Founding.
It has been said that no one finds themselves in California’s Santa Ynez Valley by accident, that one’s soul seeks out this place, recognizing the Valley, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, to be a safe place to learn and explore.
We have found this to be true. And we hope you will too.
Roundbarn Ranch and Co. was founded in the SYV by former Clinical Social Worker, Justine Schreyer Lewin. Recognizing she no longer resonated with the framework of a traditional practice, Justine began her mission to offer another pathway along the journey to self- discovery.
Her vision began to take shape during a coffee date with future co-founder, Tori Fertitta Mortensen. The two found themselves in a similar space, both women having recently lost their mothers, each actively exploring their own new concepts for processing emotions and experiences.
Tori, a Brand and Strategy Consultant by trade, spent her career as a creative strategist and storytelling expert. The “three time therapy drop out” was confident that there was another way.
The result of their collaboration is a program hosted on Justine’s horse ranch and centered around the well-researched practice of connecting horses with people in order to more deeply understand the human experience. The process also follows a proprietary, one-of-a-kind map. This tool allows people to document their discoveries and plan for their future.
The horses, the humans, the land and the lessons have collectively become known as THE ROUNDBARN WAY.
The women are led by the principle that while this program may not be for everyone, it should be available to anyone interested in exploring the powerful lessons horses teach us about the experience of being human.
As such, they founded RBR as a 501(c)(3)—to provide these joyful self-discovery experiences to ALL without concern for the individuals’ ability to pay.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE ON RBR’S COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY AND BRIDGING THE DISPARITY GAPS IN OUR INDUSTRY.
Justine’s Story
“Everyone who comes here for any amount of time leaves an indelible mark on this place. We can sense their energy even after they have left. It is one of the best things about this ranch, the spirit of its visitors.”
After tapping into her past in search of direction for the future, mom, wife and philanthropist, Justine, revisited her childhood passion for horses. She came FULLCIRCLE, following a journey that led her through transformative equine experiences, introducing her to Devon Combs, who would become a mentor, and rekindling her deep appreciation for the horse-human connection. She wanted to teach everyone what she had learned.
Trusting her intuition, the Santa Ynez Valley and the horses that call this place home emerged. She would say that the ranch and its horses found her rather than the other way around. She and her family took a leap of faith and relocated to a 70 acre equine ranch on the Central Coast, now known as ROUNDBARN Ranch. Everyone dove head first into ranch life, getting their hands dirty with everything from construction to animal husbandry, learning and adapting to the ways of the ranch and throwing their full support behind Justine’s most recent role as a full-time founder.
Tori’s Story
Tori likes to say she spent the last 30 years “failing at therapy so you don’t have to.” Following the sudden loss of her mother (and #1 fan) in 2022, and considering her self-proclaimed “crummy” track record with traditional therapy, Tori was on a mission to find a different way to do the work she knew would be necessary to move through her deep grief. She didn't find one. But she did find Justine. Together they began the process of creating something new. With a background in branding, having specialized in storytelling and strategy for a decade, she leaned into her understanding of the value of words and imagery— recognizing the power they hold for people. Tori’s work is now centered around developing and sharing strategies and systems to help people “turn their thoughts into things.”
Tori, her husband, Ky, and their two sons found themselves in the Santa Ynez Valley after having also followed the horses. Still deeply connected to her Southern (and Sicilian) roots, she divides her time between California and her family’s home in Louisiana, always bringing the spice back to the West Coast with her. When not performing the RBR co-founding duties that wildly inspire her, she can be found “crying in her closet” about her impending empty nest or escaping to Italy.
