Laurie Hood's Difference Makers

In Part Two of Laurie's interview with Peter Knights, the founder and president of WildAid, Laurie and Peter discuss the "difference maker" celebrities—Danai Gurira, Yao Ming, His Royal Highness Prince William, Lupita Nyong'o, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jackie Chan, Sir Richard Branson, and Maggie Q—who work tirelessly with Peter and how their efforts are saving precious lives and paving the way toward lo...

Peter Knights is one of the biggest names in wildlife conservation and advocacy. As founder and president of WildAid, he may be the most influential "difference maker" of our time. In Part One of Laurie Hood's two part interview, Peter describes how he began his life's work as a wildlife trafficking investigator and ultimately founded WildAid, the global leader in the concept of demand reduction—which vigorously...

In her Part Four interview with Laurie, Temple Grandin discusses her unique relationship with and deep understanding of animals that has literally changed global thinking. The world famous author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior also offers general advice that every animal lover can learn from. Her words of wisdom are especially relevant to the every day work at Alaqua Animal Refuge.

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When doctors told Temple Grandin’s mother she had little choice but to institutionalize her severely autistic daughter, her Mom ignored the experts. The pivotal move helped Temple find her way to become an unlikely hero to America's cattle industry and a true American icon. In Part Three of our four part interview, Temple sits down with Laurie and talks about her path to understanding the vital role of visual thinkers and the ...

In the 1970s, Temple Grandin, an autistic female working in an entirely male dominated world of livestock handling, single handedly improved the cattle industry with her brilliant mind, thinking, and perseverance. In fact today, major corporations will not use vendors who do not meet her standards, and half the cattle in the country are raised in facilities that she’s designed. Part Two of Laurie's recent four part interview w...

Temple Grandin, world-famous author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior, sits down with Alaqua Founder Laurie Hood for incredible conversations about Temple's amazing life story and accomplishments. In this Part One interview, Temple reflects on the making of the HBO five-time Emmy award-winning film about her that was portrayed by Claire Danes. The Colorado State University professor of animal sciences also talks a...

From Pablo Escobar's Hippo farm in Columbia to the Galapagos islands, Emma Clifford's Animal Balance organization collaborates with communities in need to create sustainable and humane non-human animal management programs to prevent suffering and ignite social change.

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Our combined work depends upon your donations and support to keep pushing forward and making real changes in animals' liv...

Sonya Spaziani, a.k.a. "Mustang Meg", founder of Mustang Wild, gives host Laurie Hood her first view of wild Mustangs in Oregon's South Steens high desert. Sonya candidly speaks with Laurie about her love of freedom after escaping communism as an infant and her passion to maintain freedom for the iconic American wild Mustang herds she's been tracking, photography, and advocating for over several decades.

Laurie Hood and Odessa Gunn, peers at Animal Wellness Action and both founders of animal refuges, share stories about their passion for animals and Odessa's focus on the Chinese wet market crisis.

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Our combined work depends upon your donations and support to keep pushing forward and making real changes in animals' lives. We encourage you to learn more about the "differences" our gues...

Monty Roberts is a real-life horse whisperer—an American original whose gentle "Join-Up" training method reveals the depth of communication possible between human and animal. He's sold six million books, is friends with the Queen of England, and is idolized by generations of horse lovers.

Monty can take a wild, high-strung horse who has never been handled and persuade that horse to accept a saddle, and rider...

Animal Wellness Action Lobbyist, Marty Irby, talks to Laurie Hood about his wild ride from World Champion to outcast to top-ten DC lobbyists, and shares his feelings about animal advocates, activists, and "whack-tivists." Marty has played a key role in protecting Tennessee Walking horses, removing violence from the racehorse industry, and saving wild Mustangs.

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Laurie Hood interviews Ellie Phipps Price, president of the American Wild Horse Campaign, at her Montgomery Creek Ranch in Northern California where they discuss what's wrong with, and what can be fixed, with the way wild Mustangs are unfairly treated, at taxpayers' expense.

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Our combined work depends upon your donations and support to keep pushing forward and making real change in animals&apo...

 Wildlife expert, filmmaker, and photographer Buck Wilde partners with Esther Gossweiler, wildlife photographer, to chat with Alaqua Animal Refuge Founder and "Difference Makers" Host Laurie Hood about their joint venture filming "Dark Wild Howling," a documentary highlighting rare Alaskan Sea Wolves in the remote vast Alaska wilderness while going nose-to-nose with Black Bears.

Buck Wilde, known as &q...