Mothering Wildlife

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Join me this week as I talk to Katie Hall, the Director of Animal Behavior and Wellbeing at the Minnesota Zoo.  The first part of our conversation really dives into the responsibilities of her role at the zoo.  Roles like hers have become more prevalent in the zoo field and are tru...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! This week my guest, Andrea Porch, and I have a great conversation about the postpartum period. So much about the postpartum period is not discussed openly but it can be such an important conversation to hold publicly. Women can feel alone in their feelings. Sometimes hearing other...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week, Caroline, is not only a crustacean enthusiast but an amazing aquarist mom from Canada!  Her and I talk about all things aquarist, including what it's like to be a pregnant aquarist and the restrictions she had during her pregnancy.  She shares a great story...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! We talk a lot about the “zookeeper identity” on this podcast - how being a zookeeper can infiltrate into so many areas of your life.  My guest this week, Leanne, and I talk about this and about how to balance that with a “mom identity” as well.  She talks about how she feels that b...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! As a working parent, you might have asked yourself the question, "Can I be a mom and do this job too?"  My guest this week, Kaylee, asked herself that question before becoming a mom.  It's a valid question to ask and one that is also tough to answer!  Often, zookeepe...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week is Melissa Farr Dacumos, Associate Director of Animal Care at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. Her and I spent a fair amount of time talking about pregnancy while working in animal care, her postpartum period during Covid, and returning to work as a breastfeeding mama (cue the...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week, Carly, and I talk about the postpartum period.  There are so many changes that occur during that "4th trimester".  As you approach the end of your maternity leave you might find yourself excited to return to work but also guilty about having to leave y...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! As a working professional, when you suddenly step into the world of motherhood, it can sometimes feel as if you now have two identities.  Motherhood, and in the case of most of this podcast's guests, zookeeper.  My guest this week, Kristine Duplisea, and I talk a little bit ab...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Animal care professionals work so hard to get into the zoo field. Internships, commutes, low pay, time spent away from family and friends - all this because they love what they do and oftentimes consider it their passion. They can’t imagine doing anything  else.  My guest this week...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Can you train your kids the same way you train zoo animals?  My guest this week, Sarah Kirkman, is a zookeeper at the Columbus Zoo and mom to two small children and she has a great story about putting her animal training skills to use! How zookeeper skills transfer over to one’s mo...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week, Lindsay Ireland, is a penguin keeper at the Detroit Zoo.  We talk a bit about being pregnant while working with penguins and then dive into how as a new mom it can be so hard not to compare oneself to other mothers and your baby to other babies. As a new mom, Li...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Join me this week for something a little bit different - Zoological Podcast Summit 2024!   Myself, Jon Rossi from the Rossifari Podcast and Chris Jenkins from the NEI TEC Talk Podcast spend some time talking about hosting zoo-focused podcasts.  Each one of us fills a very niche rol...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week, Courtney Janney, and I spent so much time talking about women in leadership and how having children changed her professional priorities.  When her first daughter was born, her new attitude about work/life balance pervaded her team and she quit playing the compet...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Often, we feel like we are juggling so many things in life - kids, work, to-do lists, projects, etc.  My guest this week, Dr. Lizzy Arnett-Chinn, has a great way of looking at how to prioritize all the things she is juggling.  It's simple, really - just don't drop the gla...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week, Tarah, and I dive a little bit into her journey with IVF to become a mom. At the time, she was the only mom amongst animal care staff at her facility. We also talk a bit about what it’s like to be the only mom on staff and to worry that you’re putting other staf...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Maternity leave can be uncharted territory for new moms! My guest this week, Alyson, and I explore the emotions of maternity leave. Some women feel anxiety about stepping away from their job for months knowing that, especially in the zoo field, other (animal) lives are at stake and...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Children can be the catalyst for many changes in our lives and sometimes they are the reason why we seek out new roles in our careers.  We've talked a lot on the podcast about women who have transitioned into new roles after becoming a mom - whether at their same facility or e...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Sometimes change happens gradually and sometimes it happens within a short span of time. My guest this week, Kendra Bottini, knows what it feels like to have many life changes happening all at once!  She had a baby, came back from maternity leave, and then got promoted to a Curator...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! We hear so much advice as parents - how much time to take after baby arrives, when to call out from work, etc.  However, only you know what you need and what is best for you.  And this might be different from the norm!  Can we agree as moms and society to let new moms call the shot...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Every parent has to make the decision about what is best for their family and how they are going to parent. Sometimes those decisions are hard but they always include considering the needs of your child. My guest this week, Adrienne John, and I talk about her journey as a mom to a...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! What did you expect motherhood to be like? Was it easier or harder than you imagined? What surprised you the most? As my guest this week, Kristy Edelen, and I discuss, motherhood is transformative in so many ways. Your body, your brain, your mental health, your emotions…you may hav...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! As a new mom in the workplace, having a supportive manager upon your return can make a time in life that feels chaotic and hard, feel calmer and give you more confidence. At a time when your routine is completely different than it was months ago, you’re potentially navigating pumpi...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! Sometimes you find that some of the skills you've gained in your career are also transferable to another field completely!  My guest this week was able to take skills from her previous job at an aquarium to an adjacent field - which allowed her to actually have a better work/l...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! This week I talk to a mom who turned her passion for wildlife conservation and education into a business.  Jenny Curtis founded edZOOcation, as a way to bring together all of her passions - wildlife conservation, conservation education, and teaching little children.  The company of...

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! moms more prone to compassion fatigue and burnout mom guilt changing priorities that made you want to leave your career Find GRAZE at all of the places and links below: GRAZE website GRAZE Facebook page GRAZE LinkedIn page   Email Shannon, Hannah or Erin here: grazee@zoomentalhealt...