When people think of an aquarium, they often imagine a place with exhibits and large tanks for guests to interact with fish, turtles, sharks and other aquatic life. While it features more than 30,000 animals in one of the country’s largest indoor aquariums, the ultimate mission for Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is to spark compassion, curiosity and conservation for the aquatic animal world.

“We know that when people look nature in the eye and they have this in-person connection to an animal that it fosters an empathetic and emotional response that triggers responsibility to motivate stewardship of local waters and waters far away,” said Andrea Rodgers, Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Marketing at Shedd Aquarium. “We’re fortunate to have this long legacy as a visitation destination, but what’s feeding that visit is the incredible work we do across the globe.”

From sea otters and penguins to whales and dolphins, Shedd Aquarium is home to animals from aquatic environments around the world. Tune into the latest episode of The Ghidotti Podcast as Rodgers and host Natalie Ghidotti discuss how communications strategies help Shedd Aquarium achieve its mission to inspire compassion, curiosity and conservation for the aquatic animal world.