The Whole Pack

Episode 35

How do our own fears, stress, and unresolved patterns affect the way we care for animals?

This week, Sunny turns the tables and interviews Melissa about her personal healing journey, her studies in Indigenous Andean healing traditions, and how that work has changed the way she approaches animal communication, energy work, and caring for her own animals.

They explore the difference between intuition and anxiety, how our need for control can influence the decisions we make for animals, and why surrendering doesn’t mean giving up.

They also discuss people-pleasing, boundaries, burnout, and the importance of recognizing our own patterns without blaming ourselves for everything that happens to the animals we love.

And if you’re wondering where to begin with your own inner work, Melissa shares some simple ways to practice presence, build awareness, and reconnect with yourself alongside your animals.

Healing isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming more aware of how we show up.

Connect with Melissa

Melissa Sherman is an animal communicator, medium, and energy practitioner who supports both animals and people through communication, energy work, and holistic approaches to healing.

If this conversation resonates with you and you’re ready to explore your own healing journey, or you’re looking for support for an animal in your life, visit calmingcreek.com to learn more about working with Melissa.

Support by following on @calmingcreekhealing

Disclaimer:This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Compassionate Paws: Pet Loss Remembrance 2026

Remembering the Animals We Love

On November 1st, we gathered for our second annual Compassionate Paws Pet Loss Remembrance event, a time to come together, share memories, and honor the animals who have touched our lives.

In this special episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny share a conversation about love, loss, and the many ways we continue to carry our animals with us after they’ve passed.

Together, we take some time to slow down, remember our companions, and reflect on the relationships that have shaped our lives. We also invite you to participate in a guided reflection, whether you’re listening for the first time or joining us again after the live event.

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and there’s no right or wrong way to remember someone you love. Whether your loss is recent or happened many years ago, we hope this gathering offers a little comfort and a place to remember.

This episode was recorded live on Substack on November 1st as part of our second annual Compassionate Paws Pet Loss Remembrance gathering.

Join Our Community

If you’re navigating the loss of an animal companion, or simply want a place where you can talk openly about grief and remembrance, we’d love to welcome you to our Compassionate Paws Facebook community.

Join the Conversation

We’d love to hear about the animals you’re remembering. Feel free to share their names, a favorite memory, or something you’d like to thank them for in the comments.

The Whole Pack is a subscriber-supported podcast. Subscribe for free to support the show and join us for future conversations and gatherings.

Episode 33

Everything happens for a reason. Stay positive. Your animal came into your life to teach you a lesson.

We’ve probably all heard these phrases, and maybe even said them ourselves. They’re often offered with good intentions, but what happens when those words dismiss someone’s grief, create guilt, or keep us from facing something difficult?

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny explore spiritual bypassing and how it shows up in the holistic wellness and animal care communities.

They discuss toxic positivity, the pressure to maintain a high vibration, and the harm that can come from suggesting someone caused their animal’s illness through their thoughts or emotions. They also explore what happens when spiritual beliefs are used to avoid difficult conversations, delay veterinary care, or rush someone through grief before they’ve had a chance to experience it.

Drawing from their own experiences as practitioners and animal guardians, Melissa and Sunny talk about the importance of doing our own inner work, knowing when to offer advice, and learning to simply be present with someone who is hurting.

Spirituality and holistic practices can be meaningful sources of support. The question is whether we’re using them to help someone face what’s happening or to avoid the uncomfortable parts.

Timestamps

00:00 What is spiritual bypassing?

03:00 Toxic positivity, high vibrations, and harmful spiritual messages

7:00 When spiritual beliefs interfere with animal care09:00 Grief, discomfort, and the importance of holding space

14:00 How to recognize and avoid spiritual bypassing

17:00 Red flags to watch for in holistic practitioners

Compassionate Paws

If you’re navigating the loss of an animal companion or facing difficult end-of-life decisions, you’re welcome to join Compassionate Paws, our free Facebook community for pet loss support, remembrance, and connection.

Join Compassionate Paws on Facebook

Join the Conversation

Have you ever had someone offer a spiritual explanation or positive message when what you really needed was for them to listen? How did that experience affect you?

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

The Whole Pack is a subscriber supported podcast. If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe for free to support the show and never miss an episode.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach

Episode 32

What happens when the work you love is also the work that’s hurting you?

Animal care professionals experience loss in ways that often go unseen. From shelter workers and veterinary teams to rescuers, foster families, and advocates, there’s an emotional side to caring for animals that doesn’t always get acknowledged.

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny welcome licensed professional counselor, author, and former animal welfare worker Jen Blough for a conversation about compassion fatigue, grief, and trauma in animal care.

Jen shares her own experiences working in shelters and animal control, including the grief that builds when there’s no time to process one loss before facing another. They explore disenfranchised grief, moral injury, secondary traumatic stress, and why being deeply affected by this work doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for it.

They also discuss the difference between pain and suffering, why self-care alone isn’t enough, and how we can make room for joy while continuing to care deeply about animals.

Because loving this work and finding it difficult can both be true.

