Ari and Chris welcome Jennie Janssen (National Aquarium, MIASZ) back to the show to share her take - and a great new initiative from MIAZS (Minorities in Aquarium and Zoos Sciences) - relating to the challenge our field is facing of creating the leaders of tomorrow.  References from the episode: MIAZS - Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences  AMLAZ - Advancing Minority Leadership in Aquariums and Zoos Understanding Barriers and Opportunities for Women and People of Color in Zoos, Aquariums, and Related Fields: A Research Initiative (Full Report, Executive Summary, and Infographics) If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Ari has The Ick, so Chris is joined by NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger to share our notes - figuratively and literally - from the 2024 ABMA Annual Conference in Nashville, TN!  If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

With Chris in Nashville to listen to other people talk into a microphone at the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) Annual Conference, Ari keeps the show going with the help of future animal care professional Lauren Vieira! Lauren emailed us to say that she was a listener who would love a sticker from the podcast if we ever made one - we did (thanks to our friends at Slapco), so we asked her to be on the show! Lauren talks about her story of shifting focus from the hospitality world to the professional animal care field, chats about the joys of moving to Florida, shares a bit about some of the interviews she's had for her first full-time zoo job, and grills Ari on some stuff she wants to know about our world - such a great conversation! (#ForeverSpeakingIntoAMicrophone) If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Well, it took us over 200 episodes to get our act together and make it happen, but it was worth the wait because we're finally joined by our favorite "Queen of Team," Marty MacPhee! Marty shares her background as a member of the "NEI Extended Universe," her training and behavior background at Brookfield Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom, and many of the lessons she's learned along the way about teamwork, coaching, and communication. We discuss the changing expectations of people coming in as new members of the zoological field, the importance of active listening, the problems that happen when we overindex on competency to the exception of honesty and empathy, strategies for lowering defensiveness, and the thrill of having a leader that's interested in your success. This was a wonderful conversation with one of our favorite people! References:  The New Rules of Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlitt First Step to Collaboration? Don't be so Defensive! by Jim Tamm Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Ari and Chris welcome back NEI President and CEO, Steve Martin, back to the show to talk about his recently published journal aritcle, "A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals"! Steve talks about how the article came about, the steep learning curve involved in the ins and outs of creating a peer-reviewed document, the revisions we went through for over a year to get to the final product, and what he hopes the professional animal care field could gain from reading it. A great chat about an important topic! For more information, click here to read Steve's article from the journal Animals.  If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Courtesy of the fine folks at the HBR on Leadership Podcast from Harvard Business Review, Chris brings a challenge for discussion to the table: what do you do when a top performer on your team that is up for promotion is also known for treating their collegues badly? We share the ins of outs of the case study "Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley" to reflect on the challenges leaders face when promoting - or not promoting - a controversial member of their team, and what they can do to both mitigate and deal with the potential fallout that it can cause for the organization. Get ready to get uncomfortable! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Zoo podcasters of the world, unite again! Join Chris on his "exciting first date" with Jon Rossi of the Rossifari Podcast and Elizabeth Johnson of the Mothering Wildlife Podcast to discuss the ins and outs of our shows! With Jon as host and ringleader, we talk about why our shows got started, how they've evolved over time, what we've learned about our audiences, how "the sausage gets made" in the recording and editing process, and our favorite experiences as animal people talking into microphones.  Check out all the great stuff from two shows we're proud to share the internet with:  The Rossifari Podcast - Apple | Spotify | Website Mothering Wildlife - Apple | Spotify | Website If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the TEC Talk Podcast let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Ari has feedback on the brain - shout out to The Sea Stories Podcast (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) - so she sits down with Chris to talk about the ins of and out of how it applies to coaching people on how to coach others. We discuss the difference between coaching coaches you work with versus coaching coaches you've just met, when and how to offer feedback during a coaching session you're not in charge of, and the best advice we would give someone brand new to coaching other people. Coaching!  If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to welcome Kaitlyn Bohnet and BJ Rice from North Sky Raptor Sanctuary to the show! We chat with Kaitlyn and BJ about how they got involved with their current roles, their team's epic track suits that stole the show at the IAATE Icebreaker, why it's a strength to come to the animal field later in life with different skill sets, the importance of not being "gatekeep-y", why retail experience makes you a better person, and the joy of having the privledge of helping animals learn how to learn - an awesome conversation with two very awesome people! To learn more about the work of North Sky Raptor Sanctuary, visit them online at https://www.northskyraptor.org. If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Chris sits still while Ari flies down the road in order to talk about a wild week at That Theme Park show that started with an epic flyoff and rolled right into a new show experience AND a new staff evaluation process - just a Totally Normal Week Where Nothing Remarkable Happened. :-) If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Ari is back in Florida to regale Chris with tales from the 2024 IAATE Annual Conference in Eugene, Oregon! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

