Dave Johnson is a retired-zookeeper-turned-conservation-hero. His conservation organization Katie Adamson Conservation Fund helps support conservation projects all over the world from snow leopards in Nepal and jaguars in Brazil, to elephants in Asia and rhinos in Africa. Today, he talks about his trips and partnerships to help zookeepers find even more purpose and rejuvenation in their work by involving them in his conservation trips.
Learn more about Dave and his work at Katie Adamson Conservation Fund. Katie's Night is August 23.
For Zoo Lovers Day, I delve into a special memoir from St. Louis Zoo's CEO and President, Jeffery Bonner, PhD. I loved the stories Jeff shares about working in a zoo, the conservation projects, the animals, and how zoos help save species.
I hope you enjoy the tidbits as much as I did.
Mentioned in this Zoo-notable: Flight of the Hummingbird
Want to improve your communication skills, make a stronger impact on the lives of the people around you, and develop empathy and understanding of others' perspectives? The best skill you can develop to achieve all that is listening.
You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy is one of the most influential books I read in 2024, now I'm revisiting it to share the big ideas that changed the way I think and interact with others. In fact, it's so relevant and powerful, I couldn't fit it into one episode, so we're breaking it into 2 parts.
This week we discuss Shifting vs. Supporting Responses, Bragging Ain't All That, and Listening to Yourself.
Grab a copy of the book yourself or find a copy at your local library.
Want to improve your communication skills, make a stronger impact on the lives of the people around you, and develop empathy and understanding of others' perspectives? The best skill you can develop to achieve all that is listening.
You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy is one of the most influential books I read in 2024, now I'm revisiting it to share the big ideas that changed the way I think and interact with others. In fact, it's so relevant and powerful, I couldn't fit it into one episode, so we're breaking it into 2 parts.
This week we discuss What Listening Is, How to Make Anyone Interesting, Thoughtful Listening, Keep Your Mind on the Conversation, and Listening to Opposing Views.
Grab a copy of the book yourself or find a copy at your local library.
Related Zoo-notables: I Never Thought of It That Way
Who else could I possibly bring on for International Women's Day than Sabrina Brando? Sabrina is the founder of Animal Concepts, an international organization that helps those in the animal care field understand animal wellbeing, human wellbeing, and planetary wellbeing. Everything is interconnected, and Sabrina shares some of her experience and wisdom with all of us in this special interview.
Learn more about Animal Concepts through this link.
Try Heroic for 14-days free through this link.
In this remarkable story, we get all the warm fuzzy feelings about friendship, kindness, and finding home. A short and sweet episode for a short and sweet book.
I highly recommend reading it, but also watching the short animated film on AppleTV.
Grab your copy here.
Steve Irwin was an inspirational figure to thousands of zookeepers and conservationists.
But in Steve and Me, we get a rare and insightful look at the man, the legend, the Crocodile Hunter, from the one person who knew him best, his loving wife Terri.
A beautiful tribute to a great man.
If you want to read the book yourself, here are some ways to get a hold of it-
Our first required reading for the leadership development course I'm taking is a doozie-- Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute.
I love the stories within the story, and the insight I received, eye-opening and empowering ideas that I can't wait to share with you, mostly to remind ME about keeping an outward mindset.
Want more?
Check out Leadership and Self-Deception onBookshop and buy local, or downloadLibby and start listening to amazing books.
Related Zoo-notables
For 2/2, I thought it'd be fun to catch up with my favorite, VERY prolific author, Miranda Levi, to check in with her new(ish) book The Sea Withdrew, the second in the Fountain of Youth series.
Miranda has several pen names, including Isla Watts, which she writes the Mythiverse series, and Lorelai Hamilton, her pen name for her tarot books, including one of my all time favorites, Tarot Tales.
We talk all things books, including her publishing company Rainbow Quartz, as well as writing.
Enjoy this special sequel interview about sequel books from an amazing author!
What do you get when you "Care Personally" and still "Challenge Directly"? You get Radical Candor, the most effective way to interact and communicate with your teammates.
This book was mind-blowing, and I can't wait to get my hands on my own copy! Get one for yourself!
We'll discuss what Radical Candor is and what it means, Manipulative Insincerity, Obnoxious Aggression, and Ruinous Empathy as other communication methods, being clear and making sure our learners understand, and giving a damn about ourselves.
January 20 is Penguin Awareness Day, so I sat down with Katie Propp of Penguin International to discuss all things penguins. We discuss the charisma of penguins, conservation, and fun activities YOU can engage in to learn more about penguins, get involved, and protect these charismatic critters!
Katie is one of the most enthusiastic conservationists I know. Her passion is obvious, and contagious. A perfect guest for this special Tell Me a Story.
Learn more about Penguins International, and get involved!
