Who we are

Julie Sardonia

M.A., LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Founder, President and Executive Director

Julie was born in Northern California but has spent most of her life in Santa Barbara and Ojai. Growing up she enjoyed the outdoors, riding horses, gymnastics, fishing and family time. Julie was very influenced by her father who shared with her his passion for gardening, roses, rocks and nature. He was a Navy Corpsman Korean Veteran.

Julie is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has been practicing for 30 years in Ventura County. She blends her psychotherapy expertise with ecotherapy and equine therapy, enabling her clients to have first-hand experiences of how nature and animals can cultivate growth and learning. Julie founded an Ojai-based equine assisted therapy non-profit organization, Reins of H.O.P.E., in 2007. She was its director and therapist from 2007 to 2015. Julie stepped down from ROH in 2015 and became the Program Director for Veteran Farmers of America, a non-profit organization serving veterans and active duty military by connecting them to internships and job placements in the agriculture and farming industry. She was there until the organization closed in 2019, putting Julie into a transition period where some soul-searching was called for. She realized her deep love both for the work she’s been doing for the last 12 years and the military community she’s been serving. She realized she definitely was not finished. In fact, she believed more than ever in the value and importance of this work for the military community. And, most importantly, she realized that this is her calling. A new inspiration began to take shape and grow in her.

In December 2019 she began laying the foundation for a new non-profit that would be similar to VFA but more therapeutic and experiential. It would be based in experiential learning in nature, horticulture, gardening and equine-assisted therapy. Valor Healing Farms is now a reality born out of Julie’s vision and passion.

In addition to envisioning, creating, and doing the work to bring Valor Healing Farms into being, Julie has a private psychotherapy practice in Ojai, CA. She is also a mental health equine therapist at Stand In Balance in Westlake Village, CA. Julie lives in Ojai with her husband, boxer & 2 cats. She has two amazing adult children following their own dreams and goals.

Vallerie E. Coleman

PhD, PsyD(PSY12592)
Founder and CEO of Stand InBalance

Dr. Val is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst who has been in practice for over 25 years. She is the founder, CEO, and Clinical Director of Stand InBalance and also maintains a private practice in Westlake Village, CA. Dr. Coleman combines her expertise in psychology, group dynamics, and systems with her love and respect for horses – maximizing the powerful capacity these magnificent animals have for facilitating human growth and development. Certified by both EAGALA and E3A [Equine Experiential Education Association], Dr. Coleman’s approach is grounded in a combination of attachment theory, somatic psychology, and object relations theory. She is passionate about the importance of Emotional Intelligence and helping leaders and teams create great workplaces and successful organizations.

In addition to speaking at conferences and leading workshops, she has been on faculty at Loyola Marymount University, the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute, and Antioch University. She was a guest expert on the Dr. Phil show and is a contributor in the book: Harnessing the Power of Equine Assisted Counseling.

Sarah Hedge

Chief Petty Officer Navy Seabee, U.S. Navy
Valor Military Mentor

Sarah was born and raised in Colorado. During her childhood she learned about survival skills and construction work, which were part of her reasons for choosing to join the Navy when she was 21 years old. She left for bootcamp in May 2008, became a Builder in the U.S. Navy Seabees, and was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 in Port Hueneme, CA. Sarah was deployed to Afghanistan multiple times beginning shortly after arriving at her first duty station.

Following her combat deployments Sarah was deployed to Spain, Bulgaria, the Horn of Africa, and Japan. She also did a tour with the State Department which involved a small stint in Afghanistan followed by three years in Vienna at Embassy Duty. Sarah is currently an active duty First Class Petty Officer stationed at Naval Construction Group One in Port Hueneme, CA. In addition to her full-time work she is also dedicated to helping others. She does volunteer work with special needs children, veterans, shelter animals and equine therapy.

Sarah is generously volunteering her time, energy and passion to Valor Healing Farms. She brings a unique level of understanding, support and assistance to our clients, knowing first-hand the stresses, challenges, issues and rewards of a military career.

President

Julie Sardonia, M.A., LMFT
Founder and Executive Director

Secretary

Sarah Hedge
Chief Petty Officer Navy Seabee
Valor Military Mentor Volunteer

Treasurer

Tracy Trudeau
Restaurant Owner & Business Women