Zoo-notable

Dave Johnson is a retired-zookeeper-turned-conservation-hero. His conservation organization Katie Adamson Conservation Fund helps support conservation projects all over the world from snow leopards in Nepal and jaguars in Brazil, to elephants in Asia and rhinos in Africa. Today, he talks about his trips and partnerships to help zookeepers find even more purpose and rejuvenation in their work by in...

For Zoo Lovers Day, I delve into a special memoir from St. Louis Zoo's CEO and President, Jeffery Bonner, PhD. I loved the stories Jeff shares about working in a zoo, the conservation projects, the animals, and how zoos help save species. I hope you enjoy the tidbits as much as I did. Mentioned in this Zoo-notable: Flight of the Hummingbird

Want to improve your communication skills, make a stronger impact on the lives of the people around you, and develop empathy and understanding of others' perspectives? The best skill you can develop to achieve all that is listening. You're Not Listening  by Kate Murphy is one of the most influential books I read in 2024, now I'm revisiting it to share the big ideas that changed the way...

Want to improve your communication skills, make a stronger impact on the lives of the people around you, and develop empathy and understanding of others' perspectives? The best skill you can develop to achieve all that is listening. You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy is one of the most influential books I read in 2024, now I'm revisiting it to share the big ideas that changed the way...

Who else could I possibly bring on for International Women's Day than Sabrina Brando? Sabrina is the founder of Animal Concepts, an international organization that helps those in the animal care field understand animal wellbeing, human wellbeing, and planetary wellbeing. Everything is interconnected, and Sabrina shares some of her experience and wisdom with all of us in this special interview....

In this remarkable story, we get all the warm fuzzy feelings about friendship, kindness, and finding home. A short and sweet episode for a short and sweet book. I highly recommend reading it, but also watching the short animated film on AppleTV. Grab your copy here.

Steve Irwin was an inspirational figure to thousands of zookeepers and conservationists. But in Steve and Me, we get a rare and insightful look at the man, the legend, the Crocodile Hunter, from the one person who knew him best, his loving wife Terri. A beautiful tribute to a great man. If you want to read the book yourself, here are some ways to get a hold of it- Local Bookstore ThriftBooks

Our first required reading for the leadership development course I'm taking is a doozie-- Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. I love the stories within the story, and the insight I received, eye-opening and empowering ideas that I can't wait to share with you, mostly to remind ME about keeping an outward mindset. Want more? Check out Leadership and Self-Deception on Bo...

For 2/2, I thought it'd be fun to catch up with my favorite, VERY prolific author, Miranda Levi, to check in with her new(ish) book The Sea Withdrew, t he second in the Fountain of Youth series . Miranda has several pen names, including Isla Watts, which she writes the Mythiverse series, and Lorelai Hamilton, her pen name for her tarot books, including one of my all time favorites, Tarot Tales...

What do you get when you "Care Personally" and still "Challenge Directly"? You get Radical Candor, the most effective way to interact and communicate with your teammates. This book was mind-blowing, and I can't wait to get my hands on my own copy! Get one for yourself! We'll discuss what Radical Candor is and what it means, Manipulative Insincerity, Obnoxious Aggression...

January 20 is Penguin Awareness Day, so I sat down with Katie Propp of Penguin International to discuss all things penguins. We discuss the charisma of penguins, conservation, and fun activities YOU can engage in to learn more about penguins, get involved, and protect these charismatic critters! Katie is one of the most enthusiastic conservationists I know. Her passion is obvious, and contagious....

Karen Pryor was a pioneer in modern positive reinforcement animal training practices. She was a mentor to thousands of trainers, whether they met her in person or just knew of her from her dozens of books, courses, and programs. If you know clicker training, you have Karen to thank. Karen passed away at the age of 92 on January 4, 2025. She will be greatly missed but her legacy will live on with e...

When Macdonald’s father passed away, she was devastated. An experienced falconer she’d never before been tempted to train a goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk’s fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to raise one of the creatures as a means to cope with her loss, MacDonald adopts Mabel and turns to the guidance of the Once and Future King author TH White’s chroni...

