Rekindling: Compassion Fatigue Solutions for Animal Workers

Compassion fatigue and mental health issues in veterinary medicine span the globe. But we don't all have the same resources or even access to the same resources. Today's guest is Yukari Ogawa, LVT, CCFP and the CEO of Translation for Animal Professionals where she helps translate for the Japanese veterinary community. Yukari, based in New York is also the co-founder of an online community, CVP jus...

This piece of writing "The Invitation" hit me straight in the HUT (heart+ gut) when I first heard it many years ago. In these times of unrest, turmoil and uncertainty it reminds me of what matters. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! You can find out more about Oriah at her website http://oriahmountaindreamer.com/.

Post-Traumatic Growth(PTG) is the positive psychological change that some individuals experience after a life crisis or traumatic event. So it is not merely a bouncing back to the level of functioning prior to the trauma, but rather a sense of positive growth beyond pre-trauma functioning. There are some factors that influence PTG that I'll share with you in this episode.

Feelings, we all have them but few of us actually know what to do with them. Where do they come from? How do we feel them? How can we generate the ones we want? THESE are the skills of emotional and mental health. And the ROI on learning how to recognize and feel your feelings (even the negative ones!) is immense. In this episode you will learn The 5 Skills For An Amazing Life. 1. Awareness 2. Sep...

You were born full of self-belief and self-worth. You were born believing you were the most incredible person that's ever lived. You were born loving yourself unconditionally. What happened? You started to borrow other's opinion of you. Usually not the most favorable of ones. And so ensued a process of moving away from yourself and into self-criticism, doubt and self-judgment. But it can all be re...

This is National Veterinary Technician Appreciation Week. The journey of a veterinary technician can take many twists and turns. This career has so many possibilities such: -hospitals and clinics -academia -research -non-profits -government -industry My guest today is Melissa J. Supernor, CVT, VTS (SAIM), CFE, CCFP. Her career has spanned 30 years as a vet tech (and still counting!). She supports...

"Leadership" seems to be one of those catch-all phrases with everyone interpreting it a bit different. But in this episode my guest Kelly Burich, who works in animal health and holds a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership is going to break it all down for us. We talk about what's needed in leadership in veterinary medicine as well as other animal-related organizations to make teams thrive....

This episodes release date just happens to coincide with World Vegetarian Day. None of us want to inflict harm on animals yet our food choices, if they includes animals, does. In this episode I share my journey to vegetarianism and eventual veganism. It didn't happen overnight! If you love animals, I invite you to listen to this episode where my goal isn't to convince you of anything other than co...

It's election season here in the U.S. and everywhere you look you will see heated conversations. I've had them too and if I'm honest I haven't always liked the way I've behaved. So I've tried to do better. I've tried to listen more and try to understand others who don't support the same candidate I do. It's not easy but if you want to maintain relationships with others who have differing opinions...

We're going to the horses in this episode! I interview mom, equine veterinarian and podcaster Dr. Stacey Cordivano. I love learning about things I don't know much about and equine medicine and being an equine veterinarian is certainly one of those things. We talk about: -when she first knew she wanted to be a vet -sexism as an equine veterinarian -what she learned (or didn't!) about wellbeing from...

In 1992 Gary Chapman released his best-selling book The 5 Love Languages outlining how romantic partners expressed and experienced love. While I was working on a recent presentation for a group of veterinary hospital managers I thought about these "love languages" as it related to how we all feel appreciated at work. Well come to find out Gary Chapman had thought of this too and in 2011 he partner...

We are all energy. The animals we work with are energy too. So it stands to reason that energy-based practices make sense to offset compassion fatigue and burnout. Think of it like another tool in your self-care toolbox. This episode is an interview with Emily Carveth. Emily is a multi-disciplinary professional with over 15 years of experience in veterinary medicine. She is passionate about the ro...

