Better Life for Animals

Orangutans are facing rapid extinction due to deforestation, palm oil expansion, and habitat loss. In this episode of Better Life for Animals, Cheryl Moss speaks with Leif Cocks, founder of The Orangutan Project, about what it will take to protect orangutans, restore rainforests, and secure a future for wildlife. Leif shares his journey from working in zoos to becoming a global advocate for orangu...

When Anne Dinshah reflects on the state of the world, one number stands out. When her father helped found the American Vegan Society , an estimated 8 billion land animals were killed each year for food. Today, that number exceeds 80 billion. That staggering shift is exactly why Anne continues her life's work. Not from a place of overwhelm, but from a grounded belief that each of us can do the most...

2,300 animals rescued. Colombia's first farm animal sanctuary. One woman who decided at just five years old that animals were not food—and never looked back. In this episode of Better Life for Animals , Juliana Castañeda shares the powerful journey behind building a sanctuary that has saved more than 2,300 animals and continues to care for nearly 200 at any given time. But what stands out most is...

Change for animals does not happen by chance. It happens when people decide to act. In this episode of Better Life for Animals, Karen Bacon shares her experience working to create real change through focused advocacy efforts. From challenging rodeo practices to mobilizing community support, she breaks down what it takes to move issues forward. This conversation goes beyond awareness and into actio...

Most businesses start with a plan. Dave Graham's did not. A weekend stay at a vegan bed and breakfast in Australia turned into an unexpected opportunity when the owner asked if he could build a website. Dave said yes. That one project led to another, and soon he was working with vegan professionals, nonprofits, and mission-driven businesses around the world. What began as a side project quickly ev...

When people think about social media growth, they usually talk about algorithms, hashtags, or viral tricks. Molly Hodgdon has a different philosophy. People may not remember every post you publish. They may not remember your captions or the details of a campaign. But they will remember how your posts made them feel. And that simple insight has helped Molly raise more than $100,000 for animals, gro...

Sometimes the shift into veganism doesn't happen all at once. It happens in layers. A documentary. A book. A conversation. And then one day something clicks so deeply that you can never see the world the same way again. In this special episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast , the tables are turned as Kathleen Gage , the producer behind the show and founder of Vegan Visibility , steps in fr...

What happens when a powerful industry operates entirely behind closed doors? Investigative journalist and author Will Potter has spent over a decade answering that question. In this episode of the Better Life for Animals podcast, we dive deep into the legal and political tactics used to shield factory farms from public scrutiny. Potter, the author of  Green Is the New Red and the new investigative...

A wild owl spent his entire life in a cage — until he escaped. Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl born in captivity at the Central Park Zoo, could not fly freely for years. When he escaped, millions of people followed his story and instinctively rooted for his freedom. Why did his story resonate so deeply? And what does it reveal about zoos, wildlife captivity, and the state of animal protection laws in...

Chickens are intelligent, emotionally complex animals, yet they remain among the most underestimated and commodified beings in modern agriculture. In this episode of Better Life for Animals , host Cheryl Moss speaks with Liz Wheeler, co-founder of Secondhand Stories Chicken Sanctuary, about chicken sentience, sanctuary advocacy, and reshaping cultural narratives around farmed animals. Liz shares t...

Factory farming impacts billions of animals, but the story does not end there. Behind the system are struggling farmers, vulnerable workers, and communities searching for better solutions. In this powerful episode, Leah Garcés shares what more than two decades of advocacy has taught her about transforming one of the most entrenched systems in our world. From collaborating with farmers to exposing...

What happens when more than 45,000 people connect with rescued farmed animals in a single year? Perspectives shift. Awareness grows. And compassion becomes personal. In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast, host Cheryl Moss sits down with Kelly Nix, Executive Director of Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, to explore how sanctuaries are helping reshape the way people see animal...

Most people say they care about animals. Far fewer are willing to disrupt their own comfort to protect them. In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast , host Cheryl Moss speaks with Rose Patterson , Co-Director of Animal Rising , about what it actually takes to challenge systems built on animal suffering and why polite advocacy often fails to create change. Rose has spent more than a...

