Mostly Functional

In this episode, we start with Olympic hockey and somehow end up talking about the decisions no one wants to make. The kind that sit heavy in your chest. Caregiving. Euthanasia. Financial limits. Terminal illness. The moments where there is no perfect option, only the most loving one available. It's an honest, sometimes messy conversation about doing the best you can with what you know and then no...

In this episode, Julie and Derek talk about what happens when caring becomes overgiving, and overgiving quietly turns into resentment. They unpack the caretaker's dilemma: saying yes to everyone else while sacrificing the restoration that keeps you steady, regulated, and able to show up with love. You'll hear practical boundary shifts (including the freedom of not replying right away), plus a remi...

In this episode Derek and Julie chat about self-care basics, their shared excitement for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and the pure joy of the Puppy Bowl as a wholesome distraction. They reflect on the powerful Super Bowl halftime message—"The only thing more powerful than hate is love"—and how it resonates amid discussions of rights, tolerance, and a tangled world. The episode closes with...

In this episode, we wander through winter life and what it asks of people who care for others, including pacing, limits, preparedness, and knowing when enough is enough. We talk about the animals who hate the cold (and the ones built for it), and the small sensory things that can make a long season feel extra long, like wet boots . Along the way, we explore non-attachment, rumination, and why wint...

In this episode, Julie and Derek talk about what it feels like to keep showing up for the animals you serve when the world feels chaotic, loud, and unsettling. We explore how constant news, doomscrolling, and uncertainty crank up our nervous systems, and why "safety" can feel hard to access right now. You'll hear practical, compassionate ideas for staying regulated without sliding into toxic posit...

In this episode of Mostly Functional , Julie and Derek talk about what it means to practice peace in a world that feels loud, divisive, and hard to disconnect from. Inspired by Tibetan monks walking thousands of miles to raise awareness for compassion and empathy, they explore the idea that peace is not something you wait for, it's something you create on purpose. They share simple, real-life "pea...

In this episode, we talk about what happens when you lose your joy at work, especially in animal-care roles where the suffering is real and the pace never lets up. We unpack how exhaustion, resentment, and "systems set up for you to fail" slowly erode your passion, and why the most functional move might be a break, a stop-doing list, and asking for help before you burn all the way out. 

In this year-end Mostly Functional check-in, we're giddy up-ing into 2026 with a clear plan: protect your peace. Derek and Julie unpack what it looks like to stay steady when your work with animals involves constant care, constant urgency, and constant opinions, and why "block, ban, delete" can be a loving boundary, not a personality flaw. Then we share what we're calling in for 2026: movement, mo...

In this episode we talk about what it really looks like to plan for grief during the holidays, especially when it is your first season without someone you love. Julie shares her "grief practice" of making space in small spurts so it doesn't swallow the whole season, plus simple permission slips like Plan B options, lowered expectations, and letting grief be a companion instead of an intruder. If y...

In this episode we explore how to tell when something is truly right for you and when it is not. Through stories about saying yes to Esther the pig, savior syndrome, burnout, and the cost of ignoring your gut. They talk about how our bodies often signal truth before the brain does, the difference between head decisions and heart knowing, and why real care for animals and humans alike depends on ha...

In this episode, we somehow go from Thanksgiving side dishes and boozy hay to big soul questions like, " What is your soul here to learn ?" Derek and I talk about love as the throughline of it all, how to reconnect with the dream inside the work you already do, and why it is perfectly acceptable to be mostly functional, not perfect. Expect luminary fields, tightrope walkers, snakes in dreams, and...

Chance are extremely high that if you work with animals, you've also experienced all the guilt that can come with helping other beings. Did I do enough? Did we miss something? What if it could've been different? Derek says that guilt is love wearing the wrong costume.  Join us for this important and impactful episode where we talk all about guilt, impossible systems and what it means to know which...

In this episode of Mostly Functional , Derek turns the mic on Julie and asks her what life is like after losing both of her parents, one suddenly and one after a long cancer journey. We talk about how grief has changed the way we see our own mortality, our work, and how little energy we spend on things that don't matter (like other's opinion) and we wander into all the messy parts too: not being t...

Think you can't live vicariously through someone's trip abroad? Think again. In this episode Derek shares his experience visiting Thailand and standing beneath elephants at a sanctuary where awe meets trust.  Discover how Thai caregivers model non-attachment and offer unexpected wisdom for grief and compassion fatigue, echoed by a living field and burial trees that hold each elephant's story. This...

In a world that constantly demands our approval, praise, and productivity, what happens when we finally decide to let go? In this episode, we talk about the radical freedom that comes from releasing roles, habits, expectations and even relationships that no longer serve us. Even when it makes others uncomfortable. Whether it's unfollowing, quitting, saying no, or simply refusing to respond to onli...

In this episode we swap simple morning rituals that build capacity, then move into a tender conversation about how animals help teach us about letting go.  Derek shares the realities of Esther The Wonder Pig's hospice, choosing euthanasia as love, and setting boundaries online. Together they land on this quiet truth: grief is love that stays, and being mostly functional means making room for hard...

In this tender and thought-provoking conversation, Julie and Derek explore the quiet wisdom of animals and the deep comfort they bring to our lives. From Esther's steady breathing to the mysterious presence of Bigfoot, they wander through stories that remind us of our shared connection to all living beings. Together, they reflect on how animals see our worth even when we forget it, the power of si...

In this very first episode of Mostly Functional , Derek and I talk about what it really means to be human. We laugh through a few tech mishaps, share how we first met, and explore the messy, tender, and funny parts of life that make us who we are and what it means to show up in the world as mostly functional. We delve into the question of "where are all the men in animal work" and come up with som...