July 12, 2023 • 38 mins
Share your thoughts & ideas! ✨
What if you could transform your life and find your true passion by connecting with animals and nature? In our recent conversation with Cindie Carter from Walks and Wags and Social Dog Podcast, we explored her incredible journey from racing cars to discovering her life's purpose through her love for dogs. Cindie shares her inspiring story and the deep spiritual connection she has with animals and nature, as well as the support she received at every step of the way from her interspecies family, friends and community.
Cancer can be a life-changing experience, but how can our connection with animals help us through it? Cindie opened up about her own battle with cancer and the role her bond with animals played in her healing process. She emphasizes the importance of kindness and love, while also sharing the impact of spiritual role models, such as Saint Francis, on her journey. Listen in as we discuss the transformative power of animal companionship and the valuable lessons they can teach us.
Did you know that animals can sense energy and form deep connections with humans, even without meeting them in person? We delved into the fascinating world of animal communication with Cindie, as she recounted her unique bond with her furry friend Newton in Alaska. Discover the healing benefits of animals and how Cindie has worked with rescue animals to help them find their forever homes.
To learn more about her work and connect with Cindie , be sure to visit walksandwags.com and socialdogpodcast.com.
To learn more about SASA energy healing with The Lightfoot Way, enjoy our interview with Kim Shotola and Allison Culver: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2105365/11944608
Are you animal communication curious? Have I got something special for you! My new Animal Communication Adventure to Mastery student learning program just launched! This program is designed to be a gentle, yet thorough, serious, yet lighthearted path to interspecies fluency that pairs beautifully with my ongoing live Animal Communication Adventure Practice Circle for developing student practitioners. Visit animallovelanguages.com and click on programs to join us.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Shannon Cutts (00:12):
Welcome to Let's Talk to Animals.
My name is Shannon Cutts.
I am an animal intuitive andsensitive Reiki master
practitioner And, if you'rewatching the video version, i'm
also a mama to a precious littlefour month old puppy with wings
named Petal.
Today we're talking with CindieCarter from walks and wags and
social doc podcast.
I'm super excited to have youwith us And I'm really loving
(00:35):
your t-shirt.
Thank you, really loving it.
Yeah, wine, dogs and weekendsYou can't go wrong with that.
Not going to assume everyone cansee it, since we're a vlog cast
and a podcast, but Cindie and Ishare a common passion for
increasing connection and heartcentered communication between
(00:56):
people and their companionanimals, so if that sings to
your heart, i want you to knowthat you're in the right place.
I also want to share a few havefound Let's Talk to Animals my
podcast.
For the first time.
We are really all aboutdemystifying and de-wooing inner
species, communication andconnection, and so that's kind
of the mission.
The first three seasons ofLet's Talk to Animals, we really
(01:19):
spent a lot of time talking tomy colleagues, fellow animal
communicators, holistic petpractitioners, and for season
four, it's been kind of a blendso far of me sharing a little
bit more about my insight andstill featuring some of my
favorites who are out theredoing such amazing complimentary
work.
And, Cindie, you're one of those.
You have an amazing podcast ofyour own And I just want to make
(01:40):
mention of your website.
It's socialdogpodcastcom, andyou can also find Cindie at
walksandwagscom, so I'll putthose in the show notes.
But I'm also not going to makethe assumption that everyone
who's listening today hasalready met you and knows about
all the wonderful things thatyou're doing and, most
importantly, your heart for dogs.
So I'd love it if you wouldrewind us a little, take us back
(02:03):
to the beginning and share alittle bit more about your
journey and what brought youinto the work that you're doing
today.
Cindie Carter (02:10):
Absolutely Happy to share that with you And thank
you for having me on to thepodcast And thank you for
thinking with your heart insteadof your brain.
Now we're all on a mission,right?
Life's a journey, so enjoy it.
When I hit my, i used to racecars.
I was huge in the automotiveindustry Wow, i just threw that
(02:32):
out there.
I used to race Corvette Wow Anda sports car club of America
And I hit that glass ceiling Andsomeone asked me if you could
do anything.
You know anything.
All the money in the world,definitely, immediately, it was.
I just want to.
I just want to play with dogs.
(02:53):
I want to be with the animalsWithout thought.
That's what came out my mouth.
You know, looking back as Igrew up, you know people asking
what do you want to be?
I just want to play with yourdog.
Shannon Cutts (03:05):
Yeah, get on your dog.
Cindie Carter (03:07):
Yeah, oh, this is my answer.
So when I hit the glass ceiling, i was in a financial position
where I could continue to be inthe automotive business but
start doing research up the WestCoast, because I was living in
the West Coast at the time.
We sold everything We've backhome to New Orleans.
(03:28):
What a great place to grow up.
That's where I got to grow up.
Eight months later, hurricaneKatrina came, took everything,
took my target market, just tookeverything away.
It was kind of like the first.
It's crazy to even have thesewords come out my mouth but it
was kind of like the firstnatural disaster our country
(03:50):
really saw.
A lot of people passed.
Long story short, my in-lawsare from Mobile, alabama.
We were planning on going toAtlanta and 12 hours later we
were just getting to Mobilebefore the storm came.
As soon as I could set my footon the ground and I knew we had
nothing to go back to, startedhanding out flyers.
(04:13):
It's like, oh gosh, i don'twant to go back in the
automotive business And myin-laws have this real estate
empire here, like for sure.
The only daughter-in-law iscertainly going to join the
family, but it wasn't me.
It was still not me.
Years later they've come toadmire what my husband and I do.
(04:36):
This is our passion, our love.
My husband's a freaking naturemusician.
He really is the legit PiedPiper as well.
He's got just as big a heartfor animals as I do.
He's our pet taxi driver.
He's our photographer.
If I say I want to go to ananimal communication conference,
(04:57):
he backs me up 100%.
Yeah, he's just an amazinghuman being.
He really really is So.
Persistence, a lot of sweat, alot of tears, just being
persistent, knowing what youwant, and no matter how many
people are like you can be amillionaire, sewing houses or
(05:18):
whatever.
It's not about the money, it'sabout your heart and what feels
right.
And I think that's where a lotof people go wrong, like my son.
My son's a year out of highschool and all of his friends
went to college and he was likeI'm really not sure what I want
to do yet.
So he went and worked for avet's office.
(05:39):
Now he wants to become a vet.
I don't know how that happened.
Shannon Cutts (05:43):
I told you but I haven't shared this with our
dear listeners.
You can meet Cindy's wholefamily If you head over to
walksandwagscom.
There's a beautiful video andyou can meet the folks you're
hearing about right now and geta sense of how very supportive
and very nurturing your familylife is, And I really love that,
(06:06):
the vibe that you guys have.
I feel like it's easy tooverthink how we get into a
space where we can start puttingour dreams in motion and we
think that XYZ has to happen.
But really it's all an insidejob or at least that's the
experience I've had as well, Andit certainly sounds like that
(06:26):
for you.
Just notice the surprisingthings.
If you're listening right nowor you're watching and you're
thinking, I just I feel like I'mnot doing what I want to do or
I just love animals so much I'mnot sure how I could serve, or
even that dreaded left brainthought the market is gutted or
flooded or what I want or what Idream of is not possible.
Let's challenge that.
(06:47):
Just get quiet and then maybesay to yourself if I could do
anything and there were nobarriers and I had no fear, and
just notice what comes.
Say it quickly, notice whatcomes out of your mouth, Because
it seems like that's kind ofthe magic ticket for your family
, Cindy.
Cindie Carter (07:04):
It really is.
I think, if you think about it,it's coming from your brain and
not your heart, and regardless,you can't care about what
anybody else thinks, becauseyou're on your own journey.
You came for a purpose.
What is your purpose?
