Beyond Compassion Fatigue: Make Your Passion for Helping Animals Sustainable!
A raw and authentic podcast for those who work or volunteer in animal care, welfare, or activism, who are struggling with compassion fatigue, burnout, grief and loss, secondary traumatic stress, and other mental health concerns. Through both solo and guest episodes, I blend science, psychology, spirituality, and even a touch of "woo woo" to help you manage compassion fatigue, build resilience, and make your passion for helping animals sustainable. If you're involved in animal caregiving, rescue, trap-neuter return (TNR), sheltering, animal control, cruelty investigations, veterinary medicine, fostering, wildlife or marine rehabilitation and conservation, animal law or lobbying, ethical veganism, or any other role in animal care, welfare, or activism, and struggling with the consequences of caring so much that it hurts, this podcast is for you! The host, Jen Blough, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor, compassion fatigue coach and speaker, and author with more than 35 years of experience in animal welfare and activism. She is the author of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior and the upcoming book, Beyond Compassion Fatigue.
Episodes
Those of us who care for animals often experience suffering, cruelty, loss, and moral injury. Over time, those experiences can shape how we see the world, ourselves, and our future. On this episode, my guest Melissa Lee Parent and I discuss the role of mindset in animal care, welfare, and activism, and why your trauma doesn't define who you are.
We Explore:
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What mindset really is
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How mindset can either fuel burnout or sup...
In this episode, I put on my therapist hat and tackle the complexities of communication in the animal care, rescue, welfare, and activism fields. Recognizing that interactions with colleagues, volunteers, and the public can often become challenging, I draw upon John Gottman's Four Horsemen of Communication. It's a framework originally designed for couples counseling, to illustrate universal communication pitfalls and provide strate...
Animal welfare and veterinary professionals carry an extraordinary emotional burden, and yet many struggle to find mental health support that truly understands the unique demands of this work. In this episode, we explore Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and how it can support advocates who are navigating compassion fatigue, burnout, grief, and moral distress.
My guest, Dr. Amanda Weiss, shares why working with animal care an...
In this episode, I'm joined by coach and intuitive healer Lara Bokovay. We dive into the world of somatic practices and explore how tuning into the body can help regulate the nervous system, relieve stress, and restore balance—especially for those working in high-stress, emotionally intense environments like animal care and welfare. We discuss practical techniques, the science behind trauma in the body, and how somatic work complem...
In this episode, I dive into a difficult, but very real, issue in animal care, welfare, and activism: infighting. From social media drama to competition between organizations, internal conflict can be just as exhausting as the work itself.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Aren’t we all trying to help animals?” or feeling burned out by conflict within advocacy spaces, this episode is for you.
I explore infighting through ps...
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is lifesaving work, but it can also be uniquely exhausting. In this episode, we explore why TNR can take such a heavy emotional and physical toll, how compassion fatigue shows up for volunteers and caregivers, and what it truly takes to stay in this work without losing yourself. This episode is for anyone involved in TNR who has ever felt overwhelmed, depleted, or questioned how long they can keep going.
I...
In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of spirituality, healing, and animal advocacy with mystic artist, author, and healer Susan Smith Cohen. Susan supports women recovering from trauma through creative and spiritual practices, including her unique modality of fire scrying. Together, we discuss how reconnecting with something larger than ourselves can help animal advocates navigate compassion fatigue, grief, and trauma.
W...
In this solo episode, I explore ambiguous loss, which is a form of grief that lacks clarity, closure, or resolution. Common in animal care, welfare, and advocacy, ambiguous loss can leave us stuck between hope and sorrow, carrying unanswered questions long after an animal has left our lives. I break down what ambiguous loss is, how it shows up in animal work, why it’s so painful, and practical ways to cope while protecting your men...
Fostering animals can be one of the most rewarding experiences in animal welfare—but it can also take an emotional toll. In this episode, we explore compassion fatigue in fostering, why it happens, and practical strategies to protect your mental health while still giving love and care to your foster animals.
