Mothering Wildlife
Telling the stories of moms who work in zoo, wildlife, vet, and conservation organizations. Working with wildlife brings a unique set of challenges for working mothers. Join me every other week as I interview moms working primarily in the zoo field as we discuss their journey as moms, navigating the mental, emotional, and often physical challenges that come with caring for wildlife and caring for kids.
Episodes
This week, I talk to Hallie Torre, Curator of Marine Mammals and Birds at the Aquarium of Niagara. Hallie chats about life as a marine mammal trainer turned manager and mom of two—everything from working with seals and sea lions while pregnant to figuring out daycare, maternity leave, and finding herself again at wo...
This week, I talk to Wendy Boulger, a zookeeper from Zoo Knoxville. Her almost 11-month-old (at the time) daughter, Marcy, even joins us for the interview!
Wendy and I touch base on a variety of topics - from the challenges of postpartum to pumping at work to trying to jump back and forth between the two mindsets of...
In this episode, I talk with Kim Castrucci, Curator of Animals at the Brevard Zoo, about her journey to becoming an animal care leader — and how becoming a mom changed everything about the way she leads and lives.
Kim and I talk a lot about being a leader within the zoo field and recognizing that personal lives are i...
This week's guest is LeShea Cochu, Animal Care Supervisor of Birds, Mammals, and Ambassadors at the Chattanooga Zoo. She is also freshly postpartum and had only been back to work for a few weeks at the time of this interview!
LeShea shares how early in her career working with elephants and giraffes, a workplace i...
Join me this week as I talk to Morgan Duffy, an Animal Hospital Keeper at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. As a hospital keeper, Morgan gets to see and take care of so many different species - from those entering into quarantine upon arrival at the zoo to those needing treatment due to injury or illness.
Morgan and ...
My guest this week is Jess Sorrentino, a Development Associate (and cheetah enthusiast!) for the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Her current role primarily involves building partnerships with zoos; however, last year, she helped to organize the Global Cheetah Summit, and she occasionally balances travel with remote work. ...
My guest this week is Carolyn Mikulskis, Assistant Curator at the Greensboro Science Center. Carolyn and I chat about a variety of topics, including how your priorities can change once you become a mother. One day you’re living that “zoo life”, throwing all your energy into your career and the next you have a baby at...
My guest this week is Caitlin Rodriguez, a doula who owns Blessed Mother Birth Services in the Dallas/Forth Worth area of Texas. When I first met Caitlin, I totally fangirled over her - why, you might ask? Well, Caitlin was not only a zookeeper but also a doula when I met her in 2017!! In my eyes, she was living m...
My guest this week, Amie Mercado, is a Senior Herpetology Care Specialist at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
She offers a new perspective on being a pregnant animal care specialist. What do zoo guests think when they see a pregnant person doing "dangerous" things? In Amie's case, working with veno...
This week, my guest, Kirsti Mahon, and I dive into her journey to become a mother. A journey that includes IVF, a hurricane, and the best outcome ever - a beautiful baby girl!
Kirsti candidly shares her journey, from the support she received at work, to how pregnancy affected her role as an Ambassador Animal Field Su...
My guest this week is Chelsie Bedingfield, an ungulate keeper at the Sacramento Zoo. Her and I really dive into what a zookeeper's daily roles and responsibilities are, and then what it is like to be a pregnant zookeeper doing those tasks. Chelsie talks about how she really had to learn to advocate for herself...
Join me this week as I talk to Katie Hall, the Director of Animal Behavior and Wellbeing at the Minnesota Zoo. The first part of our conversation really dives into the responsibilities of her role at the zoo. Roles like hers have become more prevalent in the zoo field and are truly encompassing the future of animal...
This week my guest, Andrea Porch, and I have a great conversation about the postpartum period. So much about the postpartum period is not discussed openly but it can be such an important conversation to hold publicly. Women can feel alone in their feelings. Sometimes hearing other women talk about their experiences c...
My guest this week, Caroline, is not only a crustacean enthusiast but an amazing aquarist mom from Canada! Her and I talk about all things aquarist, including what it's like to be a pregnant aquarist and the restrictions she had during her pregnancy. She shares a great story about a sand tiger shark procedure ...
We talk a lot about the “zookeeper identity” on this podcast - how being a zookeeper can infiltrate into so many areas of your life. My guest this week, Leanne, and I talk about this and about how to balance that with a “mom identity” as well. She talks about how she feels that being a zookeeper helped her to find ...
As a working parent, you might have asked yourself the question, "Can I be a mom and do this job too?" My guest this week, Kaylee, asked herself that question before becoming a mom. It's a valid question to ask and one that is also tough to answer! Often, zookeepers have a reputation of living, eati...
My guest this week is Melissa Farr Dacumos, Associate Director of Animal Care at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. Her and I spent a fair amount of time talking about pregnancy while working in animal care, her postpartum period during Covid, and returning to work as a breastfeeding mama (cue the pumping challenges and stories!) She...
My guest this week, Carly, and I talk about the postpartum period. There are so many changes that occur during that "4th trimester". As you approach the end of your maternity leave you might find yourself excited to return to work but also guilty about having to leave your child. You've just gotten ...
As a working professional, when you suddenly step into the world of motherhood, it can sometimes feel as if you now have two identities. Motherhood, and in the case of most of this podcast's guests, zookeeper. My guest this week, Kristine Duplisea, and I talk a little bit about this. We also talk about how ma...
Animal care professionals work so hard to get into the zoo field. Internships, commutes, low pay, time spent away from family and friends - all this because they love what they do and oftentimes consider it their passion. They can’t imagine doing anything else. My guest this week, Kristen, and I talk about how it f...
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