AquatiZoo podcast

It's not uncommon for people to think they're doing something good by withholding their corrections in hope that the other person will figure it out on their own. Confrontation can be intimidating, a…

Keepers are only available for a small portion of the day. We have to consider the experience of the animals all through the day, though, so let's take a closer look as to how and why we care what th…

It is perhaps not everyone's dream to be a middle manager, but rest assured, being in the position between a team of individual contributors and senior leadership requires special skill and awareness…

Mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion occurring at the same time can affect all aspects of our lives even when the stress is only experienced in one portion. What is burnout and what can be done…

The terms might seem interchangeable, but there's a big difference in using power via authority or influence. The manner in which followers respond is just as different. Today we discuss the nuances …

It's important for animal care professionals to understand how they cope with loss because it will happen. While the animals that we work with are not pets or family members, losses can hit hard. Cop…

Innovation and creativity sometimes have a cost, and that can be mistakes and unplanned outcomes. Is it worth it, though? Certainly! Today we talk about developing a culture of trying and why it's im…

This is a topic that we don't discuss a openly very often, but there come times in animals' lives when they get older or injured or sick that the staff must have meaningful conversation about the ani…

It can be difficult to navigate how to integrate into a new work environment and getting to know new coworkers. Should you share more about yourself? Less? Today we discuss the decisions to be made w…

Aquariums and zoos may very well be involved with work that helps to shape the language and direction of laws and protections that affect themselves as well as animals. It's delicate work, but helpfu…

Did you know that many aquariums and zoos run summer camps and programs? In case you'd never considered this as an option if you were looking for an interesting experience for a special young person,…

When you have a technical job or a technical mind, it can be challenging to navigate issues with people. We can't address the problems in the same way with analytics, logic, and facts. Today we discu…

It's understood that working with wild animals carries a lot of risk. Each institution spends a lot of time pondering and creating a lengthy list of safety protocols to help their staff stay safe eve…

Working with people tends to come with small annoyances that get under our skin. Whether it's friends, family, or coworkers, someone at some point is going to annoy you with their antics. Today we di…

It might seem obvious, but it's difficult for us as humans to perceive the entirety of our surroundings the same way the animals do. A challenge for animal care professionals, we have to consider man…

There is a combination of factors at play when we evaluate how to deal with conflict. We each have a natural tendency, a role to play, and a current objective in the conflict. It may not be comfortab…

People like to surround themselves with people that they like. Every once in a while, we make a particularly strong bond with one special person. Animals do the same! They have preferences and people…

It might sound like and odd pairing, but it's interesting to see how much overlap there can be in the skills that make a good leader and those that make a good animal trainer. It's more similar than …

How do animal care professionals know how to train animals? We put a lot of work into properly preparing ourselves and our coworkers to train animals, and it can be rather challenging to do properly.…

If you're interested in increasing your knowledge and experience within your craft, whose responsibility might it be to get you there? Is it yours? Your employer? Today we discuss the many facets of …