CX Solid Foundation

CX Solid Foundation Every first responder shows up for their community — often on its hardest days. It’s time someone showed up for them.

To raise money to fund mental health initiatives for Correctional Officers, First Responders and Veterans, while continuing onsite mental wellness days with our amazing 4 legged friends. CX Solid raises the funds that give our first responders and veterans access to the mental health programs they deserve — at no cost to them.

When I was about 12, I got my first diary. You know the kind—pocket-sized, complete with a tiny lock that was supposed t...
06/19/2026

When I was about 12, I got my first diary. You know the kind—pocket-sized, complete with a tiny lock that was supposed to keep nosy siblings out.

What I didn't realize at the time was that I was developing a habit that would help me years later.

As I got older, whenever something was bothering me, I wrote. Relationships, work, life stress—it all ended up on paper. Don't picture anything neat or organized. It wasn't. It was written vomit. Half thoughts, random sentences, angry scribbles, and whatever else needed to get out of my head.

Then one day I stopped.

The more stress I carried, the less energy I seemed to have for the things that actually helped me. I quit writing. Thoughts piled up. Incidents replayed in my head over and over again. One of them stayed with me for nearly a decade.

Years later, while attending programs at the Millard Centre, my psychologist asked what I used to do that helped me process stress.

"I used to write."

That was the lightbulb moment.

His challenge was simple: set a timer for 20 minutes and write.

The first time I picked up a pen again, I had no idea what to say. The only sentence that came to mind was:

"The anger persists."

Forty-five minutes later, I finally put the pen down.

Looking back at those pages now, they barely make sense. They're full of anger, frustration, memories, and verbal diarrhea. But they worked.

I kept writing. The nightmares started to fade. The thoughts I would normally obsess over for weeks found a place to go. Even when the improvement was small, it was there.

There is actually science behind this. Psychologist James Pennebaker discovered that expressive writing can help people process difficult experiences and improve both mental and physical well-being.

Why?

Because the brain hates unfinished stories. When something traumatic happens, our minds keep returning to it, trying to make sense of it. Writing gives those experiences somewhere to live outside of our heads. Not by ignoring them, but by organizing the chaos.

So if something keeps replaying in your mind, maybe give it a try.

You don't need to be a writer. Nobody has to read it. It doesn't need to make sense.

All it costs is a pen, a piece of paper, and twenty minutes you were probably going to spend scrolling YouTube anyway.

Sometimes healing doesn't start with finding the answers. Sometimes it starts with giving the chaos somewhere else to live.

And if you have a hairy little friend to sit quietly with you while you do this, even better.

06/17/2026

We would love some new members

When you break a bone at some point in your life, you know that even after it heals, one day it is probably going to com...
06/17/2026

When you break a bone at some point in your life, you know that even after it heals, one day it is probably going to come back and have a conversation with you.

Maybe it aches when the weather changes. Maybe a little arthritis settles in. Maybe it simply reminds you of that questionable decision you made in your youth that led to breaking it in the first place.

But what about the aches and pains that seem to come from nowhere? The ones that go so deep into your body that you can't even identify where they originate?

Those are the ones that often show up when we develop PTSD.

You're walking along peacefully and then—BLAMO! Chest pain, or achy joints or headache or, or or.....

At night you crawl into bed and suddenly you're a chicken on a rotisserie stick, rolling over and over and over. Every position feels worse than the last. Eventually you give up on sleep altogether and wander the house, sit on the couch, or pick up a book. Then, just as exhaustion finally wins, you fall asleep three minutes before your alarm goes off.

If you're the proud owner of this particular symptom, I feel for you.

There is one upside though: you rarely sleep long enough to have nightmares!

And yes, I know this is serious talk. But we're first responders. Our sense of humor tends to be a little off at the best of times.

The frustrating part is that these aches and pains are often very real manifestations of trauma.

PTSD keeps the body on high alert. Muscles stay tense. Shoulders creep toward your ears. Jaws clench. Fists tighten. This constant muscle tension—sometimes called "armoring"—can lead to soreness, spasms, headaches, and chronic pain.

Over time, if the body remains in that state of hyperarousal long enough, the nervous system can become more sensitive. Minor discomforts can begin to feel much larger because the brain has become exceptionally good at detecting threats and sounding alarms.

The good news is that there are ways to help calm the system.

