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 and advocacy professionals became a calling, and how ACT offers a powerful, values-based framework for healing without asking people to harden themselves to suffering.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What ACT is and how it’s different
• ACT and compassion fatigue
• Values-based living and self-compassion
• What acceptance really means (and what it doesn’t)
• Finding meaning in emotionally exhausting work
• A simple ACT exercise for hard days

Amanda’s Resources:

Contact Info: amandaweisspsyd@gmail.com or 732-239-9446

Instagram

YouTube

Additional Resources from Jen:

Grab your free resources to help manage compassion fatigue here.

Visit my free virtual calming room here.

Get your copy of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior here.

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 complements traditional talk therapy.

We explore:

• What somatic practices are and how they help regulate the nervous system.

• What happens in the body during stress and trauma, and how somatic work approaches it differently than talk therapy.

• Simple, beginner-friendly somatic techniques you can use in the moment when feeling overwhelmed or triggered.

• How caregivers and animal advocates can reconnect with their own bodies and needs through somatic practices.

• The importance of body awareness in healing from chronic stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

• Insights on how secondary trauma manifests in the body.

• Tips for those who feel unsafe in their body or struggle to notice physical sensations—where to start safely.

• Daily somatic rituals and grounding practices to build nervous system resilience over time.

Resources Mentioned:

Lara's website

Lara's socials:

Facebook

Instagram and TikTok: @larabokovay

Jen's Resources:

Grab your free resources to help manage compassion fatigue here.

Visit my free virtual calming room here.

Get your copy of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior here.

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 psychological, sociological, and philosophical lenses, helping listeners understand why these conflicts happen—and more importantly, how we can begin moving toward collaboration instead of competition.

Episode 30: Identity and Self-Esteem

Grab your free resources to help manage compassion fatigue here.

Visit my free virtual calming room here.

Check out my Compassion Fatigue Skills and Support Circle here.

Get your copy of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior here.