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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
Friday Oct 24, 2025
Friday Oct 24, 2025
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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 states — fight or flight, freeze, and shutdown — and show you how they appear emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Most importantly, you’ll learn practical tools to bring yourself back to calmer waters when life’s storms feel overwhelming.
In this episode we cover:
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How the autonomic nervous system (ANS) shapes your stress responses.
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The difference between fight or flight, freeze, and shutdown — and how they each show up in animal welfare work.
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Why your nervous system sometimes overreacts to modern-day stressors like angry clients, social media hostility, or heavy workloads.
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Simple, science-backed tools to regulate your nervous system, including:
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Box breathing and grounding (for fight or flight)
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Micro-actions and tactile stimulation (for freeze)
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Orienting, vagus nerve soothing, and co-regulation (for shutdown)
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Grab more free resources to help manage compassion fatigue here.
Visit my free virtual calming room here.
Check out my Group Coaching Program for Compassion Fatigue here.
Get your copy of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior here.
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