Shannon Cutts (07:21):
And I think there's another important
element, and we don't alwaysfind this in our family of
origin and you're blessed enoughthat you have and maybe you've
been very strategic about alsonurturing that, Because, of
course, the more we'reopen-hearted and we're brave,
the more others around us feelinspired and brave enough to
start opening up the shut doorsin their hearts as well.
But maybe you're not going tofind that encouragement and that
(07:44):
support And those what myintuitive teacher, Sonia
Schochette, calls your believingeyes, your community of
believing eyes.
Maybe you won't find that inyour family of origin, But in my
experience and I've had fivedecades under my life to date
there's always at least oneother individual in your life.
Maybe you start finding thatone other person by being that
person for someone else and justchampioning their dreams,
(08:07):
really listening to them, reallyhearing what is being said as
well as what's not being said.
And that's a really interestingintersection with animal
communication, because you,Cindy, have had some challenges
and you've had some healthchallenges as well as some
situational challenges, And youmade this really important
statement that just reallyimpacted my heart and you said
(08:28):
you found the company of animalsto be healing in ways that
often other human animals maybeweren't able to meet that need,
And I'd love for you to share alittle bit more about not just
what that felt like, but how youstarted to awaken your
awareness of that experience.
That's a great question.
Cindie Carter (08:44):
Yeah.
So, being totally transparent,i didn't have a wonderful
childhood, but there wereanimals around And I could say
there were sacred animals around.
I really, really believe everyanimal on this planet is a
sacred animal and they're hereto heal us.
(09:06):
Different animals heal us indifferent ways And they healed
me.
I wouldn't be here today if itwasn't for them.
I feel like I was raised a lotby them.
I got a lot of love from themAnd I don't regret anything
because I am who I am on accountof them.
But I think the animals, nature,mother Earth they deserve all
(09:30):
the credit.
They really really do.
It's a religion.
To compare it to a religion iskind of a small thing, but I
really feel like animals, nature, mother Earth, they are number
one.
They're there.
Who takes care of us?
and I think we all need to goback to that mindset.
The Native Americans knew thatThey worked with the animals and
(09:53):
nature and the elementsmillions of years.
We've kind of gotten off trackAnd I think the animals and
nature are trying to wake us upand say come on, come on back,
come on back, help us, let ushelp you to come back.
So I hope I answered yourquestion.
Shannon Cutts (10:12):
I think I did.
Cindie Carter (10:12):
Absolutely.
Shannon Cutts (10:14):
It reminds me, like your husband, i have a
background in music And I wasmaking my second CD and invited
a family friend who was he's anamazing banjo player here in
Houston And I don't know how itcame up, but we were talking
about where we feel closest toGod And he said my church is
when I'm out in the fields withmy dog and my rifle.
(10:38):
He's just out in nature Andit's like I am not here to tell
any or even to suggest to anyonethat their spiritual connection
is anywhere other than wherethey find it.
And I thought that wasfantastic.
He was so clear.
Cindie Carter (10:51):
And we all get to choose.
Shannon Cutts (10:53):
Einstein once said that we can live two ways.
One way is if nothing is amiracle, and the other way is if
everything is a miracle, andwhat would be truly miraculous
is if we're all truly more alikethan different, and if we're
already always connected.
That is the miracle that Ibelieve as well.
that will save our planet forall of us, i do too.
Cindie Carter (11:15):
We are all connected, Every single one of
us.
We are all connected.
We're connected to the dogs,the cats, the birds, the frogs,
whatever We have so many littlepeepers right now.
Shannon Cutts (11:28):
We just had a few days of really intense storms
and all of a sudden, i guesssomebody laid a nest and there's
all these cute littlepeepertoads just hopping around
And it is so marvelous And it'slike those are the things when
you're listening or you'rewatching right now and you stop
for a minute and you can saywhat really makes my heart sing.
We're going to assume that ifyou're listening to social dog
(11:49):
podcast, if you're listening toLet's Talk to Animals podcast,
you're probably our kind ofpeople, right?
You're kind of a nature loving,appreciative, caring, empathic
person And, cindy, i also reallyresonate with your
vulnerability and sharing that.
Maybe your childhood wasn'tidyllic, but so many
conversations I've had and evenin my own childhood, i've
(12:10):
discovered that somehow thatalmost seems to be, if not
necessary, very advantageous toopening the heart and developing
that empathy channel and givingus the courage to see past
someone else's struggles intowho they truly are.
And that includes not justother human animals although
(12:31):
that's very helpful that we havethat skill but also the non
human animals.
I know you do a ton of work withrescue.
I'd love to hear a little bitmore about how you got involved
with that, but that seems to meto be an essential component of
working with rescued animals whoare coming in with their own
very complex histories brokenhomes, trauma, abuse and your
(12:52):
ability to be able to see theessence of them, who they truly
are, versus their circumstances.
I don't know if you have had aparticular experience that you'd
like to share with us, but Icertainly was very moved by the
work that you're doing, and I'dlove to hear more about that.
Thank you, thank you.
Cindie Carter (13:11):
Rescue work is, it attracts a lot of different
people.
So I want to say this firstgoing, i want to go back just a
little bit.
So the animals are quitecapable of healing us, and they
do heal us if we allow.
And when we're children weallow, we'll become adults, we
(13:34):
forget that we had that giftright.
So, whether it's a goodtherapist or a good life coach,
that will teach you if you'vegotten to that part and you're
not open, that will help you tobe transparent and to be open or
ask the animals to help youachieve that.
(13:54):
But you only know what you know, so you don't know to ask for
it.
If you don't know, you need itright.
So that's where a greattherapist or a great life coach
comes in handy.
Summer McStravic is my lifecoach, my personal life coach,
and I've been with her for yearsand just growing and growing
with her.
So now going to the rescue youhave to be sure that you love
(14:18):
yourself, that you're balanced.
We're not all perfect, butevery day we strive and do
something for ourselves to makeourselves a better person.
So we have to be responsiblefor our energy.
Whether you're stepping into arescue or an animal shelter, you
(14:38):
cannot bring baggage to go helpanother animal of any kind
human, chain-ine, avian.
You have to be responsible andbalanced.
So when you go in there you'reable to take a step back and not
get drawn into the drama but tolisten to the dog, every single
(15:03):
one is different.
Or the cat, or the horse, everysingle one is different.
There's not another you,there's not another me, we're it
.
They may be, we might havedoppelgangers out there, right,
but they're not us, they'redifferent.
So you pull that individualanimal out and you just breathe
with them.
(15:23):
You take them out in nature.
Nature is healing.
At this particular Mobile CountyAnimal Shelter, which is my
heart, i take them out into theyard, i just sit, i breathe.
I ask Sasa, the animals, nature, mother Earth, help me to help
them.
I'm here, use me.
(15:43):
However.
You can, or I can, scan the dogand see how the dog is feeling
And if something comes to me,whether it's an animal or an
element, and I work on the doguntil the dog walks off and is
like I'm good, i've had enough,and then you have this little
bond with that dog.
But the moment next time youstep in that building and that
(16:05):
dog is here, the one word comeout your mouth.
They're like I'm over here, i'mover here, they know you're
there, but it's just respectingevery animal.
We're all connected.
Who's to say I'm better thanany of those dogs at the shelter
They may have, and I'm surethey do have the most amazing
(16:27):
gift to share with whoever theirfuture family is, and that
family that adopts that dogreally needs that dog more than
the dog needs them, without adoubt.
And if people realize thatthey'd be paying thousands for
these dogs in the shelterbecause those dogs are healers,
they are bonafide healers,they're just absolutely
(16:50):
beautiful.
Wrong place at the wrong time.
Shannon Cutts (16:53):
And yet it really feels like there are these sole
contracts in place.
and time and time again, when Icommunicate with my animal
clients and they'll tell me,yeah, that was rough, but they
don't want to talk about that.