For some people it's yoga. For others it's swimming, exercise, stretching, deep breathing, or simply establishing a consistent bedtime routine. Anything that helps signal to the body that it is safe enough to let go, even for a little while. And believe me, I know how hard it is to get started on doing any of this even though we mentally know it is good for us.

So perhaps start easy.

The old-timers always swore by a cup of tea and a good book before bed.

Maybe they knew a thing or two about calming the nervous system long before science put fancy names to it.

Good morning everyone!We have a lot of new followers, so I wanted to take a few minutes to explain who we are, what we d...
06/16/2026

Good morning everyone!

We have a lot of new followers, so I wanted to take a few minutes to explain who we are, what we do, and why we do it.

The simple version? We work with correctional officers, first responders, veterans, and their families, helping them reconnect with themselves through the use of horses.

We offer these programs completely free of charge because we believe financial stress should never be another barrier to wellness.

No riding. No horse experience required. Just a willingness to try something different.

Every activity takes place on the ground, and whether you've spent your life around horses or have never touched one before, you can fully participate. The horses in our program have worked with participants as young as six years old and up to seventy years old (so far!).

This program is much more than simply "playing" with horses—although it often feels that way. We work hard to make every session engaging, interactive, and fun. Behind every activity is a specific learning objective designed to help participants build skills such as communication, self-awareness, emotional regulation, problem-solving, leadership, resilience, and trust.

We are not therapists, and we are not providing therapy. One concern we occasionally hear is that participants worry they'll be expected to discuss trauma, difficult experiences, or deeply personal feelings. That is not what we do.

What we do provide is a safe environment where people can learn through experience. Our horses aren't therapists either. They're horses. But they are incredibly good listeners and even better teachers.

As prey animals, horses are highly attuned to body language, emotions, and intention. They provide immediate, honest, and non-judgmental feedback. The best part? You never have to explain yourself to them. They simply respond to what you bring into the moment.

The science is also starting to catch up with what participants have been telling us for years.

While we see the impact of these programs every day through the stories people share with us, recent research done by McMaster University involving trauma-exposed public safety personnel has shown promising results. Preliminary findings presented at a recent symposium demonstrated a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms from baseline through post-treatment and even three months later.

Our sessions are facilitated using the Cartier Farms - Equine Assisted Learning model, and our facilitators are certified through the Cartier Farms Equine-Assisted Learning Certification Program. This experiential learning model has been in use since 2002 and is supported by a growing body of research examining its impact on wellness, resilience, leadership development, and trauma-exposed populations. Studies involving universities such as McMaster, Saskatchewan, Regina, and Calgary have explored the positive effects of equine-assisted interventions with public safety personnel, youth, and individuals facing significant life challenges.

Most importantly, we've seen firsthand how powerful these experiences can be. We've watched people gain confidence, improve communication, strengthen relationships, strengthen family bonds, and discover new ways of approaching challenges in their daily lives.

At CX Solid, our mission is simple: provide proactive, accessible wellness opportunities for those who spend their careers taking care of everyone else.

We welcome questions. We welcome participants. And we always welcome stories from those whose lives have been touched by these incredible horses.

Thank you for following along and supporting our mission of helping those who serve.

So we have been sitting on something pretty exciting for several weeks now. However, being the skeptic that I am, I didn...
06/16/2026

So we have been sitting on something pretty exciting for several weeks now. However, being the skeptic that I am, I didn't want to say anything until I had tangible evidence that it wasn't a joke.

CX Solid Foundation has received a grant from the ATB Community Foundation!

We are incredibly grateful for this support, as every dollar will go directly toward providing meaningful connection, proactive wellness, and Equine-Assisted Learning opportunities for correctional officers, first responders, veterans, and their families.

What makes this grant so important is that it helps remove barriers. It means more people can access our programs at no cost to them. It means more opportunities to build resilience before a crisis occurs. It means more conversations, more connections, and more moments where someone realizes they don't have to carry everything alone.

To the ATB Community Foundation, thank you for believing in our mission and in the people we serve. Your support allows us to continue using the unique partnership between horses and humans to create safe spaces for learning, growth, and wellness.

And to our community—every share, donation, volunteer hour, and word of encouragement has helped us reach this point. This grant is an investment in all of us and in the continued support of those who spend their careers supporting others.

Thank you for helping us make a difference.