Timestamps

00:00 Meet Jen Blough and her journey from animal welfare to therapy

07:06 Ambiguous loss and the grief we don’t always recognize

18:09 When grief and loss keep piling up

23:06 Moral injury, trauma, and impossible decisions

29:25 The difference between pain and suffering

36:05 How we can better support people working with animals

Connect with Jen Blough

Jen is the author of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior and the forthcoming Beyond Compassion Fatigue: Trauma, Resilience, and Recovery in Animal Care and Advocacy, available for preorder ahead of its February 9, 2027 release.

* Website, book, and free resources: Beyond Compassion Fatigue

* Certification program: Compassion Fatigue Professional in Animal Welfare (CFPAW)

* Instagram: @beyondcompassionfatigue

* Podcast: Beyond Compassion Fatigue, available on major podcast platforms. Jen recommends Episode 6 for a deeper conversation about disenfranchised grief.

Join the Conversation

If you work with animals, have you ever felt that you weren’t allowed to grieve, take a break, or acknowledge how much the work was affecting you?

We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.

The Whole Pack is a subscriber-supported podcast. If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe for free to support the show and never miss an episode.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach

The Impossible Decision

What Nobody Tells You About Choosing When to Let Your Animal Go

How do you know when it's time to say goodbye to an animal you love? And how do you live with a decision that can never feel completely certain?

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny have an emotional and deeply personal conversation about one of the hardest responsibilities we face as animal guardians: making end-of-life decisions for someone we love.

They explore the uncertainty surrounding euthanasia and natural death, the fear of choosing too soon or waiting too long, and why the familiar advice that you'll just know when it's time doesn't always help.

Drawing from their own experiences with loss and their work supporting animals and their families, they discuss quality-of-life assessments, anticipatory grief, and the importance of preparing for the practical aspects of saying goodbye while recognizing that things don't always go according to plan.

They also talk about the guilt that can follow a loss, the importance of allowing families to make their own decisions without judgment, and how practitioners can continue supporting clients after an animal has passed.

There may never be a perfect time or a perfect decision. But no one should have to navigate these conversations alone.

Timestamps

00:00 Acknowledging the grief around us02:00 How will I know when it's time?04:00 Why you'll just know isn't always helpful06:00 The fear of choosing too soon or too late07:00 Melissa's experience with Jolie and the weight of outside pressure09:00 Preparing for end-of-life decisions and aftercare11:00 When plans change and the importance of rituals14:00 Natural death, euthanasia, and personal choice16:00 Using quality-of-life assessments to find clarity17:00 Supporting families without making decisions for them18:00 When anticipatory grief takes over20:00 Guilt, disenfranchised grief, and finding community21:00 Why support matters after an animal has passed

Compassionate Paws

Grief can feel especially isolating when the people around us don't understand the depth of our relationships with animals.

Compassionate Paws is our free Facebook community for anyone navigating pet loss, anticipatory grief, or the emotions that come with saying goodbye. It's a place to share, remember, and connect with others who understand.

Join Compassionate Paws on Facebook

Join the Conversation

Have you faced the uncertainty of making an end-of-life decision for an animal you love? What helped you navigate that experience?

We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

The Whole Pack is a subscriber-supported podcast. If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe for free to support the show and never miss an episode.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach

Episode 29

Hope can carry us through a frightening diagnosis, chronic illness, and long stretches of uncertainty with our animals. It can keep us looking for answers and believing things can get better.

But what happens when hope starts to feel heavy?

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny talk about the point where trying to help can become a constant search for one more treatment, supplement, test, or answer. When we’re focused on changing a diagnosis, improving a lab value, or finding the thing we’ve somehow missed, it can become harder to see the animal who is actually in front of us.

They explore the difference between staying hopeful and becoming consumed by the search for a different outcome, why practitioners need to be careful not to feed a caretaker’s anxiety, and how stepping back can help us look at quality of life more clearly.

Sometimes the most important question isn’t What else can I do? It’s whether what we’re doing is helping our animal live their life.

Hope doesn’t have to disappear. But sometimes it needs to change shape.

Timestamps

00:00 When hope starts to feel heavy

03:00 What happens when we’re searching for one more answer

08:00 Seeing clearly when you’re too close

09:00 Looking at patterns and quality of life

13:00 A diagnosis isn’t the whole animal

17:00 When hope becomes a frantic search

19:00 Letting hope change direction

21:00 The practitioner’s role in difficult conversations

23:00 There’s always something we can do

24:00 Supporting the caretaker, too

Join the Conversation

Have you ever found yourself so focused on finding an answer for your animal that it became difficult to step back and see how they were actually doing?

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach

Episode 28

When something is wrong with our animal companion, it’s natural to want an answer. Maybe there’s a food we haven’t tried, a supplement we’re missing, another practitioner who will see what everyone else has missed, or one underlying cause that will finally make everything click.

But what happens when there isn’t one perfect answer?

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny talk about the pressure pet guardians and holistic practitioners can put on themselves to keep searching, fixing, and trying something new, especially when dealing with chronic illness or complicated health issues.