Karen Pryor was a pioneer in modern positive reinforcement animal training practices. She was a mentor to thousands of trainers, whether they met her in person or just knew of her from her dozens of books, courses, and programs. If you know clicker training, you have Karen to thank.
Karen passed away at the age of 92 on January 4, 2025. She will be greatly missed but her legacy will live on with every person who takes on the mantle of caring for animals.
I'm honoring Karen today with a discussion of her book On Behavior, a collection of essays and articles from her decades of teaching others the way of positive reinforcement training.
Listen to related Zoo-notables: Don't Shoot the Dog and Lads Before the Wind
Want a copy of Karen's books? Check out Karen Pryor Academy.
Connect with other animal trainers at ClickerExpo (January 24-25 online)
When Macdonald’s father passed away, she was devastated. An experienced falconer she’d never before been tempted to train a goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk’s fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to raise one of the creatures as a means to cope with her loss, MacDonald adopts Mabel and turns to the guidance of the Once and Future King author TH White’s chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself “in the hawk’s wild mind to tame her” tested the limits of Helen’s humanity and changed her life…
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What do Mozart, Picasso, Tiger Woods, and the Williams sisters all have in common? That they are all considered masters of their field. They have all also been called "talented."
Let's explore the myth of talent and how you can achieve greatness in your field with Bounce by Matthew Syed.
A great way to kick off the new year, and Season 4 of Zoo-notable!
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It's one of my favorite times of year, National Novel Writing Month (also called NaNoWriMo), and to celebrate and honor all my writing friends, I thought we could delve into what it takes to be a Healthy Writer, from one of the most prolific authors I know, Joanna Penn.
We'll discuss stress in our dream job, realizing and getting in tune with our cycles, loneliness, and lessons from yoga and running.
If you would like to learn more about Healthy Writer, or check out other books by Joanna Penn, visit her site at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/books/
I was very hopeful that we would be electing our first woman President this election, and I was excited it would be Kamala Harris. I read her memoir from her time before becoming the first woman Vice President, The Truths We Hold, and was inspired and empowered by her accomplishments.
Today we discuss some of Kamala's insightful lessons-- Embracing the Mundane, Words Matter, Taking Perspective, Show the Math, and Breaking Glass Ceilings.
I may not have experienced what I had hoped for, but I am still inspired by Kamala Harris to roll up my sleeves, and do the hard work.
Want to check it out for yourself? Click here
I got the chance to sit down and chat with Ann Littlewood, one of my favorite authors, who got me interested in mysteries. She wrote Night Kill, Did Not Survive, and Endangered, murder mysteries set in a zoo.
We discuss a lot of the changes from when Ann was a zookeeper, to when Iris Oakley, the main protagonist of the series, was starring in her role as murder solver and zookeeper, to how zoos function today.
Grab your copies of Night Kill, Did Not Survive, and Endangered today.
Listen to them on Libby.
And don't forget to let your voice be heard. Go out and VOTE!
"After forming an intense bond with Natasha, a wolf cub she raised as part of her undergraduate research, Renée Askins was inspired to found the Wolf Fund. As head of this grassroots organization, she made it her goal to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park, where they had been eradicated by man over seventy years before. In this intimate account, Askinsrecounts her courageous fifteen-year campaign, wrangling along the way with Western ranchers and their political allies in Washington, enduring death threats, and surviving the anguish of illegal wolf slayings to ensure that her dream of restoring Yellowstone’s ecological balance would one day be realized. Told in powerful, first-person narrative, Shadow Mountain is the awe-inspiring story of her mission and her impassioned meditation on our connection to the wild."
To honor Wolf Awareness Week, I delve into this memoir of the founder of Wolf Fund, the organization that was integral to the wolves returning to the wild in Yellowstone and Idaho in 1994-1996. More than a conservation story, Shadow Mountain is a tale of compassion and empathy for wolves, communities, and everyone in-between.
Find a copy for yourself at Amazon
"Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.”
- Carol Dweck, Mindset
Today we're discussing a topic that has been a hot button issue for me since probably March or so: The 2 Mindsets-- The Fixed Mindset and the Growth Mindset, and how they affect us, and how we can adopt a more productive and helpful growth mindset.
I read this book to help prepare for AAZK national conference in Omaha, where I'll be presenting a workshop on developing a growth mindset. If you want to learn more about AAZK, click the link and perhaps I'll see you in Omaha!
Check out the book for yourself, Mindset by Carol Dweck.
How do winning friends help us influence our well-being and our career? Well, by taking our relationships to the penthouse, we can foster connections that can enrich our lives and help us change the world.
It's Not Just Who You Know by Tommy Spaulding helps explain why friendships are important, and how to develop lasting, authentic connections through empathy, humility, and vulnerability.
Like this Zoo-notable? Check it out on Libro.fm
Want to read other books by Tommy Spaulding: