The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.: Recent Episodes
Natural Encounters, Inc.
Join co-hosts Chris and Ari for a discussion of animal training, behavior, human-animal relationships, and all things NEI-TEC (the Natural Encounters Inc Training and Education Center), and featuring guests from the NEI team and around the professional animal care world! Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com if you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show!
As a treat for anyone who's kept their subscription to the show alive, Chris and Ari are proud to present a very special episode of the TEC Talk Podcast!
Your hosts were back together for the 2026 ABMA/IAATE Joint Conference in Cincinnati, OH, so we stole some time away from our many friends and colleagues on the final night of the trip to talk about all the amazing stuff that happened during the week. And hey, we even dressed up for it!
Want to hear more episodes of the show that we "retired" in 2025? Watch this space - you never know what might happen next!
In this super secret, extra special bonus episode (actually episode 281, but Chris needed a good round number to end on), Ari rallied as many of Chris’s colleagues, friends, and family as she could, with help from his wife Bethany, to share messages of congrats on his new role as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, and a little about how he’s impacted their lives and careers.
It’s impossible to capture how much Chris means to all of us, but hopefully this episode offers a glimpse into the immense impact he’s had on people all over the world. Stay tuned at the end for a throwback recording from 2006 of Chris on a popular radio show, plus some extra NEI Mom content!
Chris, we will miss you. Huge congrats!
This is it, the last official episode of the NEI TEC Talk Podcast (at least for now)! With Chris headed off to his new position as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, he and Ari decided it was time to sunset the NEI TEC Talk Podcast. After nearly 300 episodes, countless incredible guests, and so many conversations about training, enrichment, and connection, they're wrapping things up. We have so many people to thank who supported the podcast over the years, especially you, the listeners!
Thank you so, so much. We are forever grateful.Keep us in your feed for future bonus episodes - you never know when one might pop up!
Some announcements are so big that you have to bring in another podcast to help make them.
Chris and Ari join Dr Grey Stafford on his incredible show, Zoo Logic, to talk about some big personal changes and what they will mean for our show. We want to thank each and every listener who's been with us since we started this thing in 2020, and hope you enjoy the penultimate episode of the TEC Talk Podcast!
If you have anything you'd like to share with us about your experience with our show, please reach out to us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari sits down with NEI's own Michael Van Horne this week to chat about what it's like being a young person in the field. Michael talks about his time at college and his philosophy to help him focus on his own growth while supporting his teammates. He also helps Ari with some Gen Alpha slang and they wrap it all up with the latest NEI team building craze - Marble Olympics!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by their first guest who's had David Attenborough attend their graduation (at least as far as we know): Sarah Bonser-Blake, Animal Welfare Field Manager with Wild Welfare! Sarah shares the journey she's taken from getting paid to point at whales to her current role making real change in people that makes change for animals, the joys of managing a resource base, her history of collaboration and taking risks (even when her body rejected the idea), and the importance of considering many perspectives when looking at "the X, Y, and Zed" of animal welfare.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris continue their journey of collecting more amazing people from around the professional animal care world to add to the "NEEU" (Natural Encounters Expanded Universe), and are pleased to be joined by Jessica Sheftel, Applied Wildlife Welfare Manager at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance! Jessica shares her path from collecting behavior data at Zoo Atlanta to her current role overseeing a welfare program, gives us a peak into being on a team at the forefront of the shift from an input- to an outcome-based system of welfare tracking and assessments, emphasizes the importance of having Deciders and Advisors in effective animal care programs, the vital role of mutual respect between leadership and frontline care staff so that mistrust doesn't turn into misalignment, and the importance of always keeping an open mind.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References from the episode:
- Enrichment Is Simple, That's the Problem: Using Outcome-Based Husbandry to Shift from Enrichment to Experience - Greg A Vicino, Jessica J Sheftel, Louisa M Radosevich
- Contact Jessica: jsheftel@sdzwa.org
Ari and Chris are absolutely chuffed to be joined by two amazing gentlemen from South Africa, Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, co-hosts of the rebooted Animal Talk Podcast! Ryne talks about his long history with NEI, how our podcast inspired him to start his own, and how the idea to reboot the show with a new aquarist cohost came about after a 5 year hiatus. Ryne and Ayrton chat about the importance of getting people connected to animals and to each other, how podcasting is like getting to have a weekly "mini-conference," their exciting relationship with the recently-founded South African Animal Keepers Association (SAAKA), and the exciting work they're both doing in the fields of behavior management and wildlife conservation. Give these great guys a follow on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and wherever you get your podcasts!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Chris out of commission after being a pressure washing hero at work and mayyyyybe overdoing it a bit, Ari takes the helm and is joined by Dan Carvalho, Lydia Dresel, Jordan Garella, Steven Sibley, and Luis Cortes from the Reptile Department of the St Augustine Alligator Farm! The team talks about their amazing dynamics and inside jokes, and the hard work they pull off every day for their animals and guests. From talking about raiding croc nests and hatching out babies, to how much they all appreciate each other and their leadership for supporting their learning journeys, you don’t want to miss this episode. We even wrap it up with a little Dragon’s Talon at the end!
If you want to know more about The SAAF, check out their website, or email Dan at DCarvalho@alligatorfarm.com.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
You KNOW we love talking about training animals that people don't always think of when they think about animal training, so we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Paynter to the show! Mel shares the path that took her from the Moorpark Program to her current role as Assistant Curator of Ocean Journey at Georgia Aquarium, why fish training right now is "a dumpster fire, in the best way," how her desire to make sure the aquarium side of the field gets a seat at the table lead to her current position on the Board of Directors of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, and the amazing ins and outs involved when a staff of 14 people are responsible for a single exhibit with 6,000 animals in it.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are thrilled to be joined on the show by NEI Alumnus Dan Blair! Dan catches us up on his current zoo role as Curator of Birds, and shares his thoughts on the two kinds of respect, what's surprised him most about transitioning from the role of animal trainer to curator, the unique challenge of being brought in as a new cog in an existing machine, the importance of being given a chance to lead in order to learn how to take responsibility, the crucial role of clarifying expectations, and his prediction for what "2030 Dan" will look like.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Are SEVEN people too many to have on a podcast?? Not when it's the Bird and Mammal Team from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm! Chris and Ari are joined by Hannah Caster, Jessie Stull, Jordan Hoover, Ramon Castillo, and Shelby McBride to talk about what makes up a cohesive team, the unsung role of the swing keeper, and figuring out the best ways to give feedback to others before succeeding beautifully at an impromptu game of Dragon's Talon! Such a fun conversation with a wonderful group of human beings!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are joined by fellow training enthusiast Anaka Nazareth, Behavioral Husbandry Coordinator at the National Aquarium! Anaka shares the path that took her from America to Austria (a few times) before settling back on the East Coast and eventually into her current role in Baltimore, where she oversees the training of a lot of our favorite (and less celebrated) animals - sharks, fish, and reptiles - as well as her involvement as a Committee Member, Board Member, and eventually President of the ABMA.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is joined by NEI's new (but also not really new) Director of Staff Development, Training, and Shows - Ari Bailey - to welcomes Dr Taylor Gilley back to the show! Taylor shares the path that took her from the education world to her current role as Director of Staff Learning and Development at Houston Zoo, and guides us through a great conversation covering the zoo's LIFT (Leadership, Innovation, Focus, and Teamwork) program, the thousand forms of fear that drive humans, the importance of succession planning and protecting institutional knowledge, how everyone can start their own little development cohort, and the advantages of asking for forgiveness instead of permission. We're all lucky to have people like Taylor working with the humans in our zoos so they can do their best work with their animals.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
In another in our series of podcasts about other podcasts, Ari and Chris share their thoughts on a recent episode of the Radical Candor podcast with Kim Scott, featuring their guest Stephanie Chung. Chris recently started reading her book "Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You," which gets a great overview in the podcast, and gives us a chance to talk about the importance of curiosity, professionalism, "assuming good intentions," admitting your ignorance, and ways that we can all be better humans to each other.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References in the show:
- The Radical Candor Podcast: Leading Through Chaos with Stephanie Chung
- Ally Leadership: How To Lead People Who Are Not Like You
Ari and Chris are back together and excited to be joined by Joey Golden, Curator of Animal Behavior Programs at Maryland Zoo! Chris and Joey both attended the recent ABMA and ISZAW conferences, and we wanted to bring him on to chat about the great presentations he gave about his zoo's progress towards "24/7 welfare" for all their animals. We chat about the importance of leaning on innovators, how Hal Markowitz has influenced his thinking about the importance of automation in modern animal care, the new role of Microsoft's PowerBI in collecting and interpreting pretty much every kind of data in a zoo you can think of, and why all of us should be focused on observation, interpretation, and improvement. Such a cool discussion!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
While Chris is away at the International Symposium for Zoo Animal Welfare in Chicago, Ari is hosting solo—but she’s not alone! She’s joined by former (but also still current) NEI teammate Scott Trauger, who shares what life has been like since he made the big leap to follow his passion outside the animal field. From spreadsheets to showtunes, hear how Scott’s skills in animal care have set him up for success in school, biking, choir, and more!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari catches us up on her time at Croc School before our hosts tackle an email asking for ideas about how to create opportunities in the professional animal care field for yourself when 1) you've moved somewhere where the immediately employment opportunities might be limited - or non-existent - or 2) you've taken a temporary break from the field and are trying to figure out how to get back in.
Will Chris and Ari provide inspiring ideas and action items a person in such a position might benefit from? Listen and find out!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari Bailey is busy doing cool reptile stuff at Croc School at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, so Chris takes the opportunity to share the audio from his presentation, "What Does It Mean to 'Prioritize Training'?" from last week's ABMA Annual Conference! He shares some antecedent and consequence conditions that he's seen great teams utilize to make animal training a more fun and more rewarding part of their regular routines, uses the word "stuff" way too much, and shows the audience some fun training videos that will totally make sense on an audio podcast!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is LIVE from Zoo Day at the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference in Galveston, Texas! Whilst wandering the grounds of our host facility, Moody Gardens, we chat with Chase Alsup from the Colorado State University Zoo, Aquarium, and Animal Shelter Management Graduate Program, Rae Simmons and Aubrey Wilson from the Moorpark College Animal Care and Training Program, Kelli Carroll and Mikayla Coble from Lake Superior Zoo, and Sierra Smith, Kiana Lucero, and Omar Luna from Tanganyika Wildlife Park about their conference highlights, the people they've met, and the talks that have impacted them. Thanks for chatting with us, Future Zoo Leaders of America (and Beyond)!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is in the editing (and possibly scrapping-and-starting-over) phase of his upcoming ABMA workshop "Your Feedback Loop: Evolving the Way We Give Feedback to Peers," so he decided to reach out to one of the smartest feedbackers around - Ari Bailey - and see how their notes compared when she was given the assignment to jot down what she considered to be the most important things she thinks about when she thinks about feedback. The feedback loop about feedback loops that results is filled with some real gems!
Think we missed something important? If you have feedback for us, a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's consulting time! Chris is back at the Little Rock Zoo working with a team of eight trainers from around the zoo to get everyone working with people and animals they don't normally get a chance to, with the hopes that it might help them be better "training trainers" for new staff in the future! This has meant a lot of conversations about how you should decide what to do next during training sessions, and so we're rolling back out an episode from 2022 (#115, for those counting) that helps people to make that decision based on a very simple question: is your animal doing what you want?
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari share two microphones with their newest coworkers, Hayley Dougherty and Taylor LaTulipe! Hayley and Taylor share their immediate feelings after their first interviews, get quizzed to see how much they know about the show sections they started learning less than 2 days ago, reflect on how they felt coming out of their first interviews, and get to ask the hosts about their own progression through the company. Thank you to the team for letting us steal Hayley and Taylor in the middle of their training, and remember the words of what should be the new outro of our show: Say "HIYAH!," try not to distract guests with your moonwalking, don't hit the marabou, and press the release buttons 17 times for good measure.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari sits down with Kimm Hunt, President of the International Animal Training Certification Board (IATCB), to dive into the IATCB certification exam—how it’s developed, maintained, and what it means for animal trainers. They also explore Kimm’s work with shelter dogs, tackling tough topics like behavioral euthanasia and the importance of understanding behavioral science to help all learners thrive.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is off at the AZA mid-year meeting, so Ari is joined by NEI Senior Trainer Josh Flagg for this episode! They dive into the challenges and joys of being the new person on a zoo team. From making new staff feel safe and welcome to knowing when (and when not) to let your "weird flag" fly, Josh and Ari explore ways to set teams up for success. They also share tips for uncovering a team’s culture even before you start. Check out this episode for valuable insights into building a positive and thriving team culture right from the start in the animal care field!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris once again ambushes Ari with a surprise topic for discussion, thanks to a great email we received: now that the definition of "enrichment for animals" has evolved, what might "modern, goal-based enrichment" look like for the humans we work alongside in the professional animal care field?
We chat about the staff-driven professional development offerings that happen during "Growvember", the focused feedback that we get from "intention projects", the important silliness that is the "NEI Off-Topic" WhatsApp chat, and the important skills we're all building thanks to the game GeoGuessr.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris steal a bit of time out of a busy day to chat with NEI's Steve Martin to follow up on last week's episode and talk about the practical, observable, and trainable behaviors that we see great trainers do. Focusing both on skills people can build in themselves and help build in others, the trio talks about meeting people where they're at, the importance of having a solid plan (that can change at any time based on feedback from your animal's behavior ), being an "actively adjusting" trainer, understanding that an animal saying "no" is a call to action to forge a path to "yes," letting your ego stay in the car, and the crucial role of flexibility.
Also, stay tuned for the WILD origin story of one of NEI's most well-known show bits: the dollar bill routine. Do your best to not throw up!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References from the episode:
"The Top 10 Behaviors of Expert Animal Trainers" by Steve Martin (Paper | Webinar)
With Chris busy being immersed in our Immersion Workshop, Ari is joined once more by Adam Geltz (Senior Trainer, Natural Encounters, Inc.) to discuss a listener email asking us to share some thoughts about cultivating great animal trainers. They start by talking about setting up strong antecedents to foster a safe environment for learning, move on to building training skills through offering and accepting valuable feedback, and finally chat about finding reinforcers that encourage more training and learning in the future. Come break it all down with us!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References from the show:
- The Jocko Podcast with Jocko Willink
- The Top 10 Behaviors of Expert Trainers by Steve Martin
- The Top 10 Behaviors of Expert Human Mentors by Chris Jenkins
- The TEC Talk Library of Behavior and Training Webinars
- Behavior Analysis and Learning by W David Pierce and Carl D. Cheney
- Learning and Behavior by Paul Chance
- Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
- Animal Training by Ken Ramirez
Chris and Ari sit down with Ramon Castillo, who Ari first connected with through NEI’s work with Bearizona Wildlife Park—when he reached out to chat about reptile training! They discuss his time at Bearizona, his transition to The St. Augustine Alligator Farm, and how he’s working to make animal programs more accessible in both English and Spanish. Tune in for insights on breaking barriers and creating universal connections with wildlife!
If you have an idea for how you can make our show better, you can let us know by filling out our quick, anonymous survey about our show at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tectalkpod until Feb 28, 2025, or just reach out to us at podcast@naturalencounters.com - thanks for listening!
With Ari out conferencing in Tennessee, Chris is joined by fellow NEI'er Adam Geltz to talk about their takeaways from Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babbin. They chat about the importance of recognizing when your ego gets in the way of making decisions that are best for the team, how vulnerability and delegation build trust and influence, why you have to be careful where you choose to spend your "leadership capital", where punishment might and might not be the best tool, and why setting expectations and enforcing them is important to help everyone be successful.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
If you have an idea for how you can make our show better, you can let us know by filling out a quick, anonymous survey about our show at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tectalkpod until Feb 28, 2025.
With Chris busy teaching at NEI's Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, Ari gets some coworker support and is joined by special co-host Adam Geltz and returning guest Shay Gruman! The three talk about how they've each been working on their personal and professional growth outside of NEI, reflecting on how breaking goals into smaller parts can help increase one's rate of reinforcement, the importance of building both active and passive skills, the gift we give others when we intervene less, and what continual growth looks like as people with different backgrounds that are currently in three different levels of the company.
References:
- Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Grenny, Patterson, Et Al
- FYI: For Your Improvement - A Development and Coaching Guide by Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger
- The HealthyGamerGG Podcast with Dr. K
- The Animal Training Academy Podcast Show with Ryan Cartlidge
- Drinking From The Toiletby Hannah Brannigan
- Jocko Willink - Retired US Navy Seal, Author, Leadership Instructor
If you have an idea for how you can make our show better, you can let us know by filling out our quick, anonymous survey about our show athttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tectalkpod until Feb 28, 2025.
