect. When I was 27, doctors gained a deeper understanding of mental illness and discovered that my mother was both bipolar and schizophrenic.
My mother was both mentally and physically abusive. I didn’t experience the kind of love you hope for. What I knew felt more like resentment.
I also grew up with someone I trusted—someone I cherished—who was a pedophile: my step-grandfather. We visited often, almost every other weekend, and I spent a lot of time there. He taught me everything he knew about horses. They always had around 13 head. I loved them so much.
And I need to say this clearly: he used horses to draw me in.
So it’s easy to understand the level of trauma I carried as a child.
I grew up feeling like a victim. I had no hope. I didn’t feel worthy of love. My confidence and self-esteem were nearly nonexistent. I searched for someone to love me—and that search led me to drugs and alcohol. They numbed my pain. They dulled my emotions.
The first time I heard God’s voice was the day I planned my suicide. I was alone in the house. I remember thinking: *No one will care. I’m alone.*
Jesus spoke to me and said, “Stop. I love you. I am enough.”
I felt Him instantly. His peace came over me, and I knew it was Him. I never thought about suicide again.
For a moment, I questioned it—part of me wondered, Am I crazy? Do I have my mother’s mental illness?
I knew Jesus, but I didn’t yet have a real relationship with Him. When I heard His voice, I felt something shift in my body and my heart. The journey didn’t suddenly become easy—but it became purposeful. I still had to learn how to live my life.
I had two terrible marriages. Both husbands were alcoholics. My second marriage also included mental and physical abuse. With my victim mindset, I believed I deserved it. Both men told me that if I were better, they would treat me better. They blamed me for what wasn’t working. I could never meet their expectations.
I didn’t trust my own decisions, either. I felt lost—and I dragged my three children through messes that should never have been theirs. The guilt and shame only grew. I carried no self-worth.
Until one day.
I received a message from a Christian motivational speaker on an AMAY tape—of all things—and it changed everything. He talked about trusting God and building a relationship with Jesus. He shared a verse that stuck in my mind:
**Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”**
That tape didn’t just encourage me—it planted a seed.
I started making changes. I began reading the Bible and learning more and more.
When I turned to Jesus, He pulled me out of the victim mentality. I grew spiritually. God helped me rebuild confidence. I began to feel hope again.
My second marriage ended when my husband was arrested for terroristic threat , aka threatening to kill me. It was a horrific experience—I realized much later, it also meant freedom. I was finally free.
Healing took time. I had to learn acceptance, and I had to move forward slowly—baby steps. God gave me love, patience, forgiveness, and taught me about mercy.
Eventually, I put my past behind me and focused on what God was doing next. Because of His gifts, I was able to forgive everyone who hurt me. I stopped looking back and started working toward a future I could never have imagined.
That brought complete freedom. The weight of my burdens was lifted, and peace replaced the heavy noise in my mind. I had no idea how heavy those things were—until I finally set them down.
I wish I could describe how light that feels. God taught me to give Him my troubles—fear, doubt, control, anxiety, anger. Over time, that became my way of living.
My life changed. Everything I had dreamed about began to happen. Jesus stood beside me and showed me how to take one step at a time toward my goals. I went from being a dishwasher to leadership roles in the corporate world—leading major projects, managing hundreds of people, and building real relationships.
I accomplished things I never believed were possible. It wasn’t me. It was Christ, strengthening me. He gave me the courage to take steps I used to be too afraid to take.
Fear used to paralyze me because I didn’t trust myself or believe in myself. That has changed.
God has shown me something powerful: I can use my past—not to destroy me, but to help others. My purpose is to help people find their gifts and live their lives fully.
The Gift of Horses
My step-grandfather taught me about horses, but God later gave me something completely different through them.
My grandfather—who I mentioned earlier—taught me everything he knew about horses, and he gave me my first one. His name was “Lobo” I didn’t understand at the time, but I know now: Lobo wasn’t only a gift from my grandfather. He was a gift from God.
He reached me through that horse. Lobo brought me peace, truth, and relief from anxiety. He gave me a connection I wasn’t finding anywhere else. He didn’t judge me. He didn’t ask questions. He simply allowed me to cry in his mane again and again, until my feelings finally had somewhere safe to go.
In that way, I received equine-assisted healing without even knowing it had a name.
Horses stayed in my life. Through everything, I never lost that passion. I bred quarter horses for cow events—roping, cutting, reining—showing and rodeos.
Then, one July day, it happened. I was giving children horseback rides down our driveway. Walking beside them. I remember the little girl was riding my horse, K-Lar. Her name was Jenson.
Out of nowhere, I heard that voice again:
“Melissa, I want you to stop what you are doing with horses and help others with them, as I helped you—especially children.”
I questioned it for a moment. I knew it wasn’t my own voice. I had no desire to speak that way myself. I remember thinking, *What? You want me to do with horses what You did for me? It took time but eventually, I realized as I pondered this request, what he meant.
I prayed about it. Then God gave me a clear vision. I was awake writing in my journal, and I knew exactly what He was asking. I asked Him, “Are you sure? This is too big. I can’t do this. Is there anything else I could do instead?” Trying to negotiate with him.
He answered, “Yes. You can do it. I will be with you.”