They explore the difference between looking for useful information and looking for certainty, why “finding the root cause” doesn’t always mean finding one single thing, and how the desire to help can sometimes turn into the need to fix.

They also discuss what it means to move from “How do I fix this?” to “How can I support this?” Sometimes good care isn’t about finding the perfect protocol. It’s about listening, simplifying, paying attention to what’s actually helping, supporting quality of life, and making the next best decision with the information you have.

Because more information doesn’t always create more clarity, and accepting uncertainty doesn’t mean giving up.

Timestamps

00:00 The search for the perfect answer

04:00 Does every health problem have one root cause?

06:00 Are you looking for information or certainty?08:00 The pressure practitioners feel to have the answer

12:00 Moving from fixing to supporting

16:30 Why a sustainable plan can be better than a perfect one

18:00 Acceptance, quality of life, and knowing our limitations

21:00 When do you keep searching, and when do you let something be?

Join the Conversation

How do you know when to keep searching for answers and when to let something be?

The Whole Pack is a subscriber-supported podcast. If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe for free to support the show and never miss an episode.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach

Episode 27

When you love an animal deeply, you notice things. A change in appetite. A different walk. An unusual behavior. That attentiveness can be an important part of caring for them.

But after illness, trauma, or loss, attentiveness can sometimes become hypervigilance. Instead of noticing what is happening, we begin searching for what might go wrong.

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa and Sunny have a vulnerable conversation about pet-parent anxiety, grief, and the fear of missing something.

Sunny shares how losing three dogs under traumatic circumstances affected the way she watches her animals today, while Melissa talks about navigating her own fears after losing Loki and while caring for her senior dog, Cooper.

They explore the difference between attunement and hypervigilance, reassurance-seeking and “cyberchondria,” intuition vs. anxiety, anticipatory anxiety with aging and chronically ill animals, and why looking for subtle signs can sometimes become a trap.

Most importantly, they talk about finding the space between paying attention and actually enjoying the animal who is still here.

Because sometimes the bravest form of care is allowing a good day to simply be a good day.

For additional notes join us on The Whole Pack on Substack.

Timestamps

00:00 When attentiveness becomes hypervigilance

01:30 Sunny shares the losses that changed how she watches her dogs

05:30 Attunement vs. hypervigilance

10:00 Reassurance-seeking, Googling and “cyberchondria”

16:00 Intuition vs. anxiety

20:30 Anticipatory anxiety and losing the present moment

23:00 Why more information isn’t always more care

26:00 Letting a good day be a good day

The Whole Pack is a subscriber-supported podcast. If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe for free to support the show and never miss an episode.

Disclaimer:This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to The Whole Pack on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach

Episode 26: Your dog has the carefully planned meals, the supplements, the walks, the appointments, and the wellness routine.

And you had a bag of chips for dinner.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of The Whole Pack, Melissa Sherman and Sunny Gandara talk about something that often gets overlooked in pet wellness: the person doing the caring.

Our animals aren't biologically the same as us, but we live together. We share environments, routines, movement, stress, rest, and relationships. And when caring for an animal becomes a source of constant pressure, perfectionism, or exhaustion, it may be time to look at the health of the whole household.

Melissa and Sunny talk about nervous-system regulation, shared healthy habits, simplifying food preparation, the pressure to do everything perfectly, and why depletion isn't a measure of how much you love your animal.

Plus, they each commit to one small thing they'll do for themselves.

In this episode:

Why you belong in your animal's wellness plan

The connection between household stress and our animals

Why wellness doesn't always require another product or protocol

Making healthy habits work for both ends of the leash

Letting go of perfectionism in pet care

Why caring for yourself isn't taking away from your animal

Simple places to start without adding another thing to your list

What about you? What's one small thing you could do this week to make life a little healthier or easier for both you and your animal?

For timestamps, additional takeaways, and more ways to continue the conversation, join us on The Whole Pack on Substack.

Timestamps

00:00 Health happens in a household

02:00 When the pet eats better than the person

04:30 Health isn’t only something we purchase

06:00 Melissa’s experience with Maisy and Noodle

08:00 Stress, anxiety, and the household nervous system

10:00 Why your own regulation matters

12:30 Making wellness simpler instead of adding more

14:00 Small changes and finding room to rest

16:00 Let your dog teach you how to be present

16:30 Making food preparation work for both species

18:00 Perfectionism and the wellness trap

20:00 Exhaustion isn’t proof of devotion

22:00 Melissa and Sunny choose one thing for themselves

25:00 You are part of your animal’s care plan

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or a qualified professional regarding your animal’s health.

Follow The Whole Pack:

Instagram: @thewholepack_

Facebook: @thewholepack

YouTube: @thewholepack

Connect with the hosts:

Melissa Sherman – Calming Creek

Website: calmingcreek.com

Instagram: @calmingcreekhealing

Sunny Gandara – Nacho Average Dog Health Coach

Website: nachoaveragedoghealthcoach.com

Instagram: @nachoaveragedoghealthcoach