Mothering Wildlife

Elizabeth Johnson
  • 5.0 (16)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 2D AGO

    Learning to Live Your New Norm with Jessica Lelesch from the Akron Zoo

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week is Jessica Lelesch, the lead keeper over the Akrons Zoo's hoofstock and primate team.  Like the episode title suggests, Jessica and I talk about a variety of subjects that all lead into living a new “norm” once you become a mother…and especially a working mother! Jessica and I talk about having babies during COVID, when your birth plan doesn’t go as planned, and the feelings surrounding going back to work after maternity leave; all topics that definitely require you to learn how to adjust to new routines and new norms. Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    1h 10m

  2. MAR 5

    My Motherhood Journey with Mothering Wildlife Podcast Host Elizabeth Johnson

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! This week, I am sharing my story! As host of the Mothering Wildlife Podcast, I have been so thankful to all my guests for sharing their stories, so I thought it was about time that I shared my own.  Join me as I dive into my professional journey from zookeeper to registrar. I recount all the facilities and roles that I've held in the past 20 years, including those at the Naples Zoo, Dallas Zoo, and Longneck Manor. I also talk a bit about my children and how a couple of nights ago, I sat at my dinner table and had a moment where I realized I needed to deal with my emotions surrounding whether or not I am done having children. My two boys, 10 and 5, have been the lights of my life, and I talk very candidly about both my postpartum periods and the struggles I endured - from breastfeeding to intrusive thoughts, and returning to work. I hope my story is as comforting as those stories of my guests. This podcast has been so important in creating a community of moms within the zoo field, sharing each other's challenges and successes, and allowing one to feel a little less alone. Enjoy!  Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    56 min

  3. FEB 19

    Boundaries and Balance Are So Important with Kayla Freeman from Blank Park Zoo

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week is Kayla Freeman, the Large Mammal Supervisor at Blank Park Zoo. She cares for a variety of large hoofstock, including rhino, giraffe, camel, and okapi. As a working supervisor, she spends a good portion of her week out in the field, working with the animals. However, she is able to dedicate one day to doing office work. Like so many others in a working supervisory role, Kayla is busy! She shares that efficiency and time management are so critical! Kayla is a mom to three, but when Kayla started working at Blank Park Zoo she was 20 weeks pregnant with her first child. Kayla and I talk very candidly about the postpartum period. She shares how different each of her postpartum periods were and she opens up about her struggles during her third postpartum and how it made her realize that she needed to take care of herself and her mental health.  Now that her children are getting a little older, Kayla is working towards being involved in the larger AZA community. She feels that her capacity to focus on professional involvement has changed, especially since she has been able to set boundaries around what she is involved in by asking, "What commitments are involved?" This is such a great question to set expectations up front when starting to involve yourself in larger professional projects! Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    53 min

  4. FEB 5

    Identity Shifts - Embracing Both “Zookeeper” and “Mom” During Different Seasons of Life with Sarah Radecker of the Houston Zoo

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week is Sarah Radecker, a Wildlife Connections Supervisor at the Houston Zoo. Sarah manages a team of 21 keepers while overseeing a very diverse animal collection, including reptiles, small mammals like mongoose and meerkats, and ambassador animals!   Sarah and I dive into the postpartum period and what it is like to return to work. We talk about how it feels easier to return to a job you are passionate about as well as how returning to a team with other moms can really help the transition.  Sarah's journey in the zoo field also includes a brief amount of time spent working out of the field. We talk about the emotions that come with stepping away from that "zookeeper" identity and how reframing her mindset helped with that pivot to something new. She made an intentional choice to focus on motherhood during this time, and she shares how she embraced that - as well as how she ultimately made her way back to the zoo! Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    50 min

  5. JAN 22

    Military Moves and Mom Life with Channing Milchuck of Zoo Atlanta

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week is Channing Milchuck, a  Primate Swing Keeper from Zoo Atlanta. Channing and I talk about how being a zookeeper is a second career for her. She started in vet medicine and spent almost a decade doing that before transitioning into being an animal keeper.  We also spend a fair amount of time talking  about what it is like to have a husband in the Navy and how that has impacted their family life and the start of her zookeeping career. Channing has great advice for other moms in the zoo field: she always tries to put family first and makes sure that she feels positive about her home life because that makes her then feel more energized at work. Prior to having children she would not have considered herself an organized person but now she is and she says it has been a game changer.  Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    45 min

  6. JAN 8

    Raising Raptors and Children with Abbey Krumrie from River Valley Raptors

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! My guest this week is Abbey Krumrie from River Valley Raptors, an awesome organization in Wisconsin dedicated to not only educating their local community about raptors and their cool adaptations, but how to protect the habitats they live in right there in their local area. She and her husband started River Valley Raptors together and have since proved that you can incorporate children into your professional life by making River Valley Raptors a family affair! While Abbey and I spoke about pregnancy while hunting with falcons, breastfeeding in the field (she even tells a great story!), and how working with animals helped her to follow her own maternal instincts around cosleeping, the theme that kept coming up in conversation was about having your kids join your life rather than changing your life for your kids.  She tells numerous stories about incorporating her kids into her life and job, from her daughter helping her with the birds to babywearing her son during an educational program. She's even had moms who were attending her programs come up to her afterwards to express support for how she is incorporating motherhood into her job and life. Check out River Valley Raptors at https://www.rivervalleyraptors.org/ Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    37 min

  7. 11/27/2025

    Finding Your Flippers as a Leader and Mom with Hallie Torre from the Aquarium of Niagara

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! This week, I talk to Hallie Torre, Curator of Marine Mammals and Birds at the Aquarium of Niagara.  Hallie chats about life as a marine mammal trainer turned manager and mom of two—everything from working with seals and sea lions while pregnant to figuring out daycare, maternity leave, and finding herself again at work.  Hallie opens up about both of her pregnancies, how she adapted her role while working with seals, sea lions, and penguins, and what it was like returning after maternity leave. Knowing that she had a job to return to that she was passionate about helped her to return to work after her maternity leave. She reflects on learning to balance her passion for her career with the mental load of motherhood, daycare, and the unpredictable demands of this field. As a manager, Hallie shares how becoming a mother reshaped her leadership style, making her more patient and empathetic. She discusses supporting her staff’s work–life boundaries and normalizing the fact that people have personal lives that are important.  Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    56 min

  8. 11/13/2025

    “Baby Tonka” - When Our Kids Become Part of Our Zoo Community with Wendy Boulger of Zoo Knoxville

    Click here to send me a text! Have a story to share or just want to chat? Let's connect - because moms need moms! 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.  Mothering Wildlife links: Facebook  MotheringWildlifePodcast Instagram  @motheringwildlife Email: motheringwildlife@gmail.com

    44 min
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5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Elizabeth Johnson
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mothering Wildlife
  • Show Website
    Mothering Wildlife

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