Chris is joined by fellow podcaster and all around amazing Kiwi, Ryan Cartlidge, founder of Animal Training Academy! Ryan chats about how a desire for better work-life balance led to exploring non-zoo jobs beyond consulting, how a friend with a recording studio led to ATA's first online course, why it's important for people in the field to "keep their swords sharp," the joy of working with happiness engineers, and why you should thank people when they say "no."
If you have an idea for how you can make our show better, you can let us know by filling out our quick, anonymous survey about our show athttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tectalkpod until Feb 28, 2025.
References from the show:
- Making Ripples by Animal Training Academy
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Reptelligence - Reptile Enrichment, Training, and Education
HAPPY 250TH EPISODE, TEC TALK!
To celebrate this fun landmark, Ari and Chris are joined by four amazing people who've had a huge impact on us and our field: Ken Ramirez (Karen Pryor Clicker Training), Steve Martin (Natural Encounters, Inc.), Susan Friedman (Behavior Works), and Tim Sullivan (Brookfield Zoo Chicago)! Our guests talk about how they all met each other (spoiler alert: everyone was intimidated by everyone), reflect on the impact on their lives of the late Karen Pryor, share some of their current biggest peeves/vendettas/crusades, reveal things they are working on about themselves, and give us suggestions for topics and guests for future episodes. It's an incredible talk with incredible people, and our way of saying thank you to our listeners for supporting the show - here's to the next 250!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References from the episode:
- A Celebration of Life: Karen Pryor
- The Modern Principles of Shaping by Karen Pryor
- Modern Animal Care: A Skinnerian Perspective on Choice and Control by Christy Alligood and Susan Friedman
Ya'll know the drill by now: you send us an email, you get invited to be on the podcast, and as a result we get to hang out with Katy Kocisko (not Kocinko, Chris), orangutan caretaker at The Center for Great Apes! Katy shares how a school field trip lead to her first internship and full time job at Bearizona Wildlife Park (where she first met the NEI crew when we were consulting there), how a lifelong interest in great apes lead to a big move across the country to our neck of the woods, and the challenges with anthropomorphism when caring for animals that are like us in many ways (and were often someone's pet).
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Big shout-out to our sponsor, Magic Mind! To learn more about how Magic Mind can help you build your "Mental Wealth" and take advantage of a special 45% savings offer, visit https://www.magicmind.com/thetecjan during the month of January - thanks Magic Mind!
Boy oh boy, did life decide to life all over us today! Today we had a fun recording planned with the amazing Dr Susan Friedman, founder of Behavior Works... and then a surprise USDA inspection stole Ari away from us and threw everything into a tizzy! Chris did get a bit of time to chat with Susan, and though we decided to push our planned recording down the calendar to later in the year, I did get to record our chat, and at Susan's encouragement we decide to share some of it with you! We are nothing if not flexible, and hey - there's some good stuff in here!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We also want to thank our sponsor, Magic Mind! To learn more about how Magic Mind can help you build your "Mental Wealth" and take advantage of a special 45% savings offer, visit https://www.magicmind.com/thetecjan - thanks Magic Mind!
Ari and Chris are back together to talk about everyone's favorite topic in the professional animal care world: dealing with the grief following the loss of an animal in your care. We share some great advice from others, some old attitudes that we think aren't helpful , and some excellent resources to help all of us deal with the worst part of our jobs. Also, stick around for the end, where we share some quick thoughts about the loss of a foundational leader in the animal training field, Karen Pryor, who passed away on January 4, 2025.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We're excited to announce the return of our sponsor, Magic Mind! To learn more about how Magic Mind can help you build your "Mental Wealth" and take advantage of a special 45% savings offer, visit https://www.magicmind.com/thetecjan - thanks Magic Mind!
With Chris channeling the year our show was born by being knocked out by COVID, Ari takes the helm for the first podcast episode of the year to chat about all the new webinar, online course, and workshop offerings that NEI has on the books for 2025. Come hang out with us, it'll be a blast!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are excited to be joined by former NEI'er, secret payroll lover, and reluctant extrovert Lacey Zeno, Curator of Ambassador Animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! Lacey talks about the path that took her from dog training and vet school prep to being Ari's roommate in Dallas (thanks, Amy Robinson!), achieving her goals of working with free-flight birds and elephants, the ins and out of making a huge move with two kids and too many pets, the importance of asking for helping when taking on new responsibilities, the essential role of building relationships with people you don't "need to," and why moving on to new things doesn't change who you are or take away from what you've done. You're doing it, Lacey!!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Thanks to the magic of technology, Chris is joined from the other side of planet Earth by Emma Pearce, Carnivore Keeper and Animal Training Coordinator at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand! Emma shares her journey through the animal care field in Australasia (including a brief detour into biosecurity), what it's like to be an "animal training committee of one," offers feedback about what it's like to be "pushed" by NEI, and how she's applying her animal training knowledge and skills to the human animals she works with.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We're excited to be joined by one of Chris' earliest mentors in the professional animal care world, Stu Levine! Stu crushes decades of amazing experiences into less than an hour to talk about being a part of the original "Florida NEI" team that moved Steve and the company from its former home base of Minnesota, the joy of eating lunch with a baboon every day, his history as a keeper, coordinator, and executive leadership consultant with the Walt Disney Company, the importance of combining organic learning with taking roles outside your comfort zone, why you should try to get a job doing your second favorite thing in life, and why leaders should let people dance on their dancefloor.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Coming back to the show for his first full-episode guest spot, Ari and Chris welcome Jon Rossi to the show! Jon talks about how his world shutting down in 2020 led to the creation of the Rossifari Podcast, his adventures getting to meet the various members of the NEI crew, how a silly joke gone too far got NEI's Amy Fennell killed (spoiler alert: she's alive and part of this episode), the series of events that got him involved with the Red Panda Network, Penguins International, and the Aquarium of Niagara, how being married to a vet keeps him grounded, and why it's important for people to fall in love with their local zoos.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We are excited for the triumphant return of one of our favorite people (and earlier podcast guests), Megan Geddes! Megan catches us up on her post-NEI life in Australia (where she's currently a Senior Trainer at Taronga Zoo), reminisces about preparing the perfect outfit for her NEI phone interview, quizzes us on our knowledge of Aussie slang, discusses the importance of confidence and bravery, and shares the drawbacks of living close to seahorses. We miss you, Megan - Mom and Dad are so proud! ;-)
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are excited for the return of Kait Wiktor, Manager of Animal Behavior and Wellbeing at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium! Kait joins us to talk about her recent adventures through all things "Crucial": the resources and certification programs from Crucial Learning, the organization behind our favorite professional (and personal) development resource, Crucial Conversations. Kait walks us through the six sources of influence, the importance of opinion leaders, the vital role of deliberate practice, why its good to have a suitcase of interventions when troubleshooting behavior challenges, and why you shouldn't "avoid the chainsaw."
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
A biologist? At Disney?? That's right, it's the return of Morgan Belle, Conservation Programs Manager with Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment!
After a brief recap of her history in the field, Morgan chats about life as "everyone's 'bug lady'", the (somewhat controversial) difference between bugs and insects, how improv classes were the scariest and most transformative thing she's ever done, and modern advancements in butterfly telemetry, before partnering with Ari to tell the most epic entomological tale ever: the story of "The Bee."
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by one of their favorite Brits, Shaping Behaviour founder Nicky Plaskitt! Nicky chats with us about her path from zookeeper to zoo training consultant, the importance of not being risk-averse, the unexpected academic audiences that her company has connected her too, the importance of establishing and maintaining an online following, why trainers should avoid perfection and shoot for "a middle ground that becomes your new beginning," and why highland cows are the best.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by one of their absolute favorite people in the field, Elly Neumann! Elly chats with us about the journey that brought her to her current role as Coordinator of Welfare, Training, and Enrichment at Jerusalem Zoo, the wide spectrum of where animals institutions are at globally in the development of their behavior management programs, the evolutions of how we share knowledge in the zoo world, the important work she has been a part of through the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (where Elly is the current President) and The Animal Behavior Community, and the importance of finding ways to get more involved.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by one of their favorite members of the NEI Expanded Universe: Sidney Campbell, Senior Trainer & Educator at Cascades Raptor Center! Sidney details the path that took her from San Diego elephants to Alaskan raptors, how her interest in non-profits was the perfect partner to working in raptor rehab, the unique way that animal trainers are skilled at taking care of each other, the joy of behavior puzzles, the importance of investing in productive friendships, the crucial role of the Silver Brigade, and why everyone should "figure out who you are, and do it on purpose". Shout outs to Jason Beale, Amy Fennell, and Dolly Parton!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References from the episode:
How to Build a Slide Door Crate by Tim Van Loan
Here's one we've been excited to do for awhile: Ari and Chris are joined by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo President & CEO Bob Chastain and NEI President & CEO Steve Martin to talk about the history of the relationship between the two organizations! We chat about "Bob's side of the story" for CMZ tales Steve's been telling us for years, how the stage was set for sweeping training and culture changes at the zoo by Bob's predecessor (thanks, Susan Engfer!), how free flight bird training made Bob think differently about parenting, the magic of "discretionary energy", how what got you here won't get you where you want to go, and the importance of knowing when animals - and people - are ready for what's next.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Despite cell phone signals doing their best to keep us apart, Chris AND Ari are joined for the return of Greg Peccie, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's Director of Animal Care and Welfare! Greg returns to the show to help us dig deeper into the many angles of professional development: developing a shared language for what those two words mean, how "quiet quitting" fits into an industry that requires constant diligence and effort from its employees, why newer keepers might be better served to aim for batting singles instead of homeruns, how being a change-maker and being miserable are both choices a person can make, and why leaders might want to see how a racehorse performs before they put money on it.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Because we thought it might be fun to talk about animals for a change on our animal training podcast, Ari and Chris are joined by Brookfield Zoo Chicago's Tim Sullivan to talk about the history, evolution, and future of environmental enrichment!
Inspired by Tim's presentation at the 2024 ABMA Conference, we discuss the shift from "throwing trash into beautiful habitats" to goal-based enrichment, how the late Hal Markowitz was way ahead of his time, the importance of overcoming "analysis paralysis" to make approximations towards improved welfare, how enrichment can give animals purpose, the role on unpredictability in animal care, and the exciting frontiers of free operants and enriched experiences.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Want to know more about what control can look like for the animals you work with? This is the episode for you! Ari and Chris are joined by Khaz Brooks and Ryan Talbot to talk about the work they did with (what they learned was) assent training at Wolf Park. They share how research into ABA and control gave them new language for giving their wolves a stronger voice in their training, how higher level training isn't as "magical" as it sometimes looks (it's about effort!), the joy of giving animals new skillsets, and the value of finding your fellow nerds.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References from the episode:
An Introduction to Cooperative Care for Canines - Big Bad Rescue Network
Foundations of of Preemptive Compassion: A Behavioral Concept Analysis of Compulsion, Consent, and Assent (Linnehan et al., 2023)
Can There Be Compassion Without Assent? A Nonlinear Constructional Approach (Abdel-Jalil et al., 2023)
Chris is joined by many people using many microphones to talk about the 2024 AZA Annual Conference in Calgary, Canada! What did we learn? Who did we meet? What did we do? Listen and find out!
Big thanks go out to Jen Charette (Zoo Community Manager, Tessere), Liz Evans (Manager of Behavioral Husbandry and Animal Programs), Jon Rossi (host/producer, The Rossifari Podcast), Justin Garner (Curator of Zoological Operations, Bush Gardens Tampa Bay), and the mega-group of Samantha Sherry, Ashley Breusing, Avery Schneider, Corryn Zylstra, Nathan Ooms, Kaylie Adams, Christina Fournier, Kaci Agre, and Cassidy Payne (Zoo, Aquarium, and Animal Shelter Management Graduate Program, Colorado State University) for their time and participation!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After wayyyyy too much time of talking about making it happen, Chris and Ari finally sit down to chat with the legendary Ken Ramirez! Ken shares his inspiring and unique journey through the animal training field—from his early passion for guide dogs, to his long career in marine mammal training, all the way up to his current role leading up Karen Pryor Clicker Training. He also discusses how teaching a Masters Course led to writing his renowned book, Animal Training: Successful Animal Management Through Positive Reinforcement. Ken's journey highlights how taking advantage of unexpected opportunities can create a lifetime of teaching and learning.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
In our continuing quest to collect the entire AZA Professional Development Committee on the show, we're excited to be joined by Jennifer Charette, Zoo Community Impact Manager at Tessere! Jen shares her unique path from birthday party host to zoo industry professional, the importance of committee service and understanding your "resource engine", how defining her "horizon job" got her to where she is today, why everyone should have an IDP, and why we should probably all let people lean into what they're good at instead of having to fit inside a box.
Also, make sure to stick around until the end to find out the answer to the question: "so....why 'hedgehog'?"
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari away having some extended Labor Day Weekend fun with family, Chris is joined by NEI's Samm Griffin! We chat about the path through the animal care field that brought Samm to NEI (take note, aspiring future animal care professionals), the importance of - and the advantages of working for - smaller zoological institutions, and how the support of her early NEI mentors kept her from spreading her wings and taking off after her seasonal stint with the company.
And speaking of Labor Day: through the power of magic AND technololgy, we're also joined by Sean, Hunter, Johneli, Anthony, Skyler, Shay, Emily, Meg, and Laurel from our Roger Williams Park Zoo and Minnesota Zoo shows on their final day of 2024 road shows! Congrats teams, you folks are amazing!!!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari is busy getting ready to visit our team in Rhode Island, so this week Chris is joined by returning co-host Adam Geltz to welcome back to the show two of our favorite people in the animal care world, Shelby Jecius and Kyle Alexander from Bearizona Wildlife Park! The four of us chat about their recent experience of moving from being supervisors into mid-level management, the important influence their leaders have had on the leaders they want to become, how working more (on the right things) can help prevent burnout, and the importance of remembering that there are better places to be miserable than in the animal care field. We like you, Shelby and Kyle!
Oh, and Bearizona COO Dave O'Connell (who makes a brief appearance) is pretty cool too, we guess.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
This episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first mental performance shot and get up to 48% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalkpod and enter the code TECTALKPOD20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
The TEC Talk Podcast is super excited to invite Rick Hester to the show! Rick joins us to talk about the journey that brought him to his current role as Curator of Behavioral Husbandry at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the important ways his understanding of training and behavior were moved ahead by formative experiences with both NEI and Dr Susan Friedman, his exciting recent work exploring the concept of "free operants" with a variety of earthlings, and to share some thoughts about how he is able to keep a lot of plates spinning in his life in a way that is both hard AND reinforcing.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is back from New Zealand and surprises Ari to share (and get her feedback on) the quotes he included in his recent ABMA presentation, "Communication and Teamwork Through the Eyes of a Trainer."
Spoiler alert: she thinks they're pretty great, and has lots of great further information to share!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Despite being separated by 8,061 miles and a 16-hour time difference, Chris and Ari are back behind their microphones to chat about the aftermath of Hurricane Debbie and Chris' adventures consulting at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand. Sweet as!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is flying to the future (sort of) as he heads to New Zealand to do some consulting in the land of Hobbits, so Ari hosts this episode without him, but she is not alone! Natural Encounters Senior Trainer, Nathan Hensley, joins her to talk about the many, many things he does with and for NEI. A lover of Science, he found his way into the field after tagging along with his Grandfather, who was a docent at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Spending time at this awesome facility inspired him to pursue a career in the field, eventually coming to work for NEI. He has worked at many locations within our company and played many roles: building things, driving birds across the country, setting up road shows, presenting on stage, teaching in workshops, and beyond! He is someone everyone loves to work with on any team as he always strives to support everyone around him to reach new heights.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Earlier this month, NEI had the priviledge of hosting the students and staff of Santa Fe College's Zoo Technology Program for an all-day field trip to our home base facility (aka "The Ranch) in Winter Haven, FL, and leave it to us to find a way to turn it into a podcast. This week's episode is the Q&A panel that Chris hosted, featuring Steve Martin, Clarie Santiago, Brad Moore, DonnaSue Evans, and Sage Treloar answering questions from our visitors. We covered a lot in just about 30 minutes, and despite some challenges with the recorded audio we think there's a little something in here for everyone.
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari away at the IAATE Midyear Meeting, Chris is joined by fellow ABMA Board Member and animal behavior podcaster, Shane Gorbett, to attempt to answer this question: how do we define a "modern zookeeper"?
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Well, this one is certainly a blast from the past! On this episode, we are extremely excited to welcome journalist and author, Amy Sutherland! Chris first met Amy 21 years ago (!) when she came to spend time with him and his classmates at Moorpark College's (then-named) Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (aka "EATM") to do research for what would become a book about the program (Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World's Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers). A few years later, this lead to a widely-acclaimed New York Times article about how Amy applied the animal training principles she'd learned to her husband, which shortly thereafter lead to another amazing book about the power of using good operant conditioning techniques with the fellow humans in our lives (What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage: Lessons for People from Animals and Their Trainers). We had a great time catching up with Amy to chat about what it was like getting a crash course in "our world," getting her perspective on the importance of what we do, and asking us some great questions about our hopes for the future of the field.
