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 every other week 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
“Baby Tonka” - When Our Kids Become Part of Our Zoo Community
This week, I talk to Wendy Boulger, a zookeeper from Zoo Knoxville. Her almost 11-month-old (at the time) daughter, Marcy, even joins us for the interview!
Wendy and I touch base on a variety of topics - from the challenges of postpartum to pumping at work to trying to jump back and forth between the two mindsets of "work life" and "mom life", especially when also trying to focus on safely working with dangerous animals!
Wendy also shares how she has dealt with sleepless nights and how she was able to advocate for her position to go part-time; something that was a game changer for her in trying to "catch up" on her sleep. We've talked about advocating for yourself on the podcast before, so it's nice to hear how Wendy was able to have those conversations with her facility.
Finally, listen out for Wendy's story about how her daughter got the nickname "Baby Tonka" - a sweet testament to the community within the zoo field and how zookeepers can truly be like family.
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