And on the fun side, a huge thank you to Teresa, the ATB Mundare Branch Manager, and the Town of Mundare for allowing us to bring the horses into town, start some great conversations, and show people firsthand what makes these incredible animals so special. Watching people stop, smile, ask questions, and connect with the horses was the perfect way to celebrate this exciting milestone.

We are onto week 3 of PTSD awareness month and I've been writing about some of the many ways that this injury can change...
06/15/2026

We are onto week 3 of PTSD awareness month and I've been writing about some of the many ways that this injury can change a person’s life. Not just in the moment. But real, ongoing damage that can happen to us if we don’t take care of our injury.

Just like a broken bone that isn’t properly set, having this injury can jog your life off the path that you had always seen yourself on.

Your career can change. Your body can change. And most importantly, your mindset definitely changes. Hopefully this is ultimately for the better and you become stronger with your new found knowledge so that you can be there when someone else needs a shoulder to lean on.

As a result of all of this, you may lose touch with friends and coworkers that you never thought of not having in your life before all this.

But here’s the best part. When we lose touch with these people, it can be an amazing indicator that they were only intended to be there for a season. If you are familiar with the adage that some people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, this is exactly what that looks like.

Don’t let the anger at their loss linger for one moment longer than it needs to. Instead, celebrate what you learned from having them in your life.

Each person arrives when they are meant to, leaves when they are meant to, and if we're paying attention, leaves us with something valuable to carry forward.

The one thing the body needs to heal from an illness or injury is rest. So why would a mental injury be any different?If...
06/13/2026

The one thing the body needs to heal from an illness or injury is rest. So why would a mental injury be any different?

If we allowed ourselves to slow down at the first signs that something wasn't right—much like we do when we feel a cold coming on—would we be able to prevent some of the damage that comes from carrying stress for months or years?

We'll never know the answer to that question.

What we do know is that unprocessed stress accumulates over time. We also know that rest and sleep play critical roles in how our brains process experiences, regulate emotions, and recover from stress. Without adequate recovery, the body remains stuck in a state of heightened alertness, making it increasingly difficult to cope with the next challenge, and the next one after that.

Many of the clinical strategies used to help people recover from PTSD include establishing safety, improving sleep, and creating opportunities for the nervous system to finally begin settling down. Before we can work through the injury, we often have to create the conditions that allow healing to happen in the first place.

The problem is that stress and exhaustion tend to feed each other.

Stress makes it difficult to sleep.

Lack of sleep makes it harder to manage stress.

And somewhere in that cycle, many of us convince ourselves that we're just tired because we're busy, that everyone feels this way, and that we just need to push through one more shift, one more week, or one more month.

Until eventually we can't.

This is part of the reason why PTSD rates among first responders are so concerning. We work in professions that often reward pushing through exhaustion and discourage admitting when we're struggling.

So for those of you who are dealing with this injury today, here's a question:

If someone had told you years ago that rest wasn't weakness, that recovery was part of the job, and that taking care of yourself might help prevent a much larger crash down the road...

Would you have listened?

Have you ever felt like a passenger in your own life?Or maybe just a silent observer who sees everything but cares about...
06/12/2026

Have you ever felt like a passenger in your own life?
Or maybe just a silent observer who sees everything but cares about nothing?

Welcome to emotional numbing.

This is one of the ways the brain protects itself from overwhelming stress. When we experience trauma after trauma, there comes a point where our mind simply says, "That's enough." It turns the volume down on emotions so we can keep functioning and survive what is happening around us.

For some people, this can feel like they are watching their life from the outside looking in. The world around them feels distant or unreal, and they move through their days almost as if they are dreaming.

This is a version of the freeze response. We often hear about fight or flight, but freeze can be just as powerful. Your body continues to go through the motions while your mind disconnects from the emotional weight of what is happening.

The strange part is that from the outside, nobody may notice.

You laugh when you're supposed to laugh. You smile when you're supposed to smile. You say all the right things. Yet the moment nobody is looking, your face falls flat and there is... nothing.

No excitement. No joy. No sadness. Just numbness.

And because you still appear functional, people often assume you're doing fine.

The good news is that emotional numbing doesn't have to be permanent. Through grounding, regulation, connection, and learning to stay present in the moment, many people gradually reconnect with themselves and the world around them.

Funny enough, what do we work on in Equine-Assisted Learning?

Grounding. Awareness. Connection. Presence.

Exactly the things horses seem to teach so naturally.

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Edmonton, AB
T5Y6E7

Telephone

+17807129180

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