What do Mozart, Picasso, Tiger Woods, and the Williams sisters all have in common? That they are all considered masters of their field. They have all also been called "talented." Let's explore the myth of talent and how you can achieve greatness in your field with Bounce by Matthew Syed. A great way to kick off the new year, and Season 4 of Zoo-notable! Want to check the book out yourself? Buy fro...

It's one of my favorite times of year, National Novel Writing Month (also called NaNoWriMo), and to celebrate and honor all my writing friends, I thought we could delve into what it takes to be a Healthy Writer, from one of the most prolific authors I know, Joanna Penn. We'll discuss stress in our dream job, realizing and getting in tune with our cycles, loneliness, and lessons from yoga and runni...

I was very hopeful that we would be electing our first woman President this election, and I was excited it would be Kamala Harris. I read her memoir from her time before becoming the first woman Vice President, The Truths We Hold , and was inspired and empowered by her accomplishments. Today we discuss some of Kamala's insightful lessons-- Embracing the Mundane, Words Matter, Taking Perspective, S...

I got the chance to sit down and chat with Ann Littlewood, one of my favorite authors, who got me interested in mysteries. She wrote Night Kill, Did Not Survive, and Endangered, murder mysteries set in a zoo. We discuss a lot of the changes from when Ann was a zookeeper, to when Iris Oakley, the main protagonist of the series, was starring in her role as murder solver and zookeeper, to how zoos fu...

"After forming an intense bond with Natasha, a wolf cub she raised as part of her undergraduate research, Renée Askins was inspired to found the Wolf Fund. As head of this grassroots organization, she made it her goal to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park, where they had been eradicated by man over seventy years before. In this intimate account, Askinsrecounts her courageous fifteen-year...

"Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.” - Carol Dweck, Mindset Today we're discussing a topic that has been a hot button issue for me since probably March or so: The 2 Mindsets-- The Fixed Mindset and the Growth Mindset, and how they affect us, and how we can adopt a more productive and helpful growth mi...

How do winning friends help us influence our well-being and our career? Well, by taking our relationships to the penthouse, we can foster connections that can enrich our lives and help us change the world. It's Not Just Who You Know by Tommy Spaulding helps explain why friendships are important, and how to develop lasting, authentic connections through empathy, humility, and vulnerability. Lik...

To Save a Starfish is a wonderful workbook by Jennifer Blough to help animal care professionals identify compassion fatigue in their lives, discover techniques that will help combat burnout, and implement them. This book is only available on Amazon (I usually prefer to promote local sources like libraries and local bookstores), but if you are struggling with your mental health, this may be a terri...

I'm kicking off Mental Health Awareness Month with my #1 recommended book and resource for strengthening our brains and relieving stress-- Stress Less, Accomplish More is by the Ziva Technique founder Emily Fletcher. We'll cover topics such as how meditation is like station training for our brains (lessons from a mob of meerkats), how NOT to train our brains, the "I'll be happy wh...

We're closing out Earth Month and celebrating Earth Day with a special book on how we can reduce our carbon footprint: How Bad Are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee. I personally loved how the author doesn't push us to do EVERYTHING in the book, just giving us information and empowering US to make the choices that are right for each one. We'll discuss the Rebound Effect, how our health impac...

As overdevelopment and sea level rise threaten the town of Montauk, an unexpected legacy grants the fate of its last undeveloped parcel to Clancy Frederics, an outsider scarred by his orphaned childhood. Everyone in town has a stake: Julienne, an environmentalist and painter fighting to save the landscape that inspires her art; Theresa, a bartender whose trailer park home is jeopardized by coastal...

What happens when science-fiction humor author Douglas Adams takes biologist Mark Carwardine on adventures all over the world to experience some of the rarest and most endangered species on earth? We get one of my favorite books on endangered species, Last Chance to See. To celebrate Earth Month, I'm dedicating all my episodes to environmental books. If you are a fan of Douglas Adams, or want...