What if leadership, trust, and communication could be revealed without a single slide deck? In this episode, Dan sits down with Kristine Palmer, founder of Horse + Bow, to explore how horses—and mindfulness-based archery—surface the gap between what we intend and the impact we actually create, especially under pressure.

Episode Themes

• Why intention doesn’t matter if your impact says otherwise
• How horses respond to incongruence you can hide from people
• A simple “handoff” exercise that exposes team friction fast
• Why pressure (time limits, no talking) reveals real operating habits
• How archery reinforces presence, focus, and grounded decision-making
• When a short session works—and when real change needs a full day or more

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to the Assemble Podcast
00:40 – Introducing Kristine Palmer and Horse + Bow
01:34 – Why teams are craving deeper connection right now
02:39 – How Kristine found equine-assisted learning
05:30 – Intention vs. impact: what horses reveal immediately
06:23 – How horses respond to incongruence and energy
08:04 – Skepticism, proof, and seeing patterns repeat
09:56 – The “handoff” exercise and leadership breakdowns
12:01 – Half-day activities vs. multi-day retreat work
14:25 – Why pressure exposes real habits
15:40 – Nonverbal leadership and losing connection
19:42 – Why horses choose safety over compliance
20:03 – Why archery became part of the experience
22:40 – Advice for building retreats around a specialty
26:11 – Connecting experiential work to business outcomes
27:08 – Final thoughts and where to find Kristine

About the Guest – Kristine Palmer
Kristine Palmer is a team-building and leadership development facilitator and the founder of Horse + Bow, based in Marble Falls, Texas. With a background in business, marketing, and entrepreneurship—and certification in equine-assisted learning—Kristine designs experiential sessions that help individuals, couples, and executive teams build self-awareness, strengthen communication, and create trust through hands-on work with horses and mindfulness-based archery.

Her work focuses on the gap between intention and impact, using real-time experiences under pressure to surface patterns teams often know exist but rarely see clearly. Kristine works with leaders, facilitators, and organizations seeking meaningful change beyond traditional team-building activities.

Website: Horse + Bow

Company Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn

Personal: LinkedIn

About the Assemble Podcast
Welcome to the Assemble Podcast. I’m Dan Berger, founder of Assemble Hospitality Group.

We build purpose-designed spaces for small team offsites and retreats, because the biggest things happen in the smallest rooms.

This show explores retreats in all forms—corporate, lifestyle, wellness, and endurance training—and the culture shifts that happen when people step away from the everyday. You’ll hear lessons from operators, facilitators, and leaders who design experiences that move the needle.

Our goal: give you the playbook for building clarity, trust, and belonging on your team—or in your community.

Learn more: assemblehospitality.com

Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

Credits: Hosted by Dan Berger, Founder & CEO of Assemble Hospitality. Recorded at Assemble’s Boise Retreat House. Produced by KazCM, part of the QuietLoud Studios podcast network. Distributed on SportsEpreneur.