Rekindling: Compassion Fatigue Solutions For Animal Workers

What if the deck is stacked against women and the whole "work-life balance" thing isn't even attainable? Or maybe we have to redefine what balance looks like and why we want it. The women I meet in vet med, animal welfare and the research community often feel like they are failing at everything. They are told they should be able to have it all and yet feel like it's an impossibility for them. And maybe they are right. In this episode I explore: -what work/life balance means to people -what we really want -how the game may be unfair -how the socialization of women stacks the deck against them -what the "invisible workload" of women is -how to make changes julie@rekindlesolutions.com to inquire about 1:1 private coaching. Text REKINDLE to 66866 to receive my bi-weekly e-inspiration!

The only constant is change. Boy I hate that quote! Actually my brain hates that quote. Our brain is dead set against change in any and all forms so no wonder we feel such resistance to it. But change is a part of life and just because our brain hates it doesn't mean we don't have to learn to navigate it.  In this episode you'll learn: -why we resist change -what your brain makes change mean -the four phases of the Change Cycle -3 ways to navigate change

What do you do when life hands you lemons? When your dog dies? When other things aren't going the way you want? You can think the Universe is conspiring against you, that God hates you or you can think that it's time to make lemonade!!! You can't control life but you can control your experience of it. You can control how you think about it, how you feel about it and how you respond to what happens. And you must!

I'm often asked how to know if someone we work with is struggling with compassion fatigue or other issues. Most of the time it can be very hard to tell but with awareness we can know what to look for. While cleaning out my Mom's house I came across a piece of writing that deeply touched me. It was raw and vulnerable and spoke so clearly about mental health issues and how we all wear "masks" (not ones to prevent COVID) to hide ourselves behind sometimes. This piece of writing I have now discovered was written by American poet Charles. C. Finn. I want to give him the credit he deserves.

Does our belief in God impact our compassion fatigue? Does a belief system that includes faith have an affect on how we feel in our work with animals? Do God and compassion fatigue intersect or are they unrelated? All great questions that I'll tackle in this episode. This episode is not meant to sway you one way or another. It's just meant to give you some things to think about. I'll share with you my beliefs and that's all they are, my beliefs. Ultimately we all get to believe what we want about this life, the afterlife and God.

You've likely heard the phrase "good vibes only". But life isn't good all of the time. It's half good and half not good. So what are we supposed to do with the half not good? Slap a positive, silver-lining thought onto it? As a coach who teaches thought work, it's often confused that I teach that we should just think positively all the time. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We don't often think that the emotional pain we feel has a purpose, but it does. The sadness, loss and grief we experience in life has purpose. In this episode I will tell you what I believe it is and how that can help you as you experience emotional pain in your life. Some things are certain in life, emotional pain is one of them. Get comfortable with your discomfort and your entire life will change.

In this episode I'm sharing with you my current raw, unfiltered and not yet completely understood experience with grief after losing my mom suddenly last week. I have many things to yet figure out as I walk alongside of grief and I invite you to join me in this episode and perhaps learn about your own dance with the most uncomfortable and painful emotion of grief. When we can be willing to open ourselves to our pain we will learn a tremendous amount about ourselves and others. I didn't get to choose this, but I can choose how I interact with the experience I find myself in. And in doing so, I hope to help you too.

Confidence = the belief we have in ourselves. You don't either have it or not, you can actually create it for yourself. And you should! In this episode you'll learn: -the difference between confidence and arrogance -confidence vs. self-confidence -how to create both -how we are socialized to not be confident -how fear is all just part of the deal Subscribe to my bi-weekly e-inspirations by texting REKINDLE to 66866. If you need a cheerleader, I'm your girl!

This episode is my conversation with Isaiah Douglass, MBA, CFP. Isaiah is s financial planner who works with veterinarians to help them sort out as he says "anything that has a $ sign". We chat about: -His view on repaying student loans -Investing in ourselves -How different genders are socialized about money -Why we have a hard time talking about the cost of services in vet med -and much more! The Veterinarian Success Podcast  Isaiah's LinkedIn

Most of the humans I know are not human BEINGS but human DOINGS. They are running from work to errands to responsibilities/obligations and feeling exhausted. And it's no wonder! Working with animals can be intense. It requires a lot of your physical, mental and emotional energy. And while compassion fatigue is complex, what increases your susceptibility is neglecting your own need for slowing down and creating some "white space" in your life.  In this episode I'll share the #1 reason why we're all running ourselves ragged and how to stop. 