Shout outs in this episode: NEI's own, Steve Martin!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
This episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first mental performance shot and get up to 48% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalkpod and enter the code TECTALKPOD20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
You know what they say: you send Chris and Ari an email, you end up on the podcast. We're super happy to welcome Jeremiah Shon from John Ball Zoo to the show! Jeremiah is a recent NEI workshop attendee who reached out to share some cool training stuff that he and his team have been doing with their birds recently, so we brought him on the show to talk about how they put together their "group training program," the process of getting buy-in from people at all levels, the importance of seeing ourselves as scientists, and the value of recognizing when an idea you created doesn't belong to you anymore.
Shout outs in this episode: Amy Fennell, Erin Moloney, Katelyn Ferringer, and Scott Trauger. Ya'll rock!
If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
This episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first mental performance shot and get up to 48% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalkpod and enter the code TECTALKPOD20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Our hosts dig into all forms of media - print, social, and electronic - to discuss the challenge of "cultures of silence" in the zoo field (which, we beg your pardon, involves us repeating a little salty language), and chat about some good advice about how positivity and leadership behaviors can help, courtesy of great recent articles in IAATE's publication The Flyer by NEI's own Amy Fennell and Ari Bailey!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References:
Promoting Positivity in Animal Care: Thriving Amidst Challenges by Amy Fennell
Leadership for All! by Arianna Bailey - IAATE's The Flyer, Volume 31, Number 3, Summer 2024
This episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first mental performance shot and get up to 48% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalkpod and enter the code TECTALKPOD20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
The TEC Talk Podcast is also proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
With Chris stuck in traffic between work locations, Ari is joined by NEI's own Brittni Rice on the eve of her first anniversary with the company! Brittni shares her history in the field, the differences between working as a show trainer and a zoo keeper, the experience of being both a learner and a teacher, why she doesn't want to go back to marine mammal training anytime soon, and the joys of being our Unofficial Official Funtime Coordinator.
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari and Chris are back in the office together and are joined (with the recording gods on our side this time) by Jessi Krebs and Grep Lepera! Jessi and Greg share their paths in the zoo field (we're talking 95 combined years of reptile awesomeness, ya'll), their history with the Crocodilian Biology and Management Course at St. Augustine Alligator Farm, the messaging challenges that zoos continue to have with reptiles and other herps compared to more typical "charismatic megafauna", and their hopes for how zoos can embrace a broader picture of biological diversity for the benefit of their guests.
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first mental performance shot and get up to 48% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalkpod and enter the code TECTALKPOD20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
It's the return of the two-host podcast! Ari takes some time from her vacation to sit down with Chris to talk about the effects of compliments, recognition, paying attention, and the joy that comes from kindness. Awww! Get in here, everyone - group hug!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
This episode is brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get up to 48% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalkpod and enter the code TECTALKPOD20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
The TEC Talk Podcast is also proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
We had so much virtual fun with one out-of-state NEI bird show last week that we decided to send Chris out to visit the other one in person! We are so happy to welcome Morgan Lopes, Josh Sanko, Hunter Peck, and Anthony Rossi to the podcast to talk about the ins and outs of our bird show at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island, Flights of Fantasy!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
After an intro in which Chris demonstrates the evils of AI to an unsuspecting and horrified Ari, we're celebrating "Opening Weekend Eve" with Katelyn, Lucy, Meg, Laurel, Emily, Skyler, Emma, Ian, and Dan from the Minnesota Zoo Bird Show Crew! In this guest-packed episode we discuss the final prep going into the training of the birds, the joy of "plant school," the experience so far for the awesome crew of seasonal staff joining the show for the first time, the zoo birds making their triumphant return to Minnesota after going through training boot camp in Florida, and the team's guesses about what routines guests are going to be the most excited about. Happy Memorial Day, and happy opening weekend everyone!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
And lo, the Internet Gods and Goddesses decreed "we shall ruin your recording, thereby preventing this week's uploading of training and behavior content!"
But nay, your hosts shall not abide!
While Chris and Ari scurry behind the scenes to figure out what the heck went wrong with this week's recording and do their best to fix and rebuild it, we bring you a throwback to our conversation from January 2023 about the dangers of relying on prompts too heavily in shaping behaviors. A timeless topic for trainers of all ages and levels of experience!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
The state motto of Arkansas is "Regnat populus" - Latin for "the people rule" - and you know what? The people here DO rule! Chris sits down with Hannah Baker, Sydney Byrd, LeeAnn Goette, and Kate Neal from Little Rock Zoo to talk about all the fun training going on during Chris' 10-day consulting stint, the ways we've all learned to help build (and avoid degrading) trust with animals, fun stuff coming up for the zoo in the near future, and the awesomeness of pouched rats. Happy 100th birthday, Little Rock Zoo!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari and Chris welcome Jennie Janssen (National Aquarium, MIASZ) back to the show to share her take - and a great new initiative from MIAZS (Minorities in Aquarium and Zoos Sciences) - relating to the challenge our field is facing of creating the leaders of tomorrow.
References from the episode:
MIAZS - Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences
AMLAZ - Advancing Minority Leadership in Aquariums and Zoos
Understanding Barriers and Opportunities for Women and People of Color in Zoos, Aquariums, and Related Fields: A Research Initiative (Full Report, Executive Summary, and Infographics)
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari has The Ick, so Chris is joined by NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger to share our notes - figuratively and literally - from the 2024 ABMA Annual Conference in Nashville, TN!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
With Chris in Nashville to listen to other people talk into a microphone at the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) Annual Conference, Ari keeps the show going with the help of future animal care professional Lauren Vieira! Lauren emailed us to say that she was a listener who would love a sticker from the podcast if we ever made one - we did (thanks to our friends at Slapco), so we asked her to be on the show! Lauren talks about her story of shifting focus from the hospitality world to the professional animal care field, chats about the joys of moving to Florida, shares a bit about some of the interviews she's had for her first full-time zoo job, and grills Ari on some stuff she wants to know about our world - such a great conversation! (#ForeverSpeakingIntoAMicrophone)
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Well, it took us over 200 episodes to get our act together and make it happen, but it was worth the wait because we're finally joined by our favorite "Queen of Team," Marty MacPhee! Marty shares her background as a member of the "NEI Extended Universe," her training and behavior background at Brookfield Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom, and many of the lessons she's learned along the way about teamwork, coaching, and communication. We discuss the changing expectations of people coming in as new members of the zoological field, the importance of active listening, the problems that happen when we overindex on competency to the exception of honesty and empathy, strategies for lowering defensiveness, and the thrill of having a leader that's interested in your success. This was a wonderful conversation with one of our favorite people!
References:
- The New Rules of Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlitt
- First Step to Collaboration? Don't be so Defensive! by Jim Tamm
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari and Chris welcome back NEI President and CEO, Steve Martin, back to the show to talk about his recently published journal aritcle, "A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals"! Steve talks about how the article came about, the steep learning curve involved in the ins and outs of creating a peer-reviewed document, the revisions we went through for over a year to get to the final product, and what he hopes the professional animal care field could gain from reading it. A great chat about an important topic!
For more information, click here to read Steve's article from the journal Animals.
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Courtesy of the fine folks at the HBR on Leadership Podcast from Harvard Business Review, Chris brings a challenge for discussion to the table: what do you do when a top performer on your team that is up for promotion is also known for treating their collegues badly? We share the ins of outs of the case study "Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley" to reflect on the challenges leaders face when promoting - or not promoting - a controversial member of their team, and what they can do to both mitigate and deal with the potential fallout that it can cause for the organization. Get ready to get uncomfortable!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Zoo podcasters of the world, unite again! Join Chris on his "exciting first date" with Jon Rossi of the Rossifari Podcast and Elizabeth Johnson of the Mothering Wildlife Podcast to discuss the ins and outs of our shows! With Jon as host and ringleader, we talk about why our shows got started, how they've evolved over time, what we've learned about our audiences, how "the sausage gets made" in the recording and editing process, and our favorite experiences as animal people talking into microphones.
Check out all the great stuff from two shows we're proud to share the internet with:
The Rossifari Podcast - Apple | Spotify | Website
Mothering Wildlife - Apple | Spotify | Website
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the TEC Talk Podcast let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari has feedback on the brain - shout out to The Sea Stories Podcast (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) - so she sits down with Chris to talk about the ins of and out of how it applies to coaching people on how to coach others. We discuss the difference between coaching coaches you work with versus coaching coaches you've just met, when and how to offer feedback during a coaching session you're not in charge of, and the best advice we would give someone brand new to coaching other people. Coaching!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to welcome Kaitlyn Bohnet and BJ Rice from North Sky Raptor Sanctuary to the show! We chat with Kaitlyn and BJ about how they got involved with their current roles, their team's epic track suits that stole the show at the IAATE Icebreaker, why it's a strength to come to the animal field later in life with different skill sets, the importance of not being "gatekeep-y", why retail experience makes you a better person, and the joy of having the privledge of helping animals learn how to learn - an awesome conversation with two very awesome people!
To learn more about the work of North Sky Raptor Sanctuary, visit them online at https://www.northskyraptor.org.
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Chris sits still while Ari flies down the road in order to talk about a wild week at That Theme Park show that started with an epic flyoff and rolled right into a new show experience AND a new staff evaluation process - just a Totally Normal Week Where Nothing Remarkable Happened. :-)
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari is back in Florida to regale Chris with tales from the 2024 IAATE Annual Conference in Eugene, Oregon!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
200 episodes, how is that possible! Ari and Chris are joined by land and by sea by Steve Martin, Amy Fennell, Scott Trauger, Cori Dawson, Brad Moore, Michael Van Horne, Adam Geltz, Shayna Gruman, Natalie Sunray, Hunter Peck, and Kevin O'Brien to celebrate a very special podcast-iversary! We share some of out favorite episodes, memorable moments, and wishes for the future of show - thank you all for an amazing 4 years, and here's to another 200!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
For our final show before we pass the 200 episode mark (wow!), Ari and Chris are joined by Margaret Rousser, former Conservation Manager at Oakland Zoo (and all-the-time awesome advocate for animals), to talk about the legacy of her groundbreaking talk, "Making Time for Psychological Wellbeing"! Margaret talks about her path through the animal care field (turns out she and Ari have some shared work history in more ways than one) before digging into the history behind her conference presentation that asked the question, "is all the time we spend cleaning and disinfecting our animals' living spaces actually doing them more harm than good?" This is a fascinating chat that is a must-listen for anyone in the professional animal care world!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Chris is at the Ranch for our Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, so Ari is hosting alongside a very special returning guest, NEI's own Aaron Rose! Aaron and Ari talk about how to navigate the animal care field when you are neurodivergent. Aaron shares his personal expereince with ADHD, along with his tools and tips for others in the field. They chat about reasonable accommodations for neurodivergent staff and how coworkers and leadership can help support them as they work towards reaching their goals!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Chris and Ari discuss their day with the visiting students of Drake University's Animal Behavior Program and Sante Fe Community College's Zoo Technology Program before answering some questions from r/Zookeeping, the subreddit dedicated to folks interested in the professional animal care field!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. And as a special offer just for January, you can go to http://www.magicmind.com/JANomniverse and use the code OMNIVERSE to get one month free with any 3-month subscription. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Chris gives Ari some "daywork" by challenging her to follow the format of the "3-2-1 Thursday" weekly newsletter from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (a great book that Chris reviewed in Episode 177) and come up with the following to share with our listeners: three short ideas, two quotes from other people, and one question for ponder for the week.
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
For this week's episode of the show, forget about Chris and Ari: tune in for the Adam and Lucy Takeover! Our special guest hosts discuss what makes a good mentor, admirable leadership qualities, how to get into leadership, and the importance of enjoying what we do! Whether you have the title of "leader" or not, they touch on how everyone can have a bigger impact on team growth than you might imagine!
If you'd like to hear more guest-hosted shows, or have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Hello, 2024! You are 4 days old and full of hope, and will be using you as an opportunity to make New Year's Resolutions. If you find yourself in this boat, Ari shares a few ideas in this episode to help you on a path to succeed at whatever goal you set for yourself through the use of positive reinforcement. And hey, Chris jumps in with some thoughts too! We wish everyone a healthy and happy year ahead filled with accomplished goals! You can do it, because you're awesome!
Reference: CBT Techniques to Keep Your Resolutions for 2024 - Cognative Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari and Chris wrap up the year by sharing how our holidays have gone so far and looking back at how we ended the first year of our show: 2020 (aka "The Year That Nothing Big or Interesting or Weird or Devastating Happened). We hope everyone had a good 2023 and we look forward to being back for more fun in 2024!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Ari and Chris are back in the office to discuss the following question that Chris posed on the ABMA Community online forum: does more control in an animal's life equal objectively better welfare?Joins us as we explore what one might generously call a dichotomous key (does it count if each question only has one answer?) to dive into the relationship between welfare inputs and behavioral outputs, the cognative dissonance that can result from seeing "a better way," the importance of celebrating the approximations made along on the way in the history of animals zoos and aquariums, and why giving animals more control can be one of the best ways their caretakers can get more themselves. And cool bonus: Ari updates us on the Florida Bonneted Bat conflict she discussed with Ron Magill in Episode 185!
If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Ari is in Florida and Chris is in Austria, but through the magic of editing they chat "together but apart" about the NEI holiday party and some challenges we're having with our pets before tackling a few questions Ari pulled off the Facebook ZooKreepers group. Thanks for listening, join us again next week when we're both on the same continent!
If you have a suggest for something you'd like us to talk about, feedback you'd like to share, or an idea for someone you'd like to see by a future guest, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity Shottm and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
On this episode, Ari chats with Tim Sullivan (Director of Behavioral Husbandry at Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo) about how to grow great keepers and animal care staff into great leaders. They discuss "that sticky spot" when your peers become your direct reports, how to manage expectations by doing some introspection, and examining what you can control, as well as Tim's experience with "rescuer syndrome" and how he's worked to help others without being the one to fix their problems. Great advice from a great human!
Do you have an idea for something we could discuss or someone we should invite on the show?Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity Shottm and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
Ari and Chris are back together and joined by NEI Supervisor of Humaning Amy Fennell! In this wide ranging conversation we talk about the challenge of moving a team of human and animal learners to a new city, the dangers of forgetting to take care of yourself when you're trying to take care of others, the importance of finding the right fit in coaching and therapy, and the challenge of normalizing conversations about things that a lifetime of experiences have told us not to talk about. A great conversation with a great human being!
Have a topic, a question, or a bird you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity Shottm and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!
With Chris avoiding microphones for the time being (thanks, strange upper respiratory infection from the other side of the planet), Ari catches up with Katelyn Ferringer, Lizzi Fricker, Keegan Freese, and Cori Dawson from the Winged Encounters team! The gang sit down on Turkey Day Eve to revisit the progress that's been made with the young macaws they've worked to integrate into their show flocks at "that theme park" (last discussed on Episode 111, for those keeping score), to share their excitement about celebrating the birds' successes with our guests, to reflect on things they are grateful for, and to chat about fun family Thanksgiving traditions.
Have a topic you'd like us to discuss, a question you'd like us to answer, or want to be our guest on a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari and Chris play a bit of catch up on our lives at opposite sides of planet Earth, describing their past few weeks and individual experiences with New Zealand's Bird of the Century vote (aka "The Pūteke Situation") before throwing things back for a replay of an older episode about trust accounts, relationships, and communication featuring NEI Supervisor Amy Fennell!
Wish Ari luck back home helping to keep things running smoothly in Florida!
Wish Chris luck in being allowed to come back to America after being gone for so long!
Wish Amy luck when she's surprised to hear that she's been committed to joining us again next week!
Sweet as!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Chris and Ari are joined by San Diego Zoo's Curator of Mammals, Ambassadors, and Applied Behavior, Nicki Boyd! We asked Nicki to join to tell us all about the zoo's "Enriched Experiences" program that's taking environmental enrichment to a whole new level! She shares how brainstorming around desired behavioral outputs allowed her teams to "replace the pace" and "outplay the sway," how an analysis of natural history can help create experiences that can last for days in a habitat (it's more than just putting poop in their house, people), and, just in time for spooky season, shares some of the coolest things she's seen zoo animals do with pumpkins. Happy (Belated) Halloween everyone!
If you'd like to share a question, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest who should join us in the future, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ron Magill returns to the podcast this week to chat about walking the talk when it comes to conservation efforts! The Florida Bonneted Bat is a critically endangered native Florida species of bat that is only found in a handful of places in South Florida, and one of the largest populations live in the Pine Rockland habitat directly adjacent to Zoo Miami. Currently, developers are pushing to put a water park in a vital space next to this important habitat, and if plans go through this will have profound effects on the bats and other wildlife who depend on this habitat to thrive. Join Ari this week as she chats with Ron about how he has been standing up for what is right in order to save this important species!
