Rekindling: Compassion Fatigue Solutions For Animal Workers

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 right now. And if it encourages you to shift, pivot or change your thinking about something in your life. It does for me, every damn time. 

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 am in the same place. But it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Chapter 3 I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I fall in….it’s a habit…but my eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. Chapter 4 I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. Chapter 5 I walk down a different street.

"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. Listen and learn what I mean by that. 

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 Logistics, an inventory management company.  You can find out more about Nicole's company, Veterinary Care Logistics at: www.vetlogic.co Book recommendations by Nicole: Here are my 3(ish) book recs: (extra one for personal/romantic relationships) "Us" by Terrence Real "The Mountain is You" or "This is How You Heal" by Brianna Wiest "Unmasking Autism" by Devon Price "The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control" by Katherine Morgan Schafler

Euthanizing animals brings up a plethora of emotions including compassion, guilt and doubt. What your relationship is with the animal also tends to dictate what emotional path you may go down. Pet owner, veterinary professional and animal welfare personnel may all feel a different level or attachment or detachment. But what about lab animal professionals? These folks work with research animals to find cures, therapies, discoveries and innovations that extend lives to humans and animals. So how do the folks that dedicate their lives to lab animal research cope with the levels of euthanasia they perform? Especially if it's "just" a mouse. 

This week I'm sharing two of my favorite readings. One's that speaks to why as an animal professional you need to make space for grief. This is from Dr. Rachel Remen's "Kitchen Table Wisdom" book and this chapter is aptly named "Professionals Don't Cry". Also in the episode I read from John Roedel's "Remedy", poem #37.  Registration is currently open for my 6-month online group for women veterinarians, Living A Life You Love. This group runs April-September and you can get all the info here.  Registration closes on March 29, 2024 at 11:59pm ET. 

I recently received an email asking me to do a podcast about how to decide whether or not to take meds for mental health issues. So I put my thoughts together in addition to a client testimonial of one of my 1:1 clients who did try meds and what their experience was. 

4 years ago this week, the work came to a halt as COVID-19 spread across the globe creating havoc, chaos and a tremendous loss. As someone who cares for animals, you stepped up in such a profound way to figure out how to continue to provide care for animals. It's time to stop and reflect on what we learned and also what we've forgotten as we've resumed our lives post-pandemic. 

What you think about money is the basis for your relationship with money. Most people who don't have the financial results that they want can usually trace it back to a limiting belief they have about money based on how they were raised around money and what society has told them about what they can earn, save and/or spend. This episode will help you uncover what your current thinking about money is and how you can change it.  I mention Dr. Grace Kim from Richer Life DVM, here is her contact info. https://richerlifedvm.com/