UNLEASHED (at work & home) with Colleen Pelar

Without meaning to- or sometimes even realizing it- it can be the easiest thing in the world to limit ourselves. All too often we allow outside expectations, other people’s opinions, and our own fear to confine us to a life that is less than fulfilling.   It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Dog trainer Lauren Van Duzer joined me today to talk about how a tragic event pushed her out of her comf...

Old age, death, and loss are topics most of us prefer to avoid. They’re uncomfortable, sometimes even painful to discuss, and most people don’t like to think about their own mortality. Death, however, is an inevitable part of life, and avoiding conversations about it can make it even harder for us to become comfortable with it. Helen St. Pierre- founder of No Monkey Business Dog Training and the n...

Everybody has a story that will break your heart. We all have our own traumas and dog trainers are no exception. Working with dogs and their owners is deeply rewarding, but it is also often a difficult and emotionally grueling task that leaves trainers feeling burnt out and emotionally and mentally exhausted. While this is a real problem, there are few resources out there designed to help trainers...

Whether we like it or not, fear is a powerful force in our lives- fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of losing the people and things that are important to us. Even as much of the animal world shifts to a “fear free” mindset when it comes to training and interacting with animals, many of us still struggle to let go of our own fears. Too often, that fear keeps us trapped in uncomfortable and p...

What we want to do is very often different from what we should do (or at least, what we think we should do). Obligations and responsibilities need to be met, but the temptation is always there to push them off until later and spend the current moment doing something more pleasurable. Malena DeMartini joined me today to talk about balancing doing what we ought vs. doing what we want and to take me...

None of us like to acknowledge that things might not turn out fine, yet we all know deep down that that’s always a possibility. How do we deal with the chance that things might not be all right in the end? For Veronica Jarvinen, founder of EMMAvet Veterinary Urgent Care, it’s important to acknowledge plainly that things might not be fine, make sure we’ve done everything we can to ensure the best p...

We hear a lot about the importance of not judging, whether that’s not judging ourselves or not judging others. Most of us probably try to live by that advice, but it’s often harder than it sounds. So often we fall into attitudes of judgment without even meaning to, especially when it comes to ourselves, where our judgments are often the harshest of all. That attitude of judgment can cloud our pers...

We’re used to the idea of work and play being not just separate things, but often polar opposites. Work is serious, play is frivolous. Work is necessary, play is more optional. Work is useful and productive, play is our less useful reward for putting in all that productive work. But while this is definitely the case sometimes, does it really have to be the case all the time? Professional pet sitte...

“I should do this, I should do that…” Our lives are full of “shoulds,” of tasks and errands that we feel obligated to do, and that gnaw away at us when we don’t. Many of us go through our days carrying the guilt and anxiety that results from not having done or accomplished everything we “should.” Needless to say, this is hardly a recipe for a healthy or flourishing emotional life. What if it didn’...

Communication is at the heart of any relationship. So much of a healthy relationship depends on being able to communicate our thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires to the people we love. This isn’t always easy, of course- wires get crossed, words get misunderstood. And all of this gets even harder when one of us isn’t human. We love our pets and we think (or at least hope) that they love us as we...

Each of us has visions of what we want in life- things we hope to do, achieve, and experience. Envisioning, planning, and daydreaming about these things can be useful and is certainly enjoyable, but when it comes time to take action to try and make them a reality…well, that can be intimidating, even frightening. It’s often tempting--and always easier--to simply enjoy the daydream. So how do we ins...

It makes sense to say that we can’t do it all. After all, we’re each just one person, and no one person can do everything, right? But then you meet someone like Dr. Meghan Herron who seems like she really has done it all- gone to veterinary school, raised two kids, and single-handedly started an entirely new program of study at OSU- and you can’t help but wonder if maybe there is some way to do it...

Our lives very rarely take the paths we think they will. Even if we end up where we planned, we seldom take the route we thought we would. Looking back, it’s sometimes easy to see how a combination of seemingly unconnected chances, events, and decisions led us to where we are (for good or ill), but in the moment we often feel as though we’re flying blind. And then there are the times we’re sure we...

Whether it’s relationships, jobs, finances, health, or a dozen other areas, everybody wants to feel as though they have control over their life. We crave the security that comes from knowing–or at least feeling like we know–where we’re headed, and that things are going according to plan. But the truth is that we actually have control over far fewer things than we might like.  While facing the limi...

Time, whether we like it or not, marches on. All our experiences, both good and bad, are only temporary. Reminding ourselves of this can be a double-edged sword. While it may make it easier for us to soldier on through the hard times, remembering that they won’t last forever, it can also be disheartening to remember that all the good times will pass away as well. But maybe the well-known saying th...

We all know the old adage “practice makes perfect.” At first glance, it seems like good advice. Isn’t perfection the goal, the thing we should all strive for? After all, if something is perfect it is, by definition, the best it can possibly be. Nothing can be better than that–or can it? Is there something out there that could be better than the ever-elusive “perfect?” Turns out there just might be...

Stress. Burnout. Compassion fatigue. These are issues everybody faces, but are especially common among pet professionals. Awareness around these issues is growing, but it can still be hard to know what to do when we find ourselves in those tough times. As a dog trainer and a licensed clinical social worker, Sarah Pellizzari is an expert at taking care of both animals and people. The owner of South...

Time. It’s quite possibly our most precious resource, and one that many of us feel we never have enough of. With what can seem like a million things all clamoring for our attention at once, trying to figure out how to prioritize our time and use it wisely can feel overwhelming and well-nigh impossible. Perhaps the solution lies in changing how we look at time in the first place. Kathrine Christ, M...

Support is essential to all of our endeavors. If we lack the support and encouragement of those around us, especially our nearest and dearest, our mental and emotional well-being suffers and success becomes harder to achieve. But what exactly does support look like? Where does it come from and how do we find it? What does it mean not just to receive support, but to give it as well? Debra Horwitz,...

What you think about you matters most. External validation means you are measuring your self-worth based on what other people think of your behavior. Internal validation means you are clear about who you are and what you value, so you always have an easy way to measure your success. Listen in on this great conversation with Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB. She  shared her thoughts about the power of inte...

Imposter syndrome is extraordinarily common and incredibly debilitating. All around, you see capable, competent pet pros who are doing a terrific job. And I'm here to tell you that most of them can't see how amazing they are. Can you? Do you know how amazing you are?  If you struggle with imposter feelings, it's likely that at least one of the seven reasons in this episode has gotten in your way. 

A limiting belief is something you believe to be true that constrains your choices in some way. It's a belief that "that's just the way things are, and there's nothing I can do about it." Often you won't even recognize your limiting beliefs and so you'll never test them to see if they help or hinder you. Learning to recognize your limiting beliefs and make more active choices allows you to show up...

How much is "enough" and how much is an "abundance?" This varies by category and circumstance. We often think of money when we talk about abundance. How much money would you need to have to feel abundant? What about other categories? How many supportive relationships would feel like an abundance? How much time to dedicate to your own interests and needs? What amount of sleep would be abundant for...

There's magic in diving deep into a subject and learning as much as you possibly can about it. There's something so exciting and energizing about it. Hannah Branigan, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, is a self-described nerd. Her passion subjects include dog training, Applied Behavior Analysis, and neuroscience. That's quite a mix! She joined me for a fun conversation about the power of owning your interests and...

FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST Far too often, your attention is focused more on other people's priorities than your own. Focus gives you purpose to pursue work that's meaningful to you *and* the freedom to do what you choose, feeling present, calm, and content. Pet professionals often find their work isolating and draining. Maintaining a focus on what matters most to you re-energizes you and helps you...