Have a question for us, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or suggested for a guest you think should be on our show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Fresh off his visit to NEI for AZA's Animal Training Applications course, Ari and Chris are joined by Tim Sullivan, Director of Behavioral Husbandry at Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo! Tim talks about his journey from being a "17 year old punk" to a member of zoo leadership, the important of "getting the $#%@ out of Brookfield" to learn from other institutions, balancing the role of the employee and the role of the employer in professional development, learning that training humans is a lot harder than training animals, and the importance of being a ray of sunshine in the lives of others. Incredible chat with an incredible leader in our field!
Have something you'd like us to discuss or a suggestion for someone you like to see join us on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Chris and Ari are joined by fellow NEI-ers Clarie Santiago (Ranch Supervisor), DonnaSue Evans (Chief Human Resources Officer), and Amy Fennell (Supervisor of Training) for a Q & A panel as part of Santa Fe College's field trip to the Ranch for students of their Zoo Animal Technology Program. We tackle questions about degree requirements, the best places to get specific experience, how our schedules work, our most challenging bird training projects, and our hopes for the future of zoos. A great day meeting the future members of our field - how cool is that??
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to tackle on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
It's an NEI reunion as Ari and Chris are joined once more on the show by Tim Van Loan! Tim talks about his new role as Curator of Animal Well-being and Behavior at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, and we chat about what each of us have been doing during our week at the Ranch as NEI hosts the AZA's Animal Training Applications (ATA) and Managing Animal Enrichment and Training Programs (MAETP) professional development courses. So many great experiences, so many great stories, so many acronyms!
Have a question, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or feedback you'd like to offer about the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Chris is joined this week by his thoughts on the long drive home from the Ranch to chat about the ABMA Midyear Board Meeting, the Great Mews Project of 2023, his awe-inspiring co-workers, and 3 recommended episodes of the podcast "WorkLife with Adam Grant" (which I totally know is the name of that show).
Have a question for us? A topic you think we should talk about? A suggestion for a way we should change things up in the future? By all means, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Fresh off the plane from the other side of the Atlantic, it's the return of NEI President and CEO Steve Martin! Chris and Steve sit down to chat about Steve's visit to IAATE's 2023 UK Symposium (can't wait to give our hawks some biscuits!), some cool new training going on with a young harpy eagle at the Ranch, and our excitement about hosting the upcoming AZA Animal Training Applications in Zoo and Aquarium Settings and Managing Animal Enrichment and Training Programs courses. Too! Many! Fun! Things!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Want to suggest someone who should join us on a future episode? Want to leverage the wonders of online video conferencing and be the guest that joins us on a future episode??? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Ari and Chris chat about our field's favorite term that's not actually a word - Choice and Control! They discuss what they are, how they're related, and what they mean for animal care before digging into what they mean when applied to the humans that work on our teams. So many great things to dig into here - learned helplessness, the illusion of choice, the problem with "over-democratizing decisions," and communicating expectations are just some of the many fun things we touch on - turns out being a person on planet Earth with other people is a lot, ya'll!
Have a question or topic you like us to discuss, or a suggestion for someone you think should be a guest on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Chris is at the 2023 AZA Annual Conferece in Columbus, OH, and continues his collection of "PDC Podcast People" by chatting with Misha Body and Dr Taylor Gilley! They've both had fascinating paths through the animal care field and are both committed to helping to grow the zoo and aquarium leaders of today and tomorrow - I have a feeling it won't be the last time we have either of them on the show!
For more information about what these amazing folks do, you can reach out to them at hello@mishabody.com and tgilley@houstonzoo.org!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future epsiode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
With our backstage painting project complete, Ari and Chris discuss the excellent book Atomic Habits by James Clear!
Have a question, topic, or suggested guest for the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
With much of Florida dealing with a very unwelcome out-of-state guest named Idalia, Chris and Ari take some time to talk about NEI's prepartions for being licensed and inspected by the USDA for the first time. We talk about the history of the organization (happy 150th birthday, USDA!), the new relationship the organization has with bird facilities like ours, and the ins and outs of all the USDA-related projects we're taking on across our 3 locations.
Have a question you'd like us to answer, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest you'd like us to have on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
With Ari in Minnesota hanging out with a certain cool bird show crew, Chris is pleased to welcome back Greg Peccie, Director of Animal Health and Welfare at Riverbanks Zoo! Building on our conversation from when Greg was last on the show (Episode 95, for those keeping score), we dive into the challenge of hiring, retaining, and developing people at a time when our industry is undergoing a lot of change. We discuss navigating the modern job application and interview process, the importance of "right fit" and being ok when you're not it, the crucial differences between discipline and accountability, why leaders should avoid the temptation to create clones, the six things all leaders have to do to drive a successful culture, and why we should be careful to not condemn all zebras.
Have a question you'd like us to answer, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or a suggestion for someone you think should be a guest on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
Chris and Ari are melting in Central Florida, but luckily they're joined by some very cool people in a much cooler climate - Dan Blair, Meg Meyer, Kayla Rowand, Brianna Thorson, and Laurel Mochinski (along with special guest start Cori Dawson) from Minnesota Zoo's World of Birds Show (Presented by Wings Financial)! We get to discuss the team's experience booting up a brand new show from scratch, Laurel's history with the bird show dating back to when it was run by some guy named Steve Martin (sounds familiar...), speculations about the visitors' favorite birds, the restaurants and bars that the team still has to visit before the show run ends next month, and the white feathered wonder that is Coconut the Cockatoo.
If there's a question you'd like us to answer, a topic you think we should discuss, or a guest you'd like to see on the show (even - and especially - if it's YOU), drop us an email at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
With Ari taking some much-deserved vacation, Chris is joined by NEI's own Shayna Gruman! For the week of Shay's one-year work anniversary we talk about her history in the field, how the job has lived up to the expectations she had before meeting and working alongside us while still in the Moorpark Exotic Animal Training and Management program, what she's learned at our facilties in Florida and at her current gig at our show at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island, and what she feels she's still working on to achieve her personal goals.
Do you have a question you want us to answer, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or a burning desire to be a guest on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To suppor the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!
We finally finished our homework! Ari and Chris sit down for the fourth and final episode of their TEC Talk Book Club to discussion of Crucial Conversations:
- Chapter 10: Putting it All Together: Tools for Preparing and Learning
- Chapter 11: Yeah, But...: Advice for Tough Cases
- Chapter 12: Change Your Life: How to Turn Ideas into Habits
If you've joined us on our maiden voyage of the TEC Talk Book Club, let us know what you've thought about it! If you have any feedback for us, for the show, or for what books you'd like us to do another Book Club deep-dive on, please let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are back in their office to finish off their incredibly-surface-level review of The Ten Laws of Shaping from Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog! In our wrap-up episode for this topic we realize that we don't know who first "shot the dog," we don't remember when we talked about "ending on a good note" (but we're pretty sure we did), and we don't know where our old copies of the book are and exactly how they differ from the one we're using now. Hey, we're being vulnerable, ok?!!?
Have an idea, topic, or question you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari away at the IAATE midyear meeting, Chris takes advantage of some time at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, to chat with a few amazing folks, Director of Education Shareen Knowlton and Manager of Ambassador Animals Jen Rudolph! We learn a bit about Shareen and Jen's paths through the field, the advatanges of starting in the field "late", the importance of eliminating the "siloing" of teams in a facilty, the influence of Brené Brown, and the value of knowing how many "equats" you have to spend in a day.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Chris somewhere in Europe again (we think) Ari sits down with Erik Montgomery, Director of Operations for the Natural Encounters Conservation Fund, to chat all things NECF! Erik and Ari tak about NECF's work donating 100% of the funds they collect to various in situconservaton programs that really need it, benefitting everything from lions and vultures to pangolins and gharials, what those three R's in the chasing arrow recycling symbol really mean, and how mining for sand on the other side of the world might have long term effects on the environment that we should take for "granite". Hopefully this conversation gets everyone thinking more about conservation!
Have a question you'd like us to tackle, a topic for us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should get on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are excited to be joined by Jennie Janssen, Assistant Curator at National Aquarium and President and Co-Founder of Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Science (MIAZS)! Jennie shares her history in the aquarium industry, how a case of mistaken identity helped reinforce a lack of diversity in the field, and how her non-profit is providing a resource for people at all levels to help make the professional animal care world a more open, inviting, and equitable place for everyone.
To find out more about MIAZS and the resources avaialble through them, visit miazs.org or email contactmiazs@miazs.org.
Want to suggest a topic for a future show? Have a question you'd like us to answer? Want to join us on the show as a guest? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari return to Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog! to discuss another batch of guidelines from her "Ten Laws of Shaping"! Solid advice all around, with the added spice of some thoughts on where and when folks might want to consider veering away from them when it's in the best interest of the animal, the session, or the project.
For this second go around, we discuss Laws 4-7:
- When introducing a new criterion, temporarily relax the old ones.
- Stay ahead of your subject: Plan your shaping program completely so that if the subject makes sudden progress you are aware of what to reinforce next.
- Don't change trainers midstream; you can have several trainers per trainee but stick to one shaper per behavior.
- If one shaping procedure is not eliciting progress, find another; there are as many ways to get behavior as there are trainers to think them up.
Want to share your thoughts about the Ten Laws of Shaping, or anything else about training, animals, or behavior? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
What's better than an animal training and behavior podcast? FOUR OF THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Chris and Ari fulfill a longtime dream and bring together the hosts of the TEC Talk Podcast, the Zoo Logic Podcast, the Animal Training Academy Podcast Show, and Animal Behavior Conversations (The Podcast of the ABMA) into one giant supercast!
We sit down with Dr Grey Stafford, Ryan Cartlidge, and Shane Gorbett to talk about why we started our shows, the challenges with organizing, booking, and recording regularly, how to deal with sensative subjects, how we balance the shows with our "real jobs," and what we love about the work that the other hosts have done. Lots of love in this one!
Want to start a podcast! Do it! Podcasts are awesome! Have a question for our show, or want to join us as a future guest? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
To learn more about our guests' awesome shows (which you should go subscribe to right now!) check out the following:
Zoo Logic: Apple | Spotify | RSS Feed
The Animal Training Academy Podcast Show: Apple | Spotify | RSS Feed
Animal Behavior Conversations (The Podcast of the ABMA): Apple | Spotify | RSS Feed
Chris is MIA (still in America, just lost his voice) but Ari soldiers on with the help of Sean Hoelle, Kassidy King, and Morgan Lopes, part of the staff of NEI's "Rhode Show" at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island! The crew chat about how the show has been going, building new relationships at a new facility, and being TikTok famous after an epic flyoff. We also learn some things that are uniquely Rhode Island, because this may be the smallest state but it definitely has some big personality!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Want to be a guest on a future episode? Wondering where the heck the Crucial Conversations and Ten Laws of Shaping episodes we keep promising are? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris has the plague! But don't worry, he is resting at home and Ari is joined this week by NEI trainer Lizzi Fricker (which is definitely her last name, as we learn during this episode). They chat about how Lizzi started in the field, the culture shift that is occuring for zoo professionals industry-wide, how to communicate at high levels with your team when we aren't taught that important skill, moving beyond an "us against them" mentality to get to a solution-oriented level of professionalism, and why honesty and curiosity are better than accusations and poor assumptions. They don't have all the answers, but they hope the conversation helps us continue to work towards a goal we all want: healthy work environments!
Want to share your story in the animal field, or have a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris reconvene in their office to discuss Don't Shoot the Dog's Ten Laws of Shaping! Having not read the book in years, we were interested to look at Karen Pryor's ten suggestions for successful shaping through the filter of our current training practices and understanding of the science of behavior change. Because we can talk forever about this stuff we only get through the first 3, so this is the first episode in a new TEC Talk mini-series - how fun is that?
(Also, we're making it clear right now that we own "DRSA" as a training term since we coined it in this episode. You can't have it. So there.)
This time we share our thoughts on the following:
- Raise criteria in increments small enough so that the subject always has a realistic chance for reinforcement.
- Train one thing at a time; don't try to shape for two criteria simultaneously.
- Always put the current level of response onto a variable schedule of reinforcement before adding or raisining criteria.
Have thoughts to share about the Ten Laws of Shaping, or anything else you'd like to share? Please do so by emailing us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari hosts while Chris is stuck on a train somewhere in Europe, but it's far from a disaster because Julia Wagner, ZDR3's Executive Director, joins the show to talk about all things disaster response, from hurricane season to mental health support. Julia shares with us the inner workings of the ZDR3 network and how they response when a disaster strikes. This important episode will get you thinking about your facility's plans to deal with the unimaginable and provide some comfort in knowing there are great resources out there that we should rely on!
Ari is back in Orlando so Chris had to flee Florida again - too much podcasting power to keep in one city! Ari recounts her time at AZA Croc School, while Chris shares his adventures bopping around Lake Geneva in Switzerland and the his experinces with the questionable taxidermy of the UK as he tags along on his wife's work trip.
Who, incidentally, is not a spy. Nope. Not at all.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari busy teaching a training course at Croc School (who knew crocs even went to school, amazing!), our hosts meet up via the power of the Internet for another TEC Talk Book Club episode about Crucial Conversations! This time we cover Chapters 7 (STATE My Path), 8 (Explore Others' Paths), and 9 (Move to Action) - let's conversate!
Have a suggestion for a topic or a theme for a future episode? By all means, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Chris and Ari are very excited to be joined by Shannon McKinney and Hannah Fulmer from GRAZE (Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Professionals)! After a bit of background about their histories in the animal care field and how it lead to the formation of GRAZE, Shannon and Hannah help us dig into a lot of great topics: the importance of taking responsibility for one's mental health, looking at the "other side of the coin" to talk about things like "post traumatic growth" and "compassion satisfaction," the important role that emotions (all 200 of them) play relating to behavior, why to avoid "shoulding on yourself," the differnence between managing emotions and being emotional, how strong relationships with an animal can hurt them in the long term, and the problem of equating your worth with your accomplishments. So much great information, and we can't wait to have them back to talk about even more!
To learn more about the work that GRAZE does in the professional animal care field, visit their website at https://zoomentalhealthsupport.com/.
Have a question for us? Some feedback about something on the show?A suggestion for a topic you'd like us to discuss? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari share a microphone to discuss how they provide show feedback! They discuss the general format for how and when they present it, share some specific notes from shows they've watched in the past (because neither of them ever delete Notes from their phones), contemplate how starting a feedback session with a positive note is not the same thing as the infamous "poop sandwich", and share tips for how to make giving and receiving show feedback easy and welcome.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Despite being separated by 4,700 miles and the Pacific Ocean, Ari and Chris sit down to celebrate the third anniversary of the TEC Talk Podcast! We share our highlights from the last three years and hopes for the future of the show - thank you to everyone who's come along for the ride with us and supported the show by listening!
Have a questions or a topic you'd like us to discuss on one of our future episodes? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With the third anniversary of the show looming, Ari and Chris reflect on some emails and show reviews we've recently received, tease an upcoming episode with some exciting guests, take a look at our listenership's current geographic breakdown, and count down our current Top 10 "most experienced" episodes!
Have a topic you'd like us to discuss, or wanna come join us on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Links from the episode:
"Suffering in Silence: Caring for research animals can take a severe mental toll. Is anyone listening?" by David Grimm
Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees (GRAZE): https://zoomentalhealthsupport.com/
Zoo and Aquarium All Hazards Partnership (ZAHP): https://zahp.org/
Chris is in Arkansas doing his best to dodge tornados, so this week Ari has the opportuntiy to sit down with the one and only Steve Martin (President/CEO of Natural Encounters, Inc.) to talk about one of his favorite training topics: control! They discuss what it is, how to utilize it as a reinforcer in training sessions, and how to give control away. Don't miss this deep dive into this important - and sometimes overlooked - primary reinforcers.
Have a questions or something you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the podcast? Let me know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The TEC Talk Book Club returns to cover chapters 4-6 of Crucial Conversations with NEI's Bella Sorensson! Having just completed the book with the other awesome folks of the original NEI Book Club, Bella joins us to talk about the chapters "Learn to Look", "Make it Safe", and "Master Your Stories". We compare the book's terminology with the words we use for the same concepts in animal training ("hot terms," anyone?), share our own tendencies on the "Silence and Violence" chart, and Google the difference between empathy and sympathy to see if Chris can gracefully admit that he's wrong.
Do you have any thoughts on Crucial Conversations that you'd like us to share on the show? Heck, want to join us on the show to talk about them yourself? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com and let's get you on here already!
Chris returns from his second bout with COVID-19 to join Ari in welcoming three cool people to the podcast, BirdTricks' Dave and Jamie Womach, and Master Falconer Daryl Peterson! We chat about the unusual path that took the Womachs from a traveling family on the road with Dave's work as a "thrillusionist" (see, we're not the only ones with crazy jobs!) to the founders of a company dedicated to "saving parrots one person at a time," to meeting up with Daryl to learn more about birds of prey and the risks they pose for free-flying parrots, to the epic tale of all three working together so that Dave could fly side-by-side in a wingsuit at 150mph with a gyr x peregrine falcon.
Yep. That's a thing that really happened! And thanks to this chat, we get to learn all about what it took to make it work and how the bird, Scarlett, blew everyone away with her stamina and relationship with all the humans involved.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episiode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Learn more about Dave, Jamie, and Daryl, check out the following links:
BirdTricks site: http://www.birdtricks.com
BirdTricks on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/birdtricks
BirdTricks on Instagram: https://instagram.com/birdtricksofficial
Dave on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thrillusionist
Daryl on Instagram: https://instagram.com/daryl_pete
Chris is out sick and Ari is up at the crack of dawn to bring you this Morning Coffee SoloCast! Join her as she shares some thoughts on professional relationships with animals. As Ari ponders her decision to take her dog in for surgery she explores our relationships with the animals we care for and how we can set healthy boundaries that help us make the best decisions for the animals in our care without having our judgment clouded by emotions.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show, or would you like to be a guest on a future episode? Drop us a line at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Greetings from the 2023 ABMA-IMATA Joint Conference in Atlanta! Chris sits down with fellow ABMA Board Members and all-around awesome people Christina Lavallee from Zoo Atlanta, Justin Garner from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Shane Gorbett from Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and Scott Trauger from Natural Encounters, Inc., to chat about how the conference has gone so far, and about what we're excited about for the rest of the week. We discuss the opportunity for the newest people in the field to be teachers, the opportunity to pick the brains of some of the founding members of our industry (so many good Steves!), grill Shane about Animal Behavior Conversations (the podcast of the ABMA), and just generally geek out about all things animal behavior!
To learn more about ABMA and how you can be a part of it - and to take advantage of a limited time discount on membership - visit theabma.org!
Have a question or topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The show returns to its influenza roots to celebrate 150 episodes with Ari home sick (just the regular flu, thank you very much) and Chris at work, talking into separate microphones, to discuss the first three chapters of the much-referenced and highly recommended book Crucial Conversations! This is the first episode in a series of episodes that will cover the entirety of the book in monthly chunks - more info soon on when we'll be covering more of the book for folks who would like to follow along!
If you want to be a part of the show by sending us your thoughts about the book, your ideas about topics we can discuss on the show, or by demanding to be on the show so we can make this duo a trio, please let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris sit down for a chat with Bearizona's very own Shelby Jecius! Shelby shares the path through the animal field that lead to her current role as a Supervisor at the wildlife park, and (after getting "voluntold" to be a guest on the show by fellow Bearizona Supervisor, Kyle Alexander) to share how the book "Crucial Conversations" has helped her become a better leader, communicator, and animal trainer. Shelby is definitely someone who talks the talk and walks the walk, and we're so happy to finally have her on the show.
Speaking of: next week (February 28, 2023, to be exact) Ari and Chris will be doing their first "Podcast Book Club" episode, where they will be discussing the first 3 chapters of "Crucial Conversations." If you'd like to join us by reading along and sharing your thoughts on these chapters, email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com before the 28th so that your contributions can be shared as part of the recording, which ALSO just happens to be our 150th episode! Join us, won't you?
Ari sits down after the 2023 IAATE Conference Icebreaker with some of the amazing attendees and board members to talk about what they're looking forward to at this year's conference. They chat about fish behavior, turtle collanders, magical alligator trainers, carrot gavels, and PTSD (Peacock Trauma Swamp Disorder).
Big thank you to Marco Zeno, Kristin Dean, Erin Katzner, Josh Kuszmaul, Jose Bello, Helen Dishaw, and Kit Lacy for joining in the fun!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is joined by NEI's Erik Montgomery, Clarie Santiago, Bella Sorensson, Kassidy King, Hunter Peck, and Cori Dawson to chat about the newly-launched NEI Book Club! We talk about the where the idea came from, how Crucial Conversations became the first title they're tackling, and how the process of getting vulnerable with each other over Zoom is going so far. These folks are the best and I'm so happy I got to spend time with them!
Do you have an idea for a cool name for the new Book Club? Please share these (and any other) thoughts you have by emailing us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
What better way to demonstrate the challenges of multitasking than to record a podcast at 70mph? While pursuing different alternate routes to a meeting at the Ranch, Chris and Ari keep their eyes on the road while chatting about multitasking: digging into why it's a bad idea, why it's not even really tackling multiple tasks at once, findings that suggest that it could lead to long term cognitive and developmental problems, some alternatives that are safer, more efficient, and more effective, and the importance planning, reducing distractions, and blocking off dedicated time for focused tasks.
(Spoiler alert: we both made it to work safe, but Ari missed several exits and Chris was 40 minutes later than he thought he'd be. What more proof of the problems of multasking do you need??)
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Shoot us an email while folding your laundry and eating dinner at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Links from the episode:
Cognitive and Productive Costs of Multitasking
Why Multitasking Does More Harm Than Good
The Best Alternative to Multitasking
After a discussion of the current global makeup of our listenership (based on some very dubious analytics), Ari and Chris (and Ari's dog, Archer) dig into the following training-related statement: "sometimes when we try to help the animal, we hurt the behavior." This chat goes all sorts of places, including...
- The problems with prompts
- The relationship between persistance and resiliency
- The roles that biology and control (maybe) play in intrinsic reinforcement
- Motivation's role in "grit"
- The importance of getting out of the way
- The importance of consistency in building new behaviors
- Why no one should be running backstage at a bird show
If you have thoughts on this - or any other - subject and would like to share with the rest of the class, email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris sit down with NEI Senior Trainer Adam Triska to chat about his first day of shows as our newest stage presenter at The Theme Park Which Must Not Be Named (#SG@AW)! Adam talks about the pre-NEI experiences that lead up to this new achievement, his process of going from learning the script to doing the show in front of an audience, how he felt before, during, and after his first show, and getting feedback on his performance from the senior staff at the stage. Hooray for personal and professional growth!
Have a question, a topic you'd like us to discuss, feedback you'd like to share, or an interest in being our guest on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Recorded LIVE at NEI's January 2023 Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, it's the TEC Talk Podcast! Chris sits down with some of the staff and attendees of the workshop to chat about how the week's gone so far: training highs, personal revelations, cool connections via "The Kingdom of Animals" and Moorpark's EATM program, and new ideas about how to close out our episodes are all discussed - big thanks to Elijah, Shelby, Meg, Erica, Jess, Hailey, Dan, and Kate for their contributions!
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After a bit of reminiscing over their "holiday drywalls," Ari and Chris share some of the fun new ideas they'll be trying out for the show in 2023. Stay tuned - and glued to our Facebook page - to find out more, and we hope you'll all come along for the ride!
Have a question, a topic you'd like us to discuss, or a book you'd like like us to tackle for our new book club? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
For the last episode of 2022 we're featuring...everyone! The staff of NEI share some of their highlights of the year as we stare down the barrel of 2023. Thanks for listening, and here's to another great year!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris get a second sit-down with Bearizona Wildlife Park's "Grand Poo-Pah" Dave O'Connell! Dave "returves" to the show to talk about what he and the other staff at BZ do to create high functioning teams: encouraging people to be themselves when they're being interviewed, training humans like they're animals, making time for fun, leaning on the strengths of others, being happy in "crusty situations," and simply letting people fit in.
Do you have a secret to creating great teams that you want to share? A question you'd like us to answer? An offer to come hang out with us as a guest on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After a quick review of the 2022 NEI Holiday Party, Chris and Ari chat about the importance of specificity when praising and recognizing others, the line between social niceities and behavor strengthening, and the problems with the statement "just let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
To learn more about the upcoming IAATE talk on Raptor Center Culture, please visit http://www.iaate.org.
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Please let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris go face to face via "Internet tubes" to talk about keto ketchup, Frank Lloyd Wright, birds that aren't Harris hawks, the 2022 ZAA Annual Conference, and NEI's Professional Contemporary Bird of Prey Training and Management Workshop.
Helpful Links:
- NEI Training Workshops: https://naturalencounters.com/workshops/
- ZAA: https://zaa.org/
- GRAZE Monthly Virtual Support Group: https://zoomentalhealthsupport.com/support-services/
- ABMA presents "ABC's: Animal Behavior Chats" for December 8, 2022: https://buff.ly/3utQObH
Welcome to Workshop Week, Bird of Prey Style! Chris sits down for a quick chat with fellow workshop instructors Adam Triska, Dan Blair, and Amy Fennell to talk about the history of NEI's Professional Contemporary Bird of Prey Training and Management Workshop, to reflect on Amy and Dan's experience of being a part of every BOP workshop to date, to talk to Adam about being a first-time workshop team lead, and to share as a team the things we're most looking forward to for this week. Wish us all luck!
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? By all means, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Happy Turkey Day in the USA! Ari sits down for some mom-talk with Danielle Poirier Larson, Curator of Birds & Training at Southwick's Zoo! Ari and Danielle chat about the challenges of being a mom and a manager in the animal field, the ever-popular concept of work/life balance, and the importance of setting (flexible) boundaries!
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode, or a desire to be a guest on the show? Drop us a line and let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop Week at the Ranch, so Chris sits down to chat with one of our attendees, livestock guardian dog (LGD) trainer Cindy Benson! Cindy talks about how her work raising miniature donkeys led her to becoming a KPA certified trainer, the similarities between her work raising and training LGDs and the practices of other animals trainers across the industry, the priviledge of being able to teach others as a "big fish that found its pond," and the cool stuff we've been learning from our animals at the workshop this week!
To learn more about Cindy's work raising Maremma Sheepdogs and training LGDs, check out https://www.bensonmaremmas.com/.
Visit Amazon to learn more about Cindy's book, Livestock Guardian Dog Training Manual: Applying the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations Course to Training Livestock Guardian Dogs.
Ari hosts solo while Chris is...somewhere, but she's not alone! Natalie Sunray is our guest this week, currently interning at Metro Richmond Zoo, and feeling really excited about her future in the field! Ari chats with Natalie about how she plans to stay motivated as she follows her current career path by keeping a positive attitude and celebrating her colleagues' successes as she faces the many challenges that comes with starting life in an animal care role.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari hosts solo while Chris is...somewhere, but she's not alone! Natalie Sunray is our guest this week, currently interning at Metro Richmond Zoo, and feeling really excited about her future in the field! Ari chats with Natalie about how she plans to stay motivated as she follows her current career path by keeping a positive attitude and celebrating her colleagues' successes as she faces the many challenges that comes with starting life in an animal care role.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Moorpark College's Gary Wilson returns to the show! After a quick discussion about the start of another NEI "Growvember," Gary talks about the beginnings of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, his wife Cindy's transition from leaving the animal field to becoming Moorpark's resident "monkey mama," and his thoughts on why anthromorphism doesn't have to be a bad word in animal training.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Reach out and let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Moorpark College's Gary Wilson returns to the show! After a quick discussion about the start of another NEI "Growvember," Gary talks about the beginnings of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, his wife Cindy's transition from leaving the animal field to becoming Moorpark's resident "monkey mama," and his thoughts on why anthromorphism doesn't have to be a bad word in animal training.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Reach out and let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are joined by Zoo Miami director WIll Elgar! Will talks about his path from starting as an animal trainer in the UK to leadership roles in the US, the importance of pushing your limits and taking advantage of (sometimes scary) opportunities, thoughts on the challenge of trying to achieve "work-life balance", and the roles that listening, adapting, and creating challenges for himself have played in his personal growth.
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are joined by Zoo Miami director WIll Elgar! Will talks about his path from starting as an animal trainer in the UK to leadership roles in the US, the importance of pushing your limits and taking advantage of (sometimes scary) opportunities, thoughts on the challenge of trying to achieve "work-life balance", and the roles that listening, adapting, and creating challenges for himself have played in his personal growth.
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Midyear? Mid year? Mid-year? However you spell it, Chris chats about his experience (so far) at his first midyear conference as an ABMA board member with NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger! Chris and Scott discuss how the first day went, reflect on how midyear conferences differ from annual conferences, and muse on the unique opportunities afforded to people who get to be a part of a organization that's not their full-time workplace.
Do you have any questions ot topics you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the podcast? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Midyear? Mid year? Mid-year? However you spell it, Chris chats about his experience (so far) at his first midyear conference as an ABMA board member with NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger! Chris and Scott discuss how the first day went, reflect on how midyear conferences differ from annual conferences, and muse on the unique opportunities afforded to people who get to be a part of a organization that's not their full-time workplace.
Do you have any questions ot topics you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the podcast? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by one of our most frequently-requested guests: former professor and co-department chair of the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at Moorpark College, Gary Wilson! Gary talks about his path towards becoming a student - and later a faculty member - of the program, his history with (and the EATM program's connection to) the Navy's marine mammal training program, and how the EATM program fits into today's professional animal care field. We're calling this episode "Part 1", because we're definitely going to get Gary back soon to expand on some of the stuff we got to - and hopefully dive into a lot that we didn't!
To see some of Gary's photography on Instagram, check out @garygwhiz.
If you have any questions for Gary - or about anything you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the show - let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by one of our most frequently-requested guests: former professor and co-department chair of the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at Moorpark College, Gary Wilson! Gary talks about his path towards becoming a student - and later a faculty member - of the program, his history with (and the EATM program's connection to) the Navy's marine mammal training program, and how the EATM program fits into today's professional animal care field. We're calling this episode "Part 1", because we're definitely going to get Gary back soon to expand on some of the stuff we got to - and hopefully dive into a lot that we didn't!
To see some of Gary's photography on Instagram, check out @garygwhiz.
If you have any questions for Gary - or about anything you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the show - let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are tired (but otherwise great!) as they share how NEI and their birds fared during Hurricane Ian, and discuss everything that transpired to get our shows up and running again.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are tired (but otherwise great!) as they share how NEI and their birds fared during Hurricane Ian, and discuss everything that transpired to get our shows up and running again.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It would take an act of God to keep us from bringing you a show every week.
And then one happened, and still we were like, "nah, we got this."
It's moving day for our shows at THAT theme park as Hurricane Ian has forced us to cancel our normally scheduled programming. First, Chris uses his early-morning drive to work to share the team's plan for the day. Second, Ari uses her drive back home from work to talk about how the bird move went. Finally, our intrepid Ride Out Crew of Katelyn, Grace, Aaron, and TJ share a little of bit about their experience so far being "hunkered down" at work until all this blows over. A truly epic podcast 16 hours in the making!!!
We hope everyone in Florida is staying safe and sane during this scary time, and we'll see you all on the other side!
Have a question, topic, or severe weather event tale you'd like us to talk about on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Greetings from Across the Pond! Chris does a solo-cast from the UK to talk about the great work the team back home has done in getting our birds back home from a temporary show shutdown, to detail the timeline of what he and his wife have been up to driving back and forth between Scotland and England, to give details on his experience of having the opportunity to visit Queen Elizabeth II as she was lying-in-state, and to tease some potential fun things for future episodes.
Have a question, query, comment, or concern about the show? We're open to all of it at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's an "L-Squared Takeover" as Lucy and Lisa take over the podcast! Will they share insightful thoughts about our field? Share what they've got for lunch today? Sow the seeds of sedition and plan a permanent takeover of the podcast?? Listen and find out!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to tackle on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris use two fully-functioning microphones to answer the following questions from our staff: what are you most proud of that you've accomplished in your career so far, and what are your bigger goals and ambitions in the field? It's no surprise that there's some overlap and parallels in our responses but it does give us a great opportunity to stroll down memory lane and look a bit into the crystal ball of the future.
We would LOVE it if people wanted to write in to share the accomplishments that they are most proud of - it's something we don't get to talk about enough! If you want to share, please do so at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
One computer. Two mics. Two people. One office.
Ari and Chris share physical space once more to talk about the subject of venting, and how to do it without ruining your career and your reputation. Big thanks to the "As We Work" podcast from the Wall Street Journal for inspiring this episode!
Do YOU need someone to vent to? We're all ears at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
While Ari is away, Chris does his best to discuss one of the hottest topics in the companion parrot world: to free fly, or not to free fly? It's a big subject with a lot of moving parts, and it gives Chris the opportunity to discuss the challenges with dealing with absolutes, different views of what constitutes good animal welfare, the importance of flight in the early life of a bird, different definititions of what the phrase "free-flight" even means, and some things that we believe make a bird a good (or bad) candidate as a free-flier.
We'd love to hear our listeners' thoughts on this subject - or anything else you want to talk to us about - and you share those thoughts at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Despite some challenges with our recording equipment (and we tested it and everything!), Ari and Chris sit down to review the feedback Chris has gotten from his peers and his vet-approved plan for dealing with "the Claude situation," and dig into an email about where to start when you're planning your training projects for the year.