Could we be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? Millions of people globally are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and perhaps this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Fingers crossed. This episode is a Pep Talk. I share with you the Top 10 Things I Can't Wait To Do Again and I encourage you to create your own list. Also in this episode I invite you to see what is OK in your life right NOW.

Compassion fatigue is often coined the "cost of caring" because of the impact that witnessing others in pain or distress has on the caregiver. But there's another "cost of caring" related to veterinary medicine and animal welfare work and that is the financial limitations of the pet owner. There is no question that the ability to afford veterinary care is an obstacle for many and because of that pets may not get the treatments, medications or procedures they need. Clients may even opt for euthanasia because of financial constraints. Are there solutions? You bet! And today's guest, Suzanne Cannon Co-Founder of VetBilling and I talk all about it. You don't want to miss this. VetBilling's Website https://vetbilling.com/ Suzanne's contact info: acleverhound@gmail.com

What is your relationship with time? A love/hate one? Or a peaceful one? Do you feel you have enough time to do what you want or are you like most people who feel time is the enemy and you're always failing? Let's consider a new approach! In this episode I'll share: -how NOT to talk about time -how your brain is like an arsonist and how that gets in your way -my own process for mastering the 24 hour day -why you shouldn't ever say "I don't have time"

In the last episode I talked about Stage 1 and 2 of Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Self-awareness and self-management of your emotions. This episode is about Stage 3 and 4, social awareness (be aware of what others are feeling and needing) and relationship management (bringing together your awareness of your own emotions and those of others to create productive relationships). Working with animals requires working with people. Working with people requires EQ.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the fancy phrase for how aware you are of how your feelings and actions and those of others in a way that results in positive interactions. I wish we learned EQ in school because it would solve a LOT of problems. In this episode I dive into the first two stages of EQ, Self-Awareness and Self-Management. There's no question that EQ is a much needed skill to live a happy and fulfilled life. It will make you a better human, partner, parent and leader. So pop your earbuds in and take a listen!

How comfortable do you feel expressing yourself at work and not fearing punishment, rejection or embarrassment? How comfortable do you feel admitting you made a mistake or don't know how to do something even if you've been shown before? If you feel comfortable doing so than CONGRATULATIONS you are experiencing "psychological safety" in your place of work and it's a beautiful thing. I'm willing to bet that is not how many people feel working in veterinary practices, biomedical/biotech organizations and in animal welfare. My returning guest this week is Josh Vaisman of Flourish Veterinary Consulting. Josh is a lot of things (even a beekeeper) but most relevant for this convo is that he is an expert in leadership and helping veterinary teams thrive. You can find out more about Josh and his services at www.flourishveterinaryconsulting.com/

The "hustle for worthiness" is a phrase I first heard from Brené Brown where she talked about either owning who we are and our story or spending our time hustling for our worth. Most of us (especially women) have been socialized to believe our inherent worth comes from what others think about us, how helpful we are to others and how much and what we get done. It's all externally derived and we have to appease others in order to finally rest in the knowing that we are "enough". But that knowing usually doesn't come and so we stay on the hamster wheel of the hustle. No wonder so many animal workers feel tired, defeated and overwhelmed!

Ever wonder if life coaching is for you? Or how it could change your life? In this episode I interview former client Dr. Jenni Rizzo. Dr. Rizzo is an emergency veterinarian, founder of the Lone Star Veterinary Academy and is a board member of the American Heartworm Society . Like many people, Jenni found herself not loving how she was feeling about veterinary medicine. Stressed and overwhelmed she decided to give coaching a try and the rest is history...or should I say her-story! You can find out more about Dr. Rizzo, joining the Lone Star Veterinary Academy or attending their upcoming events by visiting www.lonestarvetacademy.com.

I continue my conversation with Kelly Burich, animal health professional and Organizational Leadership expert, about the role that women play in leadership, what gets in the way of that and how to overcome the obstacles that may exist. Whether you work in vet med, animal welfare or any other animal-related field, chances are good it is predominately women. Women must be aware of the places where sexism exists and how to move beyond the things that have held us back.