And it's not even because itfeels triggering, necessarily.
It's because why The cumulativeimpact is here.
I am right now.
(17:14):
I know how brave I am, i knowhow strong I am, i know what I
have to offer.
I kept company with my soul,bird Pearl, for 24 years and he
passed in January and Petal isthe reincarnation of Pearl, and
that's a whole other story.
But every morning when I wouldwake Pearl up and there were
some mornings when I really wasstruggling with anxiety, with
(17:34):
depression, with eatingdisorders in previous decades of
my life to date And everymorning he would jump out of bed
, out of his casa, and he wouldlook at himself in the mirror
and I would hear, and I, youknow, i got to the point where I
started thinking to myself howmy life would transform if I
(17:56):
greeted myself that way everymorning And how all of our lives
might transform.
And so, if you're listening, iencourage you I don't love the
word challenge, but I encourageyou, give it a try.
And also the other thing that Ihad, this really unique
experience, when I was living inIndia for a while, and
(18:17):
listening to you really bringsit up so strongly for me.
In India, cows are sacred Andin the rural villages you still
find those ancient partnershipsbetween humans and animals.
But we're not just keepingcompanion animals and their only
job is to just hang out with usall day, no matter whether
we're a good match in terms ofour interest, activity level,
(18:39):
lifestyle, et cetera.
And so going back and forth fromthe small village to the place
where I lived day in and day out.
It got to the point where Ihonestly started to forget about
species distinctions.
I stopped seeing, oh, there's acow, there's a dog or there's a
chicken, or there's a roosterand there's a human.
It just became we're all beingswalking down the road because
(19:02):
we all share the same sidewalk.
We share the same road.
It wasn't this industrialmodern area, it was this little
rural village.
So that's something else superinteresting that really came up
strongly for me as I waslistening to you is to just play
with.
What if I forgot that you're adog and I'm a human, or that
(19:22):
you're a Canis familiaris andI'm a Homo sapiens?
What if we just kind ofdispensed with that?
What if we decided that's justnot very interesting?
Right, dig a little deeper andit feels like maybe it's your
entire life path to date hasgiven you this very fluid
pathway to being able to do justthat, and that must be one of.
It feels like that's one of thereasons that the animals do
(19:44):
respond to you and they arewilling to be with you and sit
in the nature.
And I think what you said wasSasa, which is the sacred animal
spirit alchemy.
Am I saying that right?
Yeah, yeah, the light footway Iadore them And I will put a
little link in the show notes tothank you for that program.
Cindie Carter (20:03):
It's incredible.
Shannon Cutts (20:04):
They were on my podcast, i think, in December.
I could be wrong about that.
And if you're listening to this, you're like, oh my goodness,
so many people, so many.
there's room for you.
I want you to know there's apath for you, there's something
that only you can contribute andno one else.
And I love how you pointed outthat we're all utterly unique,
(20:24):
and I was reading a storyrecently about cloning efforts
and some rather unusual speciesand very interesting methods.
And, try as we might try, westill can't manage to create an
exact replica.
We just they come out different.
Cindie Carter (20:40):
They may be subtle differences, but they're
different because that is thedesign, and we're all a product
of our experiences, soeveryone's experiences are
different.
Shannon Cutts (20:50):
So, therefore, you're going to be different,
absolutely, absolutely.
The nature versus the nurtureand the impact of how that
changes our genes, even at thevery baseline physical level.
I don't mean to put you on thespot, but you do share a little
bit on one of your blog postsabout just going through a
(21:12):
battle with lung cancer and howimportant animals have been to
your healing journey, and Iwould love to hear a little bit
more about that, especially forthose listeners or viewers who
are going through healthchallenges right now and may
need a little extraencouragement beyond the level
of what humans can provide Right.
Cindie Carter (21:32):
Right.
So, boy, this is a story here.
So we have a day where we havenew dogs, cums, we have fewer
dogs on that day and they allare signed to trainer and that
person spends the whole day astheir concierge, right, getting
to know them, getting to know usExactly.
(21:53):
So a friend of mine is bringingher dog first time there.
Long story short, she comesdown the driveway, the dog jumps
out of her car, runs out intothe highway.
He's fine, but he gets hit by acar.
My husband and a client bringthe dog to the vet.
He's fine.
Well, for like weeks, my chesthurt.
(22:14):
Oh my God, i think I had aheart attack.
So I go to my most wonderfuldoctor and she checks.
She's like oh, on the way out,you're fine.
Anxiety, something like thatGet a chest x-ray, get the chest
x-ray.
I'm not even home yet.
And she's like all right, don'tGoogle nothing, do what I tell
you.
I'll talk to your husband,because her dogs come to my
(22:39):
daycare almost every day.
She's like I'll handle him,don't go online, just do what I
tell you.
Hey, she's the doctor, i canfollow rules, no worries.
So just every step of myjourney.
Couldn't have planned this if Itried was a client, from my
surgeon to all the anesthesiapeople, everything, chemo, you
(23:04):
name it Everyone was like CindyCarter, what are you doing here?
And I'm in a room like a bunchof like 70 year olds.
I'm like, oh my gosh, from NewOrleans, a lot of secondhand
smoke.
I spend a lot of time outside.
I don't end the summer anymorebecause the air quality I'm sure
the same is there When it getsreally hot.
(23:26):
It's horrendous and it's notgood.
I had to have a lobe removed SoI only had three lobes went
through chemo and nothing couldbe more humbling than losing all
your hair and going throughchemo.
At that time I worked where or Ishould say I lived on the
premises where my business wasat that time.
(23:47):
So we had 40, 50 dogs a day andthey would bring me my
favorites.
They're all my favorites.
So at any random time I'd haveseveral dogs in bed with me,
always, always.
It's just amazing.
I couldn't focus, i couldn'tthink I could.
(24:07):
Just all I could think was like, oh, what's going to happen to
the business?
But what happened?
and it was a really biglearning moment.
If you're an overachiever, i'man overachiever, i'm an
entrepreneur.
You are truly.
Yes, truly, i'm doing better,but yes, so, anyhow, so anyhow.
(24:31):
It caused me to slow down andpull back, and what it did was
it allowed my husband to step in.
I made more room for him andthis is a huge life lesson.
I made room for him where Ididn't think he could handle it
originally and he handled it,and he handled it even better
(24:53):
and with more love than I did.
So the best thing that everhappened to me was having cancer
.
To be honest with you, it mademe a better person, made me more
loving, more kind, and I reallytell anybody applying to work
with me, as long as they'reloving and kind, you can learn
(25:13):
anything you know.
Just be loving and kind.
If you're not loving and kind,you don't even want to come work
here.
If you're not going to lastlong.
Shannon Cutts (25:22):
For many years, i've strived to be guided by a
quote by the Dalai Lama, whosaid whenever possible, be kind.
It is always possible.
And I thought this reallychanges my whole perspective And
I feel that you've made achoice, you've set your
(25:46):
boundaries up.
This is the level of energy,this is the vibration, this is
the baseline vibration that I'meven willing to permit inside my
space.
And so many of us go through somuch of our life without
realizing that not only do wehave the right to do that, but
we must, and we must call ourpeople, we must call our beings,
(26:08):
we must call our family to us.
And again, it's a real insidejob.
Cindie Carter (26:14):
Yeah absolutely, absolutely.
All the guides, all the helpyou can get, but being loving
and kind I really feel has to benumber one, Really do.
Shannon Cutts (26:25):
And do you feel like that?
Because it definitely feelslike from just the images I tend
to be a very visual person thatthat rise up in my mind as I
listen to you to share yourstory And I just have this
vision of the dog seeking youout, like they're coming to you,
like they're just, they canfeel your vibe, they can feel
your vibration And they're justcoming and they're like yes, i
(26:46):
am, this is what I want in mylife.