Stupid audio challenges!
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Keeping it short and simple this week: Chris is alone in a hotel room somewhere in the Northeast and only has one thing on his mind - "how do I stop one of my cats from peeing all over the place???" In what we hope will be an interactive experience with our listeners, Chris gives some background on the history of the behavior, shares the steps his family has taken to deal with the issue thus far, and basically begs our audience to offer any advice they may have because, ya'll, we are OVER it.
Whether or not they're related to feline urinary health, we'd love for you to reach out to us with any thoughts or questions you might have at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After a quick discussion of sea turtles and supper clubs, Ari and Chris use a recent "what do I need to buy for my first animal job?" post on the internet as a prompt to share our personal "can't live without" items for working at NEI.
Hats? Check.
Glasses? Check.
Wildly different opinions on footwear brands? Check!!!
Are there any "must have" items in YOUR collection that you'd like to share with the rest of the class? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References:
Ari's favorite belt from Amazon can be found here.
To learn more about Keen's footwear discount program for animal care professionals, visit http://www.keenfootwear.com/pro.
It's an Ari solo-cast focused on being flexible! With COVID numbers going up once again, being flexible is as important as ever. Ari talks about being flexible on-stage for dealing with weather, as a leader, and in training sessions, all with the goal of keeping a level head, communicating clearly and calmly, and being able to reflect on decisions made in high-stress moments.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Two hosts for two epsiodes in a row? Amazing! After an update from Ari about the IAATE Midyear Meeting at the Peregine Fund, Chris opens a communication can o' worms by sharing his thoughts on the intersection of extreme weather, perception, intentions (and what it really means to "assume good ones"), and personal responsibility, which leads to a discussion about labels, defining what "being passive-aggressive" looks like, and how to deal with gaslighting... it's a lot!
We'd love to hear our listeners' thoughts on these topics and more, and if you're so inspired we've made it east - just email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are back in the office and talking into the same microphone! Inspired by an insane summer schedule, the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and the wisdom of the Leadership Freak blog, our hosts discuss the belief that there are only three ways to "get more time" in a day. Want to know what they are? Well, guess you're just gonna have to listen to the episode then!
Do you have a question, a topic you'd like us to discuss, a suggestion for a future guest for the show, or additional secrets about how to violate the known laws of the space-time continuum? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari sits down with NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger to tackle one of the trickiest questions that applies to everyone across our industry: how do you ask for a raise? Ari and Scott chat salaries, and how and when to ask for pay increases. They talk about how hard it can be to speak positively about yourself and how we all should practice doing that more often! They also discuss exploring other roles, jobs, or fields as a way to discover options and help put your current role in perspective.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Greetings from the future! Due to challenges with the space/time continuum, we're once again Ari-less this week, but it gives Chris the chance to reflect on his time in New Zealand with the awesome staff and animals of Hamilton Zoo, to dig into the ins and outs of choice paralysis during training sessions, and to discuss a fun new flow chart he built to answer that most basic (but important) of behavior questions: Is the animal doing what I want?
That's right, an audio discussion of a visual resource - woo hoo!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Please don't hesitate to let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Recorded in Los Angeles, edited in Tahiti, and posted in New Zealand, it's a special two-part episode of the TEC Talk Podcast!
For Part 1, Chris sits down to chat with Obsidean Entertainment's Carrie Patel about her role as a Game Director and the talk he saw her give at this year's Game Developers Conference, "No Mavericks, No Martyrs: Sustainable, Collaborative Production". Carrie shares the dangers of celebrating successes without acknowledging the costs that it took to achieve them, the increasing ability that managers have to disrupt their team's processes the higher up the chain of command they grow, and the responsibility leaders have to help those they lead to clearly define their goals for future growth.
In Part 2, Chris blindly tackles questions submitted by the team at That Bird Show We Don't Talk About. It gets a little weird in places, but hey - if you ever said to yourself, "you know, I really like this show, but I wish Chris had an Icelandic accent," then THIS is the episode you've been waiting for. (Note: apologies to the people of Iceland. You deserve better than this.)
If you have questions or topics you'd like us to discuss on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari catch each other up on their recently work travels in Minnesota and the Bahamas, discuss some special upcoming trips in the works for July, and share their go-to menu items from Taco Bell. Which Chris does from a Taco Bell parking lot. While eating Taco Bell.
Life on the road, ya'll!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is back on the road and joined by Minnesota Zoo Interpretive Naturalist Donnie Crook! We chat about Donnie's history in the professional animal care world, the unique challenges (and opportunities) that ambassador animal programs experienced during COVID shutdowns, and reflect on the advice we'd give our younger selves when we were just getting started in the field. Spoiler alert - it involves having fun!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
In honor of World Parrot Day, Chris is joined by Katelyn, Megan, Kamille, Keegan, Lizzi, and Aaron from NEI's Winged Encounters team to talk all the work they're doing right now to train a dozen new birds to join their free-flight macaw experience at That Major Theme Park in Central Florida That We Don't Talk About. They discuss the path from the birds' earliest training to the work being done right now onsite in the park, share the fun of being 50ft in the air during "lift training," reflect on all the changes we've made to our training practices since we first started setting up the show in 2013, and take a quick survey of the folks in the room to see which of the new birds are currently their favorite. Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Chris in the middle of an unexpected Round 2 with COVID, Ari loops in return guest Ray Minchy to chat about all things show related and being on stage for the first time at a new show. They talk about all the steps she took to make it to her first day of doing the "T2" role on stage, from learning lines to organizing her pockets, and Ray shares some great advice at the end for anyone who is worried about talking in front of a crowd for the first time. Join these two ladies in this awesome GirlCast episode!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Fresh out of COVID quarantine, Chris harnesses the power of the internet from Minnesota to summon Ari from Texas to bring YOU another episode of TEC Talk! After comparing the relative merits of our hotel rooms (#TeamHilton), we get into a discussion of how to handle the reality of...reality, and the many and myriad ways that the pressures of life, our jobs, and our environment can throw lots of wrenches into even the best-laid training plans. We talk about the important of flexibilty, discuss our Hierarchies of Training Priorities, and learn about Ari's huge trust account in ethernet plugs.
It'll make sense when you listen to it.
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss? Have a suggestion for someone great you'd like us to have on the show? Got a document you've been working on that you need us to proofread? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Join Ari as she chats with longtime listener and friend of the podcast Hardy Kern! They chat about Hardy's transition from the Columbus Zoo to his new role at the American Bird Conservancy. Hardy shares all that his new role entails, his thoughts on life working from home, and some great advice about how the skills you learn in the animal care field directly translate to many new things!
Have a question for a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari sits down with NEI Senior Trainers and mothers-to-be Katie and Lucy to chat about momming in the animal field. They talk about work/life balance, shifts in priorities and expectations, and balancing a family and a career in a tough field on this Mother's Day episode!
Have a question for us to tackle on a future episode? Send it our way at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris convene to talk about what it really means to "see behavior" during a training session. So many nooks and crannies to explore in this one: when your training plan can get in the way of good training, communication between trainers before, during, and after a session, how "training ettiquete" ties into the greater idea of an institutional training culture, building confidence in people that they won't "break their animals," and learning to let go of our preconceptions about our animals - and ourselves - to do a better job of seeing behavior.
Got something you'd like us to talk about on the show? Be like all the cool kids and email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is in Minnesota, but through the magic of technology he is joined, live via satellite from Texas, by Ari and NEI Senior Trainer Adam Geltz to talk about the consulting work we're all doing this week and to answer a simple question: what's the coolest thing you saw today?
Have a question for us? An idea for a future discussion topic? Want to share the coolest thing you saw today? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After discussing scent-based side hustles and the joys of trusting strangers on the internet, Chris and Ari tackle a common belief in animal training: that you should always end a training session on a positive note. With an outdated edition of Don't Shoot the Dog as our companion, we discuss the ways in which striving to always end on a "good note" can limit an animal's voice in the training dialog, set you back in your shaping plan, and even damage relationships. Luckily, we also discuss how redefining what "a good note" looks like can also increase motivation, shorten training sessions, and improve relationships. Isn't behavior amazing?
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
This is a super exciting episiode - not because Chris and Ari are back together in the same office for the first time in over a month, but because they're joined by a super cool guest, Zoo Miami's Ron Magill! Ron shares a bunch of great stories from his history in the zoo field: meeting and becoming good friends with Jim Fowler, reflecting on the lessons learned from 27 years of being watched by 10 million people a week on the biggest TV show in the world, how an experience breaking zoo policies on live TV lead to him becoming their spokesperson, and how a very special relationship with an incredible couple had a massive impact on Ron and the zoo's conservation efforts. Not even kidding, all three of us were crying!
If you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
The Month of Infinite Travel continues as Ari teams up with NEI Senior Trainer Meg Meyer to talk about the two flights, long drive, and boat trip that got them to a consulting project in the Bahamas.
Yep. That's a real thing.
In addition to recounting their long day (that almost landed them in jail), they talk about the joy of doing animal stuff with non-animal people, the difference between what we think an animal feels and and we see an animal do, and the difference between what behavior is and what behavior is not. And manta rays!
If you have a question about tortoises or anything else animal related (or not), let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's another GIRLCAST! This time Ari hangs out with NEI Senior Trainer Lucy Rutt at the Homewood Suites in Tyler, TX, to talk about NEI's ongoing project at Caldwell Zoo. They dive into celebrating your accomplishments with grace, building relationships with supporting departments, and being a good example for taking time off.
Also, you can be a vegetarian in Texas, believe it or not!
Have a question you'd like us to answer or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We made it! Chris and Ari sit down with Steve Martin to chat about the history of the TEC Talk podcast, to reflect on the special contributions sent in by some of the past presenters from our TEC Talks webinars, and to share our hopes for the future of our industry.
Big thank yous go out to Ann Brooks, Wouter Stellaard, Rick Hester, Dr Susan Friedman, Amy Fennell, Tim Van Loan, and Marty MacPhee for contributing to this episode!
Have a question or an idea for a topic for one of our next 100 episodes? Drop us a line at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Chris in California, Ari talks with the attendees of the IAATE 30th Annual Conference as they kick off the week at their Ice Breaker event in this special "half episode" leading up to next week's 100th episode extravaganza!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris takes a pause from the madness of the week to walk his dog and share some of the details of what has been a very busy, very interesting week.
Have something you'd like to ask us or have us discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Welcome to our Lunch and Learn! After last week's questions involving the terminology and procedures that surround the use of the S-Delta, we partnered with Dr Susan Friedman (Behaviorworks.org) to jump on Zoom and invite her to speak with our staff to share her take on things to try to help us untie some of the knots we'd gotten ourselves into. We're hoping this will be the first in a series of episodes where we get to share our NEI staff presentations with you, our dear listeners!
If you have a question, a prompt for a topic you'd like to hear about, or a suggestion for a guest you'd like us to have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
References:
Learning and Behavior by Paul Chance
Learning and Behavior by James E. Mazur
Behavior Analysis and Learning by W. David Pierce and Carl D. Cheney
Animal Training by Ken Ramirez
Ari and Chris are joined by NEI Senior Trainer Adam Geltz to talk about talking about training. We discuss the use of jargon, knowing your audience, when to table a conversation until later, and the importance of admitting what you don't know.
Want to share how you talk about training and behavior with other people? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari is back in town, so we play catch up using a new recording setup in our freshly renovated office - who knew taking down a wall and moving some desks around could make such a difference? Ari fills us in on her recent trip to Caldwell Zoo, which leads to a conversation about the things that have surprised us as we've taken on the role of consultants for NEI. Who knew "not working" for 12 hours a day could be so exhausting?
Have a question for us, or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
While Ari braves the wilds of Texas, Chris is joined by Greg Peccie, Curator of Mammals at the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens! Greg shares how his animal career started (as it does for so many of us) with a moment of awe at Sea World, how his leadership skills grew during a long stretch at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (where he became the life-long mentor to Chris' wife, Bethany) and his excitement to work with the team at his new job. Greg talks about the importance of clear expectations and accountabiliy, the dangers of "overshooting your joy," his goal of never becoming 'the creepy curator,' and helping people to become the leaders they wish they'd had. Didn't want this one to end - we'll have Greg back soon for sure!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Resources from the show:
Simon Sinek resources for leadership: http://www.simonsinek.com
It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy - by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Strengthfinder - by Tom Rath and Don Clifton
Ari and Chris are joined by frequent podcast emailer Kaitlyn Wiktor! After chatting with Kait about the journey to her current position as Manager of Behavioral Husbandry and Welfare at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, we dive into a discussion about the mentors who've inspired and supported us, the way that those that we've taught have become our teachers, and the excitement (and thrilling discomfort) of becoming peers with the people who we used to look up to. We also chat about reviews for the show and finally get around to an email from Hardy Kern sharing a personal moment of awe. Thanks Hardy, and big thanks for Kait for joining us for the awesome discussion! Do you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's "Round 2" as we welcome back studio director, video game dev consultant, and all-around rad dude Joe Quadara! Ari and Chris sit down with Joe to discuss the broad topic of growth for teams and for individuals: the awkwardness and opportunities of the interview process, things that get missed during onboarding, the importance of niches and promotions that don't lead to management roles, and the joy of being the dumbest person in the room.
Do you have a question about behavior, animal training, or anything else very much unrelated to those two things? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by their friend, mentor, and all-around amazing guy Wouter Stellaard! Wouter tells us about how his journey into the field started with an oiled bird on a beach in Holland, his unexpected move to America for school, his history as a trainer with NEI, his work as a consultant and as a leader at the Columbus Zoo, and his new adventures as the founder of the animal training company Behavior 360! We wrap up with a big discussion of "the politics of the animal field," and how open, honest communication might just be the key to solving all our interpersonal and industry-wide challenges.
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's "Tales from the Trailer" time! Ari and Chris carve out a slice of the day to answer your questions about Steve Martin's feelings about Taylor Swift, our DnD character classes, and what it means to be honest in animal training. This was a fun one!
Do you have a burning question that you simply NEED us to respond to on the show? Well, don't just sit there - email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We're back! With Ari on the mend, we get together (virtually) to assign some "Winter Break Homework" for everyone: our recommendations for articles, books, hobbies, and hopes for the new year! Bye bye 2021!
Links for all the stuff and things:
What's Wrong with this Picture? Effectiveness is Not Enough - by Dr Susan Friedman
Blazing Clickers - by Steve Martin and Dr Susan Friedman
What It's Like To Be A Bird - by David Allen Sibley
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - by Susan Cain
Drinking from the Toilet (Episode 118): Reinforcing Diversity with Ken Ramirez
You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes (Episode 217): Deepak Chopra
Recommended Episodes of OUR show:
- Episode 37: Q and A and Q (with Hardy Kern)
- Episode 84: Leveling Up Your Work Culture (with Joe Quadara)
- Episode 85: Birdability! (with Virginia Rose)
Finding Your Wings: A Workbook for Beginning Bird Watchers - by Peterson Field Guides)
The Great British Baking Show - on Netflix
A Beginner's Guide to Gunpla - by Bluefin Brands
The Headspace Guide to Sleep - on Netflix
Do you have something cool to recommend for people to check out? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com
Well...it finally happened.
The OhMyCorn variant is no joke and has descended upon NEI. Ari eats some chocolate hoping that her loss of taste means she likes it (spoiler alert: she does not). The old ending makes a comeback, and the folks stuck at home share some love for those who are holding down the fort at work.
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss while socially distanced? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Welcome to the TEC Talk Podcast, with your host, Aaron Rose! Aaron asked to take over the podcast so he could grill Ari and Chris about how much we know about each other, and who are we to say no to someone who wants to do our job? Turns out we know a lot - but not everything - and that answering the questions of a 12-year-old are a really good way to make you feel really, really old. Hope everyone likes '90s references!
Do you have a question, a topic for discussion, or an Aaron-esque desire to take over our show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are super excited to be joined by animal trainer, author, and fellow podcaster, Dr. Grey Stafford! We sit down to chat about Grey's early days in the marine mammal world, his long-running (and HIGHLY recommended) podcast, Zoo Logic, the joy of playing host to what we consider the best discussion ever of the always-contentious topic of the LRS, and his passion for the role we can all play in shaping the future of our industry!
To listen to all the great episodes of the Zoo Logic podcast, check out the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast services around the globe.
Have a question for us, or want to be on a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari away at the 2021 ZAA Annual Conference, Chris is joined by "newly former" NEI Trainer Morgan Belle! This was Morgan's last week with the company, so we take some time to discuss how her love for science got her into the animal field, chat about the unique challenge that is "T5", talk about her exciting new role in bee conservation (!), and reflect on the decision that quite possibly lead to her dodging the bullet of becoming Mrs. Justin Bieber.
