Boy oh boy, did life decide to life all over us today! Today we had a fun recording planned with the amazing Dr Susan Friedman, founder of Behavior Works... and then a surprise USDA inspection stole Ari away from us and threw everything into a tizzy! Chris did get a bit of time to chat with Susan, and though we decided to push our planned recording down the calendar to later in the year, I did get to record our chat, and at Susan's encouragement we decide to share some of it with you! We are nothing if not flexible, and hey - there's some good stuff in here!

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

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We also want to thank our sponsor, Magic Mind! To learn more about how Magic Mind can help you build your "Mental Wealth" and take advantage of a special 45% savings offer, visit ⁠https://www.magicmind.com/thetecjan⁠ - thanks Magic Mind!

Ari and Chris are back together to talk about everyone's favorite topic in the professional animal care world: dealing with the grief following the loss of an animal in your care. We share some great advice from others, some old attitudes that we think aren't helpful , and some excellent resources to help all of us deal with the worst part of our jobs. Also, stick around for the end, where we share some quick thoughts about the loss of a foundational leader in the animal training field, Karen Pryor, who passed away on January 4, 2025.

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

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We're excited to announce the return of our sponsor, Magic Mind! To learn more about how Magic Mind can help you build your "Mental Wealth" and take advantage of a special 45% savings offer, visit https://www.magicmind.com/thetecjan - thanks Magic Mind!

With Chris channeling the year our show was born by being knocked out by COVID, Ari takes the helm for the first podcast episode of the year to chat about all the new webinar, online course, and workshop offerings that NEI has on the books for 2025. Come hang out with us, it'll be a blast!

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

Ari and Chris are excited to be joined by former NEI'er, secret payroll lover, and reluctant extrovert Lacey Zeno, Curator of Ambassador Animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! Lacey talks about the path that took her from dog training and vet school prep to being Ari's roommate in Dallas (thanks, Amy Robinson!), achieving her goals of working with free-flight birds and elephants, the ins and out of making a huge move with two kids and too many pets, the importance of asking for helping when taking on new responsibilities, the essential role of building relationships with people you don't "need to," and why moving on to new things doesn't change who you are or take away from what you've done. You're doing it, Lacey!!

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

Thanks to the magic of technology, Chris is joined from the other side of planet Earth by Emma Pearce, Carnivore Keeper and Animal Training Coordinator at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand! Emma shares her journey through the animal care field in Australasia (including a brief detour into biosecurity), what it's like to be an "animal training committee of one," offers feedback about what it's like to be "pushed" by NEI, and how she's applying her animal training knowledge and skills to the human animals she works with.

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

We're excited to be joined by one of Chris' earliest mentors in the professional animal care world, Stu Levine! Stu crushes decades of amazing experiences into less than an hour to talk about being a part of the original "Florida NEI" team that moved Steve and the company from its former home base of Minnesota, the joy of eating lunch with a baboon every day, his history as a keeper, coordinator, and executive leadership consultant with the Walt Disney Company, the importance of combining organic learning with taking roles outside your comfort zone, why you should try to get a job doing your second favorite thing in life, and why leaders should let people dance on their dancefloor.

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

Coming back to the show for his first full-episode guest spot, Ari and Chris welcome Jon Rossi to the show! Jon talks about how his world shutting down in 2020 led to the creation of the Rossifari Podcast, his adventures getting to meet the various members of the NEI crew, how a silly joke gone too far got NEI's Amy Fennell killed (spoiler alert: she's alive and part of this episode), the series of events that got him involved with the Red Panda Network, Penguins International, and the Aquarium of Niagara, how being married to a vet keeps him grounded, and why it's important for people to fall in love with their local zoos. 

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

We are excited for the triumphant return of one of our favorite people (and earlier podcast guests), Megan Geddes! Megan catches us up on her post-NEI life in Australia (where she's currently a Senior Trainer at Taronga Zoo), reminisces about preparing the perfect outfit for her NEI phone interview, quizzes us on our knowledge of Aussie slang, discusses the importance of confidence and bravery, and shares the drawbacks of living close to seahorses. We miss you,  Megan - Mom and Dad are so proud! ;-)

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

Ari and Chris are excited for the return of Kait Wiktor, Manager of Animal Behavior and Wellbeing at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium! Kait joins us to talk about her recent adventures through all things "Crucial": the resources and certification programs from Crucial Learning, the organization behind our favorite professional (and personal) development resource, Crucial Conversations. Kait walks us through the six sources of influence, the importance of opinion leaders, the vital role of deliberate practice, why its good to have a suitcase of interventions when troubleshooting behavior challenges, and why you shouldn't "avoid the chainsaw." 

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!

A biologist? At Disney?? That's right, it's the return of Morgan Belle, Conservation Programs Manager with Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment!

After a brief recap of her history in the field, Morgan chats about life as "everyone's 'bug lady'", the (somewhat controversial) difference between bugs and insects, how improv classes were the scariest and most transformative thing she's ever done, and modern advancements in butterfly telemetry, before partnering with Ari to tell the most epic entomological tale ever: the story of "The Bee."

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at [email protected]!