Again seeing it.
Cindie Carter (26:50):
They always have.
But I took that Sasa coursefrom Kim and Allison And I'm
telling you I could be walkingmy family's dogs down the street
and birds will just come to thepark alongside of us.
Just the craziest coincidencesand they're not coincidences, of
(27:10):
course, but this random animalsthat don't know you at all,
Never met you, never seen you,Just come right up to you and
offer love or kindness orwhatever it is you need that you
don't even know you need.
They're offering you something.
Shannon Cutts (27:27):
It's a stepping stone now from what.
I haven't taken the Salsacourse.
I have taken the ReikiMaster'ship.
Yeah, i've had that path at thispoint and I've had very similar
experiences with Reiki.
My experience is that if you'rewilling and you have the
ability to offer help, to offerfriendship and also to receive,
then they will find you, becausetheir energy PS is set to
(27:49):
sensory experience versusthought, rational, logical
thought patterns.
However, from what I recollectfrom my conversation with Kim
and Allison, salsa is based onthe energy work and the guidance
of Saint Francis, who is amentor and a hero Yeah, just an
(28:09):
amazing.
If you're not, if you'relistening or you're watching and
you're not familiar.
He is the patron saint ofnature, and then the planet and
the animals are one of many.
What a great ecology.
And yet I don't want you to feel.
If you're listening or you'rewatching and you're, you know.
I just don't have the resourcesor the time to do that.
It's not necessary.
It's certainly something to puton the bucket list.
(28:30):
I went ziplining this pastweekend, checked something off
my bucket list because it wasthe right moment and I was
called into came, so you can addit to your bucket list.
But you can do something assimple as just going outside and
grounding yourself, stand withyour bare feet on a little patch
of earth and just invite theplanet to guide you, ask for
(28:50):
help, ask for the animals toshow you the way, and they will.
I'd love to kind of bring usfull circle.
We've danced around the topicof animal communication and
where that meeting point is, butI'd love for you to share any
story or experience you've hadthat has demystified or de-woot.
Animal communication are justmaybe giving you a real inner
(29:11):
knowing, a feeling that it'sreal, it's happened, maybe an
experience of what it's happenedfor you and just what that,
what that was like.
Cindie Carter (29:21):
So I think sometime right after cancer it
started coming very clear to me.
But I think with the word forit I was like it certainly can't
be me, like, yeah, okay.
Shannon Cutts (29:36):
Yes.
Cindie Carter (29:38):
Scouting right.
So here, my favorite story isthis one here I have a friend in
Alaska who's actually mybusiness coach, and she has a
friend she named Newton.
She's been coaching me foryears as well, and every time
we'd start on a Zoom, i couldn'thear her because he was talking
(29:59):
.
I've never had this happenbefore.
He would be talking, so I'dhave to ask her constantly.
Can you repeat that please?
And I'd be like stop, give me aminute.
I didn't know her that well inthe beginning, but the more we
got to know each other, it'slike, oh, we were so in
alignment that she would justZoom me for us to talk.
But what was going on was hewas going through his final
(30:23):
stages, but he was so afraid ofwhat was going to happen to her
and her self care that he didn'tshare it with her.
He was sharing it with me, andI think the attraction is the
energy.
I really really do.
I think animals immediatelypick up our energy.
(30:45):
Is this someone I can approach?
And then, as soon as he hadsomeone he could approach, that
was it.
There was no quieting him, buthe was such a gentleman, oh my
gosh.
It's been about a month and ahalf since he's transitioned And
I've tried contacting him, butI know without doubt he will
(31:07):
communicate with me.
So because he did any time ofthe day or night, like when it
was time, he was like it's time,it's time, ok.
So, anyhow, i had like a yearand a half beautiful
relationship with this dog inAlaska that I've never met And I
love him like I love my own Andto stay, the bond and the
(31:32):
connections is as deep as theocean.
It's really beautiful And Ifeel just as much love for him
now as I did before hetransitioned.
He's still there.
He hasn't gone anywhere.
I think he's in a differentdimension.
That's just my thought.
Having a great time, a greattime.
(31:54):
I've experienced dogs that havetransitioned over visiting our
facility.
They had such a great timethere Now that'll make you cry,
but what a blessing and what agift to say, oh my gosh, they
loved us, they loved thefacility so much.
They're back there with theirfriends.
(32:15):
What I don't care, what anybodythinks, that's they're happy,
i'm happy, That's all thatmatters.
That's all that matters.
It's all.
You know.
Whatever drama's going onanywhere, people will look at me
when they go.
You're just about the animals,that's all.
I'm not in your drama.
I am just here for the dogs orthe animals, or I won't get
(32:39):
involved in drama It reminds meof the miracle quote again, And
I love that.
Shannon Cutts (32:45):
Maybe it took a little time for your left brain
mind to sort out And certainlyfor your coach, your coach, to
sort out as well what was goingon, this low retention rate of
my student Not having and.
But my goodness, to just beopen, because it can be, and it
(33:05):
really is designed to be veryseamless and very natural.
And just find ourselves in thispoint where we have not gone
through any kind of formaleducation or even a relationship
training or job training oranything that really paves a
path to have these very simple,very natural, connective
(33:25):
experiences.
And to me, the more I do thiswork, the more it feels like
very quietly, asking someonewill have you ever had an angel
experience?
And I found that most people do, and so, if you're listening or
you're watching, i wouldencourage you to think have you
ever had a moment in your lifewhere you have felt like an
animal was trying to communicatewith you And not thought but
(33:50):
felt?
Have you ever sensed, or haveyou just known, and did it just
happen?
What was that experience likefor you, and did your left brain
mind even have any ability toget involved until after it had
already happened?
That's so much of the methodthat I use to teach.
animal communication is, yes,the left brain mind has a role.
(34:10):
It can be quite helpful,actually, when it understands
its role, but it's our employee,it's not the boss, and so, in
fact, you might wanna roll thehoarding back a little bit and
listen to Cindy's story againand just imagine that it's you,
and has there ever been a timein your life when an animal has
communicated with you?
And if you were just the splitseconds before your left brain
(34:32):
mind wanted to get involved andcome to the party, if you just
felt it happening?
and what if you were just alittle bit more open?
When you step outside intonature, the very first moments
that you're there, see if youcan pick up any messages.
because if your brain is, ifyour left brain mind is talking
at you, it's already happened.
So just consider, just drop inand just experience what there
(34:56):
is to be experienced with therest of you.
all the rest of you invite thewhole you to the party.
So, cindy, we I have so enjoyedtalking with you.
Thank you, we've gone a littlebit over.
It's awfully hard not to assuch a wonderful guest.
I just wanna end by invitingyou to share any ways that you
would like to invite ourlisteners and our community to
(35:17):
be in touch with you or toconnect with you in any way to
learn more.
Cindie Carter (35:21):
Absolutely happy to help anybody in any way.
For sure You can reach me atCindy at socialdogpodcastcom.
We have social media social dogpodcast on Facebook, instagram,
walksonwagscom.
You can catch me at eitherthose places.
(35:42):
Also, i have Mobile County Pals, which is a 501C3 which
supports people who can't affordtheir dogs or their bills or
heartworm treatments or whatever.
Anyhow, i'm happy to helpanybody in any kind of way.
Shannon Cutts (35:59):
Cindy, thank you so so very much.
It's such a privilege to get toconnect with you.
I love doing this podcastingthing because I don't know that
I would have ever gotten achance to meet you and talk with
you if I wasn't doing it,you're learning so much.
I absolutely have and I hope youhave to.