We talk about:
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Recognizing the signs of compassion fatigue and burnout
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Understanding the emotional and physiological...
On today’s episode of Beyond Compassion Fatigue, we lighten things up a bit, while still keeping it real. We’re talking about humor as a coping skill in animal welfare, and why laughter is often a lifeline for those doing emotionally heavy work. Shoutout to Lisa for suggesting this topic!
We'll explore:
- Why humor helps
- Shared humor = connection
- Dark humor in trauma-exposed fields
- When humor goes too far
- Using humor intentiona...
In this episode, we’re joined by breathwork expert Clare Prichard, who helps us explore the healing power of breathwork—a simple yet profound tool for calming the body and mind. Whether you’re recovering from a stressful day at work, grieving the loss of an animal, or feeling compassion fatigue creeping in, learning how to breathe with intention can be a lifeline. Clare explains the science of how breathwork affects the nervous sys...
Today we’re diving into a topic that nearly every animal advocate, rescue worker, or activist faces at some point: identity and self-worth.
When your life revolves around the animals you care for, it’s easy to lose sight of yourself outside of your work. Burnout, stress, grief, or compassion fatigue can leave you asking, “Who am I if I’m not doing this work right now?” In this episode, I explore why this happens, how it affects sel...
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In this episode, we dive into the transformative practice of soul contract mapping and how it can support those experiencing compassion fatigue, burnout, grief, or secondary trauma in the challenging world of animal welfare and advocacy. My guest, Tammie Vecchiarelli, shares her personal journey into soul contract mapping, how it can illuminate a sense of calling, and practical ways it can help anim...
In this solo episode, I get real about one of the most common struggles in animal welfare work: guilt. Whether it’s skipping a shelter shift, saying no to fostering one more animal, or simply taking a much-needed day off, many of us feel like we’re somehow “not doing enough.”
I share my own story about missing a volunteer day and how quickly guilt crept in, even though I was already balancing work, home, and countless other respons...
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Difficult conversations are unavoidable in animal welfare and advocacy—whether it’s with the public, clients, coworkers, or even within our own teams. But when emotions are high, how can we communicate in ways that are both clear and compassionate?
In this episode, I'm joined by Jacquie Grillon, who will help us explore healthy communication in the animal welfare field. From handling hostility witho...
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In this episode of Beyond Compassion Fatigue, I get real about one of the hardest parts of working in animal welfare and activism: intrusive thoughts. Whether it’s replaying images of suffering animals, obsessing over cases, or feeling stuck in grief, these thoughts can haunt you, especially at night.
I break down why our brains struggle with intrusive thoughts, especially when empathy and repeated ...
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In this episode, we’re exploring the healing art of Reiki with Dr. Alexia Mellor: what it is, how it works, and why it can be such a powerful support for both humans and animals. Whether you’re brand new to Reiki or simply curious about how it might help with stress, grief, or compassion fatigue, this episode is for you!
Here’s what we cover:
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An explanation of Reiki and how energy healing work...
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Are you ready to manage your compassion fatigue? In this episode of Beyond Compassion Fatigue, I introduce you to the Stages of Change model, a therapeutic framework originally developed to help people quit smoking.
We’ll explore how these six stages: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance, and Relapse (or Reset!) show up in the lives of animal welfare workers and advoca...
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Sleep struggles are common among animal welfare workers, rescuers, and advocates—especially those facing chronic stress, grief, and secondary trauma. In this powerful conversation, we explore why sleep doesn’t always come easy when your mind is racing with thoughts of suffering or your nervous system is stuck in survival mode.
Whether you’re lying awake with insomnia, haunted by nightmares, or simpl...
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Ahoy, maties! In this episode of Beyond Compassion Fatigue, we’re setting sail into the stormy seas of stress, trauma, and overwhelm that so many in animal care, welfare, and activism face daily. Together, we’ll explore how to recognize and regulate your nervous system when compassion fatigue takes the wheel. Using the metaphor of a sailboat at sea, I’ll guide you through three common nervous system...
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