Mothering Wildlife
Telling the stories of moms who work in zoo, wildlife, vet, and conservation organizations. Working with wildlife brings a unique set of challenges for working mothers. Join me weekly as I interview moms working primarily in the zoo field as we discuss their journey as moms, navigating the mental, emotional, and often physical challenges that come with caring for wildlife and caring for kids.
Mothering Wildlife
Patiently Waiting, Observing, Validating Feelings, and Then Finding Solutions - At Home and at the Zoo with Katie Hall from Minnesota Zoo
Join me this week as I talk to Katie Hall, the Director of Animal Behavior and Wellbeing at the Minnesota Zoo. The first part of our conversation really dives into the responsibilities of her role at the zoo. Roles like hers have become more prevalent in the zoo field and are truly encompassing the future of animal care. So, if you want a great, quick conversation on this topic, listen up right at the beginning!
Katie's husband is also in the conservation world and spends a significant portion of his time in Madagascar. Katie and I talked about the skills she had to really lean into, like time management and babywearing, when he was away and she was solo parenting. In fact, she tells the story of how he almost didn't make it out of Madagascar and home as the world shut down at the beginning on Covid! Her second son had also just started daycare two days before everything shut down. We talked a lot about Covid and how it not only impacted her family but also impacted moms in general.
Towards the end of our conversation, we talk about how kids are so much more capable of doing things than what we give them credit for, as well as how important it is to give kids the ability to play and make their own decisions.
Finally, enjoy Katie's advice to other moms in the field - don't overcommit yourself!
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