Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms!

This week, I am sharing my story! As host of the Mothering Wildlife Podcast, I have been so thankful to all my guests for sharing their stories, so I thought it was about time that I shared my own.

Join me as I dive into my professional journey from zookeeper to registrar. I recount all the facilities and roles that I've held in the past 20 years, including those at the Naples Zoo, Dallas Zoo, and Longneck Manor.

I also talk a bit about my children and how a couple of nights ago, I sat at my dinner table and had a moment where I realized I needed to deal with my emotions surrounding whether or not I am done having children. My two boys, 10 and 5, have been the lights of my life, and I talk very candidly about both my postpartum periods and the struggles I endured - from breastfeeding to intrusive thoughts, and returning to work.

I hope my story is as comforting as those stories of my guests. This podcast has been so important in creating a community of moms within the zoo field, sharing each other's challenges and successes, and allowing one to feel a little less alone. Enjoy!

Mothering Wildlife links:
Facebook MotheringWildlifePodcast
Instagram @motheringwildlife
Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms!

My guest this week is Kayla Freeman, the Large Mammal Supervisor at Blank Park Zoo. She cares for a variety of large hoofstock, including rhino, giraffe, camel, and okapi. As a working supervisor, she spends a good portion of her week out in the field, working with the animals. However, she is able to dedicate one day to doing office work. Like so many others in a working supervisory role, Kayla is busy! She shares that efficiency and time management are so critical!

Kayla is a mom to three, but when Kayla started working at Blank Park Zoo she was 20 weeks pregnant with her first child. Kayla and I talk very candidly about the postpartum period. She shares how different each of her postpartum periods were and she opens up about her struggles during her third postpartum and how it made her realize that she needed to take care of herself and her mental health.

Now that her children are getting a little older, Kayla is working towards being involved in the larger AZA community. She feels that her capacity to focus on professional involvement has changed, especially since she has been able to set boundaries around what she is involved in by asking, "What commitments are involved?" This is such a great question to set expectations up front when starting to involve yourself in larger professional projects!

Mothering Wildlife links:
Facebook MotheringWildlifePodcast
Instagram @motheringwildlife
Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms!

My guest this week is Sarah Radecker, a Wildlife Connections Supervisor at the Houston Zoo. Sarah manages a team of 21 keepers while overseeing a very diverse animal collection, including reptiles, small mammals like mongoose and meerkats, and ambassador animals!

Sarah and I dive into the postpartum period and what it is like to return to work. We talk about how it feels easier to return to a job you are passionate about as well as how returning to a team with other moms can really help the transition.

Sarah's journey in the zoo field also includes a brief amount of time spent working out of the field. We talk about the emotions that come with stepping away from that "zookeeper" identity and how reframing her mindset helped with that pivot to something new. She made an intentional choice to focus on motherhood during this time, and she shares how she embraced that - as well as how she ultimately made her way back to the zoo!

Mothering Wildlife links:
Facebook MotheringWildlifePodcast
Instagram @motheringwildlife
Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com