This week, we continue to explore the phase of life where we enter into animal care work. But unlike last week's episode, where we explored some of the potential challenges of beginning, this week we are focused on the magic that is tucked into this work and our entering into it. In this episode, we talk about why this work is so powerful, finding moments of awe, and remembering (if you've been in this awhile), why entering this work might just be one of the best things you've ever done.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.

In Extremely Human Animal Care, one of the important factors we examine relates to identity. In animal care, we experience identity shifts when we enter the work, at defining moments while we endure, and again if we ever choose to leave this work. This short series examines these transition points, beginning with entering the work.

In this episode, I share some of my own experiences and challenges on getting started in animal care. We talk about being green, gatekeeping, and welcoming new voices, and we explore my thoughts on how we might be making it difficult for others to be welcomed in. Everyone's experiences into animal care are unique and this is just one story. But I hope it helps us to consider how we might make entering this work more sustainable, and more appealing to attract the next generation of animal advocates.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.

This episode kicks off a series where we explore the three major identity transformations most animal care workers experience: entering the field for the first time, enduring defining moments that shatter our understanding of the work, and exiting when we feel staying means losing ourselves.Drawing on research in moral injury, organizational psychology, and anthropology, Dr. Jamie McNally guides listeners through the concept of "liminal space", the uncomfortable in-between where we're no longer who we were but not yet who we're becoming. These transitions are psychologically dangerous when unsupported, which is why turnover in animal care remains devastatingly high.If you're questioning your place in animal care right now, if you're standing at a crossroads in animal care unsure whether to step in, stay, or walk away, know that feeling has a name: liminal space. And it's where every transformative journey begins. And if you are in a liminal space, this series is for you.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.

This season 2 kick-off episode is about stepping through into new beginnings. Last year was full of transformation, growth, and an evolution of this work. That journey has resulted in the development of three foundational frameworks that will be guiding this podcast, and all of Fortifyu's work in 2026 and beyond:

1. Extremely Human Animal Care

2. Unashamedly Force-Free with Human and Non-Human Animals Alike

3. Give Them Voice Culture.

This episode launches Season 2 of This Too Is Rescue, and briefly introduces the frameworks that will be guiding us as we prepare to launch a value-packed season of episodes guided by these foundations.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.

In Episode 1, I told you we'd explore why the most compassionate people leave animal care work.

By Episode 9, I'd nearly become one of them.

This is the Season 1 finale of This Too Is Rescue. In this episode, I share what happened over the past few months: the silence, the struggle, and the realignment. I talk about living the moral injury we've been discussing all season, why individual resilience isn't the answer, and what we're building together in 2026.

Have you ever taught something you were simultaneously learning? Talked about something you were living in real time? Warned people about a cliff you were standing at the edge of?

That was this season for me.

But I'm still here. And I'm coming back more clear.

This isn't goodbye. It's "see you in Season 2."

Thank you for being part of this movement.

Resources mentioned:- Moral Injury Assessment: fortifyucoaching.com/moral-injury-assessment- Connect: https://www.instagram.com/fortifyu_coach (Instagram)

...Jamie McNally, Ph.D., LPC... | LinkedIn (Linkedin)

Facebook- Share your story or ask your question for Season 2: info@fortifyucoaching.com

Season 2 launches in 2026. Until then, take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. And remember: this too is rescue.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.

In this third installment of our three-part series on moral emotions, we turn our focus outward. This episode explores other-condemning and other-praising moral emotions that arise when we evaluate the ethical behaviors of others.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.

In this second installment of our three-part series on moral emotions, we turn inward. This episode explores guilt and shame, the self-focused moral emotions that arise when we judge ourselves to have violated our own moral code or the ethical expectations of our community.

Drawing on research from both military and animal care settings, we look at how guilt and shame shape our identities, influence our sense of belonging, and play a role in moral injury. We’ll talk about how to respond and why understanding them can help us move from isolation to repair.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and anyrelated materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychologicalservices, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host ofthis podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operatingin the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish atherapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinicalintervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education andpersonal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress,symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is notappropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of alicensed mental health provider in your area.

This episode begins a three-part series where we introduce an exciting and important topic: moral emotions.

Part 1 introduces the topic of emotions generally so that we can understand the importance they play in animal care...and in life. This episode guides us through the basics of emotional intelligence, the “wise mind” from DBT, and practical tools like the Feelings Wheel to expand our emotional vocabulary. You’ll learn why all emotions, even the difficult ones, have a purpose, how they communicate valuable information, and how they prime us for action.

This sets the foundation for exploring a unique type of emotions: moral emotions. Moral emotions are those uniquely human feelings tied to values, ethics, and our interactions with others. Moral emotions are introduced briefly in this episode and, in the next two episodes (part 2 and 3 of the series), we’ll dig deeper into self-focused moral emotions like guilt and shame, and other-focused emotions like anger, disgust, and yes, even compassion.

Disclaimer:

This program, including all podcast content and any related materials, is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychological services, or any form of medical or mental health treatment. While the host of this podcast is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she is not operating in the capacity of a therapist within this program.

Engaging with this program does not establish a therapist-client relationship. No diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention will be provided. The purpose of this program is for education and personal growth—not for mental health treatment.

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, symptoms of a mental health condition, or are in crisis, this program is not appropriate for your needs. You are encouraged to seek the support of a licensed mental health provider in your area.