Rekindling: Compassion Fatigue Solutions for Animal Workers

I asked my current group members what they value about the other women in the group. Their answers were unreal! I'm convinced that every women veterinarian needs to be in this group. I honestly think it would benefit them all.  Please visit my website to apply for Living a Life You Love, my 6 month group program for women veterinarians. www.juliesquires.net Registration closes 9/29 at 11:59 pm. 

We don't get to decide we're trustworthy. Instead, others assess our trustiworthiness based on specific criteria and decide for themselves. What is that criteria? I'll share it with you in this episode plus how to increase your trustworthiness.  Want to learn more about my group Living A Life You Love for women veterinarians? More info here .

I've been in Europe this week and had an experience that reminded me what matters most. It's easy to get upset over politics right now with so much going on but I want to encourage you to remember that we are all just people who want most of the same things out of life. 

We make things personal that often don't need to be. Most of that is actually just a nervous system response to something our body deems as a threat. This can get very confusing when it's in regard to others feedback and criticism but when you stay connected to who you serve and what your purpose is, you will find the space through. This energy can fuel you in such amazing ways and I call it "serv...

This is one of the top 5 most downloaded episodes of the podcast! And that says alot about my listeners. It says that the people I attract care about how they show up at work and want to be the best versions of themselves. We may not be able to change others but we can choose the kind of co-worker we want to be. 

This is an episode from the vault but I think it's one we all need to hear again and again. Work-life balance is the elusive thing we're all chasing and yet we've likely never even defined it. The reality is "work-life" balance means different things to different people and will mean different things depending on the season of your life. This is an episode to digest and share with others! 

At one time or another we all are faced with the question "Is it time to quit this job?". I'm a big believer in routinely re-evaluating the choices we make, including where, for whom and what our work is. From there you can either decide to make a change or redecide what you're currently doing. You aren't stuck! Enjoy this little ditty from the vault! 

My Gemini Girl Kelly Burich and I are back at it this week gabbing about all things self-care. This is the conversation you need to hear. It's part validation as to why self-care can feel so daunting and unacheivable while also part inspiration as we remind you of all of the choices you get to make about how you care for yourself. Listen in! 

I've been coaching people who work with and for animals for almost 10 years now. This episode is from 2020 and I stand by all of these lessons still. As a matter of fact, even more so!

Perhaps the deepest self-care is making time to process your emotions. Compassion fatigue is what happens when we get so filled with the residue of repeatedly bearing witness to the trauma of others. There has to be an outlet for your emotions and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it isn't wine! 

This episode is all about self-worth and is one of my absolute favorite messages! It would make a great keynote speech to remind anyone who has ever doubted themselves. This will remind you of what you already know but may've forgotten. 

Conflict. Most animal workers don't like it. And we also don't know what to do with it. Do we manage it? Resolve it? Well Kelly and I have all the answers so pull up a chair and dive in! 

Believing in yourself and your inherent worthiness is perhaps the secret to happiness. But we all have the critical voice within and also outside of us. We've likely been told we're "too this" or "too that". But the truth is that you're mere existence is a MIRACLE. Listening to this episode is giving yourself a huge gift, a huge hug and a huge amount of love. Enjoy! 

Being a perfectionist may sound noble and like a virtue but it's actually anything but. What perfectionism really is may surprise you but understanding what it's based in will only help you grow.

Today I have a great episode about intentional thinking. Intentional thinking is the skill of deliberately and on purpose deciding what you want to think. Most people don't know they can do this and while it may be a skill that requires practice, it's a skill that will improve your life 100-fold. 

Ever listen to something at a different time in your life and it transforms you? To be honest, EVERY time I listen to what I'm sharing with you in this episode, I am transformed. Because it hits me differently each and every time I hear it. And I've heard it a lot over the past two decades.  So today I invite you to take a real listen and see how this lands with you with where you are in your life...

Geminis Unleashed is what I'm calling the 6 monthly episodes I'm doing with fellow Gemini Soul Sister, Kelly Burich. Kelly is a favorite repeat guest on the pod and today we talk all about Resilience. What it is, how emotional labor impacts it, what the research says and what do we do to have more. Hit play! You won't want to miss this meeting of the Gemini minds!!

In this episode I share with you what I'm calling my Summer Awakening or my Mid-Life Awakening. And I want to invite you to join me in it. It's a simple approach to summer that will result in an overall improvement in your wellbeing and mental health. 

I've been thinking a lot about all the things I learned from my veterinary mentor Dr. Skip Leighton and wanted to share that with you. He's even partially responsible for the work I do today. Listen and find out how. 

Whether you serve veterinary clients, the general public or someone else, you need to be aware of how your policies and procedures may be creating (or adding to) nervous system dysregulation in others. What I'm about to say in this episode may not be agreed upon by everyone but hear me out. It just might have the potential to help!

The "club" we never wanted to be in, being a motherless daughter. Join me as I welcome back to the pod, the fabulous, spunky and always witty dynamo Kelly Burich, for a conversation about love, loss and grief. In honor of Mother's Day, we talk about our beloved mom's Pamela and Nancy. You won't want to miss this as we laugh and cry about our mama's. 

Today's episode is from the archives of 2022.  An Autobiography in Five Chapters by Portia Nelson Chapter 1 I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost….I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter 2 I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the side walk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I...

"Compartmentalization is a defense mechanism in which people mentally separate conflicting thoughts, emotions, or experiences to avoid the discomfort of contradiction" according to Psychology Today. I believe compartmentalization can be an effective coping strategy for people who work in the emotionally charged fields of vet med, animal welfare and lab animal research. But it has to be conscious....

Understanding the interconnectedness of your thoughts, feelings and behavior is the key to self-awareness and empowerment. We all just want others to behave differently so we can feel better. That's the long way. 

Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. (Harvard Health Publishing) Understanding that not everyone's brain works the same is the crux of this interview I have with Nicole Clausen, founder of Veterinary Care Lo...