What makes one person willing to reach out for help and someone else not? It often comes down to being willing to experience vulnerability rather than shame. Many still think we're supposed to figure our lives out all by ourselves. I don't believe that. At all. I believe we are meant to lean on each other at various times in our lives. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that if I weren't f...

Feelings (or emotions) aren't all or nothing. You can carry some of the heavier ones (like grief and sadness) around with you while you still live your life. While you still go to work and feed your kids and even go to the grocery store. The key is to just keep allowing them, feeling them and not trying to make them go away. This episode will explain how you can feel both sadness + hope, grief + r...

As a pet owner to a special needs dog, I've experienced my own compassion fatigue at times. It's not always easy to care for pet's that require a lot from us. It's always rewarding but not always easy. If you're a pet owner check out my 10 tips in this episode. If you're a veterinary professional or work in animal welfare, this episode will show you the "other side" of compassion fatigue. One we d...

Life is beautiful and challenging in equal proportions, even during a pandemic. But are you looking for what actually might even be "good" during this time? Are you allowing your brain to entertain the idea that even in a time like this, we can find joy, happiness and excitement.  There is equal part light and dark. Don't forget to give equal time to looking at the light.  I've added new webinars...

One of the skills I've honed as a life coach is the ability to hold the neutral space of non-judgment. Our brain will usually look for and focus on evidence to prove our belief's true. It's in this way that often we don't see things as they are, we see them as we think they are. Very different realities. There's a cost that comes with being judgmental in our work and in our private lives. It most...

Bully's have existed since the beginning of time. Bullies do and say things that we perceive as mean, hateful and aggressive and we become victims to their actions and find ourselves suffering. I look at bullying a little different than most. So how do you deal with it when you're being bullied? Does your veterinary practice or workplace have a bullying policy? All good questions and in this episo...

You may think perfectionism makes you better. You may think it allows you to take better care of your patients, the animals in your care and people who are looking to you for help. But you'd be wrong. Perfectionism doesn't make us better. Instead it keeps us trapped in fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of the self-loathing in the aftermath of making a mistake. Fear of not being "enough". In thi...

Our relationships with other people is all based on what we think about them. If our thoughts are positive, the relationship will also be so. The same goes for if our thoughts are negative about the other person. The relationship also will be negative. We mistakenly think that a relationship with another exists outside of us but it doesn't. We are just two people having thoughts about each other....

Dr. Wanda West and I continue our conversation around how the uprising for racial equality feels different. The momentum behind the Black Lives Matter movement is growing and White people are engaged like never before. Dr. West also shares how racism is by no means an American thing as she's experienced it overseas as well. We talk about how the Black community and especially Black women are talki...

We all have a story. Of where we came from and the obstacles we've faced and overcome to get where we are today. Being a White woman I have never had the color of my skin be an obstacle. My guest in this episode, Dr. Wanda West, DVM, PhD, DACLAM cannot say the same. As a Black woman she faced many instances of racism growing up in the south. As a Black vet student and eventual veterinarian, she di...

The term "white privilege" was coined in the late 80's in an article by Peggy McIntosh, Associate Director of Wellesley College Center for Research for Women. Essentially these are unearned privileges that whites have benefitted from for years and years. Most of them are invisible to white people as we only know our own experience. This is a time to not get defensive but to remain open to learning...

Can women really have it all? A career they love, motherhood and a life they love? Absolutely but it will require releasing the idea of doing it all perfectly. How does a busy veterinarian, wife and mother of a 5 yr. old fit in self-care, work travel, relief work and time for family? Very carefully. Listen in on my conversation with Dr. RuthAnn Lobos, lead veterinarian at Merrick PetCare as we dis...

I continue answering questions from the audience this week. Questions about handling negative feedback/reviews from clients, feeling jealous of those the are staying home during this time, feeling frustrated at work, self-care and feeling guilty for enjoying yourself during the pandemic while knowing others are struggling. In honor of #BlackLivesMatter and to show my solidarity with all black peop...