Our dear listeners, our dearviewers, if you're new to Let's
Talk to Animals, for this season, season four, we're coming out
(36:22):
every two weeks with a newepisode, just giving me a little
chance to catch my breath andjust dive a little deeper with
our guests this season.
You can always find us atanimallovelanguagescom backslash
podcast on your favoritestreaming service, or if you
type in Shannon Kutz on YouTube,you can check out the new
(36:43):
YouTube podcast tab and you canfind us there as well.
I look forward to welcoming youback in two weeks for another
fresh episode And, cindy, solooking forward to keeping in
touch with you.
And please keep me updated aboutanything new that you're doing
or anything you'd like ourcommunity to know about.
So grateful for all thewonderful work you're doing for
(37:03):
the animals who clearly dearlylove you and with very good
reason And sending all our loveto you, our dear viewers and
listeners, and looking forwardto seeing you back very soon,
thank you.
Thank you so much, oh, thank.
Goodzas.
Welcome to Let's Talk to Animals.
My name is Shannon Cutts.
I am an animal intuitive andsensitive Reiki master
practitioner And, if you'rewatching the video version, i'm
also a mama to a precious littlefour month old puppy with wings
named Petal.
Today we're talking with CindieCarter from walks and wags and
social doc podcast.
I'm super excited to have youwith us And I'm really loving
(00:35):
your t-shirt.
Thank you, really loving it.
Yeah, wine, dogs and weekendsYou can't go wrong with that.
Not going to assume everyone cansee it, since we're a vlog cast
and a podcast, but Cindie and Ishare a common passion for
increasing connection and heartcentered communication between
(00:56):
people and their companionanimals, so if that sings to
your heart, i want you to knowthat you're in the right place.
I also want to share a few havefound Let's Talk to Animals my
podcast.
For the first time.
We are really all aboutdemystifying and de-wooing inner
species, communication andconnection, and so that's kind
of the mission.
The first three seasons ofLet's Talk to Animals, we really
(01:19):
spent a lot of time talking tomy colleagues, fellow animal
communicators, holistic petpractitioners, and for season
four, it's been kind of a blendso far of me sharing a little
bit more about my insight andstill featuring some of my
favorites who are out theredoing such amazing complimentary
work.
And, Cindie, you're one of those.
You have an amazing podcast ofyour own And I just want to make
(01:40):
mention of your website.
It's socialdogpodcastcom, andyou can also find Cindie at
walksandwagscom, so I'll putthose in the show notes.
But I'm also not going to makethe assumption that everyone
who's listening today hasalready met you and knows about
all the wonderful things thatyou're doing and, most
importantly, your heart for dogs.
So I'd love it if you wouldrewind us a little, take us back
(02:03):
to the beginning and share alittle bit more about your
journey and what brought youinto the work that you're doing
today.
Cindie Carter (02:10):
Absolutely Happy to share that with you And thank
you for having me on to thepodcast And thank you for
thinking with your heart insteadof your brain.
Now we're all on a mission,right?
Life's a journey, so enjoy it.
When I hit my, i used to racecars.
I was huge in the automotiveindustry Wow, i just threw that
(02:32):
out there.
I used to race Corvette Wow Anda sports car club of America
And I hit that glass ceiling Andsomeone asked me if you could
do anything.
You know anything.
All the money in the world,definitely, immediately, it was.
I just want to.
I just want to play with dogs.
(02:53):
I want to be with the animalsWithout thought.
That's what came out my mouth.
You know, looking back as Igrew up, you know people asking
what do you want to be?
I just want to play with yourdog.
Shannon Cutts (03:05):
Yeah, get on your dog.
Cindie Carter (03:07):
Yeah, oh, this is my answer.
So when I hit the glass ceiling, i was in a financial position
where I could continue to be inthe automotive business but
start doing research up the WestCoast, because I was living in
the West Coast at the time.
We sold everything We've backhome to New Orleans.
(03:28):
What a great place to grow up.
That's where I got to grow up.
Eight months later, hurricaneKatrina came, took everything,
took my target market, just tookeverything away.
It was kind of like the first.
It's crazy to even have thesewords come out my mouth but it
was kind of like the firstnatural disaster our country
(03:50):
really saw.
A lot of people passed.
Long story short, my in-lawsare from Mobile, alabama.
We were planning on going toAtlanta and 12 hours later we
were just getting to Mobilebefore the storm came.
As soon as I could set my footon the ground and I knew we had
nothing to go back to, startedhanding out flyers.
(04:13):
It's like, oh gosh, i don'twant to go back in the
automotive business And myin-laws have this real estate
empire here, like for sure.
The only daughter-in-law iscertainly going to join the
family, but it wasn't me.
It was still not me.
Years later they've come toadmire what my husband and I do.
(04:36):
This is our passion, our love.
My husband's a freaking naturemusician.
He really is the legit PiedPiper as well.
He's got just as big a heartfor animals as I do.
He's our pet taxi driver.
He's our photographer.
If I say I want to go to ananimal communication conference,
(04:57):
he backs me up 100%.
Yeah, he's just an amazinghuman being.
He really really is So.
Persistence, a lot of sweat, alot of tears, just being
persistent, knowing what youwant, and no matter how many
people are like you can be amillionaire, sewing houses or
(05:18):
whatever.
It's not about the money, it'sabout your heart and what feels
right.
And I think that's where a lotof people go wrong, like my son.
My son's a year out of highschool and all of his friends
went to college and he was likeI'm really not sure what I want
to do yet.
So he went and worked for avet's office.
(05:39):
Now he wants to become a vet.
I don't know how that happened.
Shannon Cutts (05:43):
I told you but I haven't shared this with our
dear listeners.
You can meet Cindy's wholefamily If you head over to
walksandwagscom.
There's a beautiful video andyou can meet the folks you're
hearing about right now and geta sense of how very supportive
and very nurturing your familylife is, And I really love that,
(06:06):
the vibe that you guys have.
I feel like it's easy tooverthink how we get into a
space where we can start puttingour dreams in motion and we
think that XYZ has to happen.
But really it's all an insidejob or at least that's the
experience I've had as well, Andit certainly sounds like that
(06:26):
for you.
Just notice the surprisingthings.
If you're listening right nowor you're watching and you're
thinking, I just I feel like I'mnot doing what I want to do or
I just love animals so much I'mnot sure how I could serve, or
even that dreaded left brainthought the market is gutted or
flooded or what I want or what Idream of is not possible.
Let's challenge that.
(06:47):
Just get quiet and then maybesay to yourself if I could do
anything and there were nobarriers and I had no fear, and
just notice what comes.
Say it quickly, notice whatcomes out of your mouth, Because
it seems like that's kind ofthe magic ticket for your family
, Cindy.
Cindie Carter (07:04):
It really is.
I think, if you think about it,it's coming from your brain and
not your heart, and regardless,you can't care about what
anybody else thinks, becauseyou're on your own journey.
You came for a purpose.
What is your purpose?
Shannon Cutts (07:21):
And I think there's another important
element, and we don't alwaysfind this in our family of
origin and you're blessed enoughthat you have and maybe you've
been very strategic about alsonurturing that, Because, of
course, the more we'reopen-hearted and we're brave,
the more others around us feelinspired and brave enough to
start opening up the shut doorsin their hearts as well.
But maybe you're not going tofind that encouragement and that
(07:44):
support And those what myintuitive teacher, Sonia
Schochette, calls your believingeyes, your community of
believing eyes.
Maybe you won't find that inyour family of origin, But in my
experience and I've had fivedecades under my life to date
there's always at least oneother individual in your life.
Maybe you start finding thatone other person by being that
person for someone else and justchampioning their dreams,
(08:07):
really listening to them, reallyhearing what is being said as
well as what's not being said.
