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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
Jul 16, 2026
Jul 16, 2026
33 min
Working in animal welfare and behavior can be incredibly rewarding—but it can also take a significant emotional toll. In this episode, I sit down with Carol Sumbry, a Certified Behavior Consultant, Force-Free Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Trauma-Informed Approach Professional, Therapy Dog Evaluator, and Family Dog Mediator™, to discuss the realities of compassion fatigue in behavior work and the importance of finding sustainable ways to care for yourself while caring for others.
Carol shares her journey into animal welfare, the emotional impact of working with aggression and trauma cases, and the lessons she's learned after decades of helping dogs and the people who love them. We also explore how movement, creativity, hobbies, and other self-care practices have become essential tools in helping her navigate the challenges of this work.
We discuss:
- Carol's path into animal welfare, rescue, and behavior work
- The hidden emotional costs of working with trauma and aggression cases
- Recognizing the signs of compassion fatigue
- How trauma affects both animals and the humans trying to help them
- The connection between movement, exercise, and emotional resilience
- The role of yoga, creativity, hobbies, and other restorative activities
- Finding meaning and purpose in difficult work
- Lessons learned from a lifetime of helping animals
Resources:
Carol's website
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Got a suggestion for a future topic? Reach out to me: jen@jenblough.com.
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Get your copy of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior here.
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