Months later, He gave me the name: **Living Life Ranch—where healing begins.**
Living Life Ranch Becomes Real
The 501(c)(3) approval came through. My attorney told me he had never seen one approved so quickly. Everything required for the business happened smoothly and fast. Every step felt guided. I know it was God, not me.
If my life struggles had never happened, Living Life Ranch would not exist. My pain wasn’t the end of my story—it became the path that brought me here. My tragedy wasn’t really a tragedy. It became a gift. A reason to share God’s love, forgiveness, and peace with others who are still hurting.
There wasn’t a place like Living Life Ranch when I needed it most—when I was living through anxiety, confusion, addiction, and depression.
My Mother’s Love for the Ranch
My mother passed away in 2022. She loved Living Life Ranch. She thought it was wonderful how we were helping people, and she talked about it often—always with excitement.
Before she left us, I told her this: Living Life Ranch would never have existed if it wasn’t for her. I told her I knew she loved me and did the best she knew how.
Where We Are Now
We are here for anyone in need—from childhood onward. Our dream is to help people heal and find their own path. I hope they come before they reach the bottom like I once did.
I left the corporate world and dedicated the rest of my life to helping others through their journey. It was a giant leap of faith—but we’re still here, building.
Last year, more than “2,000” clients walked through our doors. We surpassed that number already this year. We’ve outgrown our current facility, and we are fundraising for a property that just became available. We’re in negotiations now.
We plan to raise $2.8 million for a property that will be placed on the market, a total project cost of $5 million, so we can build our whole-body wellness center. The vision is to create a retreat where people can stay, find peace, experience healing with horses, and access other healing services we will be able to offer.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Leaving Telecom for full-Time Life at Living Life Ranch
The toughest part for me was letting go of my Telecom career and dedicating myself to full-time work at Living Life Ranch. It was incredibly scary to leave behind the income and benefits I’d relied on.
My husband has been on disability since 2007, and I was the main source of income for our household. I took a big leap of faith and followed the path I felt I was being guided to take.
Two Giant Leaps of Faith
Not long after that, we switched to **donation-only**. That was another giant leap of faith—again, listening to what I was supposed to be doing.
I can’t begin to explain how amazing it was to experience so many blessings that came from staying faithful. When a need came up—and we didn’t know what we were going to do next—things were still taken care of.
Bills arrived, repairs were needed (whether it was a vehicle or an air conditioning unit), and somehow everything was handled. Sometimes a check would simply show up in the mailbox. Other times, someone would call and tell me, “I’m giving you this because I was guided to do so.”
It still feels unbelievable. If I hadn’t seen it—and experienced it with my own eyes—I wouldn’t have believed it.
Current Challenges
Today, our biggest challenges are that we’ve outgrown our five acres We’re meeting more people than we can safely handle, and the workload has become difficult to manage.
All of our facilitators volunteer their time, which means scheduling can be hard to coordinate. If we could pay salaries, this would not be as big of an issue.
Weather also creates problems. Since we don’t have a covered arena, rain and snow can force us to cancel sessions with clients and start over with rescheduling.
We also need more pasture for our horses. Because of limited space, our feed bill has increased.
Finally, raising funds is a challenge. Finding grants—and especially grant writers—has been a major hurdle.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work with Living Life Ranch, where I help people connect with themselves through equine-assisted experiences and supportive, faith-centered programming.
I specialize in creating a calm, safe environment where clients can build confidence, learn life skills, and find healing through guided interactions with horses.
I also do this for the horses themselves. I rescue horses who have experienced trauma or neglect, and I help them receive second, third, and even fourth chances to learn what it means to feel safe and to build trust in humans again.
I’m known for my heart-led leadership—the way I show up consistently, with patience, and with genuine love for both people and horses.
What I’m most proud of is watching healing take place—for both horses and humans. Rescue work truly becomes a bridge: rescue horses rescue humans, and that shared healing process helps clients begin to heal too.
What sets me apart is that my work is not just a service—it’s a calling. I bring both structure and compassion, and I guide with intention, believing the horses can feel peace, and helping them bring that peace into the lives of others.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was very inquisitive. My family said I started asking questions at a very early age—and I talked so much that they’d have to ask me to take breaks. I truly wanted to know about everything and I couldn’t help it: talk, talk, talk—about whatever I was curious about.
I also had a great memory—my family used to joke that it was like an “elephant,” because I remembered everything.
I was the kind of person who could talk to anyone and genuinely enjoyed connecting with people.
My biggest passions were animals and creativity. I love art and music, and I learned to draw at an early age. Most of my artwork was nature-inspired—trees, flowers, animals—and anything that let me create.
I’ve always been good with communication and understanding animals, especially horses and dogs—training and teaching them came naturally to me.
These days, I don’t have as much time for my art passion because my schedule is so full, but it’s still a huge part of who I am.
Pricing:
- To become Certified in Facilitating EAL $980.00
- 8 week Freedom Reins Recovery Program $100.00
- Donation Only – Individuals & Families, Veterans & First Responders (No Donations)
- We offer customized depending on group sizes for contracts for Schools, Rehabs, Recovery Facilities etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.livingliferanch.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/llr22026/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingliferanch.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/59265723/admin/page-posts/published/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mcowan48