And that's a really interestingintersection with animal
communication, because you,Cindy, have had some challenges
and you've had some healthchallenges as well as some
situational challenges, And youmade this really important
statement that just reallyimpacted my heart and you said
(08:28):
you found the company of animalsto be healing in ways that
often other human animals maybeweren't able to meet that need,
And I'd love for you to share alittle bit more about not just
what that felt like, but how youstarted to awaken your
awareness of that experience.
That's a great question.
Cindie Carter (08:44):
Yeah.
So, being totally transparent,i didn't have a wonderful
childhood, but there wereanimals around And I could say
there were sacred animals around.
I really, really believe everyanimal on this planet is a
sacred animal and they're hereto heal us.
(09:06):
Different animals heal us indifferent ways And they healed
me.
I wouldn't be here today if itwasn't for them.
I feel like I was raised a lotby them.
I got a lot of love from themAnd I don't regret anything
because I am who I am on accountof them.
But I think the animals, nature,mother Earth they deserve all
(09:30):
the credit.
They really really do.
It's a religion.
To compare it to a religion iskind of a small thing, but I
really feel like animals, nature, mother Earth, they are number
one.
They're there.
Who takes care of us?
and I think we all need to goback to that mindset.
The Native Americans knew thatThey worked with the animals and
(09:53):
nature and the elementsmillions of years.
We've kind of gotten off trackAnd I think the animals and
nature are trying to wake us upand say come on, come on back,
come on back, help us, let ushelp you to come back.
So I hope I answered yourquestion.
Shannon Cutts (10:12):
I think I did.
Cindie Carter (10:12):
Absolutely.
Shannon Cutts (10:14):
It reminds me, like your husband, i have a
background in music And I wasmaking my second CD and invited
a family friend who was he's anamazing banjo player here in
Houston And I don't know how itcame up, but we were talking
about where we feel closest toGod And he said my church is
when I'm out in the fields withmy dog and my rifle.
(10:38):
He's just out in nature Andit's like I am not here to tell
any or even to suggest to anyonethat their spiritual connection
is anywhere other than wherethey find it.
And I thought that wasfantastic.
He was so clear.
Cindie Carter (10:51):
And we all get to choose.
Shannon Cutts (10:53):
Einstein once said that we can live two ways.
One way is if nothing is amiracle, and the other way is if
everything is a miracle, andwhat would be truly miraculous
is if we're all truly more alikethan different, and if we're
already always connected.
That is the miracle that Ibelieve as well.
that will save our planet forall of us, i do too.
Cindie Carter (11:15):
We are all connected, Every single one of
us.
We are all connected.
We're connected to the dogs,the cats, the birds, the frogs,
whatever We have so many littlepeepers right now.
Shannon Cutts (11:28):
We just had a few days of really intense storms
and all of a sudden, i guesssomebody laid a nest and there's
all these cute littlepeepertoads just hopping around
And it is so marvelous And it'slike those are the things when
you're listening or you'rewatching right now and you stop
for a minute and you can saywhat really makes my heart sing.
We're going to assume that ifyou're listening to social dog
(11:49):
podcast, if you're listening toLet's Talk to Animals podcast,
you're probably our kind ofpeople, right?
You're kind of a nature loving,appreciative, caring, empathic
person And, cindy, i also reallyresonate with your
vulnerability and sharing that.
Maybe your childhood wasn'tidyllic, but so many
conversations I've had and evenin my own childhood, i've
(12:10):
discovered that somehow thatalmost seems to be, if not
necessary, very advantageous toopening the heart and developing
that empathy channel and givingus the courage to see past
someone else's struggles intowho they truly are.
And that includes not justother human animals although
(12:31):
that's very helpful that we havethat skill but also the non
human animals.
I know you do a ton of work withrescue.
I'd love to hear a little bitmore about how you got involved
with that, but that seems to meto be an essential component of
working with rescued animals whoare coming in with their own
very complex histories brokenhomes, trauma, abuse and your
(12:52):
ability to be able to see theessence of them, who they truly
are, versus their circumstances.
I don't know if you have had aparticular experience that you'd
like to share with us, but Icertainly was very moved by the
work that you're doing, and I'dlove to hear more about that.
Thank you, thank you.
Cindie Carter (13:11):
Rescue work is, it attracts a lot of different
people.
So I want to say this firstgoing, i want to go back just a
little bit.
So the animals are quitecapable of healing us, and they
do heal us if we allow.
And when we're children weallow, we'll become adults, we
(13:34):
forget that we had that giftright.
So, whether it's a goodtherapist or a good life coach,
that will teach you if you'vegotten to that part and you're
not open, that will help you tobe transparent and to be open or
ask the animals to help youachieve that.
(13:54):
But you only know what you know, so you don't know to ask for
it.
If you don't know, you need itright.
So that's where a greattherapist or a great life coach
comes in handy.
Summer McStravic is my lifecoach, my personal life coach,
and I've been with her for yearsand just growing and growing
with her.
So now going to the rescue youhave to be sure that you love
(14:18):
yourself, that you're balanced.
We're not all perfect, butevery day we strive and do
something for ourselves to makeourselves a better person.
So we have to be responsiblefor our energy.
Whether you're stepping into arescue or an animal shelter, you
(14:38):
cannot bring baggage to go helpanother animal of any kind
human, chain-ine, avian.
You have to be responsible andbalanced.
So when you go in there you'reable to take a step back and not
get drawn into the drama but tolisten to the dog, every single
(15:03):
one is different.
Or the cat, or the horse, everysingle one is different.
There's not another you,there's not another me, we're it
.
They may be, we might havedoppelgangers out there, right,
but they're not us, they'redifferent.
So you pull that individualanimal out and you just breathe
with them.
(15:23):
You take them out in nature.
Nature is healing.
At this particular Mobile CountyAnimal Shelter, which is my
heart, i take them out into theyard, i just sit, i breathe.
I ask Sasa, the animals, nature, mother Earth, help me to help
them.
I'm here, use me.
(15:43):
However.
You can, or I can, scan the dogand see how the dog is feeling
And if something comes to me,whether it's an animal or an
element, and I work on the doguntil the dog walks off and is
like I'm good, i've had enough,and then you have this little
bond with that dog.
But the moment next time youstep in that building and that
(16:05):
dog is here, the one word comeout your mouth.
They're like I'm over here, i'mover here, they know you're
there, but it's just respectingevery animal.
We're all connected.
Who's to say I'm better thanany of those dogs at the shelter
They may have, and I'm surethey do have the most amazing
(16:27):
gift to share with whoever theirfuture family is, and that
family that adopts that dogreally needs that dog more than
the dog needs them, without adoubt.
And if people realize thatthey'd be paying thousands for
these dogs in the shelterbecause those dogs are healers,
they are bonafide healers,they're just absolutely
(16:50):
beautiful.
Wrong place at the wrong time.
Shannon Cutts (16:53):
And yet it really feels like there are these sole
contracts in place.
and time and time again, when Icommunicate with my animal
clients and they'll tell me,yeah, that was rough, but they
don't want to talk about that.
And it's not even because itfeels triggering, necessarily.
It's because why The cumulativeimpact is here.
I am right now.
(17:14):
I know how brave I am, i knowhow strong I am, i know what I
have to offer.
I kept company with my soul,bird Pearl, for 24 years and he
passed in January and Petal isthe reincarnation of Pearl, and
that's a whole other story.
But every morning when I wouldwake Pearl up and there were
some mornings when I really wasstruggling with anxiety, with
(17:34):
depression, with eatingdisorders in previous decades of
my life to date And everymorning he would jump out of bed
, out of his casa, and he wouldlook at himself in the mirror
and I would hear, and I, youknow, i got to the point where I
started thinking to myself howmy life would transform if I
(17:56):
greeted myself that way everymorning And how all of our lives
might transform.