200 episodes, how is that possible! Ari and Chris are joined by land and by sea by Steve Martin, Amy Fennell, Scott Trauger, Cori Dawson, Brad Moore, Michael Van Horne, Adam Geltz, Shayna Gruman, Natalie Sunray, Hunter Peck, and Kevin O'Brien to celebrate a very special podcast-iversary! We share some of out favorite episodes, memorable moments, and wishes for the future of show - thank you all for an amazing 4 years, and here's to another 200! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

For our final show before we pass the 200 episode mark (wow!), Ari and Chris are joined by Margaret Rousser, former Conservation Manager at Oakland Zoo (and all-the-time awesome advocate for animals), to talk about the legacy of her groundbreaking talk, "Making Time for Psychological Wellbeing"! Margaret talks about her path through the animal care field (turns out she and Ari have some shared work history in more ways than one) before digging into the history behind her conference presentation that asked the question, "is all the time we spend cleaning and disinfecting our animals' living spaces actually doing them more harm than good?" This is a fascinating chat that is a must-listen for anyone in the professional animal care world! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!

Chris is at the Ranch for our Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, so Ari is hosting alongside a very special returning guest, NEI's own Aaron Rose! Aaron and Ari talk about how to navigate the animal care field when you are neurodivergent. Aaron shares his personal expereince with ADHD, along with his tools and tips for others in the field. They chat about reasonable accommodations for neurodivergent staff and how coworkers and leadership can help support them as they work towards reaching their goals! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!

Chris and Ari discuss their day with the visiting students of Drake University's Animal Behavior Program and Sante Fe Community College's Zoo Technology Program before answering some questions from r/Zookeeping, the subreddit dedicated to folks interested in the professional animal care field! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. And as a special offer just for January, you can go to http://www.magicmind.com/JANomniverse and use the code OMNIVERSE to get one month free with any 3-month subscription. Thanks, Magic Mind!

Chris gives Ari some "daywork" by challenging her to follow the format of the "3-2-1 Thursday" weekly newsletter from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (a great book that Chris reviewed in Episode 177) and come up with the following to share with our listeners: three short ideas, two quotes from other people, and one question for ponder for the week. If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!

For this week's episode of the show, forget about Chris and Ari: tune in for the Adam and Lucy Takeover! Our special guest hosts discuss what makes a good mentor, admirable leadership qualities, how to get into leadership, and the importance of enjoying what we do! Whether you have the title of "leader" or not, they touch on how everyone can have a bigger impact on team growth than you might imagine! If you'd like to hear more guest-hosted shows, or have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!

Hello, 2024! You are 4 days old and full of hope, and will be using you as an opportunity to make New Year's Resolutions. If you find yourself in this boat, Ari shares a few ideas in this episode to help you on a path to succeed at whatever goal you set for yourself through the use of positive reinforcement. And hey, Chris jumps in with some thoughts too! We wish everyone a healthy and happy year ahead filled with accomplished goals! You can do it, because you're awesome!  Reference: CBT Techniques to Keep Your Resolutions for 2024 - Cognative Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles  If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

Ari and Chris wrap up the year by sharing how our holidays have gone so far and looking back at how we ended the first year of our show: 2020 (aka "The Year That Nothing Big or Interesting or Weird or Devastating Happened). We hope everyone had a good 2023 and we look forward to being back for more fun in 2024! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!

Ari and Chris are back in the office to discuss the following question that Chris posed on the ABMA Community online forum: does more control in an animal's life equal objectively better welfare?Joins us as we explore what one might generously call a dichotomous key (does it count if each question only has one answer?) to dive into the relationship between welfare inputs and behavioral outputs, the cognative dissonance that can result from seeing "a better way," the importance of celebrating the approximations made along on the way in the history of animals zoos and aquariums, and why giving animals more control can be one of the best ways their caretakers can get more themselves. And cool bonus: Ari updates us on the Florida Bonneted Bat conflict she discussed with Ron Magill in Episode 185! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible! --------------------------------- This episode is also brought to you by Magic Mind! To learn more about the world's first Productivity ShotTM and get 20% off your first order, go to https://www.magicmind.com/tectalk and enter the code TECTALK20 at checkout. Thanks, Magic Mind!