Seriously. That's how cool Morgan is.
Have a question, topic, or random celebrity story you'd like to bring to the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari is joined by Virginia Rose, Founder and President of Birdability, a non-profit organization whose mission is to share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities, and to ensure birding and nature are accessible for everyone. Virginia talks about "rediscovering" nature in her 40s, the unusual way that Birdability started and took on a life of its own, and the ways that everyone can help to make the outdoors and birding accessible "for everybody and every body."
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
In one of the best and most random episodes we're ever recorded, Chris and Ari are joined by game dev consultant Joe Quadara! After reading a bit about Joe's history in the video game industry, Chris reached out to see if he wanted to talk to a few bird trainers about building high-functioning teams and successfully sharing critical feedback with others. We talk about how healthy competition can breed camaraderie, the importance of replacing "no, and here's why..." with "yes, if...", and benefit of not being afraid to "kill your babies." Who knew that the video game and professional animal care industries had so many things in common???
To read a sample from Jason Schreier's book Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry, click here.
For more information about Richard Lemarchand's new book A Playful Production Process, click here.
Got a question or an idea for a future episode of the show? Drop us at email at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Workshop NIGHT! Live from our first in-person workshop in two years, it's the TEC Talk Podcast! With Chris out of town, Ari is joined by the staff and attendees of NEI's Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management workshop to chat about the week, all while NEI's spin on "The Training Game" goes on in the background.
Also, people try to guess the weight of Ari's microphone.
Yeah, it's a weird one.
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are joined by fellow NEI-er Ellen Matza to discuss the following training scenario: when you're working with an animal and you're not getting the behavior you're looking for, is it better to change one environmental variable at a time, or a bunch of stuff at once? Our answers will SHOCK you!*
*Said absolutely no one who's heard us discuss anything training related, like, ever.
Do you have a question for the show, or want to be a guest on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari is back and she's brought a guest, Bearizona Wildlife Park's own Dave O'Connell! Dave shares how he got into the field (thanks, Dave's mom!), the job he has now (which is actually all of the jobs), the first time he met with NEI in person (I got a sticker!), and his thoughts about what makes the staff, leadership, and guest experience at Bearizona so special (spoiler alert: it involves a certain infamous hand gesture!).
Have a question or topic you'd like us to discuss, or an interest in being a guest on a future episode of the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
They said it couldn't be done: a "Tales from the Trailer" episode that also has a cool guest who's not from NEI! Chris is joined by National Aviary Senior Aviculturist Sylvia Ronquillo to talk about Wagnerian opera, ping ponging across the country to pursue new career opportunities, navigating family members who initially aren't on board with "the animal thing," and ideas about things we could do differently in our facilities to make them more diverse and inclusive. Super great chat!
Do you have a question for the show, or want to be a guest on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Two hosts is fun, but what if we just invited...everyone?!? This week's episode is a pilot for a concept we've been kicking around for awhile of opening up the show to anyone who wants to attend the live recording and add their thoughts and questions and talk about the emails we got in real time. We get into fun discussions of whiskey brands, how best to describe NEI's "training style," additional ideas for the zoo we built last week (see Episode 78 for more information), and kick around ideas for "welfare shows."
Also, Chris talks about Keanu Reeves for some reason.
Special thanks to all who attended, and to Scott Trauger and Ellen Matza for being my on-the-fly co-hosts while Ari enjoys her birthday vacation with her family!
Have any feedback for us on this experiment? Have something you'd like us to discuss in a future episode? Do YOU want to be on the show? You can do all this and more by emailing us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined once again by NEI Senior Trainer Adam Geltz to talk all things fishing, video games, instrumental hip hop, and laziness (which, it turns out, doesn't exist). After Adam shares a bit about the history that brought him to NEI, the three of us take turns contributing ideas to answer this question: if you could build a zoological institution that had anything you wanted, what would that look like? Turns out, we have some pretty good ideas that work really well together! Anyone have a spare $500M or so burning a hole in your pocket that needs a new home?
Do you have a question, topic for the show, or idea for a dream zoo that YOU want to share? Please do so by emailing us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Tales from the Trailer returns for the second week in a row! Ari and Chris speculate about the possible international names for koozies, take phone calls about refrigerator deliveries, do an amazing sales pitch for a book about zoo animal training (seriously, they should pay us), and respond to a listener question about how best to find out if a facility is a right fit for you before you start working there.
Do you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Well, you're in luck! All you have to do is tap on the link at the end of this sentence and BOOM, you're set: podcast@naturalencounters.com.
See how easy that was?
Tales from the Trailer time! Chris and Ari take a break from shows to read your emails, which leads to a discussion about how we navigate "the calling" of working in a field that demands a lot of time and energy with being good partners to our awesome spouses. Bethany and Drew, this one's for you!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by Shari Stern, Education Director for The Raptor Trust, to discuss dealing with mistakes: what we do when we make them, how to walk the line between taking responsibility and beating yourself up about it, how to set up systems so that mistakes aren't repeated by others, and how to help others when they're struggling with the fallout of their own mistakes. Huge thank you to Shari for emailing us about the topic - we liked it so much we brought her on the show so she could read it to you all herself!
Do YOU have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Be like Shari and email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by NEI Senior Trainer Brad Moore to talk about fishing, his early love of "wed bwested wobbins," and his professional history and learnings as we do an unplanned deep dive into what we're calling "the romanticization of suffering," and the implications it has for sowing dissent, stunting growth, dividing teams, and contributing to a recent focus on workplace toxicity.
Do you have a question you'd like us to tackle? Is there a topic you'd like to hear us discuss? Are you having a hard time at work and need some virtual shoulders to cry on? Reach out and let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com.
Because seriously, we love you guys.
Ari and Chris are joined by Mary Ewers Joyner, Avian Program Curator for Lorain County Metro Parks! Mary shares her history in the field and her facility's relationship with NEI, talks about her path towards being comfortable with becoming more than "just a naturalist," and dispenses some advice on what she thinks makes someone a successful consultant.
Got a question for us? Is there something you'd like us to cover on a future episode? Wanna be cool like Mary and join us on the show? Bow to peer pressure and email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined once more by NEI Supervisor Amy Fennell to reflect on last week's episode about trust accounts (and to tell HER SIDE of the great "Dan and Amy Saga"), to update us on the progress being made in prepping for our big big show at the 2021 State Fair of Texas, and to join us for a much-belated round of listener feedback during Mail Time!
Do YOU have something you'd like to ask us, or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Please let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com. Seriously, it makes our day!
Chris and Ari are reunited by the power of the internet, and they're joined by NEI Senior Trainer Dan Blair! Dan shares his history with NEI and how improv made him a better stage presenter before all three get into an in-depth discussion about trust accounts and their implications for animal training, human relationships, and taking responsibility for being a better person.
Do you have any stories about how you've made deposits in a trust account to improve a strained relationship? Share your tips with us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris sits down with NEI Senior Trainer Lisa Haggadone to talk about her experience as an animal trainer AND mom during this wonderful second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that we all find ourselves in. As kids go back to school in Central Florida this week, we talk about the trials and tribulations of classroom outbreaks, the delicate nature of dealing with vaccine hesitancy, balancing personal rights and community responsibilities, inconsistent messaging on guidelines from different levels of government, the importance of flexibility and a good support system, and teaching mask-wearing to someone who just wants to put everything in their mouth.
Do you want to share your experience with balancing parenthood with your career, or have anything else you'd like us to talk about on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Hot on the heels of our show about "moving the needle" (see Episode 67), Chris sits down with NEI Supervisors Scott Trauger and Corey Derryberry to reflect on the creation, piloting, and evolution of the new "husbandry assistant" position at That Show at That Place that Can't Be Named. We discuss what it's like for them to be co-supervisors of the same work location, the importance of delegation and the "80% rule," and advice for those looking to have better relationships with their leaders.
Have a question or a topic you'd like to see us discuss on the show? Drop us an email at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari takes over hosting duties and is joined by the Board of IAATE! Cassie Malina, Helen Dishaw, Miguel Santos, and Steve Martin share their personal histories with IAATE, reflect on the way the organization has grown and evolved over the years, and share a little bit about "how the sausage is made" as they spill some of the deets on the upcoming 2022 conference.
Not a member of IAATE? You should be! Get on that at www.iaate.org!
Have a question, something you'd like to share, or a topic you'd like us to discuss? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Look everybody, I'm gonna need your help with this one.
Chris here, recording solo in Arizona and reflecting on some ideas about the importance of getting outside your comfort zone for personal growth and to help "move the needle" for the field of professional animal care. I'm hoping to take some of these thoughts and collect them for an article I'm going to write for IAATE's quarterly publication, The Flyer. Self indulgent way to spend a podcast? Maybe. Great way to organize my thoughts and work some things out in real time? Heck yes!
Wanna help me with my homework? Share your thoughts, frustrations, and advice for people looking to take things to the next level for themselves and their teams by dropping an email to podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari goes solo once more to reflect on her early training history with reptiles and encourages listeners to share the cool stuff they're doing these days training herps, fish, and inverts. After all, why should birds and mammals get to have all the fun?
Got a cool training story to share, a question for the show, or want to audition to replace Chris as host every time he has to go out of town to places with bad wi-fi? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
As they wait in their trailer to be pummeled by their daily afternoon thunderstorm, Ari and Chris sit down to discuss the topic of mediation. While we've spent a lot of time on this show talking about communication, relationships, and conflict management, this conversation focuses specifically on the role we sometimes take helping to facilitate solutions to issues between other parties. We explore the double-edged sword of empathy when you're trying to stay neutral, suggest some tips to give others as they navigate challenges in their relationships, and look at situations where not getting in the middle to try to help is the best strategy. Stick around to the end where Ari shares the secret of how to get your room upgraded when you're staying at a hotel. The TEC Talk Podcast: Saving you money!
Have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris sit down to chat about the importance of being good partners with the other teams, departments, and organizations we collaborate with. They discuss the advantages of being a "yes culture," the role approachability plays in building strong professional relationships, and why working in customer service is the best training for being a good team member.
To learn more about FYI: For Your Improvement, visit the Korn Ferry website here.
Have a question or a topic for us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari on assignment in Nebraska, Chris sits down to chat with Jessica Ruiz, frequent podcast emailer and Aviary Education Specialist at Grey Snow Eagle House. We talk about Jessica's path that lead her to her current role working with birds of prey, her history with IAATE, and the changes and practices her work place has gone through to navigate through the pandemic. Stick around till the end where I ask her to evaluate our show - if anyone knows it better than we do, it's Jessica!
If you'd like to learn about Grey Snow Eagle House, you can visit http://eagles.iowanation.org/. For more resources for improving self care and dealing with compassion fatigue, visit https://jessicadolce.com/resources/.
Have a question for us, a topic for discussion, or want to be on a future episode of the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari sits down with NEI Supervisor Corey Derryberry on his 13th anniversary with the company! They chat about Corey's path to joining and becoming a leader with NEI. the importance of investing in a positive culture where people disagree well. and the joy of being on a team of brilliant people who aren't afraid to ask questions and speak their minds.
Have a question or something you'd like us to talk about in the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
As a wave of non-COVID illness washes over their staff, Ari and Chris sit down to discuss a consistent challenge that faces people who work in animal care: when you get sick, do you call in or not?
Who will cover my section?
Who will handle the animals who normally only work for me?
Will my manager be mad at me???
Am I letting the team down???????????
These thoughts and more race through the mind of the conscientious caretaker, so we take a little time to pull these questions apart and look at the responsibility that animal care staff (and their leadership) have in striking a balance that results in exceptional health care that goes beyond just our furry, scaly, and feathery friends.
Do you have a question for the show, or want to be a guest on a future episode? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by one of their favorite people in the zoological world, Helen Dishaw! Helen shares her journey from being an animal-crazy kid in the UK to her current role as Curator of Bird Training and Education Programs at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, discusses her love for doing roaming animal experiences (especially those with a certain famous Andean condor), and reflects on her experience as long-time Vice President of IAATE! Helen and her team are doing amazing things that are helping to put them on the cutting edge of ambassador animal management, and we're so happy we got to sit and chat with her!
Got a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
What if we took the AZA definition of "welfare" and applied it to the two-legged creatures we share our days with? Ari and Chris attempt to come up with a human welfare assessment tool in less than 60 minutes. Do we succeed? Listen to find out!
Have a question or topic for the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
"Good communication" as a concept is fine and all, but what does that LOOK like? Ari and Chris put their heads together to discuss some of the observable behaviors associated with things like active listening, upholding your half of a relationship, and making difficult conversations "E.A.S.I.E.R."
Do you have any tips for being a good communicator? Share them with us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari FINALLY make time to sit down amidst the controlled chaos of a one of the most unique parts of bird training: a flyoff! We discuss what it looks like for us humans when our birds decide to fly... elsewhere. How do we find them? How do we get them back? And wait, don't we still have to do shows during all this??? All this and more will be discussed for your listening pleasure!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Live from the Happy Hour of the final day of the 2021 ABMA Conference, it's the TEC Talk podcast! Chris is joined by newly minted President Elect of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, Scott Trauger, as we host folks from around the animal behavior world as they reflect on the first ABMA Virtual Conference and share some thoughts about who and what they appreciate in their lives during these crazy, crazy times.
Special thanks go out to all the cool people who took the time to hang out and chat with us, and look out for special appearances from Steve Martin and Dr Susan Friedman!
Have a question or topic for us to discuss on the show? Wanna be on the show? Just want to say hi? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by elephant keeper/aquarium builder/horse enthusiast/dog trainer Kat Donald! Kat tells us about her journey to becoming the hardest working person in the animal field (seriously, you won't believe how many different things she does), and along the way we talk about logic puzzles, curly hair care, ghosts, and lizard people. Not bad for an "animal training podcast," huh?
Got a question or a topic for us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's a cross-country matchup of "Bearizona East" (aka NEI) and "NEI West" (aka Bearizona) as Chris sits down with NEI Senior Trainer Katie Bello and Bearizona Program Animal Supervisors Amy Zimmerman and Kyle Alexander! We talk about how our project at Bearizona has evolved since its inception, how things are coming together now that our East Coast birds have been out west for about a month, and what everyone's most excited about for the future of this cool joint project. Thanks to Katie, Amy, and Kyle for letting me steal them on our lunch break to record this - now let's get back to work!
Do you have a question or topic you'd like us to cover on a future episode of the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's "Tales from the Trailer" time! Ari and Chris share a mic and grab some lunch to discuss that oh-so-wonderful experience of audience interactions that just do...not...go...well.
Can you win them back?
How can you change things?
What can you learn from it?
Those of us who do programs have all been there, but what do you do when it's happening in the moment? This is a real peak behind the curtain for show stuff!
Have a question for us or an idea for a show topic? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Happy Birthday, TEC Talk!! Ari and Chris reflect on learnings from a year of change, growth, and innovation. Big thanks goes out to everyone that's followed us on this journey - here's to the next 52 weeks!
Have a question or topic that you'd like us to discuss during YEAR TWO of the show? Drop us a line at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
This time we're the guests! Ari and Chris join John Scott and the NYC chapter of AAZK to talk about guest interaction, improving relationships and communication, and the importance of creating "defining moments."
Do you have a question, topic, or podcast invite for us? Drop us a line at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
50 episodes, woo hoo!! Ari and Chris are joined by the founders of River Valley Raptors Inc., Abbey and Joe Krumrie, to talk all things birds of prey! We discuss how they met through work, their experiences with and passion for falconry and wildlife education, running a non-profit organization with your significant other, and how their long-time associate of IAATE has informed their training and animal care decisions.
To read the IAATE Position Statements on things like the use of tethering and jesses with birds, please visit IAATE.org.
Have any questions about falconry or raptor training? You can reach out to Abbey and Joe at rivervalleyraptors@gmail.com.
Have any questions or topics for a future episode of the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris sits down with the Natural Encounters Conservation Fund's Director of Operations Erik Montgomery to talk about his background working with elephants in the circus, his current role as a "jack of all trades" with NECF and NEI, our shared history as podcast hosts outside of the animal field, and the many hoops and hurdles he helped us navigate as one of the founders of the NEI TEC initiative (and all the 10,000 things involved in starting an online learning platform from the ground up)!
To learn more about the Natural Encounters Conservation Fund (NECF) and the many in situ conservation projects they have supported over the years, please visit www.necfund.org.
Have a question about animals, training, behavior, or podcasting? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris put their heads together to discuss the pros and cons - and their personal experiences and feelings - related to one of the great debates of the professional animal care field: five 8s, or four 10s?
Happy virtual conference week! Chris and Ari are joined by dozens of wonderful animal people from around the world for a Zoom happy hour, live from the virtual hospitality suite of the 2021 IAATE Conference. As everyone shares their current passions, we learn a lot about 17-year cicadas, carnivorous plants, Australian gin, insect jewelry, and alpine cheese. This was super fun to record; with zero sarcasm: thanks 2020!