And so, if you're listening, iencourage you I don't love the
word challenge, but I encourageyou, give it a try.
And also the other thing that Ihad, this really unique
experience, when I was living inIndia for a while, and
(18:17):
listening to you really bringsit up so strongly for me.
In India, cows are sacred Andin the rural villages you still
find those ancient partnershipsbetween humans and animals.
But we're not just keepingcompanion animals and their only
job is to just hang out with usall day, no matter whether
we're a good match in terms ofour interest, activity level,
(18:39):
lifestyle, et cetera.
And so going back and forth fromthe small village to the place
where I lived day in and day out.
It got to the point where Ihonestly started to forget about
species distinctions.
I stopped seeing, oh, there's acow, there's a dog or there's a
chicken, or there's a roosterand there's a human.
It just became we're all beingswalking down the road because
(19:02):
we all share the same sidewalk.
We share the same road.
It wasn't this industrialmodern area, it was this little
rural village.
So that's something else superinteresting that really came up
strongly for me as I waslistening to you is to just play
with.
What if I forgot that you're adog and I'm a human, or that
(19:22):
you're a Canis familiaris andI'm a Homo sapiens?
What if we just kind ofdispensed with that?
What if we decided that's justnot very interesting?
Right, dig a little deeper andit feels like maybe it's your
entire life path to date hasgiven you this very fluid
pathway to being able to do justthat, and that must be one of.
It feels like that's one of thereasons that the animals do
(19:44):
respond to you and they arewilling to be with you and sit
in the nature.
And I think what you said wasSasa, which is the sacred animal
spirit alchemy.
Am I saying that right?
Yeah, yeah, the light footway Iadore them And I will put a
little link in the show notes tothank you for that program.
Cindie Carter (20:03):
It's incredible.
Shannon Cutts (20:04):
They were on my podcast, i think, in December.
I could be wrong about that.
And if you're listening to this, you're like, oh my goodness,
so many people, so many.
there's room for you.
I want you to know there's apath for you, there's something
that only you can contribute andno one else.
And I love how you pointed outthat we're all utterly unique,
(20:24):
and I was reading a storyrecently about cloning efforts
and some rather unusual speciesand very interesting methods.
And, try as we might try, westill can't manage to create an
exact replica.
We just they come out different.
Cindie Carter (20:40):
They may be subtle differences, but they're
different because that is thedesign, and we're all a product
of our experiences, soeveryone's experiences are
different.
Shannon Cutts (20:50):
So, therefore, you're going to be different,
absolutely, absolutely.
The nature versus the nurtureand the impact of how that
changes our genes, even at thevery baseline physical level.
I don't mean to put you on thespot, but you do share a little
bit on one of your blog postsabout just going through a
(21:12):
battle with lung cancer and howimportant animals have been to
your healing journey, and Iwould love to hear a little bit
more about that, especially forthose listeners or viewers who
are going through healthchallenges right now and may
need a little extraencouragement beyond the level
of what humans can provide Right.
Cindie Carter (21:32):
Right.
So, boy, this is a story here.
So we have a day where we havenew dogs, cums, we have fewer
dogs on that day and they allare signed to trainer and that
person spends the whole day astheir concierge, right, getting
to know them, getting to know usExactly.
(21:53):
So a friend of mine is bringingher dog first time there.
Long story short, she comesdown the driveway, the dog jumps
out of her car, runs out intothe highway.
He's fine, but he gets hit by acar.
My husband and a client bringthe dog to the vet.
He's fine.
Well, for like weeks, my chesthurt.
(22:14):
Oh my God, i think I had aheart attack.
So I go to my most wonderfuldoctor and she checks.
She's like oh, on the way out,you're fine.
Anxiety, something like thatGet a chest x-ray, get the chest
x-ray.
I'm not even home yet.
And she's like all right, don'tGoogle nothing, do what I tell
you.
I'll talk to your husband,because her dogs come to my
(22:39):
daycare almost every day.
She's like I'll handle him,don't go online, just do what I
tell you.
Hey, she's the doctor, i canfollow rules, no worries.
So just every step of myjourney.
Couldn't have planned this if Itried was a client, from my
surgeon to all the anesthesiapeople, everything, chemo, you
(23:04):
name it Everyone was like CindyCarter, what are you doing here?
And I'm in a room like a bunchof like 70 year olds.
I'm like, oh my gosh, from NewOrleans, a lot of secondhand
smoke.
I spend a lot of time outside.
I don't end the summer anymorebecause the air quality I'm sure
the same is there When it getsreally hot.
(23:26):
It's horrendous and it's notgood.
I had to have a lobe removed SoI only had three lobes went
through chemo and nothing couldbe more humbling than losing all
your hair and going throughchemo.
At that time I worked where or Ishould say I lived on the
premises where my business wasat that time.
(23:47):
So we had 40, 50 dogs a day andthey would bring me my
favorites.
They're all my favorites.
So at any random time I'd haveseveral dogs in bed with me,
always, always.
It's just amazing.
I couldn't focus, i couldn'tthink I could.
(24:07):
Just all I could think was like, oh, what's going to happen to
the business?
But what happened?
and it was a really biglearning moment.
If you're an overachiever, i'man overachiever, i'm an
entrepreneur.
You are truly.
Yes, truly, i'm doing better,but yes, so, anyhow, so anyhow.
(24:31):
It caused me to slow down andpull back, and what it did was
it allowed my husband to step in.
I made more room for him andthis is a huge life lesson.
I made room for him where Ididn't think he could handle it
originally and he handled it,and he handled it even better
(24:53):
and with more love than I did.
So the best thing that everhappened to me was having cancer
.
To be honest with you, it mademe a better person, made me more
loving, more kind, and I reallytell anybody applying to work
with me, as long as they'reloving and kind, you can learn
(25:13):
anything you know.
Just be loving and kind.
If you're not loving and kind,you don't even want to come work
here.
If you're not going to lastlong.
Shannon Cutts (25:22):
For many years, i've strived to be guided by a
quote by the Dalai Lama, whosaid whenever possible, be kind.
It is always possible.
And I thought this reallychanges my whole perspective And
I feel that you've made achoice, you've set your
(25:46):
boundaries up.
This is the level of energy,this is the vibration, this is
the baseline vibration that I'meven willing to permit inside my
space.
And so many of us go through somuch of our life without
realizing that not only do wehave the right to do that, but
we must, and we must call ourpeople, we must call our beings,
(26:08):
we must call our family to us.
And again, it's a real insidejob.
Cindie Carter (26:14):
Yeah absolutely, absolutely.
All the guides, all the helpyou can get, but being loving
and kind I really feel has to benumber one, Really do.
Shannon Cutts (26:25):
And do you feel like that?
Because it definitely feelslike from just the images I tend
to be a very visual person thatthat rise up in my mind as I
listen to you to share yourstory And I just have this
vision of the dog seeking youout, like they're coming to you,
like they're just, they canfeel your vibe, they can feel
your vibration And they're justcoming and they're like yes, i
(26:46):
am, this is what I want in mylife.
Again seeing it.
Cindie Carter (26:50):
They always have.
But I took that Sasa coursefrom Kim and Allison And I'm
telling you I could be walkingmy family's dogs down the street
and birds will just come to thepark alongside of us.
Just the craziest coincidencesand they're not coincidences, of
(27:10):
course, but this random animalsthat don't know you at all,
Never met you, never seen you,Just come right up to you and
offer love or kindness orwhatever it is you need that you
don't even know you need.
They're offering you something.
Shannon Cutts (27:27):
It's a stepping stone now from what.
I haven't taken the Salsacourse.
I have taken the ReikiMaster'ship.
Yeah, i've had that path at thispoint and I've had very similar
experiences with Reiki.