Across the United States, most farmed animal sanctuaries operate with limited staff, inconsistent funding, and an overwhelming daily workload. Many rely almost entirely on donations while carrying the emotional and financial responsibility of caring for animals society has discarded. As Stephanie Mathers, Founder and CEO of Grants for Animals, says, "The sanctuaries already have 200 percent heart....

Billions of animals suffer each year because of human choices. While rescue saves individual lives, preventing suffering at its source creates lasting change. In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast , Cheryl Moss talks with Robin Singh , co founder of Peepal Farm, an animal rescue, veterinary clinic, and awareness organization in India. Robin shares how his pursuit of happiness afte...

What would sanctuary life look like if animals were not housed for human convenience, but instead were given environments designed around their instincts, ancestry, and emotional well being? In this episode, Cheryl Moss speaks with Lenore Braford and Paul Drake of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge in North Carolina. Lenore is the Founder and Executive Director, and Paul is the architect behind the refug...

Why Losing a Pet Hurts So Deeply — with Animal Chaplain Kaleel Sakakeeny Did you know that more than 20,000 people every month search for help coping with the heartbreak of losing an animal companion ? That number tells a powerful story. The grief that follows the loss of a beloved animal is real, intense, and often misunderstood. For many, it is one of the deepest emotional wounds they will ever...

Ending a 400 Year Tradition of Dancing Bears: How Wildlife SOS is Transforming Animal Protection in India What happens when someone leaves a long corporate career to follow a calling rooted in compassion for animals? In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast, host Cheryl Moss talks with Dana Wilson, Director of Marketing and Communications for Wildlife SOS, about what real animal prot...

What if national media coverage for your animal sanctuary did not start with a big pitch or a major publication, but with your local newspaper? In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast, host Cheryl Moss sits down with Heather Ripley, founder and CEO of Orange Orchard PR, to unpack what actually works when it comes to media visibility for animal sanctuaries. Heather shares how a succe...

Goats can see nearly 340 degrees around them. That single fact alone changes how most people think about goats and farm animals. In this episode of Better Life for Animals, host Cheryl Moss talks with Deborah Blum, founder of Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary in Sebastopol, California. Deborah shares how her life shifted from the restaurant world to farm animal rescue and what goats have taught her...

When the mortgage industry collapsed, Tim Woodward took a hard look at his life and realized something was missing. A volunteer role with In Defense of Animals exposed him to the hidden crisis of animal suffering across the country and set him on a path that would change everything. Seventeen years later, Tim is the Executive Director of Animal Rescue Corps, a national organization built to serve...

Discover how compassionate education is transforming the lives of children and rescued animals in this powerful conversation with Michele Fasnacht, founder of Solid Rock Community School and the Sanctuary at Solid Rock. Michele shares how her personal journey through childhood trauma, chronic illness, and a life changing shift to plant based living shaped an education model unlike anything else in...

What if compassion could change the world again, just like it did more than two thousand years ago? In this episode, you will meet Rayane Laddi, a Buddhist vegan who is proving that kindness is not an idea. It is a practice. His work shows how ancient teachings can transform modern problems, from animal advocacy to fundraising to environmental health. This conversation takes you inside Dharma Voic...

What if two rescued goats could change the direction of your life? That is exactly what happened to Miyoko Schinner. In this episode, Miyoko walks through the moment she said yes to helping two baby goats and how that single choice grew into Rancho Compasión, a sanctuary now home to more than 100 rescued animals in Northern California. She shares the turning points, the setbacks, and the daily wor...

What if the way we live with animals could change everything? In this episode, Dr. Katherine Baxter, co-founder and CEO of the Alliance for Human-Animal Coexistence (AHAC), shares how she is leading a movement to turn conflict into cooperation, from elephants in Kenya to wolves in North America. You will hear how a simple idea, planting sunflowers instead of maize, transformed entire communities,...