Have a question or a topic for the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris (who will learn to check his mic settings one day) are joined by one of their favorite people, Marco Zeno! Marco talks about his crazy history in the animal field, starting with his experience as a WORLD CHAMPION alligator wrestler, through to his foray into bird training with NEI, and up to the present with his amazingly unique position with the Northern White Rhino Initiative at the San Diego Safari Park. If this guy doesn't inspire you, we have no idea what will!
To see more of the fun stuff Marco and the folks at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park get up to, click the link and give them a follow on Tik Tok! @sandiegozoo
Have a question or a topic for the show? Shoot us an email at podcast@naturalecncounters.com!
Ari and Chris are back together, socially distanced of course, for another episode! This week we dig into the NEI archives to discuss Steve Martin's paper "What's the Motivation?" We talk about how it's influenced the way we look at behavior, and the great outline it provides for how we can be better trainers, caretakers, and teammates.
What's the Motivation? by Steve Martin; presented at the 2015 IAATE Annual Conference
Have a paper you'd like us to discuss, or a question or topic for the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari is joined by NEI Supervisor (and resident Man Who Never Sleeps) Scott Trauger to talk about professional development as it relates to some of the major professional animal care and training organizations. They discuss their experiences both as members and as leaders within the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA), some of the opportunities that are unique to each group, and some of their most memorable conference experiences.
Have a question or a topic for us to discuss on the show? Make Ari smile and email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Live, from Arizona, it's TEC Talk Nights! Chris is joined on location by NEI Senior Trainer Adam Geltz to talk about his history in the animal field, our experience working together to build a new show from the ground up on a tight timeline, the importance of disagreeing well, the lessons he's learned on his journey as a mentor, and the excitement of starting a new project with the awesome folks at Bearizona Wildlife Park.
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
It's another "Tales from the Trailer" episode as Ari and Chris discuss the problems with labels! This one touches on a lot, including anthropomorphism, problems solving, team communication, and functional assessments - so much good behavior stuff!
Articles referenced in the show:
- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Looking Past the Labels by Miguel Santos
- The Struggle for Dominance: Fact or Fiction? A Bird's Eye View by Dr Susan Friedman and Bobbi Brinker
- Don't Say Don't: Moving Past "How Do I Stop My Animal From..." by Chris Jenkins
- A Framework for Solving Behavior Problems: Functional Assessment and Intervention Planning by Dr Susan Friedman
- From Parrots to Pigs to Pythons: Universal Principles and Procedures of Learning by Dr Susan Friedman and Lore Haug
- Training Animals: The Art of Science by Steve Martin
- But What Does It Look Like? Using Observable Phenomena to Interpret Behavior and Solve Training Challenges by Emily Insalaco
Do you have a question or a topic for us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Comedian/writer/all around awesome guy Len Austrevich joins us to talk about his background in standup and comedy, his connections with the animal field, and the amazing work he's doing with Jokes4Miles. He talks about the history of the program that he started for his son, the amazing ways it's grown over the last 10 years, and how everyone around the world can get involved!
For more information on how you can be a part of Jokes4Miles, email Len at len@jokes4miles.com!
With Chris on a top secret mission for NEI, Ari goes solo to reflect on the insanity of the last week, to share some things she's excited about, and to reflect on the joy (and importance) of being alone. Oh, and she does some dog training at the same time!
Do you have a question, idea for a show topic, or want to be on the podcast so we're not too lonely? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Happy 2021! For the first episode of the new year we have something special: the audio from this week's NEI TEC in Conversation panel discussion, "What We've Learned and Where We're Going." We gathered the NEI TEC faculty for a conversation about all the cool stuff that grew out of the NEI TEC initiative over the last 9 months and our hopes for where it will go in the future, and answered some questions from those in attendance about great topics like resiliency and the challenges of using R+ in a socially-distanced world.
Have a question or a topic for a future episode? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris kick 2020 to the curb with our final episode of the year! We talk about some changes coming to the show in 2021, some wrap up thoughts on the inaugural of the podcast, and reflect on our hopes for the future. Thanks for joining us, this show has been a joy and it's because of YOU, dear listeners!
Have a question? Something you'd like us to discuss? Do you want to be on the show?? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by long-time TEC Talk supporter Hardy Kern to talk about his role at the Columbus Zoo, his connection to both current and former NEI staff members, working alongside Jack Hanna, and the joy with creating "defining moments" for zoo guests. He also talks about how he became known as "The Wig Guy," and turns the tables on the hosts by interviewing them. Hey, only seems fair when you've submitted as many questions to the show as he has!
Have a question or topic of discussion for the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Flannery O'Brien returns along with fellow former NEI-er Kevin Zimmer to discuss life after leaving the animal field. They talk about the ways their animal experience helped prepare them for the "real world," about adapting to not just being "the animal person," and give advice to those who might be thinking about making a similar transition for themselves.
And if you liked Growvember and Enrichmas, wait till you hear about Loveuary and Hatepril.
Questions? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris (INFP-A) and Ari (ENFP-A) sit down with NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger (ESTJ-T) to discuss the ins and outs of the "personality types" survey at the website 16Personalities.com. We discuss and compare the results of our personal surveys (and discuss a special 4th survey result at the end), and reflect on how our differences can make us all stronger.
Have a question, idea for a future topic, or want to share the unexpected results from your own survey? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
So long GROWvember, hello Enrichmas! Chris and Ari reflect on last month's emphasis on staff growth and discuss the start of Enrichmas, our annual tradition of working together to recognize the things we appreciate about the people at NEI. This leads to a greater discussion about environmental enrichment and the steps we've taken at NEI to get better at it.
Do you have a question, suggested show topic, or favorite way to recognize others? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
As this weird, wild year starts to come to a close, we wanted to take a moment to share some of the things that the NEI team are thankful for in 2020. Whether at work with your animals or at home with your family, we hope you're having a wonderful week!
Special shout-out to Ketsa for the track "Funky Garden" from the album "Ascendance" that plays throughout the episode. For more, check out https://ketsa.uk.
Have a question or a topic for the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari (aka "Bill") sit down between shows for a "Tales from the Trailer" episode where we discuss working with Len Austrevich, a writer and comedian from Chicago who came out to watch our shows at "that park" and to facilitate a workshop about using the skills at the basis of comedy and improv to create engaging shows and presentations.
Stick around for the end of this one, it's pretty special.
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Make Ari happy by emailing us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is on vacation so Ari is joined by Erin Katzner, Director of Global Engagement at The Peregrine Fund and Past-President of IAATE! Get to know more about an amazing woman in our field, her thoughts on why women need to be in the room whenever decisions are being made, and her feedback on an email about the use of "sob stories" about animals during programs.
Have a question or something you'd like discussed on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris sit down for our 30th episode to discuss a very special time at NEI - Growvember! We give some backstory on this month-long commitment to staff growth and development, share some examples of little things that our team does to help keep each other engaged and learning, and introduce everyone to the greatest game ever: Dragon's Talon!
Have feedback, a question, or a topic for a future episode? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Happy Spooky Season! Chris and Ari throw caution to the wind and invite the whole world to be guests on the show, and what results is nothing short of amazing! We're joined by Dr. Kat Gregory, Erik Montgomery, Marco Zeno, Kasey Richards, and Scott Trauger as we all discuss some of our favorite traditions and memories of Halloween. There's singing, laughing, and a "Macarena"-dancing Bigfoot under a bridge. You're welcome.
Have a question or a topic for the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris returns from the dead to chat with Ari about empathy, a topic which it turns out is a lot more complicated than you might think. It's a fun chat that touches on a lot of TEC Talk staples - communication, assuming good intentions, making connections...so many good things! Special thanks to our good friend and mentor Cassie Malina for the feedback that inspired this episode!
Do you have a question or topic that you'd like us to discuss? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris is away, so the ladies get to play as Ari takes over as host and - by popular request! - sits down with NEI's own Ray Minchey to talk about mental health and work-life balance. This episode also features our show's first live tarot card reading - Happy Spooky Season!
Do you have a question, requested guest, or suggested topic for the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by NEI Supervisor and resident Renaissance Woman Amy Fennell to talk about her background with birds, her reflections on helping us create NEI TEC from the ground up, and the secrets to building kick-butt teams that can take on any challenge. Also, stained glass and video games!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We made it to episode 25 - woo hoo! Ari's on special assignment, so Chris sits down with NEI Senior Trainer Lisa Haggadone to talk about her history in the field, her experiences helping us build several new shows at "the park which must not be named," and the cool stuff she does helping to lead up AAZK's Bowling for Rhinos program. Also, SUPER fun question at the end about NEI: The Movie!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Oh boy, we are all over the place in this one! After a detailed chat about the challenges of summertime lawn care in Orlando, Chris and Ari discuss our personal and professional strategies for preventing burnout in our ourselves and others, and respond to some great prompts our listeners sent in about future podcast topics (which somehow leads into an in-depth conversation about ice cream and sweets).
Do you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris sit down to chat about the weird stuff in their office and their feelings about different COVID mask styles before a quick (but surprisingly in-depth) discussion about shaping as a tool in the training process. We also share some great feedback from listeners - you guys are the best!
Do YOU have feedback for us or a topic for a future episode? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
You know what no one in the animal field talks about? People leaving it. We sit down with all-around amazing person Flannery O'Brien during her last week with NEI before moving on to a new life outside "the industry." We discuss the fear and excitement involved in making big life changes, including what happens when a new job means that you're no longer "the animal person" in everyone's lives.
Have something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After a 20-episode hiatus, NEI President and CEO Steve Martin makes his triumphant return to talk about the importance of comedy in producing fun and engaging animal shows. We chat about how comedy clubs influenced Steve's pre-NEI bird shows, share tips for how to listen to your audience while on stage, and discuss the importance of just being yourself.
Do you have a question, feedback about an episode, or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari sit six feet apart and talk about Ari's visit to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Chris' first trip to a restaurant since the beginning of the pandemic, and discuss your questions and feedback from email and Facebook!
Do YOU have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris welcome to the show....everyone! In our first NEI "Interview Lightning Round" episode, we sit down for quick mini-interviews with Ray Minchey, Kevin O'Brien, Aaron Tapia, Scott Trauger, Katie Bello, and Corey Derryberry from our shows at "that theme park" to learn more about them, where they came from, and to get their quick answers to some of our burning questions.
Have a question or something you'd like us to talk about on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris sit down to share some of the things they've learned about communication and what you can do as an individual to become a better leader, coworker, teammate, and supporter of others (spoiler: part of it involves being able to read minds).
Have a question or something you want discussed on the show? Want to be on the show? Have feedback for what we can do better? For all your podcast feedback needs, reach out to us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris chat with NEI Supervisor Tim Van Loan to talk about the unique reason why he's worked for NEI twice, his current role as the Behavior and Enrichment Manager at the Albuquerque BioPark, and how quarantine has made him an unexpected YouTube star, all in our first episode to include content in 4 different languages!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari is back! The duo discusses quarantine updates and the importance of voting before doing a dive into our commonly used phrase "you get what you reinforce" and the implications it has for training strategies and building relationships between humans. We wrap up with a follow up to an email we got a few weeks ago about teaching a vulture to use a new enclosure - yay for follow ups!!!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
With Ari away, the gents will play! Chris is joined by fellow NEI trainer Aaron Tapia to talk about his background in theater and how it lead to a career with animals, his love for reptiles and the right (and wrong) ways to handle snakes, and discuss the importance of finding your niche on a team. We love Aaron, and now you will too!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After some obligatory chat about quarantine life, Ari and Chris are joined by their friend Ash Sevilla to talk about his podcast for the website Nerd Appropriate (http://www.nerdappropriate.com) and how in a round about way it's responsible for the existence of this show, his time as a history teacher and current role as a community manager in the video game industry, and discuss the importance of following your passions and prioritizing kindness.
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
After some chat about quarantine life and some details on the new show NEI is about to open, Chris and Ari return to the discussion of some of their personal favorite "NEI Moments." And look at that, we actually rounded out a Top 10! Doesn't mean we can't do more in the future!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are joined by their good buddy and former coworker John Scott to talk about their shared history at NEI, our memories of our first shows as presenters at "that show in Central Florida" (wink wink), John's current job with WCS as a trainer at New York Aquarium, his graduate studies on educational messaging in animal shows, and his recent article on same-sex couples in the animal world. Super fun episode - we miss this guy!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Enjoy this "peak behind the curtain" at NEI TEC! All our webinar and online course sessions are preceded by a short staff "meeting" to confirm details and last minute changes, test videos and online connections, and generally make sure things all set before we go "live." Please enjoy the audio of our "pre-show" meeting with Steve, Ari, Chris, and the rest of the NEI TEC mentor team from the final session of our June 2020 Parrot Behavior and Training course!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris are back at work, so welcome to the first episode recorded with our hosts in the same room! We discuss the non-work animals in our lives, how pet ownership and fostering has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and answer an email question about biosecurity for professional animal caretakers with pets. Hope you like cats and dogs, because we talk about them a lot!
Do you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Take two! Ari and Chris sit down (again) with Jose Antonio Diaz, Executive Director of Parrot Conservation Bolivia (CLB), an organization that works towards the conservation of several highly endangered species of macaws in South America. Jose tells us about what his organization does, talks a bit about CLB's history with NEI, and tells us his amazing origin story about becoming crazy about parrots as a young boy growing up in Spain.
To learn more about what CLB does and how you can help, check out http://www.fclbolivia.org, and if you want to reach out to Jose directly you can do so at jdiaz@fclbolivia.org. Jose is an amazing person, and we hope you enjoy the episode we liked so much we recorded it twice!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Well, this is disappointing. Just a quick episode to let everyone know that the audio gods weren't with us as recorded this week and the file just isn't usable, BUT we're going to re-record our conversation with Jose Antonio Diaz from Parrot Conservation Bolivia and get a brand-spanking-new recording out a day later than normal. Hey, we're human and this was bound to happen sooner or later, right?
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
We're back! Ari and Chris explain the story behind the recent bonus episode with our co-workers Flannery and Kyle, discuss how the current social unrest in the US has created a new opportunity to celebrate the diversity of voices and experiences in the zoological community, and take on an email asking about how folks looking to break into the zoo community can make themselves stand out.
Do you have a question or a topic you'd like us to discuss on the show? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Just a quick, special episode to tell everyone out there we're thinking about you, we appreciate you, and we hope you're staying safe and sane! We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled episode of TEC Talk!
Have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are joined by teacher, filmmaker, dog trainer, and resident "podcast email question asker" Benita Raphan about the unique path that brought her to training and NEI, and tackle some questions about "right fit talent" and diversity within the professional animal care industry.
Have a question or a topic that you want discussed on a future episode? Be like Benita and email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari are joined by bird trainer, IAATE President, and creator of the new TEC Talk theme music, Dave Miller, to talk about the importance of collaboration. We discuss the cool projects he's been a part of that combine his love of music and animals, and respond to some listener questions about negative reinforcement in the workplace and the things we wish we'd known when we started our careers.
Have a question, idea, or anything else you'd like to contribute to TEC Talk? Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Chris and Ari reflect on NEI TEC's recently completed Ambassador Animal Training and Welfare course, interview each other about our pre-NEI histories with animal behavior and training, and respond to some questions about NEI's breeding programs and suggestions about affecting change when you're not in a position of leadership. Another great chat!
Have a question or idea for something you want discussed on the podcast? Let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
Ari and Chris welcome NEI Senior Trainer Megan Geddes to talk about her pre-NEI history and the projects she's been a part of with our company over the last 5 years. We also answer a listener email about developing "people skills" and breaking into the professional animal care industry in the time of COVID-19. It's a good one!
After some discussion about what "reopening" our country might mean for those of us in the zoological industry, Ari and Chris share their "Top 10" (ok, really only 4) moments from their history working for Natural Encounters, Inc. We wrap up by responding to an email asking about advice for people looking to get into the field, and our company's push to have its employees be a part of the leadership of professional animal training and behavior organizations.
Chris and Ari are joined by NEI President and CEO Steve Martin to talk about his history with Earth Day, the importance of conservation, and the history of our non-profit sister organization, the Natural Encounters Conservation Fund. We also chat about NEI TEC's "Trust Week" webinars and respond to an email about team building in the guide dog training community.
To learn more about NEI and NECF, visit us at http://www.naturalencounters.com and http://www.necfund.org.
Welcome to Episode 1! Chris and Ari discuss graceful mistake-making, the importance of self-correction, and being an active participant in a feedback loop with members of your team.
Welcome to TEC Talk, a weekly podcast from the staff of the Natural Encounters Inc. Training and Education Center (NEI-TEC)! Join co-hosts Chris and Ari as they discuss their plans for the show and what listeners can expect from the podcast moving forward.