My experience is that if you'rewilling and you have the
ability to offer help, to offerfriendship and also to receive,
then they will find you, becausetheir energy PS is set to
(27:49):
sensory experience versusthought, rational, logical
thought patterns.
However, from what I recollectfrom my conversation with Kim
and Allison, salsa is based onthe energy work and the guidance
of Saint Francis, who is amentor and a hero Yeah, just an
(28:09):
amazing.
If you're not, if you'relistening or you're watching and
you're not familiar.
He is the patron saint ofnature, and then the planet and
the animals are one of many.
What a great ecology.
And yet I don't want you to feel.
If you're listening or you'rewatching and you're, you know.
I just don't have the resourcesor the time to do that.
It's not necessary.
It's certainly something to puton the bucket list.
(28:30):
I went ziplining this pastweekend, checked something off
my bucket list because it wasthe right moment and I was
called into came, so you can addit to your bucket list.
But you can do something assimple as just going outside and
grounding yourself, stand withyour bare feet on a little patch
of earth and just invite theplanet to guide you, ask for
(28:50):
help, ask for the animals toshow you the way, and they will.
I'd love to kind of bring usfull circle.
We've danced around the topicof animal communication and
where that meeting point is, butI'd love for you to share any
story or experience you've hadthat has demystified or de-woot.
Animal communication are justmaybe giving you a real inner
(29:11):
knowing, a feeling that it'sreal, it's happened, maybe an
experience of what it's happenedfor you and just what that,
what that was like.
Cindie Carter (29:21):
So I think sometime right after cancer it
started coming very clear to me.
But I think with the word forit I was like it certainly can't
be me, like, yeah, okay.
Shannon Cutts (29:36):
Yes.
Cindie Carter (29:38):
Scouting right.
So here, my favorite story isthis one here I have a friend in
Alaska who's actually mybusiness coach, and she has a
friend she named Newton.
She's been coaching me foryears as well, and every time
we'd start on a Zoom, i couldn'thear her because he was talking
(29:59):
.
I've never had this happenbefore.
He would be talking, so I'dhave to ask her constantly.
Can you repeat that please?
And I'd be like stop, give me aminute.
I didn't know her that well inthe beginning, but the more we
got to know each other, it'slike, oh, we were so in
alignment that she would justZoom me for us to talk.
But what was going on was hewas going through his final
(30:23):
stages, but he was so afraid ofwhat was going to happen to her
and her self care that he didn'tshare it with her.
He was sharing it with me, andI think the attraction is the
energy.
I really really do.
I think animals immediatelypick up our energy.
(30:45):
Is this someone I can approach?
And then, as soon as he hadsomeone he could approach, that
was it.
There was no quieting him, buthe was such a gentleman, oh my
gosh.
It's been about a month and ahalf since he's transitioned And
I've tried contacting him, butI know without doubt he will
(31:07):
communicate with me.
So because he did any time ofthe day or night, like when it
was time, he was like it's time,it's time, ok.
So, anyhow, i had like a yearand a half beautiful
relationship with this dog inAlaska that I've never met And I
love him like I love my own Andto stay, the bond and the
(31:32):
connections is as deep as theocean.
It's really beautiful And Ifeel just as much love for him
now as I did before hetransitioned.
He's still there.
He hasn't gone anywhere.
I think he's in a differentdimension.
That's just my thought.
Having a great time, a greattime.
(31:54):
I've experienced dogs that havetransitioned over visiting our
facility.
They had such a great timethere Now that'll make you cry,
but what a blessing and what agift to say, oh my gosh, they
loved us, they loved thefacility so much.
They're back there with theirfriends.
(32:15):
What I don't care, what anybodythinks, that's they're happy,
i'm happy, That's all thatmatters.
That's all that matters.
It's all.
You know.
Whatever drama's going onanywhere, people will look at me
when they go.
You're just about the animals,that's all.
I'm not in your drama.
I am just here for the dogs orthe animals, or I won't get
(32:39):
involved in drama It reminds meof the miracle quote again, And
I love that.
Shannon Cutts (32:45):
Maybe it took a little time for your left brain
mind to sort out And certainlyfor your coach, your coach, to
sort out as well what was goingon, this low retention rate of
my student Not having and.
But my goodness, to just beopen, because it can be, and it
(33:05):
really is designed to be veryseamless and very natural.
And just find ourselves in thispoint where we have not gone
through any kind of formaleducation or even a relationship
training or job training oranything that really paves a
path to have these very simple,very natural, connective
(33:25):
experiences.
And to me, the more I do thiswork, the more it feels like
very quietly, asking someonewill have you ever had an angel
experience?
And I found that most people do, and so, if you're listening or
you're watching, i wouldencourage you to think have you
ever had a moment in your lifewhere you have felt like an
animal was trying to communicatewith you And not thought but
(33:50):
felt?
Have you ever sensed, or haveyou just known, and did it just
happen?
What was that experience likefor you, and did your left brain
mind even have any ability toget involved until after it had
already happened?
That's so much of the methodthat I use to teach.
animal communication is, yes,the left brain mind has a role.
(34:10):
It can be quite helpful,actually, when it understands
its role, but it's our employee,it's not the boss, and so, in
fact, you might wanna roll thehoarding back a little bit and
listen to Cindy's story againand just imagine that it's you,
and has there ever been a timein your life when an animal has
communicated with you?
And if you were just the splitseconds before your left brain
(34:32):
mind wanted to get involved andcome to the party, if you just
felt it happening?
and what if you were just alittle bit more open?
When you step outside intonature, the very first moments
that you're there, see if youcan pick up any messages.
because if your brain is, ifyour left brain mind is talking
at you, it's already happened.
So just consider, just drop inand just experience what there
(34:56):
is to be experienced with therest of you.
all the rest of you invite thewhole you to the party.
So, cindy, we I have so enjoyedtalking with you.
Thank you, we've gone a littlebit over.
It's awfully hard not to assuch a wonderful guest.
I just wanna end by invitingyou to share any ways that you
would like to invite ourlisteners and our community to
(35:17):
be in touch with you or toconnect with you in any way to
learn more.
Cindie Carter (35:21):
Absolutely happy to help anybody in any way.
For sure You can reach me atCindy at socialdogpodcastcom.
We have social media social dogpodcast on Facebook, instagram,
walksonwagscom.
You can catch me at eitherthose places.
(35:42):
Also, i have Mobile County Pals, which is a 501C3 which
supports people who can't affordtheir dogs or their bills or
heartworm treatments or whatever.
Anyhow, i'm happy to helpanybody in any kind of way.
Shannon Cutts (35:59):
Cindy, thank you so so very much.
It's such a privilege to get toconnect with you.
I love doing this podcastingthing because I don't know that
I would have ever gotten achance to meet you and talk with
you if I wasn't doing it,you're learning so much.
I absolutely have and I hope youhave to.
Our dear listeners, our dearviewers, if you're new to Let's
Talk to Animals, for this season, season four, we're coming out
(36:22):
every two weeks with a newepisode, just giving me a little
chance to catch my breath andjust dive a little deeper with
our guests this season.
You can always find us atanimallovelanguagescom backslash
podcast on your favoritestreaming service, or if you
type in Shannon Kutz on YouTube,you can check out the new
(36:43):
YouTube podcast tab and you canfind us there as well.
I look forward to welcoming youback in two weeks for another
fresh episode And, cindy, solooking forward to keeping in
touch with you.
And please keep me updated aboutanything new that you're doing
or anything you'd like ourcommunity to know about.
So grateful for all thewonderful work you're doing for
(37:03):
the animals who clearly dearlylove you and with very good
reason And sending all our loveto you, our dear viewers and
listeners, and looking forwardto seeing you back very soon,
thank you.
Thank you so much, oh, thank.
Goodzas.
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